Best solution for Integration with Alfresco

[mdlima]

Hi,

I have a webapp that is build with Spring. I would like to know what is the best solution for my app to retrieve and search the content of Alfresco repository. I already looked at JCR and WebService but since i could get the example os Alfresco 3.2r SDK to work i didn't maked a choice. Can anyone help me?

Thanks.

[dhalupa]

Couldn't agree more, but maintenance and refactoring of java backed web scripts can soon become quite difficult as restfull API grows. Within Jibe framework we have implemented an architecture where single java backed websript dispatches processing to appropriately annotated methods of spring registered POJO's.

Feel free to take a peek..

Denis

[mdlima]

Hi Denis, i've been looking at the Jibe framework. Let me see if a understood, so it extends the Alfresco so i can use annotated methods that will perform the operations on the content? The UI Components can be used on a JSF/MyFaces application? Please correct me, if i got something misunderstood. Tks!

[jck]

You can also use the SIDE-Labs IDE [1] (in short a set of graphical tools for Alfresco developers) to design and generate your application independantly of your own Spring webapp. Webscripts that you can directly integrate in your application are then generated automatically and give you access to Alfresco repository. One of the interesting feature of SIDE is the ability to use true SQL to access Alfresco repository. A datagrid with powerful features (filtering, sort, automatic fetching) is available out of the box. You can provide your own datagrid or datalist if you want with a little customization.

We used this approach and integrate webscripts through REST in Liferay portlets. It worked pretty well. Generation mechanism makes maintenance easier. By the way, generators can be adaptated to your own needs.

It's another solution that requires a lot less programming and knowledge of the Alfresco framework as the SIDE (designers + generators + deployers) takes care of all this technical stuff.

[1] http://wiki.alfresco.com/wiki/Sustainable_IDE_(SIDE)

JC

[dhalupa]

Hi Denis, i've been looking at the Jibe framework. Let me see if a understood, so it extends the Alfresco so i can use annotated methods that will perform the operations on the content? The UI Components can be used on a JSF/MyFaces application? Please correct me, if i got something misunderstood. Tks!

Don't want to steal the thread, but in short.. Jibe framework is built on top of web script framework, and Alfresco configuration API. On Alfresco forge you can download two amps. Jibe core amp is the framework itself and Repo browser amp is a reference application which is a fully functional content management application. Installation procedure consist of installing these two amps in Alfresco http://jibeframework.org/index.php?title=Quick_start.

The vision behind framework is to create developer oriented framework which will ease the task of developing business applications on top of Alfresco platform with ExtJs as a view. Therefore in order to use it efficiently you will have to be fluent in Java and JavaScript and have the knowledge of Spring and ExtJs.

We are aware of the fact that documentation is the weak point and will try to improve on that aspect in the future, but for now I invite you to install those two amps and try the reference application. The best possible resource at the moment is the source of reference application and the framework itself and our forum http://forums.icodix.com where questions which will be answered promptly. There is also a bit outdated documentation at http://jibeframework.org/index.php?title=Jibe_Developer_Guide but it can give you the feeling about the concept.

Finally, to answer the question.. It was not idea to work with JSF/MyFaces application but rather to replace it.

Denis