In this article Olivier Picciotto explains how to insert Convertigo widgets in the salesforce.com CRM product. In this way users can display some valuable data from existing applications embedded in SalesForce pages.

Convertigo widgets

Convertigo widgets are components created with Convertigo studio providing a user interface to interact with existing SOA or non SOA enterprise applications. See Convertigo Legacy Publisher, Legacy Integrator, or Convertigo Web Integrator getting started tutorials for more info about building widgets.

In this article we are using an existing Convertigo project providing a widget based on Convertigo Legacy Publisher. This widget uses the dynamic on the fly webization capabilities of Convertigo legacy publisher to make users interact with legacy AS/400 (iSeries) applications. This article applies to any type of Convertigo widget, but uses the AS/400 as a sample.

Inserting a widget in SalesForce

We use in this example a SalesForce developer edition.  This process is based on the salesforce’s Page objects inserted in specific display layout. First of all we will have to create our Convertigo salesforce’s Page.

• Log in your SalesForce developer edition
• Choose “Setup” in the user menu
  
  

 

• In the left menu, choose Develop->Pages
  
  

 

• Click “New” button to create a new page
  
  

• Fill in the fields as shown.
  
  

Use the name you want for the label and the name. The magic comes from the apex code. If you know about SalesForce Visualforce pages you know that the page should specify a controller. In our case, as this page is to be inserted in a Contact display, we use the “Contact” standardController. As you see, this code will only insert an IFrame holding the Convertigo widget. This IFrame will load the widget from a specific url of this form:

http://[servername]/[convertigo_appname]/projects/[project_name]/index.html?__sequence=[start_sequence_name]&user=[logged_user_name]

• Now we have to modify the layout of the Contact page. Choose “AppSetup->Customize->Contact-Page Layouts”
• Click “Edit” on the layout you want to customize. 
  
  
  

   

• Click on the “Visualforce Pages” link, you should see your previously created Visualforce page, here highlighted in blue.
  

   

  

   

• You will just now have to drag and drop your VF page to one of the space in your contact details. Then place you mouse on the VF page, you should see a configuration tool.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Click on it to adjust the VF page’s width and height.
  
  

• Click ok, and we are all set! When a user will display a contact, he will immediately have a section of his contact details filled with a Convertigo widget getting data from an existing   and allowing dynamic real time interactions with the AS/400.