Using 'import' clause within a webscript controller in a jar

[franco_valente]

Hi,
I want to override existing web-tier scripts "/components/workflow/start" and package it into a jar extension.
I modified the workflow.lib.js library included in the controller start-workflow.get.js:

<import resource="classpath:alfresco/site-webscripts/org/alfresco/components/workflow/workflow.lib.js">
model.workflowDefinitions = getWorkflowDefinitions();‍‍

I have this file structure that I create a jar from:
alfresco/web-extension/site-webscripts/org/alfresco/components/workflow/workflow.lib.js
META-INF/share-config-custom.xml

Packaging this into a jar, the resource workflow.lib.js is not imported (the original file is taken instead). Why?
Does the "classpath" in the javascript controller not refers to jar resources?

I also tried overriding start-workflow.get.js and generated a jar with this file structure:
alfresco/web-extension/site-webscripts/org/alfresco/components/workflow/workflow.lib.js
alfresco/web-extension/site-webscripts/org/alfresco/components/workflow/start-workflow.get.js
META-INF/share-config-custom.xml
.. but nothing!

I tried to import another js file too..:

<import resource="classpath:alfresco/site-webscripts/org/alfresco/components/workflow/custom-workflow.lib.js">
model.workflowDefinitions = getWorkflowDefinitions();‍‍

jar structure:
alfresco/web-extension/site-webscripts/org/alfresco/components/workflow/custom-workflow.lib.js
alfresco/web-extension/site-webscripts/org/alfresco/components/workflow/start-workflow.get.js
META-INF/share-config-custom.xml
But this generated a NullPointerException…

Obviously the workaround was to include all the library code into the start-workflow.get.js file, removing the "import" clause, but… that was not very nice!

Any advice?

[franco_valente]

Am I missing something? Or this kind of extension must be packaged as an amp only?

[erikwinlof]

No an amp isn't necessary, a jar should be fine.

If you look closer at the import statement you can see that it doesn't include the "web-extension" in the path, therefor you must place your file in:
alfresco/site-webscripts/org/alfresco/components/workflow/workflow.lib.js
instead of
alfresco/web-extension/site-webscripts/org/alfresco/components/workflow/workflow.lib.js

If you were running 4.0 you could probably have used the new extensibility features, meaning you could invoke your own custom .get.js file after the original webscripts have executed. This gives you a chance of modifying the "model" before the templates are executed. You can read more about this here:
http://blogs.alfresco.com/wp/ddraper/2011/08/05/customizing-alfresco-share-javascript-controllers/

But since it seems you're running 3.4 you should go with overriding .lib.js as above.

Cheers,

:: Erik