Step-By-Step How to open a local File from a CRM Form

by Carmel Schvartzman

In this walkthrough we will learn how to open a local File from a CRM Form in Dynamics CRM 2011. We'll create a link button on the Main CRM form of the Article entity, to open a file from the local File System.

Although CRM 2011 allows us to add a link to some URL, it won't work for a link to a local file .
So if we need to open a local PDF, DOCX or PNG local file, the way to do that is to turn a string file address into an hyperlink, using a Web Resource written in javascript.

A Web Resource is a virtual html, jscript, css, picture or Silverligth file stored in the CRM database, and identified by a unique URL. After creation, a Web Resource can be used in many CRM Forms, enhancing its functionality and/or appeareance.

Our link button will open a pdf file on our Form: the following snapshop shows how the final form will appear:

1. To create the link, let's make a new Web Resource:
   
    
2. Give the Resource an appropriate name, and write the " _ " before of the display name , making it easier to find our resource between hundreds of files:
   
   
   
   The "Type" of the resource must be "Script". Open the Text Editor, and write the javascript function:
   
   
   3. The function will get an "fldName" parameter containing the name of the string field to convert to a link:
   
   
   Using the CRM notation, get the string inside the field: Xrm.Page.getAttribute("...").getValue().
3. After checking whether the string containing the file path is not null, create an anchor html tag ( <a> ) that will hold our path, opening it in a new window ("target=_blank"):
   
4. Next, get the control containing the field:
   
   
   
   ...and set our <a> tag as the innerHTML of the control, hiding the original text box control:
   
5. Save the Script and Publish the Web Resource. Next, go back to the Article Main form, where we want to add our File attachment link:
   
   
   On the Article's form, add a New string Field:
   
   
   Select from the list only the custom fields, and drag and drop the new field to the CRM Form:
   
   
   
   
   
   Now the field is on the form, but because it will hold a file address, let's expand it to two columns:
   
6. Our next task is to add the Web Resource script to our form. Go to "Form Properties":
   
7. We need to add the script as a javascript library. On the Properties dialog, go to the Libraries in the Event List:
   
8. Inside the Look up Record list, we'll find our script on the top, just because we add the " _ " at the head of the Display name of the Web Resource:
   
9. After we added the library, we must select which Event Handler will call the function: Select OnLoad and click "ADD":
   
10. Select the library we just added:
    
11. Next, type the function name we coded on the script, and the LOGIC NAME of the CRM field holding the file path (remember that the LOGIC CRM name is the same as the SCHEMA NAME but in small caps):
    
    That's all concerning to the Web Resource.
12. Now let's see how it works. Create a new article. Fill up the required fields and type the address of the file:
    
    As you can see, you can input the address in a text box. Save the Article and close the CRM form.
13. Now open the Article we just created, and you'll see that the address string has been converted to a link to the file:
    
14. Click the link and the PDF file will open:
    
    
    That's all...Enjoy Dynamics CRM
    
    
    
    כתב: כרמל שוורצמן

Step-By-Step How to Hide and Toggle Fields in a CRM form using JScript

by Carmel Schvartzman

1. In this walkthrough we will learn How to Hide and Toggle Fields in a CRM form using JavaScript  in Dynamics CRM 2011. We'll be using a radio button to toggle an entire section of a tab, together with all of its controls. 
2. Initially, the section won't be displayed; it will toggle by clicking a radio button control we'll add to the form. The final CRM toggle section will show as follows, with a radio button allowing the user to show or hide the Section:
   
3. In order to attain that, we'll create a Web Resource including three javascript functions which will allow the user to open or close the tab's section fast and comfortably. 
4. The main function will be sufficiently generic to let's us using the Web Resource in different CRM entity forms.
5. We'll be using the Article entity, so open the Customize of that entity, and go to Customize of the Main Form, adding a new field:
   
6. Name the field new_toggle and set the Display Name as "Display Section":
   
7. Select the Type of the field as "Two options" , because we want to YES/NO display the Section:
   
8. Check the new field out at the CRM form:
   
9. Next, double click the Section we want to toggle, and change its name to something more friendly like "tab1": (confirm that  "Visible by default" is checked ):
   
10. Save and Publish the CRM form:
    
11. Now we're ready to code our Web Resource, which will contain the functions to toggle the Section:
    
12. Let's create an Script Web Resource named "new_toggle" and called "_ToggleRadioButton" (the "_" is for our script appearing at the top of the extent name-sorted list of Web Resources):
13. The Main function at the script gets the radio button id and the section id:
    
    
    Next, it calls twice another function that registers the "onclick" event for two HTML Input radio buttons: "rad_XXXXXX1" and  "rad_XXXXXX2", that's because CRM splits our YES/NO field into TWO radio buttons.
14. Now we get the TAB where our section is located, using the CRM notation: Xrm.Page.ui.tabs.get(0) : that fetchs the main tab of the form, also called "general", and the section named "childid". The setVisible will be initially "false": you can adapt it to your necessities:
    
15. The "registerEvent" function just adds an event listener to the two radio buttons, using addEventListener for Chrome , Firefox or IE from version 9 on; or using the obsolete attachEvent for older versions of IE:
    
16. Finally, we have our third function, that first check whether the radio button is null, and if not, checks whether it is the "YES" radio button ("2"):
    
    
17. If the radio button clicked is the YES and is checked, set VISIBLE to our section:
    
    
    
    Remember from above that "general" tab is another way to say :
    
18. If the radio button clicked is the NO , and is checked, set VISIBLE=false to our section:
    
    
    
19. Finally, save and close and Publish the Web Resource. Now we must add the script to our CRM form:
    
    
20. Go to "Form Properties":
    
21. ...and add the script as a JS library:
    
22. Also, add the script as an OnLoad Event Handler:
    
23. Set as parameters of the main function, the name of the radio button field, and the name of the section:
    
24. After publising the form, go to the workplace and create a new Article:
    
25. ...click OK:
    
26. Take a look at the new Article: the section is hidden:
    
27. Now click the "YES" radio button, and the Section will appear:
    
    
    
    This walkthrough is about How to Hide and Toggle Fields in a CRM form using JScript.
    That's all...Enjoy Dynamics CRM
    
    
    
    
    
    
    כתב: כרמל שוורצמן