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Chapter 12: MenuSuites

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CHAPTER 12: MENUSUITES Objectives

The objectives are:

• Understand the concepts of MenuSuites. • Provide an overview of creating and designing MenuSuites. • Understand the concepts of upgrading MenuSuites. • Create a new MenuSuite for the Classic client. • Create a new MenuSuite for the RoleTailored client.

Introduction MenuSuite objects contain the main menu content that is displayed in the Navigation Pane in the Classic client and in the Departments Page in the RoleTailored client. In the Classic client, application objects, such as forms and reports, are accessed from the Navigation Pane which displays menus that are contained in a MenuSuite object. In the RoleTailored client, application objects, such as pages and reports, are accessed from either the Departments page which displays menus that are also contained in a MenuSuite object or the Role Center page.

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C/SIDE Introduction in Microsoft Dynamics® NAV 2009

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MenuSuite Fundamentals A MenuSuite is a set of menus. Each menu contains content for a specific departmental area, such as Financial Management, Jobs, or Manufacturing. MenuSuites are designed in the Navigation Pane Designer in the Classic client. The Navigation Pane Designer can be accessed from the Object Designer and also directly on the Tools Menu in the Classic client.

A MenuSuite object has the following characteristics:

• It consists of a set of menus. • A menu contains a collection of menu nodes which are displayed in

the Navigation Pane in the Classic client or in the Departments page in the RoleTailored client.

• The Navigation Pane is organized in a tree structure. • A menu node can be either a group or a menu item. • A menu node has a Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) and various

properties. • A group contains a collection of menu nodes. • A menu item is the lowest level in the tree. When a menu item is

clicked, its associated application object is run.

Navigation Pane

The Navigation Pane contains the entire suite of functionality as licensed and available to the company. It is made of MenuSuite objects with layered item structure.

Departments Page

The Departments page also contains the entire suite of functionality as licensed and available to the company. In this way, the Departments page in the RoleTailored client is similar to the Navigation Pane in the Classic client. The Departments page also comprises MenuSuite objects with layered item structure but is designed specifically for the RoleTailored client.

Create and Design MenuSuites In Microsoft Dynamics® NAV 2009, when creating a new MenuSuite object, select either the Classic client or the RoleTailored client as the target.

NOTE: If both the Classic client and the RoleTailored client are supported, maintain two sets of MenuSuite objects.



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Unlike any other application objects, the ID of the MenuSuite is defined by C/SIDE depending on the target client and the MenuSuite level. The ID of a MenuSuite for the RoleTailored client is the ID of the MenuSuite for the Classic client with the same level, plus 1000, as shown in the following table.

Level MenuSuite Object in the Classic Client

MenuSuite Object in the RoleTailored Client

MBS 10 MBS 1010 Dept - MBS

Add-on 1 51 Add-on 1 1051 Dept - Add-on 1

Company 90 Company 1090 Dept - Company

The following steps show how to open the Navigation Pane Designer.

In Microsoft Dynamics NAV Classic client:

1. On the Tools menu, click Object Designer. 2. Click the MenuSuite button to open the MenuSuite List. 3. Click the New button to create a new MenuSuite, or select an

existing MenuSuite and click the Design button to design an existing MenuSuite.

Create a New MenuSuite

When creating a new MenuSuite, the first window that opens is the Design Level window. This is where developers specify the MenuSuite target client and the MenuSuite level.

FIGURE 12.1 THE DESIGN LEVEL WINDOW

Once developers select a target client and level, the Navigation Pane Designer opens in the Navigation Pane.



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MenuSuite Levels

MenuSuite has different levels. The Navigation Pane and the Departments page display menus from a combination of different MenuSuites of different levels. There are several MenuSuite levels, they are as follows:

• MBS • Region • Country • Add-on • Partner • Company

For example, the MenuSuite changes when the application undergoes localization changes, which takes place at the Country level. Microsoft Dynamics partners customize the MenuSuite at the Partner level. Administrators of the company configure the MenuSuite at the Company level.

The MenuSuite level that is currently designed is shown in the header of the Navigation Pane Designer.

FIGURE 12.2 THE NAVIGATION PANE DESIGNER SHOWING COMPANY LEVEL MENUSUITE

Changes made to a MenuSuite are stored as the differences between the MenuSuite of the previous level and the current MenuSuite. For example, when a company administrator configures a MenuSuite at the Company level, the modifications are stored as the differences between the Company level MenuSuite and the Partner level MenuSuite which is the previous level. If a MenuSuite is exported in text format and then opened, the information shown is only about the changes made in relation to the previous level.



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With the exception of the Add-on level, there can only be one MenuSuite for each level. The Add-on level can have a maximum of 10 MenuSuites.

Create Menu Items

Developers customize a MenuSuite in the Navigation Pane Designer. To access design options, right-click menus, groups, menu items, or click anywhere in the content pane area.

To create a menu item, right-click a group, a menu item or click anywhere in the content pane area, and select Create Item. The Create Item window opens. This is where developers specify the menu item Object Type, Object ID, Caption and CaptionML (Multilanguage caption.) The Create Item window for MenuSuite that is created for the Classic client shows a slight difference than the MenuSuite that is created for the RoleTailored client. The following list shows the difference.

Difference For Classic Client For RoleTailored Client

Object Type Table, Form, Report, Dataport, Codeunit

Report, Codeunit, XMLport, Page

Department Category

NA Lists, Tasks, Reports and Analysis, Documents, History, Administration

For example, to add a report as a menu item to a particular menu, select Report in the Object Type field, and use the Lookup button on the Object ID field to select the report from the Report List. The Caption field is automatically filled with the name of the report, rename it when necessary.

The CaptionML field displays the code for the language that is used on the client computer and the name of the menu item by default. For a menu item that is used in different languages by different users, give the menu item a name in each language. Click the Assist-Edit button on the field to open the Multilanguage Editor window where menu item name for each language code can be specified.

Once finished, click the OK button to create the menu item and close the Create Item window.

Set Properties

To open the properties of a menu item, right-click the menu item and click Properties. There are five properties that can be set for a menu item in the Item Properties window:

• Object Type • Object ID • Caption



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• CaptionML • Department Category (only for the menu item for the RoleTailored

client)

Designing an Existing MenuSuite

To design an existing MenuSuite, select the existing MenuSuite from the Object Designer's MenuSuite List and click the Design button. The Navigation Pane Designer opens with the content of the selected MenuSuite. The MenuSuite level is shown in the header of the Navigation Pane Designer.

Options in the Navigation Pane Designer include the following:

Option How to access

Import / Export MenuSuite

On the File menu, click Import or Export.

Translate On the Tools menu, click Translate, Import or Translate, Export.

To close the Navigation Pane Designer, right-click the header of the Navigation Pane, then click Close Navigation Pane Designer. A MenuSuite cannot be run.

Upgrade MenuSuite Menus in a menu suite that are inherited from the previous MenuSuite object level have the symbol ">>" on the menu to the left of the menu name.

FIGURE 12.3 MENUS INHERITED FROM THE PREVIOUS MENUSUITE LEVEL

These menus are upgraded when developers upgrade the corresponding MenuSuite object. Any changes made to these menus are merged into the new MenuSuite. For example, a menu item added to a group in which the contents changed after an upgrade, is placed as the last menu item in the group.



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Lost Items Group

There are cases where a straightforward merge cannot be carried out. For example, if developers added a menu item to a group that is no longer a part of the menu after an upgrade, no merge can be made. Instead, the menu item is placed in a Lost Items group at the bottom of the menu tree.

FIGURE 12.4 LOST ITEMS GROUP

Lost Items Menu

Another example is when developers added one or more menu items to a menu that is no longer present in the MenuSuite after an upgrade. In such a situation, the menu items are placed in a Lost Items menu.

FIGURE 12.5 LOST ITEMS MENU

After an upgrade, developers can take action on the menu items in a Lost Items group or menu - either by inserting them somewhere in the current menu, in the case of Lost Items, or in another menu, or by deleting them. A Lost Items group or menu is not visible in the Navigation Pane at run time.

New Menus

New menus are not affected by an upgrade. New menu items to be added in upgraded menus must be added manually.

Demonstration: Create a MenuSuite For The Classic Client The following demonstration shows how to create a new MenuSuite for the Classic client by creating a menu, a group and a menu item.

Create a Menu

The following steps show how to create a new menu.

1. In the Object Designer's MenuSuite List, click the New button. 2. Select Classic Client in the Design for field, select Company and

then click OK. 3. Right-click anywhere in the menu and then click Create Menu.



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4. Type the following in the Create Menu window. o Caption: My Customer

FIGURE 12.6 THE CREATE MENU WINDOW

5. Click OK.

Create a Group

The following steps show how to create a new group.

1. Right-click anywhere in the content area of the My Customer menu, and then click Create Group.

2. Rename the group to My Customer.

FIGURE 12.7 CREATE A GROUP

Create Menu Items

The following steps show how to create a new menu item.

1. Open the My Customer group. 2. Right-click the Empty Group item, and then click Create Item.



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3. Type the following in the Create Item window. o Object Type: Form o Object ID: My Customer Card

FIGURE 12.8 THE CREATE ITEM WINDOW

4. Click OK. 5. Right-click the header of the Navigation Pane and then click Close

Navigation Pane Designer. 6. Ensure the Compiled check box is selected, and then click Yes.

The New Menu in Navigation Pane

FIGURE 12.9 THE MY CUSTOMER MENU

Demonstration: Create A MenuSuite For The RoleTailored Client

The following demonstration shows how to create a new MenuSuite for the RoleTailored client by creating a menu, a group and a menu item.

Create a Menu

The following steps show how to create a new menu.

1. In the Object Designer's MenuSuite List, click the New button. 2. Select RoleTailored Client in the Design for field, select Dept -

Company and then click OK. 3. Right-click anywhere in the menu and then click Create Menu. 4. Type the following in the Create Menu window.

o Caption: My Customer

5. Click OK.



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Create a Group

The following steps show how to create a new group.

1. Right-click anywhere in the content area of the My Customer menu, and then click Create Group.

2. Rename the group to My Customer.

Create Menu Items

The following steps show how to create a new menu item.

1. Open the My Customer group. 2. Right-click the Empty Group item, and then click Create Item. 3. Type the following in the Create Item window.

o Object Type: Page o Object ID: My Customer List o Department Category: Lists

FIGURE 12.10 THE CREATE ITEM WINDOW





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The New Menu in the Departments Page

FIGURE 12.11 THE MY CUSTOMER MENU



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Lab 12.1 - Create MenuSuites The following lab tests the basic knowledge on how to create MenuSuites for both the Classic and the RoleTailored client.

Scenario

Simon is a developer working for CRONUS International Ltd. CRONUS International has decided to start selling Microsoft Dynamics NAV training courses as its business.

Simon has already created forms and pages to access the Course table for his users. Now, Simon must create a menu for both the Classic client and the RoleTailored client, to access the Course's forms and pages.

Challenge Yourself!

1. Create a new MenuSuite by creating a menu, a group and a menu item to access the Course Card from the Navigation Pane in the Classic client.

2. Create a new MenuSuite by creating a menu, a group and a menu item to access the Course Card from the Departments page in the RoleTailored client.

Need a Little Help?

Create a MenuSuite for the Classic client.

1. Create a Menu. 2. Create a Group. 3. Create a Menu Item for the Course Card.

Create a MenuSuite for the RoleTailored client.

1. Create a Menu. 2. Create a Group. 3. Create a Menu Item for the Course List.

Step by Step

Create a MenuSuite for the Classic client.

1. In the Object Designer's MenuSuite List, click the New button. 2. Select Classic Client in the Design for field, select Company and

then click OK. 3. Right-click anywhere in the menu and then click Create Menu.



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4. Type the following in the Create Menu window. o Caption: Course

5. Click OK. 6. Right-click anywhere in the content area of the Course menu, and

then click Create Group. 7. Rename the group to Course. 8. Open the Course group. 9. Right-click the Empty Group item, and then click Create Item. 10. Type the following in the Create Item window.

o Object Type: Form o Object ID: Course Card



Create a MenuSuite for the RoleTailored client.

1. In the Object Designer's MenuSuite List, click the New button. 2. Select RoleTailored Client in the Design for field, select Dept -

Company and then click OK. 3. Right-click anywhere in the menu and then click Create Menu. 4. Type the following in the Create Menu window.

o Caption: Course

5. Click OK. 6. Right-click anywhere in the content area of the Course menu, and

then click Create Group. 7. Rename the group to Course. 8. Open the Course group. 9. Right-click the Empty Group item, and then click Create Item. 10. Type the following in the Create Item window.

o Object Type: Page o Object ID: Course List o Department Category: Lists





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Summary MenuSuites are the container of application objects. They display a menu in either the Navigation Pane or the Departments page depending on which client is used. Links in the form of menu items, must be created in the MenuSuites for new application objects, so that they can be accessed by the users. In addition, menus and groups categorize menu items so that they are organized and can be easily found, whether it is in the Navigation Pane or in the Departments page. Developing the MenuSuites completes the development of the application objects in C/SIDE.



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Test Your Knowledge 1. True or False. A MenuSuite cannot be accessed programmatically.

2. What is the name of the design area used to work with the MenuSuites?

3. With the exception of the Add-on level, how many instances of a MenuSuite can there be for each Design Level?

4. How many instances of the MenuSuite can there be for the Add-on level?

5. What are the two ways to open the Navigation Pane Designer?

6. True or False. A MenuSuite object can be run from the Object Designer.

7. When creating a new item in a MenuSuite and Report is selected as the Object Type, what is displayed when the Lookup button on the Object ID is clicked?

8. Name the six selections available in the Object Type field for a menu item that is created for the Classic client.

9. What are the levels on which a MenuSuite can be categorized?



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Quick Interaction: Lessons Learned Take a moment and write down three key points you have learned from this chapter

1.

2.

3.


Na2009 enus devi_12

Technology

compiled check

navigation

create item

empty group

lost items

create menu

select roletailored

select classic