Remove note's autosave functionality by adding

Question

In CRM 2011, notes get automatically created and attached to main record on lost focus event. Requirement is to remove this auto save functionality. Only till main form is open user should be able to edit notes. And newly added notes should only get saved once main form is saved. For example, if user add one note and closes the browser or do not save the main form, then that note should not get attached to main record, new note should get discarded.

I was thinking following solution:

1. create new custom entity TempNotesHolder

2. Create 1:N relationship with the entity where we want this functionality, for example Case entity

3. Make actual case's note section read only(it is requirement, user don't want to edit/delete functionality for notes once note get created)

4. Write plugin for create event of Case and create one Record for TempNotesHolder and associate it with case(RegardingId field in TempNotesHolder = incidentId) This will ensure one Case will always have only one associated TempNotesHolder record. There is no way in CRM 2011 to ensure One entity record will have only one record in associated entity i.e. 1:1 relationship. At least I don't know the way. Let me know if any one are aware about it.

5. On Case form, add one IFrame below Case's note section

6. on case form load event, get TempNotesHolderId associated with case using fetchXml.(There is no actual field in Case entity that refer to associated TempNotesHolder, hence need to use fetchXml. Some how we can add associated TempNotesHolderId to Case entity, and place that field on Case form, make it hidden, to avoid fetchXml)

7. Prepare url to display only notes of TempNotesHolder record.(/_controls/notes/notesdata.aspx?EnableInlineEdit=false&EnableInsert=true&id=&ParentEntity=

8. Set this url to newly added IFrame, so notes of associated TempNotesHolder get displayed in IFrame. It will also have link "Add New Note".

9. User can add note to TempNotesHolder which are not directly added to Case record.

10. Next develop plugin on pre save event of Case and check if there are any notes added to TempNoteHolder, if yes move those notes to Case record, and delete notes for TempNoteHolderId. This way notes will get saved to main record only on main form save.

11. To handle browser close event after adding few notes to TempNotesHolder, write plugin on Case pre Retrieve event, check if any notes present for associated TempNotesHolderId, if present then delete those notes. (As notes are present on TempNotesHolderId, that means due to some reason these notes are not moved to actual case record and we no longer need them, so delete them. This will ensure on case load, TempNotesHolder note section always be blank)

The above solution was fine till step 8. When I tried to add notes in TempNotesHolder, it gave me error, "Record with does not exists in TempNotesHolder". Then I checked that GUID, I disappointed to know CRM is taking IncidentId when I create note for TempNotesHolder. Then I tracked down the actual code for create notes to find why it is taking IncidentId instead of TempNotesHolderId. I found following code in "_static/_controls/notes/notes.htc" function name "UpdateNote"

xml="0"+CrmEncodeDecode.CrmXmlEncode(value)+""+_parentCrmFormSubmit.crmFormSubmitId.value+""+this.parentEntityType+""+CrmEncodeDecode.CrmXmlEncode(currentTitle)+""+this.userId+""

CRM is taking _parentCrmFormSubmit.crmFormSubmitId.value as objectid while creating note.

Now I stuck with this problem. Any thoughts to overcome this show stopper issue are appreciated. Also any other alternate solution to main requirement are also welcome.

Pravin Pujari (Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Developer)

Answer 1

I would suggest simplifying the solution as follows:

1. Add a field to Case called new_notetext.

2. Create a Plugin against the Pre-Create and Pre-Update messages on the Case entity.

3. In the plugin, take anything entered into new_notetext and add a note to the Case entity using that text. Then clear the field new_notetext so nothing is saved with the record.

Should work just fine and is much simpler to implement.