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EDS vs request/response filters for IBM Content Navigator

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Abstract

EDS vs request/response filters for IBM Content Navigator

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Yi Duan is an ECM Advisory Software Engineer in IBM Software Group, China. He has over 11 years of experience in software engineering. Yi joined IBM Content Navigator Quality Assurance team since its first release in 2011. He has extensive experience with IBM Content Navigator, especially in EDS. Prior to that, Yi worked in IBM Document Manager team for 6 years. Yi holds a Master degree in Computer Science from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.

 

IBM Content Navigator has an extensible and pluggable framework that is based on the tier architecture and the usage of open standards such as JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and Java. It has powerful expandability. For a quick overview of the various options and framework, check out ONE UI - IBM Content Navigator as an application framework.

 

External data services (EDS)

EDS is an interface that IBM Content Navigator provides to access data from separate data sources. With EDS implementation, it is very easy for you to control the property dada and customize the behavior of the property. EDS is powerful. But in many scenarios, such as change properties order in the add dialog, you should implement request and response filter instead of using EDS.

 

Request and response filters

The request and response filters are parts of IBM Content Navigator extension points. In some instances, you might want to modify requests and responses so that you can modify the data that is being sent to or returned from the service. To accomplish this, you can create a plug-in to filter a request that is made to a service or to filter a response that is received from a service. EDS is a plug-in in IBM Content Navigator that is implemented by request and response filters. Often time, you would want to implement your own request and response filters. Other time, EDS can simplify your implementation.

 

When to use EDS and when to implement request and response filters?

Use EDS if you want to do some of the following tasks. Otherwise you probably need to implement a request or response filter:

  • Prefilling properties with values
  • Looking up the choice list values for a property or dependent property
  • Setting minimum, maximum values and length
  • Setting formats for properties
  • Setting property status, such as read-only, required or hidden
  • Implementing property validation and error checking

 

Where to use EDS?

According to the EDS implemented request and response filters, the following actions in IBM Content Navigator can be implemented:

  • Adding documents and folders
  • Checking documents in to the repository
  • Editing properties for one or multiple items
  • Editing item properties in the viewer
  • Using entry templates
  • Setting workflow step properties and workflow filter criteria fields
  • Creating or using searches
  • Controlling IBM Content Manager OnDemand search folders

If you want it in other actions, you probably need to implement a custom request or response filter.

 

For more information on EDS, response and request filters, check out the corresponding chapter in the new IBM Redbooks publication on IBM Content Navigator. In the book, we provide multiple examples of how to do these.

 

Additional references

For IBM Content Navigator related blog posts, see:

 

For more information on IBM Content Navigator, see IBM Redbooks publication:

 

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