Library concepts and terminology

Objects are the managed elements in FileNet and in Connections Content Manager. Some of the types of objects that are available include the following types:

• Document
• Folder
• Teamspace
• Recovery Bin
• Recovery Item
• Abstract Comment and subclasses
• Custom Role Base and subclasses
• Document Review
• Download Record
• Follower
• Recommendation (Like)
• Summary Data
• Tag
• Activity Stream Queue Entry
• Seedlist Entry
• Collaboration Configuration

The object types extend FileNet to provide special capabilities that are exposed in Connections Content Manager. Users of Connections Content Manager do not always directly interact with all types of objects. Instead, most objects are created as a side effect of liking, downloading, following, commenting on, or performing other actions with documents.

A FileNet add-on is a group of object types, event listeners, and other objects that provide extra capabilities to FileNet.

When you use the Connections Content Manager configuration tools to create a FileNet system, the definitions for the object types that Connections uses are imported into FileNet. The following set of add-ons are added to the new object store by the object store creation tool, createObjectStore:

• 5.2.0 Base Application Extensions
• 5.2.0 Base Content Engine Extensions
• 5.2.0 Custom Role Extensions
• 5.2.0 Social Collaboration Base Extensions
• 5.2.0 Social Collaboration Document Review Extensions
• 5.2.0 Social Collaboration Notification Extensions
• 5.2.0 Social Collaboration Role Extensions
• 5.2.0 Social Collaboration Search Indexing Extensions
• 5.2.0 TeamSpace Extensions
• 5.2.0 FP1 Social Collaboration User Identity Mapping Extensions
• IBM® FileNet Services for Lotus® Quickr® 1.1 Extensions
• IBM FileNet Services for Lotus Quickr 1.1 Supplemental Metadata

Libraries are sets of documents and folders that are grouped with common configuration settings. The common configuration settings include access settings and draft approval options. Libraries can be added to communities to provide document management capabilities by using Connections Content Manager.

Internal to FileNet, a library is represented by the Teamspace class, a subclass of Folder in FileNet. The Teamspace class is part of a common object model that is shared with IBM Content Navigator and other IBM content applications.

Community owners can create libraries in Connections Content Manager by adding a Library widget to a community from the customization shelf. When a library is created, an object of class Teamspace is automatically created in FileNet to represent the library. Community owners mark a library for deletion by removing a Library widget from a community. Deleting a library does not remove the associated Teamspace object and its content from FileNet, but removes the library from the view of Connections Content Manager and marks the corresponding teamspace object for deletion in FileNet.

Instances of the Teamspace class can also be created manually in FileNet, or through other applications such as IBM Content Navigator. Content that is stored in Teamspace is created outside of Connections. This content is not added to the Connections search index and does not inherit permissions from communities.

Libraries that are created by adding a widget to a community inherit permissions from the community membership list and are added into the Connections search index. Community owners are administrators of the library that is created in that community and have broad powers to add and delete content anywhere in the library. Community members have at least read access to non-draft documents in the library. Also, their access can be customized through the edit mode on the library widget by the community owners or by settings on individual folders and documents.

Administrators who administer multiple FileNet applications should note that libraries that are created by IBM Connections are created in the FileNet object store that is configured for Connections (by default ICObjectStore) under the folder ClbTeamspaces.

A storage area is a device or logical place that is used to store document binary files. With Connections Content Manager, content stores can be database or file system based. Storage areas are not directly available to community users.

By using the configuration tools that are provided with Connections Content Manager to create a FileNet system, a single file system-based storage area is created by using the ccm subdirectory of the Connections shared content directory for its storage. Use file system-based storage areas for new object stores because they scale independently of database size limitations and make better use of the file system.

An object store is a repository for a collection of objects. Each object store has its own logical database, which can be shared in actual database but isolated by schema. Each object store also has its own set of tables for storing information about objects. Object stores have configuration for default security permissions that are applied to all objects in that store. Object stores also have a default storage area, and have configuration for the types of objects available in that store.

The Library widget always creates new libraries in a single particular object store. Libraries (FileNet Teamspace) in existing and other object stores can be used with the Linked Library widget.

By using the configuration tools that are provided with Connections Content Manager to create a FileNet system, a single object store is created (named ICObjectStore by default). Also, and add-ons are installed, a single storage area is created, and default permissions are set with the createObjectStore command.

A domain is a logical grouping of object stores, storage areas, and other resources that are served by a common set of servers. All objects in a domain share directory configuration and some global security configuration. Each FileNet domain has its own global configuration database (GCD) which contains this configuration.

By using the configuration tools that are provided with Connections Content Manager to create a FileNet system, a single domain is created with the createGCD command.