topic nodeService.create( ) question in Alfresco Archive

nodeService.create( ) question

aweber1nj — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:19:50 GMT

Using an example found in the Alfresco docs, I am trying to create a new document-node using the nodeService.create method. The problem is that despite reading the javadocs on the method, I don't truly understand what the middle parameters are denoting or being used for.I am actually trying to "cop

Re: nodeService.create( ) question

mrogers — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:36:28 GMT

Its probably easier if you use the FileFolderService.

But if you want to use the node service there are two "names" that matter. There's a name property on a node and the name of the association to the parent. FileFolderService looks after this detail by making both values the same.

Its the name of the association that's causing you problems because there's a constraint to stop duplicate names.

Re: nodeService.create( ) question

aweber1nj — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:20:51 GMT

I looked at FileFolderService as an alternative, but since I really only wanted to copy the Properties, and set new content, and that FileFolderService returns a FileInfo object makes it add some additional steps…it seemed like it (FileFolderService.create or .copy) was trying to make things simpler, but in my case it would actually make things more complex. I appreciate the tip, though.

With further testing, I found that the actual/current issue was if you copy (all) the properties from one node to another, you necessarily copy all the sys-namespace properties, and many of those are, of course, unique and system-defined. One would THINK that even if I supply these properties as part of the nodeService.create( ), it would ignore them and generate its own – for example, passing a DBID to any node-create method should be ignored IMHO, but simply filtering-out all sys-namespace properties in my code seems to be working now (more testing needed, for sure).

But you absolutely touch-upon another issue I have not thoroughly resolved, and would think would be provided by some Alfresco API – but I haven't found it: Ensuring unique node-names within a folder (or within that part of the tree in general). Is there any util/method provided to pass a folder nodeRef (parent) and a "proposed name", and have Alfresco either validate that the name is unique, or return a "possible, unique alternative" (hopefully based upon the "proposed name"?

Thanks very much for the quick reply!
-AJ