Constant Definitions

In this appendix, the different Constants that are relevant for Module and Business System Developers will be described. Basically, they can be split in three categories:

• Manufacturer Codes

• Module Categories

• DataTypes

Adding new constants

There are two situations where constants can be added to the System Database:

• When HIMSA adds a new constant: A company becomes a HIMSA licensee, HIMSA assigns the company a Manufacturer code. 

• When a HIMSA licensee submits a proposal for adding a constant in the System Database and the proposal is accepted: A licensee may wish to add a new data type constant that supports a new type of data format.

You can use the UpdNoah.exe Tool available from the Noah SDK to update the System Database (globob.stg file) on a system where a Noah 4 business System is installed.

This would be necessary for example; if you had developed a new module for Noah 4 that required support for a specific data type which is only supported by the most recent Noah 4 releases.

Another example could be if you recently acquired a Manufacturer ID from HIMSA in order to start developing modules for Noah 4. In this case, you will also need to update the System Database, globob.stg file, using the UpdNoah.exe tool.

To use this tool:

1.  Make sure you are using it on a PC where a Noah 4 Business System is installed.

2.  During deployment of your module execute the UpdNoah.exe file.

3.  Verify that the exit code from the UpdNoah.exe is 0 (a zero value equals success).

Q Will I break anything by running the UpdNoah.exe on a version of the Globob.stg that does not need to be update? 
No.  The UpdNoah.exe does a comparison.  If nothing needs to be added to the globob nothing happens.  The UpdNoah.exe also does not downgrade the globob.stg.  

Q: Can I also distribute the UpdNoah.exe tool to my customers (e.g. via download or installation media)?

A: Yes

Manufacturer codes

Each HIMSA licensee is assigned a unique manufacturer code. This code is used to tell Noah:

• if the module is from a HIMSA licensee.  Modules without a valid manufacturer code will not be display).

• if the licensee already has a module button displayed on the Module Bar

You need to contact HIMSA to get a manufacturer code - contact information can be found at HIMSA webpage, www.himsa.com.

Module Categories

There are three types of modules: measurement modules, fitting modules and other modules. Upon installation, a module must tell NOAH to which category it belongs.

Globob Codes

The following are the resulting codes from running the UpdNoah.exe tool.

0 : Success - The update was successful.

10 : Error - Instantiating the Module Installation Server failed. Check that if the NoahClient and NoahServer services are running.

11 : Error - Initializing the Module Installation Server failed. The module server was instantiated correctly but the initialization failed.

12 : Error - GetGlobobFile failed. The updater was unable to retrieve the embedded globob.stg file from UpdNoah.exe which has been extracted to a temporary path.

13 : Error - PutNewStorage failed. The attempt to update the the Globob.stg file utilizing the 'PutNewStorage' method was unsuccessful.

100 : Error - Unknown error.

200 : Error - Update timed out after 60 seconds. The update is assumed to be unsuccessful.

Data Types

When a Noah compatible application wishes to store an action in the Noah database, it must inform Noah of the data type of the action to be stored. The currently defined types of data in the Noah system database are listed below.