cannot see Dexterity code

[ctwilliams]

We are running Great Plains version 7.5, and are interested in making some modifications to the SRVCADV.DIC file using Dexterity.

I have done customizations using VBA, Modifier, and Report Writer, but have not yet done any customizations on the Dexterity level.

I loaded Dexterity onto my machine from the GP 7.5 product CD, then opened up SRVCADV.DIC. I can see the forms but cannot see any of the code behind them.

We are considering purchasing a license for Dexterity from our Great Plains reseller. Will this allow me to see the code behind the forms?

 

[celeron895]

You are looking at a compiled dictionary. You won't be able to see any of the source code even with the Dex license.

You are going to need to use triggers on tables and forms to do your changes with Dex.

I wouldn't waste my time with Dex - though I am sure Dave M will say otherwise. Unless you know what you are doing, it will probably be easier and cheaper to make your mods using VBA. Dex is going to be phased out soon, and it is a worthless skill to have.

 

[ctwilliams]

Thanks for the info. We don't want to spend the money for the Dexterity license if it is not going to help us do what we need to do.

The reason we are interested in modifying SRVCADV.DIC is because the system currently will not allow us to invoice a contract line item that has a negative price value.

For example, if we enter a price of -500.00 onto a contract line and then go to the Contract Billing screen and click the Invoice button, all of the other line items on the contract except for the negative one will come over onto the invoice.

I ran a Log Script trace (per TechKnowlege article 27565) and it seems that the negative line item is not being inserted into the SOP tables because it is being skipped over by the Dexterity code. I don't see any way to write a trigger or VBA code to remedy this.

Our "Plan B" is to leave the line item as a positive value on the contract, invoice it, and then write some sort of trigger on the SOP side to negate the amount once it comes over.

 

[winthropdc]

Wow .... that's a bold statement.

Infact the current generation of Great Plains product will be supported until 2013 which means Dexterity will be supported until 2013. It is being actively developed and maintained. There is lots of new functionality in Dex v8.00 and more planned for Dex v9.00. As more people believe that Dex is worthless, the more in demand the good Dex developers will be. That said in the next few years as Dex nears the end of its life cycle, developers will need to skill up in the next generation tools.

You will not be able to access the source code for any distribution dictionary as the source is stripped when the dictionary is prepared for distribution or when a 3rd party Chunk file is created.

When it comes to working with 3rd party dictionaries like SRVCADV.DIC as opposed to DYNAMICS.DIC, Dexterity is harder to use but it can still do some things that VBA cannot. For example, it can trigger on Procedures, Functions and Table events. However, it is not possible to have an alternate version of a 3rd party window, so here VBA wins as it can modify windows and reports from addon products.

I have used a hybrid combination of VBA and Dexterity to make modifications to addon products using the the DUOS as a means of communication between Dex and VBA.

If you want to work with 3rd party / addon products with Dexterity, there is material that Mark Rockwell and I wrote and presented at Technical conferences with the techniques to achieve this.

Hope this helps.

David Musgrave
Senior Development Consultant
MBS Services - Asia Pacific

Microsoft Business Solutions

http://www.microsoft.com/BusinessSolutions

Any views contained within are my personal views and
not necessarily Microsoft Business Solutions policy.

 

[stef315]

I'm not familiar with that module but I do know that there was a change in GP 8.0 that allows you to invoice and negative and a positive line item on the same invoice. Maybe your situation also changed in 8.0?