Summary: Once you have created your language package, there are various steps you need to go through to ensure that CAST takes your package into account correctly. This section describes the required actions.

Step 1 - Validation

The first step is to validate your language package. This is done using the UA Assistant (UAAssistant.exe) that can be found at the root of your CAST installation. This tool checks that your language packages are correct and conform to the required standards before they are used, thus avoiding errors during an analysis.

The UA Assistant will only validate the following files, however the presence of other items such as the plugin and prepro folders or the XXXCastMetrics.xml file will not affect the validation process.

  • xxxMetaModel.xml
  • xxxLanguagePattern.xml
  • xxxInformationTracking.xml
  • a set of image icons (in this case, it validates that the folder and icons are present)

The validation process is quite simple - specify your language package parent folder, click Validate, then check the results. Refer to the embedded UA Assistant help for more details about this process.

Step 2 - packaging the language package

You now have a choice about what you would like to do. You can:

  • Include your Universal Analyzer language package in a custom extension (new from CAST AIP 8.0.x)
  • Deploy the Universal Analyzer language package directly - the legacy option available in previous releases of CAST AIP (prior to CAST AIP 8.0.x)
At present either option will function, however, CAST recommends that you start to include your Universal Analyzer language packs in custom extensions as the legacy option may be removed at some point in the future.

Include your Universal Analyzer language package in a custom extension (new in CAST AIP 8.0.x)

  • First, place your language package configuration files in a folder structure as follows:
Configuration\Languages\<Language_Pack>

Install your Universal Analyzer language package directly (legacy option)

This method is identical to the only method that was available in previous releases of CAST AIP (prior to CAST AIP 8.0.x).

  • CAST recommends that you start to include your Universal Analyzer language packs in custom extensions as described above as this legacy option may be removed at some point in the future.
  • In addition the installation method will install ALL language packs located in the %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\CAST\CAST\<version>\Configuration\Languages\<Language_Pack> folder.

A - Save to disk

Once a package has been validated successfully and any errors reported by the UA Assistant have been cleaned up, you can now use the Save to Disk option in the UA Assistant (UAAssistant.exe):

This will transfer the entire language package to the default installation location which is used in the next step. The location is here:

%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\CAST\CAST\<version>\Configuration\Languages\<Language_Pack>

B - Install the language pack

The next step is to use CAST Server Manager (servman.exe located at the root of your CAST installation folder) to install the language pack in your CAST schemas. This can be done:

  • either when you are installing new CAST schemas from scratch
  • or when you are want to install an extension into an existing set of CAST schemas

This section deals with both situations.

  • It is not necessary to install a Language Pack into a CAST Measurement Service schema.
  • Installing an extension in a group (Management/Analysis/Dashboard Services) of CAST schemas will allow you to use that extension with ALL Applications that are managed by these CAST schemas. Therefore, you will need to repeat this step for each "group" of CAST schemas with which you want to use the extension. For example, if you have the environment listed below you will need to install the extension in Schemas A and B for Applications A, B and C to be able to use the language pack:
    • Schemas A used by Application A
    • Schemas B used by Application B and Application C
  • This installation method will install ALL language packs located in the %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\CAST\CAST\<version>\Configuration\Languages\<Language_Pack> folder.

On completion, the language pack will be displayed in the Universal technology editor in the CAST Management Studio:

Note that if you have created the language pack specifically for a language that will be handled by the Universal Importer (see Defining a new language), then the language will NOT appear in the Universal technology editor as shown above.

Installing the language pack with new CAST schemas

  • Launch CAST Server Manager from the Windows Start menu and connect to the CAST Storage Service or commercial RDBMS that will host your CAST schemas.
  • Click Schema Installation > Schema Installation or Database Installation > Database Installation on the toolbar
  • Select either Application Analytics platform installation or Additional Analysis platform as per your requirements, then click Next.
  • If your language pack is correctly located in %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\CAST\CAST\<version>\Configuration\Languages\<Language_Pack> then the following screen will be displayed listing the <all users dir> option:

Note that:

  • if you do not see this screen, then your language pack is not located in the correct folder
  • the screen may display other items - these are CAST AIP Extensions located in %PROGRAMDATA%\CAST\CAST\Extensions


  • You now need to click the "Do not install" option in the Version column and choose the CAST AIP release as shown below:


  • Click the Next button to continue.
  • The CAST schema installation options will now now be displayed.
  • The summary screen will show the <all users dir> options as part of the proposed installation:


  • Click to Proceed to start the installation.
  • On completion of the CAST schema installation process, your language pack will also have been installed.

Installing the language pack with existing CAST schemas

  • Launch CAST Server Manager from the Windows Start menu and connect to the CAST Storage Service or commercial RDBMS that is hosting your existing CAST schemas.
  • Existing CAST schemas are listed in the CAST Server Manager window - if they have been installed as a "combined" installation (i.e. all at the same time) then they will be grouped together. Schemas that have been installed separately, will be listed separately. Find the schemas you need to update (i.e. the schemas in which the target Application is managed), for example, these schemas marked "v8422" have been installed at the same time as a combined install:


  • You must install the extensions to all the schemas used by your target Application (i..e Management/Analysis/Dashboard Services (Measurement Services do not require updating)). To so do, simply right click the "combined group" schema (marked "v8422" in the above image) or any of its associated schemas and then select Manage Extensions (selecting an individual schema in a combined group will also run the install on all associated schemas):


  • If your language pack is correctly located in %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\CAST\CAST\<version>\Configuration\Languages\<Language_Pack> then the following screen will be displayed listing the <all users dir> option:

Note that:

  • if you do not see this screen, then your language pack is not located in the correct folder
  • the screen may display other items - these are CAST AIP Extensions located in %PROGRAMDATA%\CAST\CAST\Extensions

  • There are now two options depending on your environment:
    • The Version column will display "Do not install" for the "<all users dir>" item if you have never previously installed any language packs using the Manage Extensions option. In this situation you now need to choose the CAST AIP release as shown below:

    • The Version column will display a CAST AIP version number for the "<all users dir>" item if you have previously installed any language packs using the Manage Extensions option. In this situation please do not make any changes to the Version column:


  • Click the Next button to continue:
  • The summary screen will be displayed.
  • Click to Proceed to start the installation.
  • On completion of the CAST schema installation process, your language pack will also have been installed.

Step 3 - Install a custom CAST Delivery Manager Tool plugin (optional)

This step is optional - it is only required if your custom Universal Analyzer language has a corresponding CAST Delivery Manager "plugin" provided by CAST. This "plugin" instructs the CAST Delivery Manager Tool how to recognize your custom language, what files need to be extracted and packaged and how the corresponding Analysis Unit is created.

See Downloading and installing a CAST DMT extension in archive format for more information.

If you do not have a custom plugin, you must still use the CAST Delivery Manager Tool to package your source code - see below.

Step 4 - Use the CAST Delivery Manager Tool / CAST Management Studio

The final step is to use the CAST Delivery Manager Tool to package your source and then use the CAST Management Studio to analyze the source code and generate a snapshot.

  • If you have installed a custom CAST Delivery Manager Tool plugin as described in Step 4, package your custom language source code. The CAST Delivery Manager Tool will automatically create an Analysis Unit for all projects that it identifies.
    • You can now run your analysis or generate your snapshot.
  • If you have not installed a custom CAST Delivery Manager Tool plugin as described in Step 4. The CAST Delivery Manager Tool will not be able to identify any projects and will therefore not be able to create any Analysis Units for you when the source code is delivered. In this case, you can create the Analysis Unit manually as follows once the source code has been delivered to the CAST AI Center and the "set as current version" option has been run in the CAST Management Studio:
    • In the Application editor, move to the Current Delivery tab
    • Select the package created in the CAST Delivery Manager Tool as highlighted below
    • Then click the Add button in the Analysis Units section and choose the Add new Universal Analyzer Analysis Unit as highlighted below:

    • The Universal Analyzer Analysis Unit editor will then be displayed.
    • Select the Language profile you require.
    • Choose the location of your deployed source code - the CAST Management Studio will offer the default deployment folder location as specified in the Current Version tab for your Package - this should be correct:

    • You can now run your analysis or generate your snapshot.

Note that when running an analysis when the <all users dir> option has been used will always cause the following WARNING to appear in the extension log (ApplicationExtensions.castlog):

Extension <all users dir> at version <version> cannot be found on disk so it is deactivated. Please download it.

This warning can safely be ignored as it has no impact.