topic Help: customizing explorer in Alfresco Archive

Help: customizing explorer

sbudrez — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:48:07 GMT

Hi to all!I have downloaded and istalled alfresco community edition 3.2I've read the "tutorial" (the .pdf file named "Getting_Started_with_Explorer_DM_for_Alfresco_Community_Edition_3_2") and learned the basic customizations (like creating spaces or content rules). I was wondering if there's a way t

Re: Help: customizing explorer

norgan — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:59:42 GMT

That would be called a developement environment Best start with Jeff Potts excellent blog http://www.ecmarchitect.com and work through the tutorials there

Regards, Norgan

Re: Help: customizing explorer

sbudrez — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:11:59 GMT

Woa thanks a lot!
The guides on the blog you've linked are really useful
I'll take some time on it…

But i have a serious problem: my alfresco server startup time is way too long =(
I've already posted it here:
http://forums.alfresco.com/en/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=21806

Maybe you can give me some help?

Re: Help: customizing explorer

sbudrez — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:02:01 GMT

It seems i have solved the "slow startup" problem

I've started reading the first guide: "Working with custom content types", but I have some problems.
I've created the files "someco-model-context.xml" and "scModel.xml" and placed into my "extension" folder. Then as the guide says I restart the alfresco server, but it get's a problem. The problem is in the form of "Could not import bootstrap model" as mentioned in the guide, but it doesn't suggest a solution to avoid it =(

I've also read these guides were developed for an older version of alfresco, maybe they are out-of-date? Can i find some updates somewhere?

I've even tried to find on the blog an email address to contact Jeff Potts, but i wasn't able to find it

Re: Help: customizing explorer

norgan — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:41:16 GMT

Hi,
when alfresco refueses to load a custom model, unfortunately, the error messages are hard to find, if there at all. first of all - some errormessages hide somewhere close to the end of the stack trace, roughly 20 - 40 lines fom the bottom, not as usual right on the top.

Then, it might happen, that you have problems switching between character encodings (UTF8, Ansi, Codepages …)
last is typos - the examples themselves are fine and work - I just tried them myself. Settings up eclipse to use UTF-8 only helps a lot !

Re: Help: customizing explorer

sbudrez — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:31:51 GMT

Well i must admit i am completely a novice
Firts of all thanks for the patience you have with me :roll:

Eclipse? I didn't know this software. I see it offers a lot of functions… but i don't exactly understand how can it be helpful.
I suppose just for editing XML files, am i wrong? (I must admit creating XML files with notepad maybe wasn't the best choice…)
I see there are a lot of version of eclipse. I've downloaded the "Eclipse IDE for Java Developers", because the description mentioned an XML Editor. But it seems i can't understand how it works. It's the correct version for my purpose??

What do you mean with "typos"?

I've located the error. It says:

10:06:42,093  ERROR [web.context.ContextLoader] Context initialization failed
org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanCreationException: Error creating bean with name 'extension.dictionaryBootstrap' defined in file 
[C:\Programmi\Alfresco\tomcat\webapps\alfresco\WEB-INF\classes\alfresco\extension\someco-model-context.xml]: Invocation of init method failed;
nested exception is org.alfresco.service.cmr.dictionary.DictionaryException: 08220001 Could not import bootstrap model alfresco/extension/scModel.xml

Caused by: org.alfresco.service.cmr.dictionary.DictionaryException: 08220001 Could not import bootstrap model alfresco/extension/scModel.xml
…
Caused by: org.jibx.runtime.JiBXException: Expected "{http://www.alfresco.org/model/dictionary/1.0}type" end tag, found "{http://www.alfresco.org/model/dictionary/1.0}mandatoryaspects" start tag (line 42, col 31)
…
22-set-2009 10.06.43 org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext start
GRAVE: Error listenerStart
22-set-2009 10.06.43 org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext start
GRAVE: Context [/alfresco] startup failed due to previous errors
log4j:ERROR LogMananger.repositorySelector was null likely due to error in class
 reloading, using NOPLoggerRepository.
…
INFO: Server startup in 73293 ms‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

Re: Help: customizing explorer

jayjayecl — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:49:36 GMT

could you provide us with your model file?

Re: Help: customizing explorer

sbudrez — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:05:49 GMT

I have copied the model file as it was from the guide (http://ecmarchitect.com/images/articles/alfresco-content/content-article.pdf)
I've done a copy/paste (altough it doesn't work well, because some charcater like "-" aren't copied and i had to insert them manually)

Anyway here's the file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!– Definition of new Model –>
<model name="sc:somecomodel" xmlns="http://www.alfresco.org/model/dictionary/1.0">

    <!– Optional meta-data about the model –>
    <description>Someco Model</description>
    <author>Optaros</author>
    <version>1.0</version>

    <!– Imports are required to allow references to definitions in other models –>
    <imports>
        <!–Import Alfresco Dictionary Definitions –>
        <import uri="http://www.alfresco.org/model/dictionary/1.0" prefix="d" />
        <!–Import Alfresco Content Domain Model Definitions –>
        <import uri="http://www.alfresco.org/model/content/1.0" prefix="cm" />
    </imports>

    <!– Introduction of new namespaces defined by this model –>
    <namespaces>
        <namespace uri="http://www.someco.com/model/content/1.0" prefix="sc" />
    </namespaces>

    <types>
        <!– Enterprise-wide generic document type –>
        <type name="sc:doc">
            <title>Someco Document</title>
            <parent>cm:content</parent>
            <associations>
                <association name="sc:relatedDocuments">
                    <title>Related Documents</title>
                    <source>
                        <mandatory>false</mandatory>
                        <many>true</many>
                    </source>
                    <target>
                        <class>sc:doc</class>
                        <mandatory>false</mandatory>
                        <many>true</many>
                    </target>
                </association>
            </associations>
            <mandatoryaspects>
                <aspect>cm:generalclassifiable</aspect>
            </mandatoryaspects>
        </type>

        <type name="sc:whitepaper">
            <title>Someco Whitepaper</title>
            <parent>sc:doc</parent>
        </type>
    </types>

    <aspects>
        <aspect name="sc:webable">
            <title>Someco Webable</title>
            <properties>
                <property name="sc:published">
                    <type>d:date</type>
                </property>
                <property name="sc:isActive">
                    <type>d:boolean</type>
                    <default>false</default>
                </property>
            </properties>
        </aspect>
            <aspect name="sc:productRelated">
            <title>Someco Product Metadata</title>
            <properties>
                <property name="sc:product">
                    <type>d:text</type>
                    <mandatory>true</mandatory>
                </property>
                <property name="sc:version">
                    <type>d:text</type>
                    <mandatory>true</mandatory>
                </property>
            </properties>
        </aspect>
    </aspects>
</model> ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

Re: Help: customizing explorer

jayjayecl — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:04:20 GMT

replace "mandatoryaspects" with "mandatory-aspects"

Re: Help: customizing explorer

sbudrez — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:24:57 GMT

:shock:
I can't believe it. I've checked the text so many times and i've never noticed THAT!
I feel so stupid :lol:
Thanks a lot

PS: Is there a way to copy and paste from a .pdf file without losing part of the text?

Re: Help: customizing explorer

sbudrez — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:55:54 GMT

Anyway, I'm proceeding with my tutorial process
Now i have created a "web-client-config-custom.xml" and a "webclient.properties" file in my extension folder
It all works fine, except that i can't see the new properties i've defined (published, active?, product, version) of my documents in the properties window (i've created a content of the new "whitepapre" type). The only new thing i can see is a "product realted" property.

Here are the files:

webclient.properties:

#sc:webable
published=Published
isActive=Active?
#sc:productRelated
product=Product
version=Version‍‍‍‍‍‍

web-client-config-custom.xml:

<alfresco-config>
    <!– add webable aspect properties to property sheet –>
    <config evaluator="aspect-name" condition="sc:webable">
        <property-sheet>
            <show-property name="sc:published" display-label-id="published" />
            <show-property name="sc:isActive" display-label-id="isActive" read-only="true" />
            <show-association name="sc:relatedDocuments" />
        </property-sheet>
    </config>

    <!– add product related aspect properties to property sheet –>
    <config evaluator="aspect-name" condition="sc:productRelated">
        <property-sheet>
            <show-property name="sc:product" display-label-id="product"/>
            <show-property name="sc:version" display-label-id="version" read-only="true"/>
        </property-sheet>
    </config>

    <!– show related documents association on doc property sheet –>
    <config evaluator="node-type" condition="sc:doc">
        <property-sheet>
            <show-association name="sc:relatedDocuments"/>
        </property-sheet>
    </config>

    <!– show related documents association on whitepaper property sheet –>
    <config evaluator="node-type" condition="sc:whitepaper">
        <property-sheet>
            <show-association name="sc:relatedDocuments"/>
        </property-sheet>
    </config>

    <!– add someco types to add content list –>
    <config evaluator="string-compare" condition="Content Wizards">
        <content-types>
            <type name="sc:doc" />
            <type name="sc:whitepaper" />
        </content-types>
    </config>

    <config evaluator="string-compare" condition="Action Wizards">
    <!– The list of aspects to show in the add/remove features action –>
    <!– and the has-aspect condition –>
        <aspects>
            <aspect name="sc:webable"/>
            <aspect name="sc:productRelated"/>
        </aspects>

    <!– The list of types shown in the is-subtype condition –>
    <subtypes>
        <type name="sc:doc" />
        <type name="sc:whitepaper" />
    </subtypes>
    
    <!– The list of content and/or folder types shown in the specialise-type action –>
        <specialise-types>
            <type name="sc:doc" />
            <type name="sc:whitepaper" />
        </specialise-types>
    </config>

    <config evaluator="string-compare" condition="Advanced Search">
        <advanced-search>
            <content-types>
                <type name="sc:doc" />
                <type name="sc:whitepaper" />
            </content-types>
            <custom-properties>
                <meta-data aspect="sc:webable" property="sc:published" display-label-id="published" />
           <meta-data aspect="sc:webable" property="sc:isActive" display-label-id="isActive" />
                <meta-data aspect="sc:productRelated" property="sc:product" display-label-id="product" />
                <meta-data aspect="sc:productRelated" property="sc:version" display-label-id="version" />
            </custom-properties>
        </advanced-search>
    </config>

</alfresco-config>‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

Re: Help: customizing explorer

norgan — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:34:38 GMT

Beware not to mess up hot deployment via Alfresco Explorer GUi and eclipse deployment into the webapps folder. Those will override the web-uploads.

Re: Help: customizing explorer

sbudrez — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:02:00 GMT

I haven't understand quite a single word
What do you mean with "hot deployment via Alfresco Explorer GUi"?
And with "eclipse deployment into the webapps folder"?

As i said before I am really a novice, can you speak as simple as possible please?

Re: Help: customizing explorer

norgan — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:54:09 GMT

Ok, sorry, Ill back up a bit.

— eclipse —
Eclipse is an open developement envorinment framework, you can use to develope software for Alfresco. it offers
* Freemarker Editor plugin
* Javascript/java/xml Editors including (some) syntax checking and code-completion (ctrl + space)
* validation of XML files (for missing endtags, for instance)
* graphical workflow designer for advanced workflows

Jeff potts (ecmarchitect.com) offers code samples for the developer series tutorials, which can be imported into eclipse, allowing you to automate the deployment (copying files to the correct location). This way, you can play with the samples and push a button to send your files over to your system.

If you really want to start with Alfresco, you should,BTW, get yourselve a copy of the "Alfresco Developer Guide" (see Alfresco Wiki under "The Guide"), which is even more elaborate than the online tutorials.

— Hot deployment —
you can
* create an AMP file
* edit directly in the webapps/alfresco path
* copy the changed files to webapps/alfresco (e.g. via zip file expansion)
* use Alfresco Explorer webgui to upload the files (thats what I mean with hotdeployment). But this only works, if files with similar name weren't already deployed in one of the other ways.)

— Novice —
No problem Just as long as you give credit, read wiki & forum and think before asking (as you seem to be doing :!: ) the people here are quite willing to help. The thing is, however - beeing a novice to Alfresco is one thing, but you should have a programming background on java, php or javascript, if you want to do some serious customizing.

Good hunting,
Norgan

Re: Help: customizing explorer

sbudrez — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:40:47 GMT

Hhmm… lot of stuff!

Well maybe it's better to explain my situation:
I'm a student and I'm working with alfresco for my thesis. My goal is to customize an ECM starting from an ontology (but this goes out of theme for this forum )

As you mentioned, is impossible to do this all without some programming background. I have learned a littel bit of Java earleir in my studies (using NetBeans), but I surely have to take a look back at it because I've done it some years ago…

But before entering in the java world (or eclipse or whatever) I would like to get things working witht the first basic part of alfresco customization: the XML files mentioned by Jeff Potts int he first developer series tutorials ("Alfresco Developer: Working with Custom Content Types"). I'm getting a little problem with that, and I hope that you might give me some help.

As I said before, it all works fine except that I can't see the new properties I've defined (published, active?, product and version; as it is graphically shown in the developer giude) in the properties window of the new document types (for example a whitepaper). The only new property i can see is a mysterious "product related" property.
I've tried to investigate the reasons for this, but I can't figure what's wrong.

At the end of the article (under: "Where to find more information") I found the complete source code for the examples (I always find these useful infos too late :x ). I have take the files under the extension directory and copied it into my alfresco extension directory, but i get the same problem exposed before. The only file among these 5 not mentioned in the developer guide is the "webserviceclient.properties" file, but I exclude it might be somehow related to my property problem.
What could be the problem in your opinion?

Re: Help: customizing explorer

norgan — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:36:11 GMT

Hi,
the configuration, which fields are displayed, is done in the web-client-custom-config.xml. And the key to that file are the conditionals on top. See http://forums.alfresco.com/en/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=22124&p=73347#p73347 for a first explanation.

For instance, if you do a custom folder type, icon-selection will only allow for the "default blank" icon. You have to copy & modify the "cm:folders icons" section for your custom type. So for every type you create, you have to define exactly which fields you want to show (and dont forget parent-inherited fields and aspects added to the type )

Norgan

Re: Help: customizing explorer

sbudrez — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:40:24 GMT

Ok
I think i've understand the mechanic of the web-client-custom-config.xml file

Anyway, as I said before, i've just used the files from the "complete source code for the examples" of the developer guide form ecmarchitecht. As you said, the example were working correcty to you, but in my case they don't.
Here is my web-client-custom-config.xml:

<alfresco-config>
    <!– add webable aspect properties to property sheet –>
    <config evaluator="aspect-name" condition="sc:webable">
        <property-sheet>
            <show-property name="sc:published" display-label-id="published" />
            <show-property name="sc:isActive" display-label-id="isActive" read-only="true" />
        </property-sheet>
    </config>

    <!– add product related aspect properties to property sheet –>
    <config evaluator="aspect-name" condition="sc:productRelated">
        <property-sheet>
            <show-property name="sc:product" display-label-id="product"/>
            <show-property name="sc:version" display-label-id="version" read-only="true"/>
        </property-sheet>
    </config>

    <!– show related documents association on doc property sheet –>
    <config evaluator="node-type" condition="sc:doc">
        <property-sheet>
            <show-association name="sc:relatedDocuments"/>
        </property-sheet>
    </config>

    <!– show related documents association on whitepaper property sheet –>
    <config evaluator="node-type" condition="sc:whitepaper">
        <property-sheet>
            <show-association name="sc:relatedDocuments"/>
        </property-sheet>
    </config>

    <!– add someco types to add content list –>
    <config evaluator="string-compare" condition="Content Wizards">
        <content-types>
            <type name="sc:doc" />
            <type name="sc:whitepaper" />
        </content-types>
    </config>

    <config evaluator="string-compare" condition="Action Wizards">
    <!– The list of aspects to show in the add/remove features action –>
    <!– and the has-aspect condition –>
        <aspects>
            <aspect name="sc:webable"/>
            <aspect name="sc:productRelated"/>
        </aspects>

    <!– The list of types shown in the is-subtype condition –>
    <subtypes>
        <type name="sc:doc" />
        <type name="sc:whitepaper" />
    </subtypes>
    
    <!– The list of content and/or folder types shown in the specialise-type action –>
        <specialise-types>
            <type name="sc:doc" />
            <type name="sc:whitepaper" />
        </specialise-types>
    </config>

    <config evaluator="string-compare" condition="Advanced Search">
        <advanced-search>
            <content-types>
                <type name="sc:doc" />
                <type name="sc:whitepaper" />
            </content-types>
            <custom-properties>
                <meta-data aspect="sc:webable" property="sc:published" display-label-id="published" />
           <meta-data aspect="sc:webable" property="sc:isActive" display-label-id="isActive" />
                <meta-data aspect="sc:productRelated" property="sc:product" display-label-id="product" />
                <meta-data aspect="sc:productRelated" property="sc:version" display-label-id="version" />
            </custom-properties>
        </advanced-search>
    </config>

</alfresco-config>‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

The problem is that with this file i can't see the new properties (published, isActive, product, version) in the properties window of the new document types (for example a whitepaper).

Re: Help: customizing explorer

jck — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:13:43 GMT

Hi,
download the SIDE-Labs open source environment on http://www.side-labs.org

It is a set of graphical tools to help developers to produce Alfresco applications easily, without the need to write a single line of xml code. The generator will take care of generating the right xml file at the right location.

JC

Re: Help: customizing explorer

sbudrez — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:02:37 GMT

Ok i now am trying to install SIDE
I follow the instruction found here http://www.side-labs.org/wiki/index.php/Documentation:User:Installation
But at figure 4.5, i can't find the correct wizard. I don't have "S-IDE Modeler" on the list, only "SIDE", which contains no "Class Diagram"

Any ideas about this difference?

Re: Help: customizing explorer

jck — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:28:08 GMT

Hi sbudrez,
have you got a Data Diagram?

Class diagram have been replaced by Data diagram and SIDE-Labs by SIDE.

We're going to update the wiki. Thanks for the feedback,

HTH,

JC