Undocumented "feature" of DOWNLOADFROMSTREAM?

rocatis

The setup is the following: standard 6.01 demo installation, running both the Classic Client and RTC on the same machine (not optimal, I know).

Make the following changes to function BLOBExport in codeunit 419 "3-Tier Automation Mgt.":

MESSAGE('Before calling DOWNLOADFROMSTREAM\Path=[%1]\ToFile=[%2]',path,tofile);  // Debug
  DOWNLOADFROMSTREAM(NVInStream,Text006,Path,Text009,ToFile);
  MESSAGE('After calling DOWNLOADFROMSTREAM\Path=[%1]\ToFile=[%2]',path,tofile);  // Debug

I call the function using this bit of code:

ThreeTierAutomationMgt.BLOBExport(TempBlob,'c:\test.txt',FALSE));

The expected result is that the (text) file contained in TempBlob.Blob is exported as test.txt in c:\ of the RTC (which, incidentally is the same as c:\ of my Classic Client). However, running the code yields these results:

Before calling DOWNLOADFROMSTREAM
Path=[<TEMP>]
ToFile=[test.txt]

After calling DOWNLOADFROMSTREAM
Path=[<TEMP>]
ToFile=[C:\Documents and Settings\brocatis3101\Local Settings\Temp\Microsoft Dynamics NAV\3868\__TEMP__3bcc9a646f464b00be8c4eaca47f5bc5.txt]

So the ToFile parameter is modified by the DOWNLOADFROMSTREAM command. This is not documented anywhere (what a surprise :shock: ). Thing is, the parameter is only changed if the Path parameter is set to "MagicPath" (<TEMP>) which apparently is the secret way to avoid the "Save As" dialog (again, undocumented).

I want to save the file with the filename I supply, but without opening the "Save As" dialog. How do I do that?

mihail_kolev

The RTC exports to the Service machine, and I guess for RTC this is the TEMP directory... :roll:

rocatis

mihail_kolev wrote:

The RTC exports to the Service machine, and I guess for RTC this is the TEMP directory... :roll:

Yes and no. The real problem is that it seems that the only way to bypass the user dialog is to specify "<TEMP>" as the path - and that in turn results in the file being saved in the folder specified by the TEMP environment variable.

It look decidedly dodgy :thumbsdown:

rocatis

rocatis wrote:

I want to save the file with the filename I supply, but without opening the "Save As" dialog. How do I do that?

I think I know what's going on here: the DOWNLOADFROMSTREAM function is only allowed to save files at specific locations on the RTC when the user manually selects that location in a dialog box. The reason for this is that the server has no conception of the file structure (if any!) on the RTC. When developing on the RTC I should ignore the fact that (for the moment) I know that the RTC is running on a Windows pc that most likely will have a C: drive.

For this reason, the RTC should decide where to download files when then dialog box is bypassed.

That fact that the method for bypassing the dialog box has been implemented in such a clumsy, undocumented and downright “un-NAV” way is just unfortunate.

Ian_Piddington10199

Has anyone figured out a way to get round this? I have a simialr problem with the DOWNLOAD.

I have generated a text file on the service tier and need to move it to a network share without the user having to select the file path.

The customer wants specific people to be able to generate a electronic funds payment file but they don't want them to be able to access it after it has been generated. the actual passing of the file to the banking software is handled by someone else with enough permission to read the file.

Effectively the user that will crete the file has write only permission on the network share. However I cannot suppress the save path box. I have also tried setting the file to be generated directly to the desired path instead of on the service tier but that also fails.

Regards

Ian

kine

I think that the path do do that is to save it into TEMP folder (to not display the dialog) and than rename it from the autogenerated name to the real name and path you want...

mohana_cse06

Ian_Piddington wrote:

Has anyone figured out a way to get round this? I have a simialr problem with the DOWNLOAD.

Did you check my blog?
http://mibuso.com/blogs/mohana/2011/02/20/file-export-in-rtc-with-%E2%80%9Ccommon-dialog-management%E2%80%9D/

Ian_Piddington10199

"mohana_cse06 wrote:

Did you check my blog?
http://mibuso.com/blogs/mohana/2011/02/20/file-export-in-rtc-with-%E2%80%9Ccommon-dialog-management%E2%80%9D/

I hadn't but I have now .

I think it has solved the problem.

Many thanks

mohana_cse06

Glad it helped atleast one.

Belias

this is my bible for this kind of problems, but it's been a while since i've used the download function the last time. Probably it's outdated :-k
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/nav-reporting/archive/2009/10/08/send-email-with-pdf-attachment-in-nav-2009.aspx

Ravi_Prakash_Goyal

I am also facing same issue with DOWNLOADFROMSTREAM. Is this a bug?

DOWNLOADFROMSTREAM(NVInStream,Text006,Path,Text009,ToFile);

For a workaround can I set the 'Path' parameter to the 'ToFile' directory path. Will it resolve the issue? Or it may lead into other issues?

@rocatis : Did you figure out the way to resolve it? Please let me know. Thanks.

mohana_cse06

Do you want to save it without save as window?

Ravi_Prakash_Goyal

Yes, you are right. I want to save file at defined location without opening pop up window.

mohana_cse06

Did you check my blog link?

Ravi_Prakash_Goyal

I debugged the code and actually I am getting dialog window during BLOB Import i.e. UPLOADINTOSTREAM function in BLOBImport() in CU 419.

I have rewritten new function called BLOBImportWOCommDialog which will download my server file to client Temp folder (i.e. Magicpath (<TEMP>)) and then upload it .

    PROCEDURE BLOBImportWOCommDialog@1170000000(VAR BLOBRef@1000 : TEMPORARY Record 99008535;Name@1002 : Text) : Text;
    VAR
      NVInStream@1001 : InStream;
      NVOutStream@1004 : OutStream;
      UploadResult@1006 : Boolean;
      ErrorMessage@1007 : Text;
      FileSystemObject@1170000000 : Automation "{F935DC20-1CF0-11D0-ADB9-00C04FD58A0B} 1.0:{0D43FE01-F093-11CF-8940-00A0C9054228}:'Windows Script Host Object Model'.FileSystemObject";
      Path@1170000003 : Text[1024];
      FileVar@1170000005 : File;
      TempFolder@1170000006 : Text[1024];
      FileToUpload@1170000007 : Text[1024];
      FolderName@1170000008 : Text[1024];
      TempFileName@1170000001 : Text[1024];
      FileExtension@1003 : Text;
    BEGIN
      CLEARLASTERROR;

      //Commented standard code
      //UploadResult := UPLOADINTOSTREAM(Text007,'',Text009,Name,NVInStream); 

      FileToUpload := Name;  //Added New Line
      FileToUpload := DownloadTempFile(FileToUpload);  //Added New Line

      UploadResult := UPLOADINTOSTREAM('',Magicpath,'',FileToUpload,NVInStream);  //Added New Line
      IF UploadResult THEN BEGIN
        BLOBRef.Blob.CREATEOUTSTREAM(NVOutStream);
        COPYSTREAM(NVOutStream,NVInStream);

        EXIT(Name);
      END;

      ErrorMessage := GETLASTERRORTEXT;
      IF ErrorMessage <> '' THEN
        ERROR(ErrorMessage);

      EXIT('');
    END;

I called above function from my code as below:

FileName := FileMgt.BLOBImportWOCommDialog(TempBlob,lFile);
IF FileName <> '' THEN
lLoggLine.FileData := TempBlob.Blob;
lLoggLine.MODIFY;

It worked successfully without popping out dialog window as I am uploading file from local <TEMP> folder.