Since then, we had a few questions on how exactly do we use the MS
PI GUI to install the package on IIS 7, today we’ll walk  you through it
and hopefully make it a little more easier.

Disclaimer: While Jumptree is compatible with Microsoft Platform Installer, it’s not officially supported.

Before we get started, first make sure you created an empty database, in our case, we created an empty database called “V12SP1”.

Step 1: Install Microsoft Platform Installer.

Step 2: Open up your IIS Manager (Control Panel –> Administrative Tools –> IIS Manager)

Step 3: Click on “Import Application” Link on the right under “Deploy” Section and navigate to Jumptree release file

*Tips:  Make sure you clicked on the “Default Web Site” on the left panel or else, “Deploy” section won’t show up

Step 4: Select the Contents of the Package, use everything default

Step 5: Select a “Database” . (“Use Existing Database”)

*Note: Use existing database is the safest  and works both on SQL server 2000, 2005, and 2008. However, during our testing, for some reasons, “Create New Database” only works with 2005 and above. Does not work with Sql server 2000.

Step 6: Enter Application Package Information

You can modify the values as needed such as the virtual directory name “Jumptree”. Your database IP address, database name, user name / password, etc. Just make sure your user name has the sufficient privileges to create tables, procedures and etc. (DB_Owner)

Step 7: Installation Progress and Summary

Step 8: License file and Installer

First, if you are an customer and you installed the purchased version, then please drop your license file into [Installation Directory]/APP_Data/ directory.

If you are installing a trial version, then you do not have to do the previous.

For security purpose, you need to disable the installer after it’s done, so please open up web.config and find


<add key="enableinstaller" value="true" />


and change it to


<add key="enableinstaller" value="false" />


Step 9: Login

If your virtual directory is /Jumptree, then go to

http://localhost/Jumptree/login.aspx

username/password : admin/admin

Thanks and hope you have fun and be productive with Jumptree

Disclaimer: While Jumptree Project is compatible with Microsoft Web Platform Installer, it’s not officially supported.

In 2009, Microsoft released their Web Platform Installer.

The Microsoft Web Platform Installer 2.0 (Web PI) is a free tool that makes getting the latest components of the Microsoft Web Platform, including Internet Information Services (IIS), SQL Server Express, .NET Framework and Visual Web Developer easy. The Web PI also makes it easy to install and run the most popular free web applications for blogging, content management and more with the built-in Windows Web Application Gallery.

By bundling all these components together, e.g. runtime, database, etc., it allows users to easily install and customize all the software they need to develop on a Windows machine.

Now Microsoft already has an excellent guide on how to package an application for the Windows Application Gallery.

This guide should provide you with the necessary outline to make your application compatible with the Microsoft Platform Installer.

However we did run into a few issues, and so this tutorial will document some of the lessons we learned.

Now before we get started, you’ll want to keep the Web Application Package Reference handy as it describes the details of the installer API tags.

The Basics

The first thing you’ll realize after downloading the Microsoft Web Platform Installer (MS PI) is that your application package will simply be a .zip file.

In the zip file, you need two XML files to be created at the root of your application package to make it compatible with MS PI:

1. manifest.xml
2. parameters.xml

Here’s how it looks in our Jumptree Project package:

Packaging

Now let’s take a look at the configuration files.

First, manifest.xml is basically a configuration file describing the structure of your package: SQL scripts, permission, etc.

To create a basic package, start with a simple file that has,

<MSDeploy.iisApp>
	<iisApp path="Site_Install_Folder" />
</MSDeploy.iisApp>

If your package uses a database, then to make your SQL scripts executable by MS PI, simply add,

<dbfullsql path="install.sql" />

to the mainifest.xml, where install.sql can be any SQL files you have.

For example, this is what we did for Jumptree Project,

<MSDeploy.iisApp>
	<iisApp path="Site_Install_Folder" />
	<dbfullsql path="Site_Install_Folder/App_Data/SqlScripts/Membership.sql" transacted="false" />
	<dbfullsql path="Site_Install_Folder/App_Data/SqlScripts/pmv1.2release.sql" transacted="false" />
	<dbfullsql path="Site_Install_Folder/App_Data/SqlScripts/DefaultPerspectives.sql" transacted="false" />
	<dbfullsql path="Site_Install_Folder/App_Data/SqlScripts/CustomizeFieldTyes.sql" transacted="false" />
	<dbfullsql path="Site_Install_Folder/App_Data/SqlScripts/StarterKitDefaultUser.sql" />
</MSDeploy.iisApp>

Next, parameters.xml is simply a file with a list of parameters that the Web PI will use—or prompt the users for actions.

To configure your application to be automatically installed in a virtual directory, add the following parameter with the parameterEntry code,

<parameters>
	<parameter
		name = "AppPath"
		defaultValue = "Default Web Site/Jumptree"
		tags = "iisapp"
	>
		<parameterEntry
			type  = "ProviderPath"
			scope = "iisapp"
			match = "Site_Install_Folder"
		/>
	</parameter>
...

Now one last thing…

Previously, I mentioned that if you have SQL scripts that need to be executed, then list them in manifest.xml.

Well to execute these scripts, MS PI needs to know the connection string used to connect to the database. And to do that, you’ll need to add the connection string parameter to parameters.xml,

lt;parameter
	name = "ConString1"
	defaultValue = "Server={dbServer};Database={dbName};uid={dbUsername};Pwd={dbUserPassword};"
	tags = "SQL, Hidden, SQLConnectionString, Validate"
>
	<parameterEntry
		type  = "ProviderPath"
		scope = "dbfullsql"
		match = "Membership.sql"
	/>
</parameter>

Testing

To prepare the package for testing, just zip up the folder with the manifest.xml and parameters.xml at its root.

If everything looks right and you still have problems getting MS PI to work, then something might be wrong with your zip file.

We had problems with IZArc, we posted on their forum here but 7-Zip and the Windows default zip utility worked fine.

If you’ve tested with the command line, then PLEASE retest it with the UI. Passing the command line test does NOT guarantee it’ll pass with the UI.

There were a few occasions where we tested with the command line and everything passed and installed; however, when we tried again with the UI, it failed since in parameters.xml,, there are a few parameters used by the UI (see Lesson #5).

IIS 7

ASP.NET in IIS 7 runs in 2 modes: Integrated Mode and Classic Application Mode.

If you get an error that looks like this,

[HttpException (0x80004005): Request is not available in this context]
System.Web.HttpContext.get_Request() +8792912
Jumptree.Web.JumptreeBaseHttpModule.Init(HttpApplication httpapp) +45
System.Web.HttpApplication.InitModulesCommon() +65
System.Web.HttpApplication.InitIntegratedModules() +49
System.Web.HttpApplication.InitInternal(HttpContext context, HttpApplicationState state, MethodInfo[] handlers) +729
System.Web.HttpApplicationFactory.GetNormalApplicationInstance(HttpContext context) +298
System.Web.HttpApplicationFactory.GetApplicationInstance(HttpContext context) +107
System.Web.HttpRuntime.ProcessRequestNotificationPrivate(IIS7WorkerRequest wr, HttpContext context) +363

…that means your ASP.NET application initialization has been decoupled from the request that triggered it.

Go to this article for the solution.

Edit: Please see the comment below by “Mike”. In addition, if you have httpmodules like we do in Jumptree, then please include the following structure in order to get it working on IIS 7

<system.webServer>

    <!-- disable runtime rejection of Integrated mode applications that have legacy ASP.NET settings -->
    <validation validateIntegratedModeConfiguration="false" />
    <modules>
        <add name="ProjectAccessModule" type="Jumptree.PM.Web.HttpModule.ProjectsHttpModule"/>
	....
    </modules>
 </system.webServer>

And that's about it. I hope this article serves as a reference for you while packaging for MS PI.

If you want to see an example of this package in action, then simply download our trial and use MS PI to install it.

In business-speak, Jumptree Perspectives enables users to completely change and use the terminologies and lexicon suitable for their industries and organizations.

In normal terms, it means you can change the text in Jumptree to anything you want.

Why you might need Jumptree Perspectives.

If you have teams from multiple countries, then allowing them to use Jumptree Project in their native language can improve clarity and help them be more productive.

Or if your organization has multiple departments, the terminology used in one group might be completely different from another (e.g. Cases vs. Tasks vs. Issues).

Traditionally, software vendors prepare themselves for other languages by implementing a globalization strategy with internationalization. But with this approach, you are limited to one translation per language.

Jumptree solves this problem by offering a concept called Perspectives—allowing multiple translations per language.

An Example: Multiple Departments

Suppose your company has 3 departments that use Jumptree to manage their projects—Sales, Software, and Human Resources.

And these departments each use a different term to describe their “projects.”

For example:

• Software Department — uses the default Projects
• Sales Department — calls their projects, Leads
• HR Department — calls their projects, Positions

The default Jumptree Perspective will suit the Software Department’s needs…

So let’s take a look at how Jumptree Project can be customized to fit the Sales and HR department as well.

Perspectives Overview

Go to the overview page by selecting Admin » Application Settings » Manage Perspectives.

1. Languages — This panel displays the languages that are currently supported in the application. English (U.S.A.) is the default.

Jumptree offers virtually any language possible. Here is a partial list:

2. Perspectives — The Perspectives panel displays all the perspectives that can be selected. The default perspective is Jumptree Project Management.

For our tutorial today, we’re going to create 2 additional perspectives, one for the sales department and another for HR.

Creating a New Perspective

Click the New Perspective button.

1. Language — Choose the language for the perspective

Select: English-US

2. Perspectivee — Give your perspective an identifiable name

Enter: Jumptree Sales Management

3. Approved — Can your users select this perspective?

Check: Approved

Next, repeat the above steps but but enter: Jumptree HR Management for the Perspective.

When you’re done, the overview page will now list 3 perspectives.

Changing the Text

To change the text, first click on the Jumptree Sales Management link.

Jumptree categorizes default groups with the prefix JTG_ and all default keys start with the prefix JTK_.

So to change the word “Projects,” go to JTG_Projects and find JTK_Projects.

For the Sales team, we’re going to change the translation to Leads

And for HR deparment, we are going to change it to Positions

It’s that simple!

Once you’re done, users will be able to select the appropriate perspective for their department by going to their preferences page.

So one Jumptree installation can readily support multiple departments in your organization.

And the results are…

Now let’s take a look at the navigation menu once more.

This is what the Sales Department will see:

And this is what HR will see:

And just before we finish with this tutorial, below is a screenshot that one of our clients sent us.

They have teams around the world and so they translated Jumptree Project entirely into Chinese (Simplified) with our easy-to-use Perspectives capability.

This service pack is highly recommended as it adds a new BBCode with Text Editor feature along with fixing a few bugs.

Please follow the upgrade instructions.

Changelog:
http://jumptree.com/doc/jumptree-project/changelogs/v120.html

IF YOU HAVE NOT YET UPGRADED TO VERSION 1.2…

Version 1.2 was released on Monday, September 21, 2009 and has a bunch of new features.

If you haven’t upgraded yet, we highly encourage you to do so now.

And please carefully follow these upgrade instructions.

If you have any questions or need help, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

SELECTED SOURCE CODE

All users who purchased Jumptree Project before v1.2 was released will receive the Selected Source Code for free.

When you’re evaluating a project management system, one important question to ask is, “Can this application conform to my organization’s existing workflow?”

For example, while one organization might be OK with the default project fields provided by Jumptree, another organization might need additional information in order to start a project.

Now we understand that different organizations will have different ways to manage projects—and so our goal is to make Jumptree Project as flexible as possible.

So today we’re going to show you an example of how our Custom Fields option lets you easily modify Jumptree Project to fit your needs.

Before we get started, let’s take a look at what’s currently required to start a New Project.

As you can see below, the default fields that Jumptree asks for are:

• Project Name
• Project Manager
• Project Team
• Client
• Due Date
• Estimated Time
• Status

Now suppose your organization needs an extra field for the location in which the project demo will be performed.

Here’s what you do…

Step 1: Define Custom Field Information

In the Admin » Project Properties click the Custom Fields option.

1a. Attribute Name — The field name that will be displayed to your users.

Enter: Demo Project Location

1b. Unique Key — A unique identifier for the field you are trying to create.

Enter: DemoPROJLocation

2. Section — Jumptree Project allows custom fields in EIGHT (8) major sections of the application: Projects, Milestones, Tasks, Discussions, Files, Contacts, and Users.

Enter: Projects

3. Attribute Type — As you can see in the screenshot below, there are many types of custom fields that are available for you to use.

Most common types of HTML GUI elements are allowed, such as Text Box, Text Area, Check Box, Check Box List, Radio List, Drop Down List, Multi-Select List Box, and File Upload.

In addition, we provide a few advanced GUI interactions such as Calendar, Date Range, Email, and URL.

Lastly, the most advance type is perhaps the Regular Expression option. With that feature, you can ask for any type of data.

For this tutorial, because the demo project location will simply be a one line string (e.g. Building 2, Room 438),

Select: Text Box for the Attribute Type.

Step 2: Text Box Properties

1. Initial Value — What is the initial value displayed to the user? For this tutorial we will not have an initial value.

2. Data Type — What is the type of data that is being inputted, e.g. is it text or a number?

Select: Text

Step 3: Validation

This step should be self-explanatory. Will this field be required for the user to fill in? If so, then what is the error message if they don’t enter anything in?

Select: Yes and enter: Please enter a project location.

Last Step: Confirmation

If everything looks fine to you, click Save.

New Project with a Custom Field

Now, let’s take a look at new project form again.

As you can see, the Demo Project Location is now a required field.

And if you forget to enter it in, an error message will request that you do so.

So there you have it. Jumptree Project’s Custom Fields in action.

Happy Customizing!

This update will include bug fixes as well as a few enhancements to existing features.

In addition, the selected source code version will be released then as well.

We thank all of you for your patience over these last few months and we’ll work harder to keep our blog up to date on new developments.

Next year is an exciting year for us because of the new features we have planned, such as: email integration, wiki, subtasks, task bar, personal categories, charts & graphs, and a whole bunch of other great ideas.

Thank you all for your support and have a happy holidays

If you’re interested in testing it out, please email us at support@jumptree.com.

Thanks!

One of the reasons this update took so long is because of the fundamental back-end changes required to support globalization and custom fields.

Also, because we wanted to open-source significant portions of the code, we had to completely restructure it as well.

So on the surface, the first beta of v1.2 won’t appear that different from its predecessor.

But next week will have more visible changes such as global search, extend session timeout, and inline preview of images.

And after that we’ll have other highly requested features, such Gantt chart and Authentication.

We also have a few treats along the way so please have patience with us during this phase

A Work in Progress…

We already have a list of bugs to fix. In addition, the GUI of these new features isn’t even close to finished yet (pssst…themes).

Right now we’ve set up a demo site for the beta. If you want to play around with it, please email us at support@jumptree.com.

We’ll also be offering a version for you to download and test out soon.

And as always, please feel free to contact us if you have any issues, recommendations, or just wanna chat!

Here’s our release schedule:

Week 1 — July 8, 2009

• Globalization
• Customized Fields
• Inline Calendar

Week 2

• Global Search
• Put project and milestones in categories
• Extend Session Timeout
• Save files to somewhere else instead of /App_Data/
• Inline preview of images
• Upload User photo

Week 3

• Authentication (SiteMinder and Active Directory)
• BB Code
• Gantt chart
• GUI enhancements when selecting Closed and Published Items

And of course v1.2 will have significant portions open sourced so you can customize Jumptree Project to fit your needs.

NOTE: The source code will only be free for current customers.

After v1.2 is released, here’s a preview of what’s coming in the next few months:

• Email integration
• Timesheets
• Charts
• Export to Excel, Word, PDF

We’re very excited about what’s coming and we hope you are too

The new v1.1.1 features are:

• The Admin is no longer a default of any project. They can still access everything but you have to manually select the admin to be part of a project.
• All date and time are now converted to UTC.
• OEM-ready
• Increased speed

We also fixed up a few bugs here and there.

This is a free upgrade for existing customers, so please login and follow the update instructions »

Also, if you customized certain parts of Jumptree Project (e.g. replacing the logo) please follow the customization instructions »