HOWTO: Invoke an LNS Method (KB1334)

Invoking an LNS Method using the LNS Object Browser

To invoke an LNS method on an object, follow these steps:

1. If you haven’t already enabled modifications, open the Options menu and click Allow Modifications, or press F8.


2. Right-click the object in the folder pane and select the method from the shortcut menu.  No methods will be listed if there are no methods defined for the selected object, or if you have not enabled modifications.  The selected method is immediately invoked if it does not have parameters.


3. If the selected method requires any parameters, a Method Parameter dialog is displayed prompting you for the parameters. Fill in their values and click Ok. 

  • To enter the name of an object for a parameter that requires the name as a string, either type in the object name or drag the object from the folder pane and drop it into the parameter on the Method Parameters dialog.
  • To enter an object reference for a parameter that requires a reference, drag the object from the folder pane and drop it into the parameter on the Method Parameters dialog.  An ampersand ("&") prefix is displayed to distinguish the object reference from an object name
  • To specify an unused optional parameter, enter "null" or "nothing" as the parameter value.  These strings are case insensitive.  An error will be displayed if you leave any parameters blank.

While the LNS Server executes the selected method, the status indicator in the upper-right corner flashes from green to red. You cannot request additional methods while a method is executing.  To cancel a method, open the Actions menu and click System.CancelTransaction.
When the requested method completes, an entry is added to the log pane.  If the method returns a result, a new object is added to the folder pane, either under the selected object or under a separate Result branch.