topic How to add custom filters to Share/Repository in Alfresco Archive

How to add custom filters to Share/Repository

webdesigner — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:35:57 GMT

Hello,I need to add custom filters in the navigation panel for Sites and Repository (similar to All Documents, I'm editing etc. but searching for custom metadata).I implemented a new Share extension for filter - component (I mean <region-id>filter</region-id>) and managed to display cust

Re: How to add custom filters to Share/Repository

afaust — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:51:03 GMT

Hello,

currently, there is no easier way to customize or add your own filters to the Repository logic - overwriting the file via the extension method (/tomcat/shared/classes/alfresco/extension/…) is the best way for this particular use case at the moment. If you properly document your changes, you should not be facing any serious upgrade issues - those webscripts tend to be relatively stable between releases.

Regards
Axel

Re: How to add custom filters to Share/Repository

webdesigner — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:52:22 GMT

Hi Axel,

thanks for your answer.

I don't think that your proposal with documentation will help in this situation. Just imagine, that you change the Core-file (filters.lib.js) and another extension is doing the same. If both extensions will be deployed (for example as AMP's) into Alfresco one extension will overwrites the changes on Core-files from another.

What is required. is a properly way to add custom filters via configuration, because this is a very common scenario for a DMS system, to filter for custom metadata without leaving the document library view.

Best regards
Vitali

Re: How to add custom filters to Share/Repository

afaust — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:45:10 GMT

Hello Vitali,

yes, you are right - in case extensions via AMP or JAR method want to introduce new filters, you need to have some kind of extension hook. Usually, when I modify a core Alfresco source file, I actually implement such a hook myself, even if not using an AMP extension. This is what I then include in proper documentation or even submit as patches to Alfresco, when they themselves have not yet added a feature of their own (e.g. the new Surf / Share Extensibility features, which have already addressed a large part of what I previously had to adapt).

What I outlined on the other hand is the commonly accepted approach for a majority of installations / users that only have a limited business use case to address and do not make use of such extensive extensions (perhaps only Share Extras and some other dashlets). For maintainers of a DMS platform - which I am for a large pharmaceutical company - , this is not enough / suitable at all as you point out.

Regards
Axel