Auto Deployer Tool in XrmToolBox

Auto Deployer is an XrmToolBox plugin that watches local files and automatically deploys updates to Dataverse / Dynamics 365.

It currently supports:

• Plugin Assembly auto-update (watch a .dll, update the plugin assembly when the file changes)
• Web Resource auto-deploy (watch selected local files and update/publish matching Dataverse Web Resources)
• Plugin Package auto-update (Online only) (watch a .nupkg, upload it to a selected Dataverse Plugin Package)

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Features

✅ Plugin Assembly auto-deploy

• Watch one or more plugin assembly .dll files
• When the file changes, the tool updates the corresponding Plugin Assembly in Dataverse
• Logs actions and results in the tool output pane

✅ Web Resource auto-deploy

Configure:

• Root folder (local build output folder)
• Prefix (Dataverse web resource prefix, e.g. cint_)
• Patterns (file globs like scripts\*.js)
• Publish after update (on/off)
• Debounce (ms) to batch rapid rebuilds

Workflow:

• Scan local folder to discover files that match the patterns
• The tool auto-generates CrmName as: {prefix}/{relativePath}
• The grid is not meant to be edited directly (except the Watch checkbox)
• Watch only mappings where Watch = true
• Upload updated content on change, and optionally publish

✅ Plugin Package auto-deploy (Online only)

• Watch a Dataverse Plugin Package .nupkg
• Select the target Plugin Package record from Dataverse
• On file change, the tool uploads the .nupkg to the package file column (pluginpackage.package)
• This menu/feature is not available for on-prem connections

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Requirements

• XrmToolBox (latest recommended)
• A Dataverse / Dynamics 365 connection with permissions to:
  • Update Plugin Assemblies (plugin assembly mode)
  • Update Web Resources + Publish (web resource mode)
  • (Online) Update Plugin Packages (plugin package mode)

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Getting Started

1) Install / Run in XrmToolBox

• Build the project
• Copy the plugin output to your XrmToolBox Plugins folder (or use your normal XrmToolBox dev workflow)
• Start XrmToolBox and open Auto Deployer

2) Connect to an environment

The tool is connection-aware. Configuration is stored per connection.

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Using Plugin Assembly Watching

1. Click Add → Plugin Assembly
2. Select a plugin .dll
3. The tool starts watching the file
4. Rebuild your project → when the .dll changes, Auto Deployer updates the plugin assembly
5. Select an item in the list to see detailed logs

Tip: Keep your build output stable (same path) so the watcher doesn’t need to be reconfigured.

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Using Web Resource Watching

1. Click Add → Web Resources

2. Configure:

   • Root folder
     Example: C:\Git\MySolution\dist\gdpr
   • Prefix
     Example: cint_
   • Patterns (one per line)
     Examples:

     scripts\*.js
     content\*.css
     images\*.png
     

   • Publish after update (recommended ON)
   • Debounce (default 1500ms is a good start)

3. Click Scan

   • Adds matching local files to the grid (without duplicates)
   • Updates CrmName for existing rows based on the current Prefix
   • Auto-generates CrmName as: {prefix}/{relativePath}

4. Set Watch = true for the rows you want actively monitored

5. Click Validate

   • Checks local settings (duplicates, missing files)
   • If connected, checks whether the CrmName exists in Dataverse
   • Highlights cells:
     • Red = local error (duplicates / missing file) or not found in Dataverse
     • Green = OK

6. Click Save

   • Configuration is saved for the current connection
   • Watchers are created for rows where Watch = true

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How Web Resource Mapping Works

For each watched mapping:

• RelativePath is the local path relative to Root folder
  Example: scripts\my_script.js

• CrmName is the Dataverse Web Resource name derived from Prefix
  Example: cint_/scripts/my_script.js

On file change, the tool:

1. Uploads the new content to that Web Resource
2. Optionally publishes (if enabled)
3. Logs result to the main log pane

Note: The grid columns are intentionally read-only (except Watch).
If the Prefix was wrong earlier, use Scan or Validate after correcting Prefix to rebuild names.

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Using Plugin Package Watching (Online only)

1. Click Add → Plugin Package (only shown for Dataverse online)
2. Select a .nupkg file on disk
3. Select the target Plugin Package from the environment
4. The tool starts watching the file
5. Rebuild/pack → when the .nupkg changes, Auto Deployer uploads the new package content
6. Select an item in the list to see detailed logs

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Configuration & Persistence

Settings are stored using the standard XrmToolBox settings mechanism:

• Saved per connection (so each environment has its own config)
• Loaded automatically when the connection changes
• Watchers are re-created when you connect (based on saved config)

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Troubleshooting

“Not connected to an environment”

Connect in XrmToolBox first. Deployment requires an active service connection.

Nothing happens when files change

• Ensure the row has Watch = true
• Check that Root folder is correct and file really exists under it
• Some build processes trigger multiple change events; try increasing Debounce
• Verify permissions to update web resources / publish / plugin assembly / plugin package

Web resources show “Not found in Dataverse”

Use Validate while connected:

• It will check existence in Dataverse and highlight missing ones
• If Prefix is wrong, fix Prefix then click Scan or Validate again

Plugin Package menu missing

Plugin Package deploy is Online only. It will be hidden for on-prem connections.

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Roadmap / Ideas

• Bulk enable/disable watch flags
• Better summary view in MainControl (active watchers / config overview)

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Contributing

PRs and issues are welcome.

If you contribute:

• Keep changes backward compatible where possible
• Prefer small PRs focused on a single improvement
• Include short notes in the PR description on how to test

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License

MIT