How to integrate Alfresco with OLE components?

[krzysztofff]

Hi,
We are planning to integrate Alfresco repository with our Windows application exposing its functionality through COM interface.
How it is possible to call ActiveX components from Alfresco JavaScript and from Alfresco Web Scripts?
Can it be done directly or is it necessary to use JAVA API?
Could you provide some examples how it can be done.
Regards,
Krzysztof

[jpfi]

Hi,
do you want to include Alfesco in embedded mode in your application? Or do you want to call Alfresco remotely from your Win application?
Cheers, Jan

[kayan]

Hi,

You can have a look the way alfresco build the office component and you came to know how they use C# to make a microsoft plugin and calling the Alfresco through webscript.

http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=143373&package_id=237030&release_id=524564

Thanks
Kayan

[krzysztofff]

Hi,
do you want to include Alfesco in embedded mode in your application? Or do you want to call Alfresco remotely from your Win application?

We plan to integrate Alfresco with two applications.
One of them is archiving application, which stores document originals, sends them for editing, and approves them for publishing. Second is publishing application, which exposes documents via Internet. Request for changes in documents are posted from publishing application.
All these activities are to be maintained by common Web portal, sitting on Alfresco in similar way like Opsoro does.
This architecture leads to classical logical workflow of documents, which can be defined in Alfresco repository.
The workflow steps have to be:
- controlled from outside - from Web portal itself or from both editing and publishing agents (we want to use Web Scripts and RESTful API offered by Alfresco);
- followed by actual process of transferring documents between Alfresco repository and both editing and publishing agents (we plan to integrate workflow actions with Alfresco JavaScript procedures that would call server components hosted on Alfresco server).
We have little experience with Java server programming, and have ready-to-use COM OLE components to fullfill required procedures.
So my questions are:
- how to expose workflow operations via Web Scripts to be triggerable from outside?
- how to integrate server ActiveX components into Alfresco JavaScript engine?
Thank you for response.

[jpfi]

Hi,
exposing workflow operations can be done by Web Scripts, perhaps the Java Script API isn't complete enough. In this case you should write some Java backed Web Scripts. here is the Java Script workflow API: http://wiki.alfresco.com/wiki/Workflow_JavaScript_API
I don't really know if you can access COM-Objects via JavaScript API in any way, but I found an interesting blogpost a few weeks ago:
http://www.aptana.com/node/403
So, Jaxer is able to call COM-Objects via JavaScript, perhaps you find a way to achieve the same via Alfresco WebScripts…
Cheers,
Jan
PS: I like to have a chumby, so please use the forum point/rate system 😉

[krzysztofff]

PS: I like to have a chumby, so please use the forum point/rate system 😉

You should definitely earn a lot of chumbies due to your Opsoro portal…  or embed into Opsoro your own  :lol:
Thank you for quick response.
Currently I'm studying Desktop Actions and I'm wondering, if they can be of use in our situation.
Regards.

[krzysztofff]

I found an interesting blogpost a few weeks ago:
http://www.aptana.com/node/403
So, Jaxer is able to call COM-Objects via JavaScript

Most of the blogpost describes just how to write COM object ("native" to VS 6.0) in .NET (VS 7.0+).
Its use is based on COMObject implemented in Jaxer, probably similarly like ActiveXObject in MS JScript.
The Alfresco as Javascript engine does not implement this functionality, what I've asked for. Should I issue a ticket for this functionality? In most discussions, access to COM objects or to more general host system functionality is a must for server applications.
Regards.

[jpfi]

Hi,
I could imagine that such a jira ticket wouldn't be a success story 😉
Perhaps there are two other ways:

• write a .NET Web Services which encapsulates the COM access and call this Web Services inside of a Java backed Web Script


• or use a Java to Com Bridge lib like JIntegra or JACOB

or of course you should be able to encapsulate one of this two approaches in a Spring Bean and make this bean available in Alfresco Java Script Engine:
http://wiki.alfresco.com/wiki/JavaScript_API#Adding_Custom_Script_APIs.
Cheers, Jan