Packaging

Cartography of your add-on

The technological development platform is compatible with:

  • Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server database systems
  • Windows, AIX, and Linux operating systems

Even if the platform gives you the ability to support all these systems and databases, it needs validation. Your commercial choice might be to restrict it to a dedicated target.

All messages and texts are stored in dedicated files.

Processes and tools are available to translate the application.

An add-on must be translated and delivered at least in:

  • English

  • The local language managed by the partner

The cartography of your add-on should provide:

  • A short description
  • Its availability in terms of supported:
    • Platform(s)
    • Database(s)
    • Language(s)
  • Its certified compatibility with a list of versions, updates, and patches

Quality rules for documentation

As a valued Sage partner, it is your responsibility to provide the documentation linked to your add-on.

These documents are minimum requirements:

  • User guide containing functional documentation
  • Installation and setup guide

You can also use the documentation tool included in the application to deliver online help for fields and functions.

Deliver a changelog file with each patch.

Refer to the How to write documentation guide on the online help center to know more about the documentation tool delivered with the platform.

Patching

When creating patches for add-ons, you need to use a dedicated patch type.

You must select this option to preserve any SPV actions developed on an asset in the vertical layer. Then SPV actions will be preserved if a vertical is present in the customer folder where the add-on is installed. Add-ons use dictionary actions, so this should not be a problem.

Patch files should follow naming rules to benefit from automatic sequence controls provided by the platform.

The naming rule of the patch files is as follows:

<AddOnId>_<AddOnPatchNumber>_<X3RequiredPatchLevel>_<X3Version>.dat

  • AddOnId: Identifier of the add-on. It should not be P because it is reserved for standard Sage patches.
  • AddOnPatchNumber: Sequence order number used to identify the various add-on patch files.
  • X3RequiredPatchLevel: Standard patch list number which the add-on package is compatible with.
  • X3Version: Version of the host product with which the add-on patch list is compatible.

Further information is available on the online help center.

Each package version should contain the following elements:

  • A set of patch files in a FILPATCH directory
  • Online documentation delivered in a separate patch file directory
  • A directory containing source code examples of switch processings (ADDSRC as recommended directory)
  • General documentation for the add-on
  • Optionally, a demonstration folder
Utilities patched in the form of an EXE must be re-executable.
The switch processing must be delivered in a separate patch.

If you select Vertical, all the SPV actions are deleted and only the ones in your patch are accepted. You can only choose this type of patch for a specific development for a given customer. It will be installed with all the interactions to manage.

Maintenance and support

The add-on developer must manage the add-on maintenance process. Any time a standard patch list is delivered, the developer must check if the last add-on package is compatible with the new patch list. If not, the developer must provide a new version of the add-on within a month. The partner must communicate the compatibility information between add-on packages and standard patch lists.

The add-on developer must also provide support for his add-ons. For defects reported by customers concerning the add-on, the developer will deliver fixes in the next package version. Hotfixes can also be provided depending on the severity of each defect:

  • For a minor issue: No further action is required.
  • For an important issue: Deliver a hotfix to the concerned customer if required.
  • For an important or blocking issue with impact on several customers: Deliver a hotfix to the concerned customers and publish a new version of the add-on package.