USE CASES AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR INTEGRATING MAGNOLIA WITH ALFRESCO

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AXEL FAUST PRODYNA AG

SENIOR IT CONSULTANT / SOFTWARE ARCHITECT

“The open platform for business-critical content management and collaboration.”

In a (very) few words o Secure collaboration

o Content-centric business processes

o Compliant records management

o Open ECM for on-premise, cloud and mobile

Subject Expert Group

Marketing

COLLABORATION

Repository

(on-premise)

Enterprise Sync

Hybrid Workflow

External

Agency

Cloud Media

Services

Cloud API

B2B / CLOUD ON-PREMISE

Authors

Publisher

Direct

Access

SME

Marketing

External

Agency

Authors

Publisher

Direct

Access

SME

Marketing

External

Agency

Create draft video

Create storyboard

Fill with subject detail

and sketch

Submit for „overhaul“

Review draft Submit for

review / inclusion

Asset collaboration

Authors

Publisher

Direct

Access

SME

Marketing

External

Agency

Submission / Cherry-picking

Browse & Import

Create synchronization

Ask / submit for inclusion

Review & feedback

OR

Import

alternatively

RELEVANT APIS

REST(-like)

Generic domain model / API

Different protocol bindings

URL discovery

Focus on file/folder (+ item)

Formal type mechanism

Existing full-featured libraries

Proprietary API

Typically JSON-based

REST: focus on resources

REST-like: anything

(just make sure it‘s JSON)

CMIS ISSUES „Everyone integrate with ME!“ syndrome

CMIS „transition phase“ – Magnolia 4.x – 5.x

Some key DMS concepts not yet supported

REST ISSUES Majority of exposed API is „internal“

Discoverability of parameters / conditions

Identifiers typically non-universal / non-uniform

HYBRID

INTEGRATION

CONCEPT Best of both worlds

CMIS core + ReST add-ons to “flesh out”

Both platforms = active participants

Reusable / adaptable

Generic CMIS services / API

Pluggable actions, authentication, metadata mapping…

DEMO

CMIS CORE

MODULE STRUCTURE

CMIS COMMON

CMIS CLIENT

CMIS MAPPING

CMIS BROWSER APP

CMIS CHEMISTRY

CLIENT

MODULE STRUCTURE

CMIS COMMON

CMIS CLIENT

CMIS MAPPING

CMIS BROWSER APP

CMIS CHEMISTRY

CLIENT

provides

serivces

implements

data types

Server configuration (JCR)

Connector configuration (JCR)

Logic configuration (JCR)

„Standard“ content app

SERVICE ABSTRACTION Service

Manager

Service Factory

Service

Service FactoryImpl

Service Impl

Session Aspect

produces

produces

retrieve service

Apache Chemistry

OpenCMIS provider

API

SESSION ASPECT?

CMIS session setup

Host and binding

Authentication

Cache, proxy, compression…

EXAMPLE ASPECT

External authentication (Alfresco)

Magnolia trusted to authenticate user

ReST setup call to obtain “user ticket”

Verification “Magnolia as client” + user exists

User ticket => CMIS “password”

CONFIGURATION

CONFIGURATION

METAMODEL

MAPPING

MAPPING ELEMENTS

Mapping Rule

Mapping Service

MappingManager

ApplicabilityDefinition

CompositeRule

XY Rule

MAPPING ELEMENTS Mapping Service

MappingManager

Context • direction

• CMIS: identifier / parentIdentifier

• JCR: identifier / parentIdentifier

+ path / parentPath

• JCR workspace

• contextData (arbitrary)

Result • Primary / secondary type(s)

• Mapped properties (key-value)

• Binary stream

• Property / type removals

• Mapped children

Mapping Rule

ApplicabilityDefinition

CompositeRule

XY Rule

CONFIGURATION

REST INTERACTION

1) Initiate asset process (REST)

2) Fetch / push asset(s) (CMIS)

N) Post/fetch updates to/for Pulse (REST)

N+1) Trigger review (REST)

N+2) Fetch / view result (CMIS)

N+3) Import asset(s) (CMIS)

N+4) Notify completion (REST)

BASIC FRAMEWORK

Primarily Magnolia

Abstract service facades

JAX-RS / ReSTEasy client

Commands vs. actions / „remote forms“

MODULES

CMIS

CLIENT

CMIS

MAPPING

CMIS

BROWSER APP

CMIS

CHEMISTRY

CLIENT

CMIS

COMMON

MODULES

CMIS

CLIENT

CMIS

MAPPING

CMIS

BROWSER APP

CMIS

CHEMISTRY

CLIENT

ALFRESCO

CORE

ALFRESCO

UI

ALFRESCO

CHEMISTRY

CMIS

COMMON

REMOTE FORM ACTION Action X

REMOTE FORM ACTION Action X

1) Instantiate

with form / item ID

(ALF) Form

Definition

REMOTE FORM ACTION Action X

1) Instantiate

with form / item ID

(ALF) Form

Definition (MGNL) Form

Definition

Item

2) Build

3) Mix-in cust.

fields

REMOTE FORM ACTION Action X

1) Instantiate

with form / item ID

(ALF) Form

Definition Item

2) Build

3) Mix-in cust.

fields

(MGNL) Form

Definition

FormData 4) Submit Editor

Callback

CONCLUSIONS &

FINAL REMARKS

CONCLUSIONS

Highest „effort per progress“ in Magnolia UI

(#1: replacing JCR dependancies)

Wanted #1: CMIS module update (5.x)

Wanted #2: Command parameter exposure

Improbable: full identifier decoupling

FINAL REMARKS

Magnolia 5.2.2 / Alfresco 4.0+ (minor fix req.)

Plan: basic modules => Community • CMIS browser + client services

• Simple submission / collaboration process

Thanks for your attention!

QUESTIONS &

ANSWERS