Development method for web app

[gmccullough]

Hi, Alfresco is a beast! (that's a good thing)  I think it is perfect for my organization, and I'm determined to do all I can to make it work.  But, I'm not even sure which direction to go, so I'm hoping someone here can understand what I'm trying to do, and point me in the right direction.

Requirements:
Use Share and WCMQS type UI for input.  Like the QS does when creating a new folder, auto-populate the new folder, but with a custom datalist and a UI (form) to edit the datalist items while in the document library->folder.  Then, my page template/components will read the data and format appropriately.

I've read wiki and forums, but just unsure whether or not I need to setup Eclipse environment and create whole new surf webapp, or if QS is able to handle with customization.  I'm ready to dive in and figure it all out, but if someone could give me a heads up on the right direction to take I'd save myself a few gray hairs.

thanks in advance
gene

[bremmington]

Gene

Great to hear that you like WQS. Can I just clarify part of the requirements: you mention a "custom data list". Do you actually mean a data list here, or are you actually referring to a custom asset collection? Data lists are stored against a Share site rather than on a folder-by-folder basis. Perhaps I just need a little more detail on what you need to achieve.

[gmccullough]

Thanks for the response.

I was thinking of a custom datalist, just like the visitor feedback datalist.  It seems like a good method for storing data that will be easily accessible to the templates.  But, unlike visitor feedback, I need to create a form to manipulate the data from within the document library interface in share instead of a form on the website.

I think I've read enough now to get an understanding of what I need to do, that is, create a custom model, and wire up some behaviors, and there seems to be good docs on that.

If I can't modify(extend) the Share Document Library UI, then I think I can get by for now with the standard DataList UI from within Share.

Setting up a fresh dev environment, still wrestling with that, but there looks like several docs on that also.

[bremmington]

Editing (and display) of content in Share is done through the forms service which allows each content type to be given one or more form definitions. This is true of data list entries too. As an example, you can see the form definition used to view and edit the visitor feedback items in Share by looking in the file "wcmquickstart-form-config.xml" and searching for "ws:visitorFeedback".

Be aware that there is no specific support for accessing data held in a data list through the WQS API except for the specific case of visitor feedback which is accessed through the UgcService of the API. You would have to add your own API extension to provide that.

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