Understanding packaging with GAS

Before deploying applications on a GAS installation, you need to package the required compiled files and resources in a Genero archive file. The fglgar command provides this function and you can find out here what is involved in this process.

Multiple applications may be bundled in a gar file. As a prerequisite, all of the required files and resources must be in a root directory. When you run the fglgar tool with the gar command a Genero archive is created.
fglgar gar --application helloWorld.42r --service welcomeService.42m

Example gar file

The gar file contains a MANIFEST file, your application modules, form files, configuration files, for example:
  • MANIFEST
  • helloWorld.42m
  • helloWorld.42r
  • helloWorld.42f
  • welcomeService.42m
  • helloWorld.xcf
  • welcomeService.xcf

The MANIFEST file

The MANIFEST is an XML file that essentially provides a list of the applications and services in the gar to make available. It can be created automatically by fglgar at the command line for applications specified with the --application and/or --service option.

Or alternatively, if you have many applications to package, you may find it easier to first create the MANIFEST by hand. Running fglgar (without the --application and/or --service option) it checks if a MANIFEST file is present in the directory, and uses it to create the gar. For more information see the MANIFEST file topic in the Genero Application Server User Guide.

Application configuration files

You can provide the application configuration (xcf) files if you wish but they are created automatically for you if you provide the --application and/or --service options with the name of the executable (42r or 42m) files instead of xcf files.

The xcf file is created based on default configurations in the GAS configuration file, as.xcf:
  • With option --application, fglgar creates a default xcf based on the "defaultwa" configuration.
  • With option --service, fglgar creates a default xcf based on "ws.default" configuration.

In both cases, the generated xcf file is given the name of the 42r or 42m provided at the command line.

Deploy the gar file and enable its applications

You deploy the archive on your GAS installation locally using the gasadmin tool, or the FGL Web services PublishGAR tool that is provided in the Genero BDL installation.

If the GAS is on a remote Web server, you can only deploy applications with PublishGAR. You can also use other tools such as curl, etc.

These tools unpack the contents of the archive in the GAS $(res.appdata.path)/deployment path. The applications deployed are identified by the name of the xcf. To make the applications available to end users, enable the archive using either the gasadmin or the PublishGAR tool. For examples, see Deploying applications on GAS.