Carrying out a merge

Before starting the merge procedure of the customizations with a new Infor LN release, you must create a derived-from structure for the VRCs in the new release. The derived-from structure must comply with the derived-from structure in the previous release.

This diagram shows the derived-from structure of package VRCs:

This diagram shows the merge procedure:

The merge procedure consists of these steps:

  1. Copy Software Components to New Package VRC (ttadv6265m000)

    When a new derived-from structure is created, you must use this session to copy the customizations of the source VRC to the target VRC. This enables the CMT module to link the old customizations to the new functionality of the Infor LN release.

  2. Merge Data (ttcmt0500m000)

    You can use this session to specify the master data for the merge procedure to prepare the actual merge.

    The master data includes:

    • A merge code that identifies the merge procedure
    • The source VRC that contains the old customizations that will be released
    • The new target VRC to which the customizations will be copied
    • The package of the customized software components
    • An ident flag
    • An ident string

    Although you can create a merge for up to ten packages, the customer extension of the source and target VRCs of the specified packages must be the same. You can specify an ident flag and string on the Parameters tab in the details session. The Ident Flag determines whether the ident string is placed in the components that are merged.

    • If the Ident Flag is set to All scripts, the ident string is added to the scripts that are selected for the merge process.
    • If the Ident Flag is set to Only Changed Scripts, the ident string is only added to those scripts, which are actually merged.
    • If the Ident Flag is set to No, no ident string is added to the scripts.

    The Ident String can contain one or a combination of these variables:

    • Ident Flag $user

      This variable is substituted by the user name in the Merge Script Parts (ttcmt4220m000) session.

    • $date

      This variable is substituted by the current date during the merge process.

    • $vrc

      This variable is substituted by the target VRC.

    The syntax of an ident string that is used in the merge process must adhere to certain syntax. For example, an ident string that includes the $vrc and $user variables follows this format:

    # ident “@Update: $vrc,$user”

  3. Scripts by Merge Code (ttcmt4110m000)

    You can use this session to define the components that must be merged by linking them to connect the scripts in the source VRC to the merge code.

    In this session you can define:

    • The merge code that is defined in the Merge Data (ttcmt0500m000) session
    • The type of script. For example, a function, library, or program script

    The Script Type field indicates the type of script that will be merged.

    • If the Script Type is Function, the script that will be merged is a function and the existence of the script is checked in the Functions table.
    • If the Script Type is Library, the script that will be merged is a library (DLL), and the existence of the script is checked in the Program Scripts table.
    • If the Script Type is Program Script, the script that will be merged is a program script, and the existence of the script is checked in the Program Scripts table.

    The description of the script is copied from the Program Scripts table or Functions table, depending on the script type.

    The Status field indicates the status of a script during the merge process. The status is entered in this session, after which the status is changed by using the Merge Script Parts (ttcmt4220m000) session.

    You can only merge scripts that are connected to a merge code.

  4. Merge Script Parts (ttcmt4220m000)

    You can use this session to actually merge the scripts. You can select functions, libraries, and scripts to be included in the merge process. You can also preview the results of the merge without changing the source or print the results after merging.

    This diagram shows the definitive merge procedure.

    You can simulate the merge procedure by clearing the Definitive Merging check box. The merge script will be simulated and the result of the merge process is displayed as a report. If no errors are reported, you can select the Definitive Merging check box and the Reprocess check box to perform the actual merge.

    If the Definitive Merging check box is selected, the selected function, library, or program script is stored in a temporary file. If that same function, library, or program script is encountered in the target VRC, it is replaced by the contents of this temporary file.

    If the Reprocess check box is selected, scripts with the Merged status or Ident status are reprocessed. Scripts with Ident status or Not Reprocessed status, can result in a duplicate ident string.

  5. Delete Merge Comments (ttcmt4251m000)

    During the merging procedure, the Merge Script Parts (ttcmt4220m000) session adds comments to the merged scripts in the target VRC. Remove these comments to avoid problems during a future merge. If the merged scripts function properly in the target VRC, you can use this session to delete these comments.