Web Application and Alfresco

[vinni_ks]

Hi,

We are building one small web application using JSP as my front end and java for server side coding (accessing DB etc.). On some of the JSP pages we want content to be dynamic and for this we would like to use Alfresco. Is there a dcoument available that helps in explaining on how to integrate/use the web-application with Alfresco.

Thanks

[uzi]

Hi there,

There are a number of ways to do this but Alfresco provides a rich platform for all of them.

Fundamentally, Alfresco WCM provides a nice management layer for all of your web site assets.  With Alfresco, you actually can place your entire web site into the repository and benefit from version and changeset management for all of your files.  These could be images, html, xml, jsp or even your application code (JAR files and so forth).

Alfresco then provides sandbox and preview capabilities so that your users can efficiently collaborate on their web files.  Your web developers might use Alfresco's file system integration to work directly against Alfresco within their IDE.  Your web content contributors can use Alfresco's web forms to submit content into the web site.  Others still have their own sandboxes as well.  When users are happy with their work, they can submit it through workflow for approval and aggregation into a common staging area.

Alfresco also gives you the deployment tools for publishing your web site (or any of the content that you deem) out to your production servers.  So it really provides quite a lot for you, end to end.  You can pick and choose which pieces you want to use.

Now, in terms of your actual JSP site, the most common architecture is one where you static assets are published out to the location where your JSP application lives.  Thus, your application has local copies for very fast delivery.  For dynamic content and services, you JSP would have access to a local Alfresco runtime (on the production tier) which it can utilize to do things like run queries, perform classification or attribute-based lookup and fetch content.

To access the runtime, the primary means is via REST.  Alfresco provides a Web Scripts engine with default REST APIs that you can use but which can also be extended entirely through scripting.  I'd recommend taking a look at our Wiki for information about the REST capabilities you can deliver through Web Scripts:

http://wiki.alfresco.com/wiki/Web_Scripts

Alfresco also provides CMIS for repository navigation and content retrieval which is an emerging and rapidly growing standard:

http://wiki.alfresco.com/wiki/CMIS

Finally, Alfresco provides SOAP services and a variety of other interfaces including CIFS, FTP, NFS, WebDAV and more.  You really have a lot of flexibility for how you would want to access content.  However, I think you will find that REST is probably the most appropriate way to go.

Let me know if this helps.  Good luck on your project!

Michael

[goldy736]

hi uzi,
      i followed your explanation it was good, and in my case i have deployed my website into web project through CIFS and i could view all my jsp files for my website , i have no clue how to view my website with no preview icon beside each of my jsp files,  with my task of Web content management of my website i got struck here for days ,  please help me with suggestions . I do have deployed another website which is of HTML where i could control my content with preview icons available but in case of this website of jsp files , i got struck with no clue. hope you guys help me

Thank you !