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 process of packaging applications is described.

Creating a Genero Archive (gar) file

As a prerequisite, all of the required files and resources must be in an archive directory. When you run the fglgar tool with the gar command, a Genero archive is created taking a single directory as its parameter.
Note: If you need a more sophisticated archive tool than fglgar (to add only specific files to the archive, for example), you can use any other zip tool to create your GAR archive. For more information on using fglgar, see the fglgar topic in the Genero Business Development Language User Guide.

Example gar file

fglgar gar --application helloWorld.42r --service welcomeService.42m
The gar file this command creates 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 Genero Archive (gar) file.

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 using one of the following methods:
  • The Genero Deployment App
  • The gasadmin gar command line tool
Note: If the GAS is on a remote Web server, you can not manage applications with gasadmin.

The contents of the archive is unpacked 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 one of the above methods.