Biml in Azure aka CallBimlScriptContent

CallBimlScriptContent was introduced with the migration from Mist to BimlStudio. Why is this cool? You do not have to use files sitting on your computer as the source for your Biml. As long as you can reconstitute the Biml contents into a string, you can store your scripts where ever you'd like. If you want them in a database, that's great. Store them in the cloud? Knock yourself out.

As a consultant, the latter is rather compelling. Maybe I'm only licensing my clients to use accelerators during our engagement. If I leave files on the file system after I roll off, or they image my computer and accidentally collect them, I am David fighting Goliath. CallBimlScriptContent is a means to protect myself and my IP. Let's look at a trivial example. I set a C# string with an empty Package tag (hooray for doubling up my double quotes). Within my Packages collection, I invoke CallBimlScriptContent passing in my Biml content.

<Biml xmlns="http://schemas.varigence.com/biml.xsd">
<#
// Do something here to populate myBimlFile
string myBimlFile = @"<Package Name=""ABC"" />";
#>    
    <Packages>
        <#=CallBimlScriptContent(myBimlFile)#>
    </Packages>
</Biml>

The rendered Biml for the above would look like

<Biml xmlns="http://schemas.varigence.com/biml.xsd">
  <Packages>
    <Package Name="ABC" />
  </Packages>
</Biml>

It's super that it works, but that's not convenient. Like, at all! Plus, good luck trying to embed any complexity in that string.

So, let's try something a little more complex. Conceptually, imagine we have two Biml Scripts we might choose to call inc_Package_00.biml and inc_Package_10.biml <#@ property name="parameterName" type="string" #>

inc_Package_00.biml

<Package Name="ABC" />

inc_Package_10.biml

<#@ property name="packageName" type="string" #>
<Package Name="packageName" />

Our original code could then look like

<Biml xmlns="http://schemas.varigence.com/biml.xsd">
<#
// Do something here to populate myBimlFile
string myBimlFile =System.IO.File.ReadAllText(@"C:\tmp\inc_Package_00.biml");
#>    
    <Packages>
        <#=CallBimlScriptContent(myBimlFile, "Package_00)"#>
    </Packages>
</Biml>

Do you need to pass parameters? It's no different than what you're used to doing

<Biml xmlns="http://schemas.varigence.com/biml.xsd">
<#
// Do something here to populate myBimlFile
string myBimlFile =System.IO.File.ReadAllText(@"C:\tmp\inc_Package_10.biml");
#>    
    <Packages>
        <#=CallBimlScriptContent(myBimlFile, "Package_10)"#>
    </Packages>
</Biml>

In the next post, I'll show you how to use reference data stored in tables or Azure as your BimlScript Content. Stay tuned!