Hello MRogers and Norgan,
I do appreciate your lucid explanations and agree with them. I have a couple of more queries
1. We cannot use the current Alfresco UI. Our client demands a more custom made UI which they are comfortable with. I am planning to use Flex+ Struts with REST api calls made to alfresco. Do you see any problems with this approach?
2. Where could i get a complete list of REST api calls, so i could figure out exactly what can be done using approach described in 1.
For example: I would like to present the client with a "repository view", so when a file is uploaded the client can see exactly where the file resides.
3. I am guessing alfresco provides me a api to store metadata which will be entered with the document. I am also guessing there would be some way to provide/change/retrieve status's to documents as they go through their workflow. Is this correct?
For non document features, like storing announcements to be displayed on dashboard (which btw would be part of the flex UI) i guess i would still need to use a RDBMS
4. I am thinking of starting development on the community edition and as we see success switching over to the enterprise, when we need to host on the cloud. Does this sound like a fair approach?
Some of my questions might get answered by trawling through the forums. I apologise for asking first, without doing the homework. I am doing both,its just that this is urgent. Distilled knowledge always helps
Thank you again,
Sameer
I do appreciate your lucid explanations and agree with them. I have a couple of more queries
1. We cannot use the current Alfresco UI. Our client demands a more custom made UI which they are comfortable with. I am planning to use Flex+ Struts with REST api calls made to alfresco. Do you see any problems with this approach?
2. Where could i get a complete list of REST api calls, so i could figure out exactly what can be done using approach described in 1.
For example: I would like to present the client with a "repository view", so when a file is uploaded the client can see exactly where the file resides.
3. I am guessing alfresco provides me a api to store metadata which will be entered with the document. I am also guessing there would be some way to provide/change/retrieve status's to documents as they go through their workflow. Is this correct?
For non document features, like storing announcements to be displayed on dashboard (which btw would be part of the flex UI) i guess i would still need to use a RDBMS
4. I am thinking of starting development on the community edition and as we see success switching over to the enterprise, when we need to host on the cloud. Does this sound like a fair approach?
Some of my questions might get answered by trawling through the forums. I apologise for asking first, without doing the homework. I am doing both,its just that this is urgent. Distilled knowledge always helps
Thank you again,
Sameer
1) Go for it, but : Check the "Flexspaces" extension (see forum and "forge") for an example, how it can look. But do a crossreference on docasu and other client proofs as well. That will help you get a feel. You might even use Drupal as Frontend There was a presentation on that just yesterday.
2) REST api : The wiki has a full set of developer resources and APi list, It think ( i never did a crosscheck), but for better introduction on "how To", use the http://www.ecmarchitect.com tutorials.
3) Generally : Datastorage of information: I still wonder about the efficiency of storing "content types, which do not need a DOCUMENT attached". But basically, you can define your own content types with their own sets of metadata. If performance is less the issues than it is to have it all in one place under one rule, derive your own contenttype "my:datafolder", derived from "cm:folder" and assign your set of metadata to it. This way, you could even store XML-file exports (customdeveloped!) as "archiveversions" inside the folder (Folders are not versioned!) and use Alfresco for everything. But as I said, I still wonder about the efficiency of that. Mrogers - any thoughts on that ?
Specifically : The news on the dashboad is a content of type "news message". You can store the message as XML file in the system and store the metadata as metadata
4) To switch to enterprise, you have to watch out for features, which are not yet part of enterprise (Alfresco Share for one). The Community Edition is a "playground" for new features. Not all of them make it into the enterprise code. So on switching, you may have to support your own "extension".
Norgan
There was a presentation on that just yesterday.2) REST api : The wiki has a full set of developer resources and APi list, It think ( i never did a crosscheck), but for better introduction on "how To", use the http://www.ecmarchitect.com tutorials.
3) Generally : Datastorage of information: I still wonder about the efficiency of storing "content types, which do not need a DOCUMENT attached". But basically, you can define your own content types with their own sets of metadata. If performance is less the issues than it is to have it all in one place under one rule, derive your own contenttype "my:datafolder", derived from "cm:folder" and assign your set of metadata to it. This way, you could even store XML-file exports (customdeveloped!) as "archiveversions" inside the folder (Folders are not versioned!) and use Alfresco for everything. But as I said, I still wonder about the efficiency of that. Mrogers - any thoughts on that ?
Specifically : The news on the dashboad is a content of type "news message". You can store the message as XML file in the system and store the metadata as metadata
4) To switch to enterprise, you have to watch out for features, which are not yet part of enterprise (Alfresco Share for one). The Community Edition is a "playground" for new features. Not all of them make it into the enterprise code. So on switching, you may have to support your own "extension".
Norgan
