Automatic Deployment of Microsoft .NET Framework Interoperability and Control Add-in Assemblies

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 makes it easier for the system administrators to deploy client-side assemblies for .NET Framework interoperability and client control add-ins on computers that are running the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Windows client or Microsoft Dynamics NAV Development Environment.

You can now install the assemblies in the Add-ins folder on the computer that is running Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server. By default, this is the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Dynamics NAV\80\Service\Add-ins folder.

When an operation from the client requires an assembly, Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server automatically deploys the assembly to a temporary folder on the client computer.

For example, if Microsoft Dynamics NAV Windows client opens a page that contains a control add-in, Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server will find the control add-in assembly by name in the Add-ins folder. Then, it deploys the assembly to the client computer in the %TEMP%\Microsoft Dynamics NAV\Add-Ins folder of the user who is running the client. Subsequently, the deployed assembly will be used whenever the page is opened.

Similarly, if the development environment requires a control add-in, for example, when you compile an object, then the control add-in assembly will be deployed by the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server to the local temporary folder for the current user on the computer that is running the development environment.

Important:

To be deployed, an assembly must comply with the following Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server configuration settings: Chunk Size, Max Upload Size, and Prohibited File Types.

If a .NET Framework interoperability or control add-in assembly is updated and its version number changes, Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server will deploy the updated assembly to the client computer the next time that the client requests the assembly. The updated assembly is put in a subfolder of the %TEMP%\Microsoft Dynamics NAV\Add-Ins folder, where the subfolder has the assembly's version number as its name. This implementation means that you do have to remove the older versions of assemblies that are stored on the client computer.

To support compatibility with earlier version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV, before Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server deploys an assembly to a client, the client looks for the assembly in the local Add-ins folder (for example, C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Dynamics NAV\80\RoleTailored Client\Add-ins). If the assembly is not found, then the client will request the assembly from Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server.

Javascript-based client add-ins have been using this deployment technique since Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 R2.