I was given the task of creating a proof of concept to see if we could generate a zoom meeting url inside dynamics 365.
From time to time you are given a project which you’ve not worked on for a while, i.e. writing and working with plugins, – and this was exactly that!
It’s been a while since I worked with plugins on the Dynamics 365 CRM platform so I had to refresh myself by going through my bookmarked blog posts which I used when learning how to develop and maintain a plugin.
For this very reason, I’ve decided to write my own blog post on the subject so I can use it myself should I encounter this scenario again if I’m moved on to different types of work away from plugin development.
This post will serve me as a reminder of the steps and processes undertaken for this type of task. The post may almost feel like a bit of a list of what I did, while it’s still fresh in my mind because I need to get it out of my head as i’ve once again been moved into a different direction and tech stack after completing this POC.
For anyone working with dynamics 365 plugins, you will appreciate how special they are in the way they are built and debugged when you’ve been working on more modern systems – it almost feel like going back to the dark ages when given a project that involves plugins on the Dynamics 365 Platform BC.
Zoom API Integration
First things first, register for the zoom api and get the required keys/tokens.
Setup a c# console application and setup the code to generate a zoom meeting url.
Once this is working, start the journey down creating the Plugin:
Creating A Dynamics 365 Plugin
1 – Create a .Net Class Library Application using an older .net framework, I’ve used .Net Framework 4.71 for this purpose, newer versions were not compatible at the time of writing.
2 – Using Nuget install Microsoft.CrmSdk.CoreAssemblies
3 – While we are here, also install the Plugin Registration Tool! : Microsoft.CrmSdk.XrmTooling.PluginRegistrationTool
4 – In the Class1.cs file implement the IPlugin interface:
5 – Add code to the plugin class library to generate the meeting url. For this example I’m simply going to populate the description field as a proof of concept.
6 – Using the Plugin Registration tool downloaded from nuget, Connect to your environment and Register the Plugin Assembly uploading the dll. Create a PreOperation Synchronous Step under this assembly.
Live Demo