Javascript to Test if a Value is Unique Across All Entity Instances
One thing I have run into numerous times is a client requirement to be able to enter a value, usuall some kind of ID number, and have it be a unique value. Obviously CRM’s autonumbering system doesn’t work here, and you can’t just use Math.random() either. Niether of the two solutions above are really flexible enough if a client needs to have a certain numbering scheme to integrate into another system, wants the ability to enter an ID manually, et cetera.
Anyway, below is a little javascript snippit that will test if a value is unique across all instances of a particular entity. You could also use CRM’s duplicate detection settings, but I like this better since it allows you to provide instant feedback when the user tabs off the field rather than waiting for a save.
function isUniqueValue(value, fieldName, entity)
{
var authenticationHeader = GenerateAuthenticationHeader();
// Prepare the SOAP message.
var xml = "<?xml version=’1.0′ encoding=’utf-8′?>" +
"<soap:Envelope xmlns:soap=’http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/’" +
" xmlns:xsi=’http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance’" +
" xmlns:xsd=’http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema’>" +
authenticationHeader +
"<soap:Body>" +
"<RetrieveMultiple xmlns=’http://schemas.microsoft.com/crm/2007/WebServices’>" +
"<query xmlns:q1=’http://schemas.microsoft.com/crm/2006/Query’" +
" xsi:type=’q1:QueryExpression’>" +
"<q1:EntityName>"+entity+"</q1:EntityName>" +
"<q1:ColumnSet xsi:type=’q1:ColumnSet’>" +
"<q1:Attributes>" +
"<q1:Attribute>"+fieldName+"</q1:Attribute>" +
"</q1:Attributes>" +
"</q1:ColumnSet>" +
"<q1:Distinct>false</q1:Distinct>" +
"<q1:Criteria>" +
"<q1:FilterOperator>And</q1:FilterOperator>" +
"<q1:Conditions>" +
"<q1:Condition>" +
"<q1:AttributeName>"+fieldName+"</q1:AttributeName>" +
"<q1:Operator>Like</q1:Operator>" +
"<q1:Values>" +
"<q1:Value xsi:type=’xsd:string’>" + value + "</q1:Value>" +
"</q1:Values>" +
"</q1:Condition>" +
"</q1:Conditions>" +
"</q1:Criteria>" +
"</query>" +
"</RetrieveMultiple>" +
"</soap:Body>" +
"</soap:Envelope>";
// Prepare the xmlHttpObject and send the request.
var xHReq = new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP");
xHReq.Open("POST", "/mscrmservices/2007/CrmService.asmx", false);
xHReq.setRequestHeader("SOAPAction", "http://schemas.microsoft.com/crm/2007/WebServices/RetrieveMultiple");
xHReq.setRequestHeader("Content-Type", "text/xml; charset=utf-8");
xHReq.setRequestHeader("Content-Length", xml.length);
xHReq.send(xml);
// Capture the result.
var resultXml = xHReq.responseXML;
var beNodes = resultXml.getElementsByTagName("BusinessEntity");
if (beNodes.length > 0)
{
return false;
}
else
{
return true;
}
}
