Tag Archives: Blackbaud

A Non-production database

Beginner, Not Code, , , , , , , , ,

There has been some discussion on the Blackbaud forums and on the Blackbus forum about using a second non-production database.  This article will highlight some ways of doing this. 

Before I begin I want to categorically state that if you believe what I am writing in this post breaks your Blackbaud contract then do not do it. A long time ago I was told by Blackbaud that it was perfectly acceptable and I hold by that but I know that others who have been told otherwise (including various support people at Blackbaud who will give you a different ruling depending on who you speak to!) Just to reiterate I am in no way encouraging you to break the law!
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C++ and the API

Advanced, , , , ,

I am not sure how many people out there would even dream of using C++ together with the API but considering there really is no documentation out there for this type of project I thought that I would try to put together some notes on how it is possible. The API is COM based and there is no reason why you cannot use C++ (just possibly more of a question of why you would ever want to). This posting assumes a basic knowledge of C++.

Firstly why would you every want to use C++. Sometimes this is a necessity. You may be using old C or C++ legacy code that you want to integrate directly with the API. In which case here are a few tips to get you started.
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The problem with imports

Intermediate, ,

One common problem that I have had with writing VBA code that hooks on to the import process is debugging. Unlike the other processes that you can write VBA code for the import process is a modal form. This means that the import window has to be on top at all times and you cannot go back to another window in Raiser’s Edge

 The problem with this is that you cannot set a break point in your code and you cannot step through the code. This makes debugging code difficult.

There are a couple of work arounds.
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A .NET plugin

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When I first saw Shaun Sullivan’s code to create a .NET plugin in Raiser’s Edge I was a bit concerned. I tried out the code and after a bit of fiddling with it I managed to get it to work. Although I thought and still think that having an extra HTML page with the plugin as a user control was a bit of a hassle.

A much easier solution that I have done several times is to simply create a .NET class library with a form. When you start your plugin the form is shown directly in a new window.

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Filtering on Gifts

Intermediate, , , , , , , ,

One common complaint about the API is that it is poorly documented. I found that out myself when I went to use the gift filter object. This is a powerful object that allows you to filter a collection of gifts by its properties. The filter object has very many properties but very few of them are documented. There is one knowledgebase article and one FAQ entry showing how to use it.
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The case of the disappearing form

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One of my most long standing problems that I have had with RE:VBA is showing a form modally. This in itself is not difficult but as soon as you move away from Raiser’s Edge, bring up another window in front of the modal form and then go back to Raiser’s Edge, the modal form has disappeared. Because the form is modal you are not able to access the underlying window (let’s call this the parent window). This is a pain as the only way to bring it back is to place another window over the parent window and then minimize it. This is not hard to do but it is harder to explain to users and not very intuitive.

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Old and New Relationships

Intermediate, , , ,

The other day I was trawling the knowledgebase for some code to quickly look up the primary organization record for a constituent. It is the sort of thing that I could have worked out myself very easily but sometimes it is just convenient to see if Blackbaud already have the code available.

I found exactly what I was looking for, or so I thought. KB BB54132: How to write code to find the Record ID for the Primary Organization relationship. Seeing the solution reminded me of the time I first took over the reigns of RE customisation developer at my first position in San Francisco.

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Decoding RE code

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Welcome to RE Decoded. My aim with this blog is to share some techniques used in the Raiser’s Edge API to solve day to day problems that the ordinary user may have. Feel free to add your own comments if you have solved a problem differently. Its the best way to learn.

This first entry is less technical than the other entries. I need to break you in gently.

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