Creating web tasks in Project Server via PDS

[Tony]

Greetings,

I'm working with a trial version of Project Server 2003 and am using
PDS to test the feasibility of incorporating
project-management-functionality in a custom Line of Business web app.

As a starting point, let's assume there's a project in the Project
Server database that I want to add a task to. When I use the
ProjectTasksCreate method of PDS, a task is created and assigned
without a problem, but it doesn't show up when I use the AssignmentsGet
method (also of PDS.)

With Project Professional 2003, I noticed that whenever I create, save,
and publish a task and then use the AssignmentsGet method, I see the
task.

Having taken a look around in the database of Project Server, I see
that there are two tables that seem to matter: MSP_ASSIGMENTS and
MSP_WEB_ASSIGNMENTS.

I've noticed that when a task is added via Project Professional, an
entry is made in MSP_WEB_ASSIGNMENTS. When a task is added and
assigned using rojectTasksCreate, no entry is made in
MSP_WEB_ASSIGNMENTS.

Is this by design?

Thanks!

Tony

 

[Gary L. Chefetz [MVP]]

Tony:

The web assignments table gets updated on the publishing action. So, if your
copy of Project Pro is set to publish on every save, it would appear as if
both tables were getting updated simply by creating the task. You should ask
follow-up questions related to development at
microsoft.public.project.developer.

 

[Tony]

After discussing the issue with our Microsoft licensing
representatives, I have an answer to my own question and I thought I'd
share.

What I was hoping was that PDS provided the same functionality
available to Project Professional but through a Web Service. What I
found out was that PDS is not capable of creating a task that's
"published. You cannot, let's say, create a task using one webpage and
then view the task created with another webpage unless you create
custom code (to update the MSP_WEB_ASSIGNMENTS table - which I'm not
sure of the implications of) or use Project Professional.

If you were to create the task with PDS, you (or a user as Project
Manager more likely) would have to "publish" the task via Project Pro
in order for the task to be visible.

Cheers.

Tony