AESync HOWTO - Synchronizing Categories

What we want to do is to map the Outlook Field Category to the Custom CRM field Type

Solution

We assume that custom field is called cat_type_c (name of database column). If not, it should be renamed below accordingly. The example below is for Contacts module. Of course, field name and module may be changed.

Step 1: Update Synchronization Rules

Go to the folder: c:\ProgramData\GrinMark\AESync\Templates\syncdefs. Open file ExchangeConversionInfo.xml in the text editor:

Find section with rules for Contacts module:

<ConversionRules ForModule="Contacts" ToModule="Contacts" Description="Exchange2Sugar" Action="SynchContactsE2S">

Add new FieldRule to it:

  <FieldRule Name="!set_type_by_category">
    <rule xsi:type="ExprRule">
      <ScriptText>
        <![CDATA[
          var categories = src["_Item"].Categories;
          // The cat_type_c field should be defined in Sugar.xml for the Contacts module
          if(categories.Contains("CRM"))
          {
            SyncUtils.Log("Category detected: CRM");
            dst["cat_type_c"] = "CRM";
          }
          if(categories.Contains("MyValue"))
          {
            SyncUtils.Log("Category detected: MyValue");
            dst["cat_type_c"] = "MyValue";
          }
          return "success";
        ]]>
      </ScriptText>
    </rule>
  </FieldRule>

Step 2: Add Field Definition

Synchronizer should be told that there is a field cat_type_c in the module Contacts. This field should be defined in the Sugar.xml like that:

<ModuleInfo name="Contacts" adapterType="SugarSoapCommon.SugarAdapter" localizedName="Contacts">
  <Fields>
    ...
    <Text name="cat_type_c" localizedName="cat_type_c" displayOnly="false" />
    ...
  </Fields>
</ModuleInfo>

Step 3: Re-Start the Synchronizer Service

Re-start the service for the new settings to take effect.

What Happens Next

1. In this example we customized the behavior of synchronizer. In this example we changed the rule for only one direction: Exchange->SugarCRM. The same approach may be used to add logic for opposite direction.

2. If anything goes wrong, please refer the log files stored in the c:\ProgramData\GrinMark\AESync\Date\[Profile Name]\agent.log

Please note: It is recommended to tweak the synchronizer with single user and test data before expanding it to multiple users.

This example demonstrated synchronization of categories from Exchange to Sugar. Backward synchronization is also possible.

Changing Categories in Exchange Based on CRM Data

Sometimes it is required to set a category based on the data in the CRM.

Go to the folder: c:\ProgramData\GrinMark\AESync\Templates\syncdefs. Open file "ExchangeConversionInfo.xml" in the text editor:

Find section with rules for Contacts module:

<ConversionRules ForModule="Contacts" ToModule="Contacts" Description="Sugar2Exchange" Action="SynchContactsS2E">

Add new FieldRule to it:

<FieldRule Name="!Set_type_by_category">
  <rule xsi:type="ExprRule">
    <ScriptText>
      <![CDATA[
        var categories = dst["_Item"].Categories;
        // The cat_type_c field should be defined in Sugar.xml for the Contacts module
        var cat = ""+src["cat_type_c"];
        if(!categories.Contains(cat))
        {
          SyncUtils.Log("Assigning category: "+cat);
          categories.Add(cat);
          dst["_Item"].Update(2/*ConflictResolutionMode.AlwaysOverwrite*/);
        }
        return "success";
      ]]>
    </ScriptText>
  </rule>
</FieldRule>

If CRM category field contains comma or semicolon separated list of categories then FieldRule should be a bit more complex:

<FieldRule Name="!Set_type_by_category" requiresId="true">
  <rule xsi:type="ExprRule">
    <ScriptText>
      <![CDATA[
        var categories = dst["_Item"].Categories;
        // The cat_type_c field should be defined in Sugar.xml for the Contacts module
        var crmCategories:String = "" + src["cat_type_c"];
        SyncUtils.Log("CRM Categories: " + crmCategories);
        var cats:String[] = crmCategories.Split([',', ';']);
        var newCategoriesAdded:Boolean = false;
        for (var i:Number in cats)
        {
          var cat:String = cats[i].Trim();
          if(!categories.Contains(cat))
          {
            SyncUtils.Log("Assigning category: " + cat);
            categories.Add(cat);
            newCategoriesAdded = true;
          }
        }
        if (newCategoriesAdded)
        {
          dst["_Item"].Update(2/*ConflictResolutionMode.AlwaysOverwrite*/);
        }
        return "success";
      ]]>
    </ScriptText>
  </rule>
</FieldRule>