documentum web development kit 5 faq - dell emc€¦ · · 2006-10-16documentum web development...

Documentum WDK 5 FAQ Documentum Confidential of 23

Documentum Web Development Kit 5 FAQ

Version 2.3 January 20, 2003


1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 5 2.0 GENERAL TOPICS............................................................................................................................... 5

2.1 What is WDK 5? ................................................................................................................................ 5 2.2 Is Documentum going to provide the source code to WDK 5? .................................... 5 2.3 There have been several major paradigm shifts in the development environment during the past few years. Why did this happen? .................................................................................................................. 5 2.4 Will WDK have a .NET version?....................................................................................................... 6 2.5 Do I need a Developer Studio license to configure a WDK 5-Based application?................ 6 2.6 Do I need a Developer Studio License to customize a WDK 5-Based application?............. 6

3.0 STANDARD DOCUMENTUM WEB APPLICATIONS ........................................................................ 6 3.1 What is the difference between WDK 5 and Documentum Webtop? ............................................. 6 3.2 Is Documentum Webtop packaged with WDK 5?............................................................................ 7 3.3 What is the difference between wdkSpace and Documentum Webtop?........................................ 7 3.4 Will Documentum Administrator (DA) be released on WDK 5? ...................................................... 7 3.5 Will Documentum Web Publisher be released on WDK 5? ............................................................ 7 3.6 Will DocControl Manager (DCM) be released on WDK 5? ............................................................. 7 3.7 What is the Digital Asset Management (DAM) functionality that will be available in WDK 5? ...... 7 3.8 How do the Documentum Portlets utilize WDK 5? .......................................................................... 8

4.0 PLATFORM SUPPORT ........................................................................................................................ 8 4.1 What operating systems will be supported? .................................................................................... 8 4.2 What versions of the (e)Content Server will be supported with WDK 5? ....................................... 8 4.3 Will Mac clients be supported with WDK 5? .................................................................................... 8 4.4 Will UNIX clients be supported with WDK 5?................................................................................... 9 4.5 Are Windows XP clients supported with WDK 5?............................................................................ 9 4.6 Does WDK 5 support Sun JDK 1.4? ....................................................................................... 9

5.0 APPLICATION SERVERS.................................................................................................................... 9 5.1 The conversion to application server “agnostic” opened up new opportunities for developing web applications for content management. What are some examples?............................................................. 9 5.2 Will you be bundling an application server with WDK 5? ................................................................ 9 5.3 What application servers to you plan to support?.......................................................................... 10 5.4 What J2EE services within the application server are required for WDK 5 applications?........... 10

6.0 COMPATIBILITY AND MIGRATION.................................................................................................. 10 6.1 Will WDK 4.2.x applications work in WDK 5? ................................................................................ 10 6.2 Will a WDK 4.2 application coexist with a WDK 5 Application on the same application server instance? ....................................................................................................................................................... 10 6.3 RightSite required in order to run WDK 5 applications?................................................................ 10 6.4 Is WDK 5 a replacement for RightSite? ......................................................................................... 10 6.5 Does this mean that you are dropping support of RightSite? ....................................................... 11

7.0 TECHNICAL RESOURCES AND TRAINING.................................................................................... 11 7.1 Is classroom training available for WDK 5? ................................................................ 11 7.2 What developer documentation is available for WDK 5? ..................................................... 11 7.3 What migration documentation is available for WDK 5? ...................................................... 12 7.4 What other documentation is available for WDK 5?............................................................. 12 7.5 Is there a peer developer support group available for WDK 5?........................................... 12 7.6 What other technical information will be available for WDK 5?.................................. 12


8.0 ACTIONS ............................................................................................................................................. 13 8.1 Are the actions defined in XML definition files? ............................................................................. 13

9.0 ATTRIBUTES ...................................................................................................................................... 13 9.1 Can you change the attributes that are available in the folder view? ........................................... 13

10.0 COMPONENTS ................................................................................................................................... 13 10.1 What is considered a component? ................................................................................................. 13 10.2 What are the WDK 5 components?................................................................................................ 14 10.3 What are the differences between attributes component and the properties component? ......... 14

11.0 COMPONENT DISPATCHER............................................................................................................. 14 11.1 Who developed the component dispatcher? Is this an industry standard or a Documentum value-add?..................................................................................................................................................... 14

12.0 CONTENT TRANSFER....................................................................................................................... 14 12.1 Is the content transfer mechanism going to continue to be an applet? ..................... 14 12.2 Is content transfer functionality required to use WDK 5? .............................................................. 15

13.0 CONTRACTS....................................................................................................................................... 15 13.1 Do the WDK 5 components support contracts?............................................................................. 15

14.0 CONTROLS......................................................................................................................................... 15 14.1 What are controls? .......................................................................................................................... 15 14.2 What are some examples of standard controls? ........................................................................... 16 14.3 What are some examples of Docbase-enabled controls?............................................................. 16 14.4 How are the controls implemented within WDK 5? ....................................................................... 17

15.0 EVENTS ............................................................................................................................................... 17 15.1 Are the event mechanisms server based? If so, can client side events still be used?............... 17

16.0 PERFORMANCE................................................................................................................................. 18 16.1 What are the performance improvements or implications in WDK 5? .......................................... 18

17.0 RENDITIONS....................................................................................................................................... 18 17.1 Can renditions be created in WDK 5?............................................................................................ 18

18.0 SEARCH .............................................................................................................................................. 19 18.1 Smartlist Support going to be included in WDK 5?........................................................................ 19 18.2 Does WDK 5 provide the ability to execute a dm_query object?.................................................. 19 18.3 Does WDK 5 provide the ability to save a search as a dm_query object?................................... 19 18.4 Can you search within the results set? .......................................................................................... 19

19.0 TAG LIBRARIES AND JAVA SERVER FACES............................................................................... 19 19.1 Where are the tag libraries located? .............................................................................................. 19 19.2 Can you write your own tags? If so, will they reside in the same location? ................................ 19 19.3 Does each component have a different tag library?...................................................................... 19 19.4 The standardization process for Java Server Faces is not due out until the proposed release date of WDK 5. Does that mean that WDK 5 will be released with some proprietary Java Server Faces technology? If so, what is the migration path? ........................................................................................... 20

20.0 WEB SERVICES ................................................................................................................................. 20 20.1 Is there any support for Web Services within WDK 5?............................................... 20

21.0 WORKFLOW ....................................................................................................................................... 21 21.1 Can workflow templates be created in WDK 5? ............................................................................ 21

22.0 XML ...................................................................................................................................................... 21 22.1 Is there any kind of built-in support to generate the UI using XML/XSL instead of Model/View objects? ......................................................................................................................................................... 21


23.0 GENERAL DEVELOPMENT .............................................................................................................. 21 23.1 How does WDK 5 implement the Model, View, Controller (MVC) pattern?.................................. 21 23.2 Are there any plans to provide any type of smart form GUI utility to help developers build their WDK based JSPs faster and more consistently?........................................................................................ 22 23.3 Will WDK 5 provide the ability to configure or modify the separating character used in repeating attributes?...................................................................................................................................................... 22 23.4 Are there any plans to utilize a more general framework (i.e. Struts) to develop WDK on top of? 22 23.5 Will J2EE Patterns be implemented in WDK 5? ............................................................................ 22 23.6 What is the best practice for editing strings or adding strings to existing WDK/ Documentum Web applications NLS properties files? ....................................................................................................... 23


1.0 Introduction This WDK 5 FAQ is a collection of questions that have been gathered during presentations, user group meetings, and from the field. It is intended to be a living document that will be updated as more questions arise on the WDK product. If you have any questions that are not answered within this WDK FAQ, please e-mail your questions to: [email protected].

2.0 General Topics 2.1 What is WDK 5? Web application developers are increasingly tasked with building applications that provide more and more sophisticated experiences for end users. To support these efforts, Documentum is transforming our Web-based development environment into a tag-based, server event model that makes development of complex applications easier, faster and more powerful. The new development environment, WDK 5, represents a major overhaul to our existing WDK 4.2.x technology. Documentum has committed to building all future versions of our Web-based content management clients using WDK 5 including Intranet Client, WebPublisher, Documentum Administrator and Portal Services. WDK 5 allows developers to take advantage of recent advances in Web application development technology. WDK 5 supports the notion of segmenting the presentation, application, business and data layers within the Documentum platform stack. This architecture is consistent with the direction that Microsoft is taking with .NET and the direction that Sun is taking with JavaServer Faces. 2.2 Is Documentum going to provide the source code to WDK 5? The source code for the webcomponent layer of WDK 5 is provided. At this time we are not planning on providing the source for the WDK layer, including the tag libraries and services. We have changed the declaration of many interfaces, classes, methods, and properties from private to public. This will make extending these classes for custom implementations much easier.

2.3 There have been several major paradigm shifts in the development environment during the past few years. Why did this happen?

As web-based technologies have been molding over the past couple of years, so too has Documentum’s web offering. For example, when Java was introduced it was supposed to be the ‘savior’ technology for client-side applications. Since that time, there have been drastic changes as Java is currently the premier server-side technology for dynamic web applications. Other technologies have made campaigns for mass adoption in web applications, such as Perl, Visual Basic, and PHP. During this time of web technology formation Documentum has remained current with our development environment and is continually improving our offering over and


above those in its market and many others. Certainly you will find few products that provide as rich a set of functionality and interoperability as WDK. 2.4 Will WDK have a .NET version? Yes. A .NET version of WDK will be released after WDK 5. The timeline for this has not yet been determined. Stay tuned for more updates!

2.5 Do I need a Developer Studio license to configure a WDK 5-Based application?

The Documentum Developer Studio license includes a license for WDK. If you would like to configure a WDK 5-Based application as follows, you would not need a developer license:

1. Making textual changes to the application, such as changing its branding, locale, strings, and app.xml settings.

If you would like to configure a WDK 5-Based application as follows, you would need a developer license:

1. Making changes to any of the application’s XML or JSP files that do not require Java class changes.

2. Modifying existing component definitions without changing the behavior class.

2.6 Do I need a Developer Studio License to customize a WDK 5-Based application?

The Documentum Developer Studio license includes a license for WDK. You will need a Developer Studio license for any customization of a WDK 5-Based application. Customization using WDK 5 includes one or more of the following:

1. Making changes that extend or implement the application’s Java code including component and control classes.

2. Adding new components or controls to the application. 3. Making changes that add custom Java classes to the application. 4. Building new Web applications.

3.0 Standard Documentum Web Applications

3.1 What is the difference between WDK 5 and Documentum Webtop? Webtop is the next generation of the Intranet Client. It is the standard web-based library services client for Documentum that is built with WDK 5. WDK is the fully supported web application development kit that is comprised of web components that run on J2EE-compliant application servers (containers).


3.2 Is Documentum Webtop packaged with WDK 5? No. The WDK license and distribution model is different than that of Webtop. WDK is licensed per developer seat and Webtop is licensed as a server-based client application. WDK is built to fully complement Webtop for application customization and redeployment. When someone purchases WDK without having a copy of Webtop they will get the sample applications and the component library, from which they can assemble their own web application.

3.3 What is the difference between wdkSpace and Documentum Webtop? wdkSpace is a sample application that was built using the WDK 4.X product. Documentum Webtop is a fully supported production quality application that is built with WDK 5 and will be sold as the standard web client for Documentum. Please refer to the Webtop FAQ for more information on the Webtop application. 3.4 Will Documentum Administrator (DA) be released on WDK 5? Yes. Documentum Administrator will be migrated from a RightSite-based application to a WDK 5-based application in the Release 5 timeframe. 3.5 Will Documentum Web Publisher be released on WDK 5? Yes. Web Publisher will be migrated from a RightSite-based application to a WDK 5-based application in the Release 5 timeframe. 3.6 Will DocControl Manager (DCM) be released on WDK 5? Yes. DocControl Manager will be migrated from a RightSite-based application to a WDK 5-based application in the Release 5 timeframe.

3.7 What is the Digital Asset Management (DAM) functionality that will be available in WDK 5?

The planned DAM functionality includes: Functionality Availability 1. Details view to include thumbnail WDK 5, Documentum Webtop 5,

Documentum Digital Asset Manager 5 2. Storyboard view for videos Documentum Digital Asset Manager 5 3. Multi-page thumbnails for PDF files Documentum Digital Asset Manager 5 4. PowerPoint assembly capabilities Documentum Digital Asset Manager 5 5. Storyboard / thumbnail view of search results

Documentum Digital Asset Manager 5

6. Transformation Capabilities Documentum Digital Asset Manager 5 As standard Documentum web applications are built using WDK 5, new components will be added to the WDK 5 component library. For example, the “Storyboard / thumbnail view of search results” would be a good example of functionality that will become part of a future release of the WDK 5 component library.


3.8 How do the Documentum Portlets utilize WDK 5? The Portal Integration Pack (PIP) is an extension of WDK. It provides the capability of presenting existing WDK Components through an off-the-shelf Portal framework with minimal or zero development cost. This is achieved through the development of a Portal Environment Adapter and Portlet Containers. A single Portal Environment Adapter and set of Portlet Containers (collectively known as a Portal Integration Layer) are required for each Portal framework. The Portal Integration Pack provides all the necessary support to develop the Portal Integration Layer and once built, any WDK Component may be presented through that Portal. The Portal Environment Adapter maps WDK Environment services to associated Portal services. This allows a WDK Component to leverage the Portal framework without being exposed directly to it. The Portal can then drive the behavior of the WDK Component.

4.0 Platform Support 4.1 What operating systems will be supported? The target distribution of WDK 5 on the server side will be: � Microsoft Windows NT/2000 � Sun Solaris � HP-UX � IBM AIX 4.2 What versions of the (e)Content Server will be supported with WDK 5? Content Server 5.1 will be supported with WDK 5. The specific versions of eContent Server 4.2 that will be supported are: 4.2.8

•AIX/DB2 •HP-UX/Oracle •HP-UX/Sybase •Solaris/Sybase

4.2.6 •Solaris/Oracle •Windows NT-2000/Oracle

4.2.5 •Windows NT-2000/DB2 •AIX/Oracle

4.2.3 • Windows NT-2000/SQL

4.3 Will Mac clients be supported with WDK 5? Mac clients on Mac OS 9 are supported in WDK 5.1. The certified browser for these Mac clients is Netscape 6.2.3. Mac OS 10 support is targeted for a subsequent release.


4.4 Will UNIX clients be supported with WDK 5? No. This capability is not part of WDK 5, but is targeted for a subsequent release.

4.5 Are Windows XP clients supported with WDK 5? Yes. Windows XP clients are supported in the first release of WDK 5.1.

4.6 Does WDK 5 support Sun JDK 1.4? No. WDK 5 does not support the Sun JDK 1.4. Current support for the Sun JDK is for version 1.3.1_0x.

5.0 Application Servers

5.1 The conversion to application server “agnostic” opened up new opportunities for developing web applications for content management. What are some examples?

One of the current trends in web application development is the shift to application servers as a key component of the platform. There are several such sectors of this application server market, they include: � Java/J2EE � Microsoft .NET � Hybrid - Including Macromedia ColdFusion (PKA Allaire ColdFusion), PHP, CGI, etc. All of these application servers offer similar features, which include a server or set of services that work in conjunction to enable the execution of dynamic server-side code. This server-side code produces current and personalized web pages. The most pervasive of these application servers are the Java/J2EE variety, produced by BEA Systems, IBM, Macromedia, Sun and Oracle. Currently, Documentum supports both ISAPI and Java/J2EE natively with its Rightsite and WDK products. We can also support custom Microsoft ASP clients using the COM interface to our Documentum Foundation Class product. 5.2 Will you be bundling an application server with WDK 5? No, we will not actually bundle an application server with WDK 5.


5.3 What application servers to you plan to support? The list of J2EE application servers that we plan to support for WDK 5 and WDK 5-based applications includes: � BEA WebLogic � IBM WebSphere � Macromedia JRun � Oracle 9iAS � Sun iPlanet � Tomcat servlet container

5.4 What J2EE services within the application server are required for WDK 5 applications?

The required J2EE services are: � JSP � Servlet � JNDI WDK 5 components and services can use JDBC. This does not require the application server’s built-in JDBC support. Therefore, JDBC is not a required service from the application server perspective.

6.0 Compatibility and Migration 6.1 Will WDK 4.2.x applications work in WDK 5? Yes, WDK 4.2.x applications will be able to run in the WDK 5 framework. This means that WDK 4.2.x and WDK 5 applications will be able to cohabit in the same environment. Some changes may be required to the WDK 4.2.x code. If you choose to migrate your WDK 4.2.x code to incorporate the new presentation layer capabilities, migration instructions will be provided to assist you in any changes that may be necessary. 6.2 Will a WDK 4.2 application coexist with a WDK 5 Application on the same

application server instance? Yes. Both applications will have to run on the same WDK 5 runtime in order to share a common DFC. 6.3 RightSite required in order to run WDK 5 applications? No. Please refer to question 6.4 for more information. 6.4 Is WDK 5 a replacement for RightSite? No. WDK 5 itself is not a replacement for RightSite. WDK 5 combined with a J2EE application server is a replacement for RightSite.


6.5 Does this mean that you are dropping support of RightSite? No. RightSite as well as the applications built upon it will be supported for at least another two years. We will carefully observe our customers ability to migrate to RightSite and “end of life” it when it makes sense to do so. We understand that this is a key element of customer satisfaction and current customer architectures.

7.0 Technical Resources and Training

7.1 Is classroom training available for WDK 5? Yes. The Building Applications with WDK 5 course is now available! The course description is as follows: This course is designed to give the Documentum Web Developer a strong foundation for developing Web applications using the Documentum Web Development Kit 5 (WDK 5). Course topics include the WDK 5 architecture and framework, the new programming model, the configuration and customization model for all future DCTM 5 Web applications, the Component Library, as well as best practices for creating content management Web applications. The student will develop a custom Web application using the knowledge discussed in the lectures. More information on this course can be found at: http://www.documentum.com/education/

7.2 What developer documentation is available for WDK 5? The standard developer documentation set for WDK 5 includes the following:

� Getting Started with Documentum Web Development Kit

This manual contains a set of tutorials that show how to perform some of the most common configuration and customization tasks in Web Development Kit (WDK). For more information on installing and using WDK, see the release notes, installation guide, and other WDK manuals installed with the product.

� Documentum Web Development Kit Reference

This guide contains reference information for configuring all WDK-based controls, actions, and components. The guide begins with a description of the terminology used in this reference material. Next, the guide describes how to locate the configuration files for controls, actions, and components. See Using Documentum Web Development Kit for more details and examples on configuration.


� Using Documentum Web Development Kit

This manual describes how to configure and customize a Web application that is built on the Documentum Web Development Kit (WDK) using Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) libraries.

� Troubleshooting WDK 5 Applications

This document describes some of the general troubleshooting principles that you can use when you encounter problems in installing, deploying, and developing applications that are based on Documentum Web Development Kit.

� WDK 5 Javadocs

7.3 What migration documentation is available for WDK 5? The Migrating to Documentum 5 guide has a section on migrating from WDK 4.2 to WDK 5 and from RightSite to WDK 5. There will be a RightSite-WDK functionality matrix published on http://developer.documentum.com in the very near future. Stay tuned for an update!

7.4 What other documentation is available for WDK 5? The Documentum Web Development Kit 5 Reviewer's Guide is a comprehensive document containing an in-depth overview of WDK 5 technology, installation instructions, and configuration and customization tutorials. This guide can be found in the tips collection of http://developer.documentum.com.

7.5 Is there a peer developer support group available for WDK 5? Yes. The http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wdk5_developer_community/ group is available as the peer developer support community.

7.6 What other technical information will be available for WDK 5? The Documentum Developer Program will continue to write in-depth articles addressing the development of WDK 5-based applications. This series of articles will include definitions of key WDK 5 concepts, sample components, customization guides, sample code and technical articles. Visit http://developer.documentum.com to download these articles as they become available. The following items exist today: � Creating a New WDK 5 Control � Creating a new WDK 5 Action � Creating a New WDK 5 Component � Building a WebTop HTML Assembly Component � Creating a Webtop Content Qualifier � WebTop XML Editor Component � WDK 5 Component Testbed


8.0 Actions 8.1 Are the actions defined in XML definition files? Actions are defined in XML configuration files. The definition file provides the action with its context sensitivity. All action definitions have the following form: <config><config><config><config> <scope <scope <scope <scope qualifier_namequalifier_namequalifier_namequalifier_name='='='='qualifier_valuequalifier_valuequalifier_valuequalifier_value'*>'*>'*>'*> <action id=action_id> <action id=action_id> <action id=action_id> <action id=action_id> <params> <params> <params> <params> <param name=param_name required=true|false></param> <param name=param_name required=true|false></param> <param name=param_name required=true|false></param> <param name=param_name required=true|false></param> </params> </params> </params> </params> <precond <precond <precond <preconditions>itions>itions>itions> <precondition class=action_precondition_class>* <precondition class=action_precondition_class>* <precondition class=action_precondition_class>* <precondition class=action_precondition_class>* precondition_class_tagsprecondition_class_tagsprecondition_class_tagsprecondition_class_tags </precondition>* </precondition>* </precondition>* </precondition>* </preconditions>] </preconditions>] </preconditions>] </preconditions>] <execution class=action_execution_class> <execution class=action_execution_class> <execution class=action_execution_class> <execution class=action_execution_class> execution_class_tags*execution_class_tags*execution_class_tags*execution_class_tags* </execution> </execution> </execution> </execution> </ac </ac </ac </action>tion>tion>tion> </scope></scope></scope></scope> </config></config></config></config> The code in italics refers to user-defined content. The * symbol indicates that there can be zero or many items in that part of the code.

9.0 Attributes

9.1 Can you change the attributes that are available in the folder view? Yes. The layout of the user interface is arranged within the JSP. So if you want to add another column to the view then you can simply add another "docbaseattributevalue" tag to the layout providing the attribute is available to all objects. Otherwise, you should make sure that you are only displaying objects of the same type.

10.0 Components 10.1 What is considered a component? The Documentum web component library maintains a set of GUI components that provide all of the common Documentum functions such as inbox, folder browser, properties, and permissions. Components are configurable in order to support context-based UI alternatives for each component. A component is comprised of an xml definition file, JSP presentation template, and a java class, which implements the component behavior. The component model provides an encapsulated piece of user interface that is sensitive to the context within which the component is called. Context can be the user role, the object type, or


the object lifecycle state, for example. A component can have several different user interfaces and behaviors based on the type of object that is viewed. The specific UI that is presented to the user is driven by parameters that are sent to the component, such as the object ID, specified in the component definition XML file. 10.2 What are the WDK 5 components? This following list provides just an example of the feature-rich components that are available with WDK 5:

• Content Transfer: import, export, checkin, checkout, cancel checkout, view, and edit • Security: login, logout, change password, and permissions • Docbase operations: lifecycle, attributes, and renditions • Navigation: object list, drilldown, object grid, folder tree • Query and Search: basic search, advanced search, and DQL Query Editor • Personalized: my objects and subscriptions • Type-specific Components • Utility: Clipboard, prompt, general messages, error messages, • Virtual Document Manager Components • Workflow: inbox, start workflow, halt workflow, resume workflow, abort workflow,

delete workflow, send to distribution list, and task manager

10.3 What are the differences between attributes component and the properties component?

The WDK 5 attributes component is equivalent to the WDK 4.2 properties component. The WDK 5 attributes component lists all of the attributes for the selected object and allows edits based on the current user permissions. In WDK 5, attributes, versions, and locations are all contained within the properties component.

11.0 Component Dispatcher

11.1 Who developed the component dispatcher? Is this an industry standard or a Documentum value-add?

The component dispatcher is a Documentum value-add. We use the dispatcher to call the appropriate component given the current context, such as a specific Docbase type. The component dispatcher is designed to implement the J2EE front controller pattern.

12.0 Content Transfer

12.1 Is the content transfer mechanism going to continue to be an applet?

Yes. There is an additional lightweight content transfer applet that is targeted for low bandwidth environments that don’t require content transfer that involves XML. The lightweight content


transfer applet will continue to require installation in WDK 5.1, but will not require installation in a future release. 12.2 Is content transfer functionality required to use WDK 5? No. Content transfer is not a required part of a WDK 5 application, but it is certainly one of the most often utilized components. In addition, the content transfer applets will not be installed upon the first login to a WDK 5 application. The applets will be installed upon the first action that requires content transfer functionality.

13.0 Contracts 13.1 Do the WDK 5 components support contracts? Yes. Each component supports a contract, which is public interface through which all other components and containers communicate. The contract consists of the following elements: � Parameters, which initialize the component � Events, which support a response to user intervention � Properties, which interrogate the component state

The contract discourages access to the internals of a component by insulating the component from dependencies on other components.

14.0 Controls 14.1 What are controls? Controls are a set of generic user interface tags that are used in JSP pages. These Java objects model the attributes of HTML UI elements, for example: <dmf:checkbox name="subscribe" id="subs" .../><dmf:checkbox name="subscribe" id="subs" .../><dmf:checkbox name="subscribe" id="subs" .../><dmf:checkbox name="subscribe" id="subs" .../>

The HTML for this control would be rendered as:

<input type="checkbox" name="Form_subscribe_0" id="Form_subs"> <input type="checkbox" name="Form_subscribe_0" id="Form_subs"> <input type="checkbox" name="Form_subscribe_0" id="Form_subs"> <input type="checkbox" name="Form_subscribe_0" id="Form_subs"> Subscribe? Subscribe? Subscribe? Subscribe? <input type="hidden" name="Form_subscrib<input type="hidden" name="Form_subscrib<input type="hidden" name="Form_subscrib<input type="hidden" name="Form_subscribe_hidden_0" id="Form_subs_hidden" e_hidden_0" id="Form_subs_hidden" e_hidden_0" id="Form_subs_hidden" e_hidden_0" id="Form_subs_hidden" value="true">value="true">value="true">value="true">

Controls are delivered as part of the Java Server Faces specification and are implemented as tag libraries. In addition to the standard controls, Documentum provides Docbase-enabled controls that are used within our standard WDK-based web clients.


14.2 What are some examples of standard controls? Examples of standard controls are as follows:

• webform • form • panel • hidden • label • text • textarea • password • button • link • checkbox • menu • menuitem • menuseparator • menugroup

• radio • datagrid • datagridRow • row • nodataRow • columnpanel • datapaging • datasortlink • forminclude • validationsummary • requiredfieldvalidator • regexpvalidator • rangevalidator • comparevalidator • formurl

• inputmaskvalidator • dropdownlist • datadropdownlist • listbox • datalistbox • option • dataoptionlist • image • outlinebar • breadcrumb • tabbar • tab • argument • tree • datevalueformatter

14.3 What are some examples of Docbase-enabled controls? Examples of Docbase-Enabled controls are as follows:

• actionbutton • actionlink • actionmenuitem • actionmultiselect • actionmultiselectcheckbox • actionimage • actionlinklist • actionbuttonlist • thumbnail • docbaseobject • docbaseattribute • docbaseattributelabel • docbaseattributevalue • docbaseicon • docbaselockicon • docbasepriorityicon • docbaseworkflowstateicon

• docbaseselector • browsertree • componenturl • componentinclude • containerinclude • argument • param • vdmtreegrid • vdmtreegridrow • dmapplet • cancelcheckoutapplet• checkinapplet • checkoutapplet • editapplet • exportapplet • importapplet • viewapplet

• checkinregistrycleanupapplet• linkdetectorapplet • serviceprogressfeedback • aclclassvalueformatter • storevalueformatter • storevalueformatter • storestatusvalueformatter • permissionvalueformatter • extpermvalueformatter • docformatvalueformatter • docsizevalueformatter • repeatingattributeformatter • rankvalueformatter • folderexclusionformatter • vdmbindingruleformatter • docbaseattributevalidator • docbaseobjectvalidator


• docbasefoldertree • utilapplet • quotevalidator

14.4 How are the controls implemented within WDK 5? They are implemented as JSP tag libraries. For more information on JSP tag libraries, please see the visit the following: � Tag Libraries Tutorial:

http://java.sun.com/products/jsp/tutorial/TagLibrariesTOC.html � The Jakarta TagLibs Project: http://jakarta.apache.org/taglibs/tutorial.html � <taglib:tutorial><taglib:tutorial><taglib:tutorial><taglib:tutorial>: http://www.orionserver.com/taglibtut/

15.0 Events

15.1 Are the event mechanisms server based? If so, can client side events still be used?

By default, WDK 5 events are handled by Java methods on the application server and not via JavaScript in the browser. This promotes scalability of applications by deferring task execution to the server by removing the passing of unnecessary code between the client and app/web server. You can still include client-side scripts, such as JavaScript, within your WDK-based applications. There are two ways to include client-side scripts in WDK:

1. Manual scripts, which are included within the HTML elements of a JSP page. The following example includes the script and calls a method from the body onload event:

<head><head><head><head> <script src="/myapp/scripts/calendar.js" <script src="/myapp/scripts/calendar.js" <script src="/myapp/scripts/calendar.js" <script src="/myapp/scripts/calendar.js" language="javascript1.2"></script> language="javascript1.2"></script> language="javascript1.2"></script> language="javascript1.2"></script> </head></head></head></head> <body onload=“in<body onload=“in<body onload=“in<body onload=“initCalendar()”>itCalendar()”>itCalendar()”>itCalendar()”>

2. Registered scripts, which are automatically inserted into every rendered WDK form by

the WDK framework. Use registered scripts to provide infrastructure and behavior that is reused across the application.

Scripts are registered in a Java properties file: com.documentum.web.form.WebformScripts.properties com.documentum.web.form.WebformScripts.properties com.documentum.web.form.WebformScripts.properties com.documentum.web.form.WebformScripts.properties

Each registry entry has the following syntax: index_name.property=valueindex_name.property=valueindex_name.property=valueindex_name.property=value

where: � index: Order of inclusion in the HTML form


� name: Logical name of the script

� property: Type of property. Valid values are href, language, and trace.

� value: Value of the property. Valid values are a URL for the href property, a

scripting language name for the language property, and true or false for the trace property (enables script tracing).

In addition, each control on a page can be configured independently to fire an event that is handled either on the server or on the client by just setting an attribute of that control tag. An example attribute setting for a client-side event would be runatclierunatclierunatclierunatclient=”true”nt=”true”nt=”true”nt=”true”.

16.0 Performance 16.1 What are the performance improvements or implications in WDK 5? In WDK 5.0 we have used a server side event model, rather than a client side event model. The major difference in these two models is that in a client-side event model the event handlers, usually written in JavaScript, are transmitted to the client on a per-request basis. Making this more inefficient is the generation of dynamic JavaScript code that gets embedded in each rendered JSP page that the client requests. When this model is used, the ability of an application to scale is severely challenged on the mere basis of bandwidth usage and consumption. WDK 5.0’s server side event model maintains all event handling code on the server, in the form of component behavior classes, thus reducing the size of HTTP responses to the client. *Note: There are certainly some situations where client side event handling is more scalable and more efficient than server side event handling. For example, when validating a form field in a form it might be better to move the format validation out to the client rather than making a round trip to the server. This would not invalidate the WDK 5 event model. For more information on including client side events in WDK 5 applications, please refer to question 15.1 of this document.

17.0 Renditions 17.1 Can renditions be created in WDK 5? Yes. You will be able to create renditions in WDK 5 as long as AutoRender Pro has been set up against the Docbase that you are using. At this time the rendition functionality will include: � Create PDF Rendition � Create HTML Rendition � Import Rendition � Export Rendition


18.0 Search 18.1 Smartlist Support going to be included in WDK 5? No. Smartlist support is not part of WDK 5, but is targeted for a subsequent release.

18.2 Does WDK 5 provide the ability to execute a dm_query object? Yes. WDK 5.1 provides the ability to create and execute dm_query objects. 18.3 Does WDK 5 provide the ability to save a search as a dm_query object? Yes. WDK 5.1 provides the ability to save a search as a dm_query object.

18.4 Can you search within the results set? No. This capability is not part of WDK 5, but is targeted for a subsequent release.

19.0 Tag Libraries and Java Server Faces 19.1 Where are the tag libraries located? The tag library definition files are located in the application’s \WEB-INF\tlds directory. We have located in them in a sub-directory of WEB-INF so that by default access to them, and hence modification or unauthorized reading cannot be performed. The classes themselves are defined in classes located under com/Documentum/web/form/control and are denoted by their name, which matches the pattern {controlName}Tag.class.

19.2 Can you write your own tags? If so, will they reside in the same location? Yes. You should maintain your tag libraries in your own TLDs, which must be stored in the standard J2EE location. You can then import your tag libraries in the JSP page in the same way that the Documentum tag libraries are imported.

19.3 Does each component have a different tag library? No. All components within the WDK component library share the three common tag libraries. The tag libraries that are packaged with the WDK contain controls that are used to create the component JSP pages (or layout). Components specify these JSP pages as well as the component behavior class and contract parameters in the component definition XML file. Many of the tags in the tag libraries are utilized by more than one component. For example, the <dmf:docbaseattribute> tag is used today in approximately a dozen components. If you would like to see this in the Beta Program build, you may look at the <dmf:datasortlink> tag that is utilized within the following components: Messages Component <dmf:datasortlink name='datesort' nlsid='MSG_TIME' column='date'/>


DrillDown Component <dmf:datasortlink cssclass='drilldownFileInfo' name='sort4' nlsid='MSG_DOC_MODIFIED' column='r_modify_date' mode='numeric'/>

Some components use more than one of the three tag libraries. For example: Properties Component <%@ page contentType="text/html; charset=UTF-8" %> <%@ page errorPage="/wdk/errorhandler.jsp" %> <%@ taglib uri="/WEB-INF/tlds/dmform_1_0.tld" prefix="dmf" %> <%@ taglib uri="/WEB-INF/tlds/dmformext_1_0.tld" prefix="dmfx" %> Edit Component <%@ page contentType="text/html; charset=UTF-8" %> <%@ page errorPage="/wdk/errorhandler.jsp" %> <%@ taglib uri="/WEB-INF/tlds/dmform_1_0.tld" prefix="dmf" %> <%@ taglib uri="/WEB-INF/tlds/dmformext_1_0.tld" prefix="dmfx" %> <%@ taglib uri="/WEB-INF/tlds/dmcontentxfer_1_0.tld" prefix="dmxfer" %> 19.4 The standardization process for Java Server Faces is not due out until the

proposed release date of WDK 5. Does that mean that WDK 5 will be released with some proprietary Java Server Faces technology? If so, what is the migration path?

This is an excellent question! I will assume in my response that readers of this document are familiar with the Java Specification Request process. If you are not familiar with this process please read this document to understand the context of this reply: http://www.jcp.org/jsr/detail/127.jsp The short-term answer to this question is yes, while the long-term answer to this is no. Currently Documentum’s WDK engineering team is contributing to the JavaServer Faces (JSR #127) specification request working group. As part of this working group we are able to closely monitor the specification’s definition and reference implementation. Through our involvement we are working to ensure that WDK is easily modified in the future to make use of the JavaServer Faces implementation. As of today it seems that the implementation of JSR will most likely finds its home in either the JSP or Servlet specifications. Therefore, we will continue to provide our own implementation of JavaServer Faces-like functionality for use with WDK and will carefully monitor its development going forward in order to use a standard implementation of JavaServer Faces functionality if and when it arrives.

20.0 Web Services

20.1 Is there any support for Web Services within WDK 5? WDK 5 does not include support for developing web services applications. The best practice for developing Web Services with Documentum is to utilize the Documentum Business Objects Framework, which is new in DFC 5. For more information, please consult the Developing Web Services with Documentum white paper that is available on http://developer.docmentum.com.


21.0 Workflow 21.1 Can workflow templates be created in WDK 5? No. Workflow creation will be available on the WDK 5 framework in the future, but is not part of the initial WDK 5 release.

22.0 XML

22.1 Is there any kind of built-in support to generate the UI using XML/XSL instead of Model/View objects?

No, there is nothing built-in for this kind of UI generation. However, converting the JSP content to XML from XHTML-compliant HTML can be completed using WDK 5.

23.0 General Development 23.1 How does WDK 5 implement the Model, View, Controller (MVC) pattern? WDK implements the Model, View, Controller (MVC) pattern in the following way: Model – This is contained in the Docbase data structure and is accessed in WDK via the DFC services interface. View – The component JSP pages implement the view layer of the application. These JSP pages use both behavioral and data-bound tag libraries, which are defined in separate classes allowing a clean separation of presentation from application logic. Controller – The controller aspects of the WDK are implemented in two different places the component dispatcher servlet, which marshals requests between components and the implementation of the tag libraries and components in separate classes.


23.2 Are there any plans to provide any type of smart form GUI utility to help developers build their WDK based JSPs faster and more consistently?

This is certainly a goal for the future, but will not likely be provided as part of WDK 5. Ideally, this utility would be web-based but then you can’t configure any web applications without having the utility web application running, thereby requiring an application server. This may not make sense for such a utility. The alternative would be to provide a traditional client-server application, which may make more sense. Any suggestions and/or comments on the pros and cons of each option would be greatly appreciated and can be sent to [email protected].

23.3 Will WDK 5 provide the ability to configure or modify the separating character used in repeating attributes?

Yes. In WDK 5, repeating attributes are displayed in separate element tags within a dropdown list (client side). The repeating attributes will also persist as a java collection (server side). Either way, their values will be synchronized.

23.4 Are there any plans to utilize a more general framework (i.e. Struts) to develop WDK on top of?

Not at this point, mostly because such framework are in their initial stages. We do recognize that there are several such frameworks and that Documentum and its web applications could leverage them in the future. Here are some links to such frameworks: � Struts (Jakarta): http://jakarta.apache.org/struts/index.html � Turbine (Jakarta): http://jakarta.apache.org/turbine/ � wingS: http://www.wings.to.com/ � WebWork: http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/webwork

23.5 Will J2EE Patterns be implemented in WDK 5? Documentum WDK 5 implements several patterns that are common in the J2EE architecture today, these include: Front Controller – WDK provides the componentDispatchercomponentDispatchercomponentDispatchercomponentDispatcher class which maps logical component name requests to physical component implementations (JSPs) based on the context of the request. View Helper – WDK’s controls are implemented to prevent the replacement of common scriptlet code (i.e. validators) and display values (i.e. nls labels and link names or labels) Business Delegate – WDK uses the component behavior class fro decoupling the presentation logic and the business services. The business services are separated out into separate service classes that are then call by the component behavior classes and the component controls, thus creating two tiers of separation between presentation logic and the business logic. By implementing this pattern the components no longer contains dfc/java code or use java beans to generate the user interface.


23.6 What is the best practice for editing strings or adding strings to existing WDK/ Documentum Web applications NLS properties files?

"Never" edit an existing properties file that is provided from Documentum. "Always" create a new properties file in the /custom/strings/<packages> location. In that new file include the existing strings using NLS_INCLUDES. This will allow for future availability of changes made by Documentum to WDK forms and components. Override, in the new file, the desired string(s) or add to the new file the string(s) that you want to edit or add and configure the form or the component to use the new properties file.

documentum web development kit 5 faq - dell emc€¦ · · 2006-10-16documentum web development...

Documents