Getting Started

This short guide is to introduce you to the LemonEdge platform, and how to get it up and running.

Requirements

Installing and/or hosting LemonEdge has the following recommended requirements:

  1. Client Applications

    1. .Net 6: You require .net 6 (or above) installed locally to run the windows, core, and admin applications. The Full Windows Desktop application comes with .net 6.
    2. The web application requires no pre-requisites other than a modern browser.
    3. The recommended minimum specification of a client pc running the full desktop applications are:
      1. 16 GB+ RAM
      2. 50 GB+ HDD
      3. 1.5GHz+

  2. Web/Task Services

    1. The web and task services are .net 6 applications that can run on Windows, Linux or Mac servers, and require .net 5 installed.
    2. They can run in modern cloud providers (such as AWS/Azure/etc) and take advantage of docker containers, serverless architecture, etc.
      1. The Web Service can run in IIS too.
    3. The recommended minimum specification (note this can be lower if the service is designed to auto-scale) for an instance supporting either service is:
      1. 32 GB+ RAM
      2. 128 GB+ HDD
      3. 2GHz+

  3. SQL Server

    1. Can run on the following SQL Server instances:
      1. SQL Server 2015+
      2. SQL Azure
      3. AWS SQL RDS
    2. The recommended minimum specification for a SQL Server instance is:
      1. 32 GB+ RAM
      2. 128 GB+ HDD
      3. 2GHz+
    3. SQL Azure is recommended for the equivalent minimum setup, but can take advantage of scaling for cores, etc.

  4. The Recommended settings for azure.

    1. App Service (Both web service and task service)
      1. SKU and size: P1v3
    2. SQL database
      1. General Purpose
      2. Serverless
      3. Max vCores 6

Installing Client Applications

The LemonEdge platform has the following multi-platform client applications:

  • Full Windows Desktop
    Requires: None - Runs on any Windows x64 version.
    This is the full application with the complete set of functionality including multi-window/multi-screen support and full office integration. This application is Windows only and fully supported.
  • Multi-Platform Admin Console
    Requires: .Net 6
    This is the command line console designed with admins in mind looking to script, automate, and integrate the platform into their own processes.
    This application support Windows, Linux and Macs and is fully supported. As such it lacks certain functions such as office integration.
  • Mutli-Platform Core
    Requires: .Net 6
    This application is the desktop version that runs across different platforms.
    This application support Windows, Linux and Macs. As such it lacks certain functions such as office integration.
  • Website
    Requires: Any modern browser. No install.
    This allows you to login to the application using any modern web browser from any device including mobiles and tablets. As such it lacks certain functions such as office integration.

Browser

If you are connecting to LemonEdge using a web browser your systems administrator will have provided you a URL you can use to immediately start using LemonEdge.

Download

If you want to download one of the other applications above, you will need the following:

  • .Net 6 installed locally
    • Unless you are only installing the Full Windows Desktop, then you do not need to install .net 6
  • Download the application from our download page
  • A Shared Access Token
  • A Shared Access Token Type: Either Trial, Partner, or Production

Download Steps

To download the client you need to follow these steps:

  1. Select the type of access token you've been provided; either Trial, Partner, or Production
  2. Copy/Paste the Shared Access Token exactly into the download page.
  3. Click download for the type of client application you want to download.

Install Steps

Extract the application and all associated files from the zip file you downloaded, to somewhere you want LemonEdge to run from such as C:\LemonEdge\WindowsApp.

Note

The application is entirely self contained, if you want to uninstall it you can simply delete that folder any time later.

Tip

The application automatically updates itself with new versions from the path you downloaded it from. If you've been provided a Shared Access Token to download the application (above) then you need to modify the config settings to ensure it has access to download any updates:

  • Find and edit the appSettings.json file. This will be in the root of the zip file you extracted, so if you extracted the application to C:\LemonEdge\WindowsApp it will be located at C:\LemonEdge\WindowsApp\appSettings.json
  • The settings file should contain your default settings as configured by your systems administrator, or the defaults provided by LemonEdge
  • For more information you can see our config settings guide
  • You need to copy/past your SharedAccessToken into the UpdatePathSharedAccessKey setting
    • You should see the following in the settings file: "UpdatePathSharedAccessKey": " ",
    • If your SharedAccessToken is XXXKEYYYYZZZ, then you should replace the setting value so it looks like this:
      "UpdatePathSharedAccessKey": "XXXKEYYYYZZZ",
    • Your Update Path will point to the place the system will automatically get updates from. This will be provided by your system administrator, or be the default provided by LemonEdge such as "https://downloads.lemonedge.com/releases/WPFCore/"
    • If you do not want the system to update automatically then the AutoUpdaterPath, UpdatePath and UpdatePathSharedAccessKey settings should all be blank or removed entirely.
      • Alternatively you can update AutoUpdaterPath and UpdatePath to point to your own internal approved releases to control the process.

Launching

To launch the downloaded application, once you've updated the appSettings.json (if required above), you can simply double click the following:

  • Full Windows Desktop: LemonEdgeWin.exe
  • Multi-Platform Admin Console: LemonEdgeConsole.exe
  • Multi-Platform Core: LemonEdgeAll.exe
Important

The application will then launch. You can create a shortcut to the application on your start menu, or desktop to easily launch it whenever. Equally if you no longer need the application you can simply delete the folder to remove it from your system.

Connection

The LemonEdge platform can connect directly to a SQL Server Database, or via the LemonEdge web service.

If you are connecting using a browser, then it is automatically configured to connect via a web service, so you don't need to set anything up.

If you are connecting via a web service, then your system administrator will have provided you a Service URI you can use during login.

If you are connecting to a database, then you need the sql server credentials, and the database name.

Create a blank database

Note

If you do not have access to a web service, or are using a Trial License, or an Unlicensed, version of the application you will only be able to connect via a SQL Server direct database connection. This isn't suitable for multiple users, scaling, or production environments, etc., but work perfectly fine for development and other use cases. You can simulate the Task service by using the "Launch Task Service" command from the user menu.

In order to connect you can just create a new blank database and use that. The system will automatically upgrade the blank database to a complete LemonEdge platform.

In order to set that up, you can follow these steps:

  • If you don't already have a SQL Server installation you can connect to, then install the developer copy of SQL from here. Be sure to also install SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) to connect to your SQL Server.
  • Follow this guide if you are unfamiliar with the installation procedure.
  • Launch SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and connect to your SQL Server installation.
  • From here you can simply right-click and create a new blank database
  • You don't need to configure anything else about the database. Simply connect to this database during login and the LemonEdge platform will take care of everything

Import a demo database

If you are using a custom addin solution, we often provide complete demonstrations of the system as .bacpac files you can download along with the custom add-in itself.

These demonstration databases are integrated as part of our automated test suites to ensure the highest standards for the out of the box solutions we provide. To restore these databases follow these steps:

  • Extract the demo database from the downloaded zip file; you should have a single bacpac file.
  • Open SSMS (see above for guide to install SQL Server and SSMS) or Azure Data Studio, or equivalent SQL Management tool
  • Select the databases and "Import Data Tier Application" or Import .bacpac
  • Select the bacpac file
  • Login when the restore is complete with the provided login details

Login

Once you've launched the application either through one of the client applications above, or the browser application, you simply need your login credentials to continue.

See our Login guide for more information.

Further Reading

Once you've downloaded and launched the application, or browsed to the web site, the following articles may help:

  • Login: Connect to a database, or web service to login to the application.
  • Licensing: License your LemonEdge solution
  • Custom Add Ins: Install any 3rd Party, Partner, or otherwise provided AddIn for the platform into your solution.