This article describes the differences between SmartBar button area and SmartBar menu counting and how these can be configured.

SmartBar button area
Shows SmartBar buttons/tiles in a defined place on a Dynamics 365 record-form. 

This has to be configured directly within Dynamics 365. More information can be found in the corresponding SmartBar guide on page 22. 

Dynamics 365 menu counting
Shows the number of related records directly in the Dynamics 365 menu. 

Thank you for joining us at Summit EMEA in Dublin! It was a pleasure for us to be part of such a great experience! 

The atmosphere at Summit EMEA was perfect, which was not only due to the well-selected location but also to the excellent speakers and truly informative sessions. Amazing keynote speakers, small group sessions, gripping speeches and lots of networking opportunities converted this event into a Microsoft Dynamics 365 festival. 

Figure 1: Summit EMEA Dublin 2018

Summit EMEA was amazing and full of great people. From the very first moment, we knew that being a Silver Sponsor had been a great decision. All in all, the event was a complete success for partners and customers. Being part of this event was a great and really very special experience! We want to thank the organizers of that outstanding event for their commitment! 

 There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t met yet.
- William Butler Yeats

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If you are a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Online system administrator, you probably know that initial Dynamics 365 user setup is performed in the Office 365 portal and then configured within Dynamics 365. But you may not know that you can use the Security Groups feature in the Office 365 Portal to enable or disable Dynamics 365 access to custom groups of users you can create.

​This feature can be useful for different scenarios, including:

• Limiting access for development or testing in non-production Dynamics 365 Online instances
• Restricting access to the Dynamics 365 Online production environment to system administrators only when importing a new solution set or other system maintenance
• Creating special groups for sales, service, or other business groups for more organized users management​

There is actually a default security group that is pre-configured for Office 365 called System Administrators. This group includes all Office 365 users with global administrator rights.

Here’s how it works. You must have global administrator rights in the Office 365 Portal.  If you do, log in to the Office 365 Portal with your credentials to the home page. Once logged in, do the following:

1. On the home page, navigate to Admin Center and select the Groups link on the navigation menu on the left side of the page.
2. This will take you to the Groups list. Open the View drop-down menu and select Security, which will take you to the  Security Groups management pages. 
3. Left click on the [+ Add a group]-button to create a new group. This will open up a new window where you can enter your new security group name.

 

For this scenario, we will call our group Testing Users. This group will comprise of users that will have access to the Dynamics 365 environment for testing new solutions. To create the group, do the following:

1. On the entry page, enter the name of the group in the Name section.
2. Next, add the Description of this group.
3. After entering the name and description, select the [Add]-buttonin the bottom left corner to save your group.

 

When you generate documents and attach it to an email in a workflow it is oftenn ecessary to send emails with different senders. 

This requires specific privilgeges in Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE otherwise you will get the following errormessage:

User does not have send-as privilege.

   at AutoMergeService.MergeService.sendEmail(IOrganizationService iservice, Entity queueItem)

   at AutoMergeService.MergeService.ProcessDocuments(MergeService parent, Int32& pendingRecords)

 

The necessary privilege here is a personal setting, called "Allow other Microsoft Dynamics 365 users to send email on your behalf".

If you need to set this setting for all or some of your users the easiest way is to use the one of the tools of the XRMToolBox. ( http://www.xrmtoolbox.com)

The tool called "User Settings Utility" gives you the possibility to set the setting ("Allow emails on my behalf") for multiple or all users in your organization. 

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In this blog article, you will learn how the DocumentsCorePack ServerBased functionality can be used to upload a SharePoint document to an email in a workflow. For more information on how to create a workflow, please read this article here. 

After creating your new process, you will be provided with the window where you can define the steps of your process. 

Step 1: Create Email 
First, you have to create an email by using the Create Record-step. Open the drop-down menu and select Email. By hitting the [Set properties]-button you can define the properties of this step. For more information on how to create an email, please read this blog article here. 

Step 2: Create MSCRM-ADDONS.com AutoMergeWorkingIntems
Next, we want to create a new MSCRM-ADDONS.com AutoMergeWorkingItem, which makes sure that the SharePoint document will be uploaded to the email properly. To do so, please add a new step. Again, click on the [Add Step]-button and select Create Record. Then, type in a step description and use the drop-down menu below to set the Create:-section to MSCRM-ADDONS.com AutoMergeWorkingItems. Next, click on the [Set Properties]-button. 

That’s it! We appreciate your feedback! Please share your thoughts by sending an email to support@mscrm-addons.com.

 

 

This article describes how you can create custom Dynamics 365 menu buttons with custom JavaScript functions to execute the DocumentsCorePack ExportToWord (aka “PrintInWord”) process. This article is only relevant if you use the DocumentsCorePack client (Template Designer) to generate documents.

 

This blog article applies only to Dynamics 365 - version 8.2 and higher. 

 

Basic JavaScript knowledge is required.

 

When can this be helpful?

For example, you want to define a specific template which should be used for the process.

Or you want to do any pre-operations like checking the status of the target record (e.g. invoice has to be paid).

 

Configure custom buttons

First, start the Configuration - DocumentsCorePack for Dynamics 365, connect to your organization and launch the Client & Server Based generation settings.

More information can be found in chapter “Organization Overview“ of the Install Guide. 

 

In the so opened window, hit on the [Advanced Button Configuration]-button, like you can see in the following figure.

 

Button Name
Gives you the possibility to define a custom name for your button.

JS Library
Cannot be changed. 

JS Functions
Select the JavaScript function that should be executed if you hit the generated button. 

The DocumentsCorePack Configuration Tool already includes predefined JavaScript template functions which can be used to get started (underneath you will find a description): 

• ptmDCPCustomExportToWordAction
• ptmDCPCustomExportToWordActionAccountWithTemplate
• ptmDCPCustomExportToWordActionSingleRecordCheck
• CustomPrintInWordActionAccount (deprecated)

With a click on the [Modify JavaScript]-button the JavaScript web resource (ptm_dcp_custombuttonsactions.js) is opened in a new Dynamics 365 window.

 

JavaScript functions 
The methods described below are part of this web resource. The latest version of the script can be download here.

The function ptmDCPCustomExportToWordAction (line 33 to 43) shows the simplest way to start the ExportToWord process. After executing, the DCP Client will show the template selection dialog. This example function is ready to use and works for different entities.

 

ptmDCPCBCustomButton.startExportToWord(selectedIds, typeCode, selectedItemCount, entityName);

This function starts the ExportToWord process, like you can see in the following figure.

  

The function ptmDCPCustomExportToWordActionAccountWithTemplate (line 46 to 58) shows how the ExportToWord process can be started with a specific template. After executing, the DCP Client will use the defined template (Account_Overview.docx) instead of showing the template selection dialog.

This example function works for accounts only because its template is designed for accounts.

 

//doSomething();

Can be replaced with any custom code. E.g. check the status.

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var nameOfDCPTemplate = "Account_Overview.docx";

Define the name of the DCP template. Any existing template of the entity account can be used.

 

ptmDCPCBCustomButton.startExportToWord(selectedIds, typeCode, selectedItemCount, entityName, nameOfDCPTemplate);

Starts the ExportToWord process and passes on the template.
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The function ptmDCPCustomExportToWordActionSingleRecordCheck (line 63 to 96) shows how the entity name and the ID of the reference-record can be accessed (first for a process started from GRID/SubGRID, second from a FORM).

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Finally, it starts the ExportToWord process.

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SharePoint paths limitations are hard coded. The maximum path length is 260 characters. If that limit is exceeded, you get the SharePoint error 414. This article outlines how to avoid this error. 

Minimum requirements: AttachmentExtractor v.124 or higher 

 mscrm-addons products offer several default ways to shorten SharePoint paths:

1) We provide you with a default shortening to a maximum of 30 characters + GUID for each folder name. 
2) We provide you with a default shortening to a maximum of 128 characters for each file name. 
3) ShortIDs: We create a 6-characters ID alternatively to the well-known 36 GUIDs of Microsoft Dynamics 365.  
4) Use an alternative field for the generation of paths (e.g. instead of account name we can use a unique account number field).

Please note: Even though the creation of short paths is a very valuable feature, existing paths cannot be shortened anymore, unless very specific criteria are met. Manual interaction is always required.

 

How to activate a ShortID for AttachmentExtractor

1) First, you must activate ShortID for AttachmentExtractor. To do so, please follow the below path in order to get to the ShortID settings. 

Please note:  You must replace [YourServiceName] with your individual service name: 
 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PTM EDV-Systeme\AttachmentExtractorserver\Configurations\[YourServiceName]

2) Next, set UseShortID to true.

 

3) To define the cutting, you will have to create a new settingskey. If you have not created a settingskey yet, please have a look at this article. 

Depending on which item you would like to customize, please enter the following settings: 

For the maximum SharePoint folder name length: 
SPMaxFolderLength: [number of characters that should remain]

 

For the maximum SharePoint file name length:
SPMaxFileLength: [number of characters that should remain]

 

For the minimum SharePoint file name length:

SPMinFileLength: [minimum number of characters that should remain]

Please note: The file extension is never cut! 

  

For the SharePoint folder name attribute:

SPFolderNameAttribute: enittyschemaname;attributename|

For further information on how to correct SharePoint paths exceeding the limitations, please have a look at this blog article. 

That's it! We appreciate your feedback! Please share your thoughts by sending an email to support@mscrm-addons.com!

The eXtreme365 event in Dubrovnik, Croatia exceeded all our expectations. To begin with, we would like to thank you for giving us your precious time and attention! It was a great pleasure meeting you at our booth!

The atmosphere at eXtreme365 was perfect, which was not only due to the well-selected location but also to the excellent speakers and truly informative sessions. The event was amazing and full of great people. From the very first moment, we knew that being a Silver Sponsor for this event had been a great decision. There is no better town for an event like Dubrovnik - the vibrant city reflects the spirit of Microsoft Dynamics 365 like no other.

Figure 1: eXtreme365 Dubrovnik photo gallery

Also, we had the chance to present our solutions and ideas in front of a responsive audience. Michael Dohr outlined excellently how our solutions guarantee higher productivity in Dynamics 365 and why working with partners is the key to success. He highlighted the values and benefits of our partner network, as well as the main advantages of our solutions for Microsoft Dynamics 365. 

Figure 2: Live showcase on how simple solutions guarantee higher productivity in Dynamics 365

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​All in all, the event was a complete success for partners and customers. Being part of this event was a great and really very special experience! We want to thank the organizers of that outstanding event for their commitment! 

Power Dialing

This article outlines how you can activate the Power Dialing functionality of TelephoneIntegration for Dynamics 365. The steps described are relevant if you installed TelephoneIntegration from Microsoft AppSource or if you use the Web Configuration.

Enabling this feature will enhance the Campaign Activity entity with an additional “Power Dialing” form section. And will add the “Create Power Dialing list” button to the entities Account, Contact and Lead.

Install Solutions

After enabling the Power Dialing setting inside the Web Configuration you will have to install the TelephoneIntegrationPowerDialing solution.

Please follow these steps to install the solutions:

• Download the solutions zip file (Download Link):
• Unzip the downloaded "TelephoneIntegration for Dynamics 365 v9_ExtendedSolutions.zip" file and you will find two solutions (TelephoneIntegrationPowerDialing.zip ,TelephoneIntegrationServerCore.zip)
• Open Dynamics 365 -> Advanced Settings -> Settings -> Solutions -> hit “Import”
• I​n the popping up dialog select the “TelephoneIntegrationServerCore.zip” file and follow the wizard.
• Once done, reproduce this process. This time select the “TelephoneIntegrationPowerDialing.zip” and follow the wizard.​

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Note: Please check that the version contained in the update is bigger than the one you currently have installed and if it’s really necessary to import the solution. In this example we have the same solution already installed and therefore we will not need to import this solution.

If you create new custom activities after the installation of ActivityTools they will not be shown in the activity type drop down and in the NEW ACTIVITY menu of ActivityTools.

This article shows how you can make them available.