AR System definitions

In AR System, a definition is the description of the structure in which objects, views, and applications are organized, identified, and manipulated in the AR System server. Object definitions contain no user data or entries.

Related topics

Moving your application to production

Exporting-and-importing-definitions

You can use two methods for exporting and importing definitions:

  • You can move AR System objects from one server to another by exporting object definitions to a file and importing the definition file to a server on the same or a different computer. You can export object definitions by type, for example, all menus, or those for a specific server.
    • AR System version 9.1 and later does not support the encrypted object definitions from AR System version 8.1.
    • If the AR Systemversion 8.1 object definitions are locked, the AR System serverhandles the object definitions as unlocked.
    • We recommend using the latest AR System version to avoid problems that may arise due to locked object definitions.

  • You can export and import deployable applications from one server to another. Exporting and importing a deployable application automatically includes all the forms, workflow, menus, web services, packing lists, localized messages, reports, application roles, support files, and the form data if specified that are referenced by the application. For more information, see Exporting-and-importing-a-deployable-application. To learn about exporting and importing data, Importing-data-into-forms-by-using-Data-Import. 

    When you export object definitions to a file, you select a file type — either AR System definition or AR SystemXML.

The definition file type

The AR System definition type is the default type for exporting object definitions. It is a proprietary format for storing the definitions of AR Systemstructures. You can include several applications within the same .def file.

The XML file type

The AR SystemXML type for exported objects produces an XML document that is comparable to the AR System definition file format. It follows the syntax of the XML specification 1.0. Specifically, every AR System serverobject type has an associated structure definition in XML, which is specified by the XML Schema Definition (*.xsd) file. The *.xsd files reside on the AR System serverand are used to validate the AR System serverobject definitions as valid XML. 

Exported objects in XML format comprise an XML document, which might also be referred to as an instance of a particular XML schema definition for that object. If the XML schema definitions are loaded into an XML editor, someone who is knowledgeable about AR System objects and XML can edit the XML document. 

The XML schema definitions are designed to be similar to the definitions in the *.def files. You can include only one application inside an .xml file. For more information about the XML Schema definitions of AR Systemobjects, see the data structure information in XML-transformation-routines.

Warning

If you are exporting an object that contains XML text, for example, a form with a data visualization field that holds a flashboard, you must use a .def file. Because of an XML parsing limitation, exporting and importing XML text inAR SystemXML files is not supported.

 

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