Export operations within the Agentry Editor are performed to store multiple application definitions, including a complete application project, in a single file known as an Agentry Export File (.agx, .agxz). When performing an export operation it is possible to manually select the definitions to be exported from a given application project, or to export the differences between a project and some comparison source project. Available with Agentry version 5.2 it is also possible to select the definitions to export based on one or more tags having been previously applied to those definitions.
When a definition is exported, the definition’s attributes and child definitions are included by default. It is possible to select a definition for export and then deselect one or more of its child definitions. The resulting definition in the export file will only contain the selected child definitions.
When exporting definitions from an Agentry application project, it is possible to manually select the individual definitions to be saved in the export file. This can include selecting the entire application project, or any individual definitions within it. Also, it is possible to select to export definitions based on the tags that have been applied to them within the application. During the export process, one or more tags can be selected and those definitions that have been tagged accordingly are selected for export.
It is a common practice to export an entire application project to a single export file as a backup prior to making significant changes to a stable release of the application. Note that this same result can be accomplished using the Team Development feature set available in Agentry version 5.2 by committing a project to the share repository as a new revision prior to making modifications to the project. Either method of backup is acceptable and the one best suited to a given developer’s environment or preference should be used.
Exporting application differences is functionality that can be useful when making modifications to a core application for implementation-specific needs. Once such changes are complete, exporting the definitions involved in just those modifications can be accomplished by comparing the modified version of the application project with the original version. It is then possible to store such changes for later uses, including importing the modifications into the same core application at a different implementation with similar requirements.
Exporting differences involves comparing the Agentry application project with either an Agentry export file or an application as published to an instance of the Agentry Server. This comparison will determine which definitions exist in one version but not the other, and which definitions exist in both but are different from each. During the export process the source for the export is then selected, either the project or the comparison source. The resulting Agentry export file will contain only those definitions found to be different as they exist in the selected export source. Adhering to this practice whenever implementation-specific modifications are made to a standard product application can result in a robust library of common customizations that can be imported into future implementations for less labor and time intensive implementation projects.
Once a valid comparison source is selected, that source is compared to the open Agentry application project, with differences between the two highlighted in a comparison screen. Within this screen the export source, i.e., either the project or comparison source, is selected. When the export file is created, it contain the definitions found to be different within the selected export source.