Adding a new Icon or Menu under a Group/Folder on your Sage Accpac Desktop Task Pane

By | June 9, 2011
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The way Sage ERP Accpac displays all its menu options is, On the Accpac Desktop, on the left hand side there is Task Pane under which there are Groups or Folders (for each module). Under these folders we either have Sub-folders or Menu Items.

Now if we have to add a Group, Sub-Folder or a Menu Item (for a custom Macro, Report or a Program i.e. executable) all this is pretty simple and can be done with Zero programming efforts. One just needs to right click on desktop and need to select appropriate options refer below screenshot.

The challenge is when you have developed a custom OCX and would like to launch it as a separate menu option under some group for all the companies. For this we need to do some SDK stuff, basically for each Group (or Module) Accpac maintains a GRP.DAT file which it refers to populate the menu items under group. So we have to add our menu Item to existing Group then we must edit the respective module’s GRP.DAT file and include our menu Item in it.
The location of the File in the discussion is (considering we are looking for OE module)
Sage SoftwareSage AccpacOE55AENG
Here is how to edit the Group file (i.e. GRP.DAT file)
  1. We must decompile the existing complied .DAT file into .TXT file and we can do this by using Resource Uncompiler i.e. UNCCGRP.EXE in command prompt.
  2. Once we get the .TXT file we can edit it to make appropriate changes to add our Menu item
  3. Then Save it and again compile .TXT file to .DAT file using the Group Resource Compiler i.e. CCGRP.EXE in command prompt
Let us take an example and actually see how to do it, let’s assume we have developed custom screen and we need to use it as a separate menu time under O/E Transactions.
First you must get the New Roto ID of your custom OCX let us assume it is “OE9994”
Before you proceed further make sure you have set the environment to use the Microsoft visual C++ tools using the .BAT file; where you have set following paths (RUN VISUAL STUDIO COMPILER, MICROSOFT VISUAL BASIC 6.0 FOLDER location, MICROSOFT CAB SOFTWARE DEVELPMENT KIT FOLDER, MICROSOFT AUTHENTICODE FOLDER, Location of SDK and its Libraries)
Once this environment is set using the command prompt….
  • Goto Accpac installation folder OE56A/ENG in your command prompt window. Enter below syntax to decompile the GRP.DAT file in command prompt.
Syntax :
UNCCGRP infile outfile
where:
infile is an application’s compiled binary group file, GRP.DAT
outfile is the file to receive the output text
Example
UNCCGRP GRP.DAT GRP.TXT
Using above command the GRP.DAT file will get converted into GRP.TXT file which will be used further to edit to enter additional information about the new menu Item.
  • Add below information at the end of the file
    [ ITEM ]
    ID = “OE9994”
    PARENT = “OE6000”
    ICON = “ENTRY”
    TITLE = “Title of your Screen”
    CAPTION = “Caption for your screen”
    OBJECTID = “OE9994”
    RSC = “OEORDER”
    RSC = “OEORD”
    RSC = “OETRANSI”
  • Now once we have added icon for customized order entry we need to compile the GRP.TXT file back to GRP.DAT file which can be done using following syntax.
Syntax:
CCGRP infile outfile
Where:
infile is the name of the desktop group text file.
outfile is the name of the file to contain the binary (compiled) form of the group file (GRP.DAT)
Example
CCGRP GRP.TXT GRP.DAT

New Icon for the custom screen will be set as shown below. Refer below screen shot “Order Entry – Auto Qty Commit” is our Item.

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