After creating an application in Developing Environment, it can be deployed to Testing Environment or Production Environment for users to test or run.
If a premises comprises multiple DragOnce powered machines, an application can be exported into a package for installing or upgrading the application in all machines across the premises.
In this guide, we will follow the deployment of the app Job Order System, to understand the procedures for app deployment to other environments, and app migration between machines.
App Deployment & Migration:
The app Job Order System is created in the Developing Environment of a DragOnce powered machine, and scheduled to be published to the Production Environment for user tests.
Login and enter DragOnce Launch Board. In top menu bar, mouse over App Management and click Developing to enter Developing Environment.
Information !
The user account must be given App Management permission to access App Management function in Launch Board, and a Environment User role to access corresponding environment
In App List, mouse over the app ‘Job Order System’ and click Package Button to create a package of the app
Information !
The permission to create packages for deployment to other environments, is restricted to below users:
Design Time Users: App Owner and Developer of the application
Environment Users: Environment Administrator and Design Team in Developing Environment
In 1st step ‘Create Package’, enter Package Name. If desired can also enter Description as notes for this release
Click Continue Button at bottom right corner to proceed to next step
In 2nd step ‘Deliver Package’, select ‘Deliver Package to’, and choose the environment to publish the package to
In this case, the target environment is ‘Production’
Click Finish at bottom right to package the app and publish it to Production Environment
Information !
Users without permissions will be denied package creation when click Finish
In top menu bar, mouse over App Management and click Production to switch to Production Environment
In left side menu, click Package on the left to open Package List
In ‘New Request(s)’ section, look for the package ‘Job Order System’ and click Install
Information !
The permission to install application packages into Testing or Production Environments, is restricted to below users:
Design Time Users: App Owner and Deployment Team of the application
Environment Users: Environment Administrator and Deployment Team in the corresponding environment
Users without permissions will be denied package installation when click Install.
In Install Package window, select ‘Merge Users & Groups’ in Run Time User Role, then click OK to continue.
Information !
The ‘Run Time User Role’ options mainly affects app update (installing an updated package of an existing app in Production Environment):
‘Keep existing Users & Groups’ will keep user roles settings in existing version in the app;
‘Overwrite existing Users & Groups’ will replace user roles settings in existing version of the app, with the settings in the package created in Developing Environment;
‘Merge Users & Groups’ will merge the new user roles settings in the package created in Developing Environment, into the existing version of the app.
In the case of first time installation of an application:
‘Keep existing Users & Groups’ will not apply any Run Time User Role settings created in Developing Environment to Production Environment after deployment.
‘Overwrite existing Users & Groups’ and ‘Merge Users & Groups’ will apply the same Run Time User Role settings when the package was created in Developing Environment to Production Environment after deployment
In 1st step 'Package Information’, make no change and click Continue
The 2nd to 7th steps tell the differences between the existing version and the version in the package of the app. Click Continue Button in all steps to continue
In 8th step ‘Installation Summary’, click Finish Button to begin installation
Back in Package Installation page, ‘New Request(s)’ section, package status is updated to ‘Processing’
Information !
Installation takes 10-15 minutes to complete.
Installed Production apps will show up in Launch Board. Click on the icon to run
Information !
A user can only see an app in Launch Board which:
is deployed to the Production Environment
the user is assigned to any Run Time User Role of the app
Information !
After installation, the package will be moved from ‘New Request(s)’ to ‘Installation History’ section in Package Installation page.
Administrative users can check installation history for installed applications and versions.
After users tested and accepted Job Order System in Production Environment, the app will be exported into a release package, which can then be migrated to other machines.
In top menu bar, mouse over App Management and click Production to switch to Production Environment
Information !
The user account must be given App Management permission to access App Management function in Launch Board, and a Environment User role to access corresponding environment
In App List, mouse over the app ‘Job Order System’. Click more options and click Create Release
Information !
The permission to create release packages is restricted to below users:
Design Time Users: App Owner of the application only
Environment Users: Environment Administrator in Production Environment only
Users without permissions will be denied release creation when click Create Release:
Information !
Release package can only be created with applications deployed to Production Environment.
In Create Release window, enter name of application in Name field and click Submit Button to create a release package for the application
In left side menu, click Release Button to open Release List
Information !
Users without permissions will not be able to open Release List page
Available release packages will be displayed in the List. Click Download Button to download the release package as a .DragOnce release package file
Release package will be downloaded as a .DragOnce file
With a release package file, administrators can install the application or perform app upgrade in multiple DragOnce powered machines in a premises with minimum effort.
A release package must first be installed to the Developing Environment of the target machine, before deploy to other environments in that machine.
In the target machine, switch to Developing Environment
Information !
The user account must be given App Management permission to access App Management function in Launch Board, and a Environment User role to access corresponding environment
In left side menu, click Gallery Button to open App Gallery
Information !
The App Gallery icon will only display in menu for Environment Users Environment Administrator and Design Team in Developing Environment
Click Upload Button to open file uploader
Select the ".DragOnce" release package file and click Submit Button to upload
Uploaded packages will show up in App Gallery. Click Download Button after Job Order System to install the application to Developing Environment
To install the package as a new app, click Submit Button to begin installation. You may update App Name before commencing installation
Information !
Each application in the system occupies a 6-digit app ID, ranging from 100000 to 999999, and must be unique.
If an app already occupies the ID same as that of the app in the release package, system will prompt “Failed to process the request” error message when installing the new app.
To resolve, enter another 6-digit ID between 100000 and 999999 in App ID field and submit again, to install the app with another unique ID.
Information !
Unlike App ID, multiple apps can have the same App Name in the same machine.
To upgrade an existing app with the app in the release package, select Merge with an existing app
Choose the app to merge with the package in Application field, then type ‘merge’ in confirmation field and click Submit Button to begin application merge
To replace an existing app with the app in the release package, select Clean and install app
Choose the app to replace with the package in Application field, then type ‘replace’ in confirmation field and click Submit Button to begin app replacemen
After installation, the app in the release package will show up in App List in Developing Environment
Information !
The user who installed the release will become App Owner and assigned all Design Time User Roles of the newly installed application.
Information !
It is possible the source machine exported the release package, and the target machine(s) to install the package, may not be running under the same working environment e.g. source machine is for developing and UAT purposes only, and target machine is solely for Production operation.
In such cases, administrative users must first make necessary changes to the apps after installing the package, such as updating user list and role list, account permissions and data sources for the working environment it is now under.
After app designers and administrators have made necessary changes to the app, can repeat the steps in Packaging an Application to Another Environment to deploy the app to Testing or Production Environment in this machine