Agenda• What is a CI ?• How it works ?• Why use CI ?• CI Architecture• How to create a CI ?• Setting CI security• Testing a CI• Sample PeopleCode • Building APIs• Runtime considerations

What is a Component Interface ?

Used to integrate PeopleSoft with another

PeopleSoft application or with external systems

How does a CI work ?

• Enables exposure of a PeopleSoft component for synchronous access from another application ( PeopleCode, Java, C/C++, COM, or XML)

• “Black boxes" that encapsulate PeopleSoft data and business processes, and hide the details of the underlying page and data

Why use CI ?

• Loading data using CI mimics online data entry

• The data entered confirms to all PeopleSoft online validations and edits

CI Architecture

• Component

• Component interfaces

• Component interface API

CI Architecture

How to create a CI ?

CI is a PeopleSoft definition that can be created in PeopleSoft Application Designer

Creating a new CI definition

• File -> New -> Component Interface Prompts for the component name on which this CI defn. will be based

• CI properties may/may not be based on the default properties of the underlying component

• Standard methods Cancel, Find, Get, and Save - automatically created.

• Create method - available only if the underlying component supports the ‘Add’ mode

Comparing CI & Component

CI

• Get keys• Find keys

• Create keys

Component (Search record)

• Search key fields • Search key fields & Alternate Search key

fields• Physical key (provided the component

has add-mode permissions)

CI Definitions and Views

Methods• Methods

A function that performs a specific task on a component interface at runtime

Standard methods - Find, Get, Save, and Cancel methods The Create method for components that have the “Add” action enabled

User-defined methods - Functions that are made accessible through the component interface. Each function maps to a user-defined method

Properties and Collections

• Properties - fields

• Collections - Scroll

Standard properties

InteractiveMode, GetHistoryItems, and EditHistoryItems

Enabling and Disabling Standard

Methods

Creating User-Defined Methods

Setting Component Interface

Security Open the Permission list – Component

Interface

Validating the Component Interface

Validation ensures that a component interface definition has not deviated from its source component

To validate a component interface • Open the component interface in Application

Designer• Select Tools, Validate for Consistency • Keys that no longer synchronize with their

associated components are marked with an X icon

Testing the Component

Interface Component Interface Tester

Test in interactive mode.

• Retrieve history items.• Test the standard, custom, and collection

methods.

Testing the Component

Interface

Programming CI in PeopleCode

Generating a PeopleCode Template

Generate PeopleCode template

for CI• Open the desired component interface definition

in Application Designer.• Insert the component interface into a project.• Save the project.• Open the PeopleCode editor.• You can associate component interface

PeopleCode with a record, a component, an application message, or Application Engine.

• Select the component interface from the project workspace.

• Drag and drop the object from the project into the PeopleCode editor.

• Make any necessary changes to the PeopleCode in the PeopleCode editor window.

Sample PeopleCode

template

• &oSession = %Session; • &oSession.PSMessagesMode = 1;

• &oHcompinterface = &oSession.GetCompIntfc(CompIntfc.HCOMPINTERFACE);• If &oHcompinterface = Null Then• errorHandler();• Exit;• End-If;• &oHcompinterface.InteractiveMode = False;• &oHcompinterface.GetHistoryItems = True;• &oHcompinterface.EditHistoryItems = False;• If Not &oHcompinterface.Get() Then• errorHandler();• Exit;• End-If;• rem <*> = &oHcompinterface.EMPLID;• rem &oHcompinterface.EMPLID = <*>;• rem <*> = &oHcompinterface.NAME;• rem &oHcompinterface.NAME = <*>;

Sample PeopleCode

template• rem &oHskillsetCollection = &oHcompinterface.HSKILLSET;• rem For &<*> = 1 To &oHskillsetCollection.Count• rem &oHskillset = &oHskillsetCollection.Item(&<*>);• rem <*> = &oHskillset.HSKILLSET;• rem &oHskillset.HSKILLSET = <*>;• rem <*> = &oHskillset.RATING_SCALE;• rem &oHskillset.RATING_SCALE = <*>;• rem End-For;

• /*If Not &oHcompinterface.Save() Then• errorHandler();• Exit;• End-If;*/

• /*If Not &oHcompinterface.Cancel() Then• errorHandler();• Exit;• End-If;*/

Building APIs for C++ ,Java, COM

To build the component interface bindings

• Open any component interface definition in Application Designer.• Select Build, PeopleSoft APIs.

Runtime Considerations

• Win Message() is unavailable -> Use MsgGet() function

• Email From a Component Interface • To use a component interface to send email,

use TriggerBusinessEvent PeopleCode event, not ‘Send Mail’.

Runtime Considerations• Infinite Processing Loops A component interface should not call itself in any of

the PeopleCode included within its component definition which may result in an infinite loop

A component interface also should not call itself from a user-defined method

• Multiple Instances of a Component Interface

Because of potential memory conflicts, COM or C++ applications shouldn’t create multiple, simultaneous instances of the same component interface, either within a single procedure, or in both a “parent” and a “child” procedure.

Summary

• CI is a powerful integration tool• Exposes a PS component for access from

other third party applications (Java, C++,COM)• Data load using CI mimics online data entry