How to best implement Metadata for Alfresco

[tyler_lovejoy]

I am a developer who is trying to implement an alfresco community edition.  I am very new to alfresco, but am trying to figure out how to implement a complicated metadata structure for a document library.  I want to be able to assign values to documents which can then be used for the search.  I have taken a look at categories, tags and some other options, but none seem to me to be able to fit my need exactly. 

This is what I want

- want to easily assign values to documents (sometimes using rules if possible)

- I want these values to be pulled from lists, that admin users (non-technical but higher permissions) are able to edit and change

- these values are hierarchical

- I want to be able to filter the document library by these values (and if you filter by a top hierarchy, all inner valued files are shown)

- I want to be able to search the entire system for these values

- When I perform a search, I want faceted results for these fields

- there are 5-8 distinctly different fields that have this same type of information

Please let me know if you need anything explained or have any questions, any tips would be helpful

[douglascrp]

Perfect.

It uses the level config to decide if it has to use another property's value as a filter for the dependent one.

[tyler_lovejoy]

I notice there is a select many feature as apposed to select just 1 in the drop downs.  How do I use this? Thanks

[douglascrp]

Hello.

Yes, there is a multi-select component available, but that was inherited from the original project, and I haven't tested it.

To be honest with you, I don't believe that will work the way it is, as for the single value combo I had to do some changes, and based on that, I doubt the multi-select will work.

[tyler_lovejoy]

Understood, i would like to take a look at it, but don't seem to be able to get it to change from dropdowns to many.  How do you activate this to try it?

[douglascrp]

I'm trying it right now, and I'll let you know if I'm able to use/fix it.

[douglascrp]

It's me again.

Just to update you on my test.

I tried to use the multi-select form control, and it worked.

Here you can see an example on how I did it.

<field id="esc:areaConhecimento">
    <control template="/form-controls/dynamic-selectmany.ftl">
        <control-param name="picklistName">AREA OF KNOWLEDGE</control-param>
        <control-param name="level">1</control-param>
        <control-param name="loadLabel">true</control-param>
    </control>
</field>

[tyler_lovejoy]

I am trying to make a slight change to the way the data is put into the database, can you give me a good idea of where I could do that?  I cant really seem to find where the data is put into the field.  Let me know

[douglascrp]

What do you mean?

I should not be trying to change the way Alfresco deals with the database.

Please, explain here what exactly you are trying to do, and maybe we can provide some tips or ideas.

[tyler_lovejoy]

It does not appear to me that the select many works with the 2 level list, just the 1 level list...

[douglascrp]

Yes, your assumption is right.

There is now way to make it work for the 2 levels dependency.

It can only be used for the first level.