Platform SDK: Transaction Server

Adding a Component to an MTS Package

[This product will work only on Windows NT 4.0 versions and earlier. For Windows 2000 and later, see COM+ (Component Services).]

An MTS component is a reusable piece of code and data that is built to the Component Object Model (COM) specification. Components enact business logic in an application.

You can add a component to a package by:

using the component wizard
moving a component from an existing package

To add components to the Components folder of a package, you can either use the component wizard in MTS Explorer or you can drag dynamic-link libraries (DLL) that contain the components you want from Windows NT Explorer and drop them in the package. If you use the Component wizard, you can either install a new component, which adds the component to the system registry, or import components that have already been registered. Components can be added to empty packages or existing packages.

To move a component from an existing package, simply drag and drop the component from the existing package to the new component.

Note that a single MTS application can contain components that can be installed in multiple packages. You can place different components that are housed in the same DLL into completely separate packages.

To add a component to a package

In the left pane of MTS Explorer, select the computer on which you want to install the component.
Open the Packages Installed folder, and select the package in which you want to install the component.
Open the Components folder.
On the Action menu, click New. You can also select the Components folder, right-click, and select New and then Component from the right-click menu, or select the Create a new object button on the MTS toolbar.
Click the Install new component(s) button.
In the dialog box that appears, click Add Files to select the files you want to install. You should select the DLL that contains the component you want to install. If the component has an external type library or proxy/stub DLL, also add those files. Make sure that in your Windows NT Explorer, the Hidden files option is set to Show all files. If this option is set to hide files with the .dll file name extension, you will not see the DLLs that contain your component in the Select files to install dialog box. You will have to restart the MTS Explorer if you change this setting.
In the dialog box that appears, select the file or files you want to add, and click Open. You can display all available files, just DLLs, or just type libraries by clicking the appropriate option in the Files of type box.
After you add the files, the Install Components dialog box displays the files you have added and their associated components. If you select the Details check box, you will see more information about file contents and the components that were found. Microsoft Transaction Server components must have a type library. If MTS cannot find your component's type library, your component will not appear in the list. You can also remove a file from the Files to install list by selecting it and clicking Remove Files.
Click the Finish button to install the component. It is important to note that installing a component allows you to view the interfaces and methods on that component. When you import a component, the imported component’s interfaces and methods are not visible in MTS Explorer.