Workflow for PDF document approval

Hi,

We need to create a workflow for approval of a PDF document. This pdf is being rendered by a java application. The java application generates the pdf from XML & XSL by using a opensource framework like itext. The user can change the static data (XML) or the formatting information(XSL). The implication is that we need to create a workflow & the form used in the workflow will change the underlying XML & XSL.

We are thinking of creating a form that will allow user to modify the attributes that can be modified in the XML & XSL. Then we would parse the DCR's that are created create a XML & XSL. We would then invoke a custom program that would generate a pdf from the XML & XSL to enable the user to preview it in order to approve/reject.

Question
--------
1.) Is this approach feasible?
2.) Is there a better cleaner approach ?

Thanks in Advance,
Rishi

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

Adam Stoller

I think it depends on the technical abilities of the users of the system. The content portion (XML) should probably be a DCT/DCR - the formatting directives (XSL) might be reasonable to represent as such - but might be easier left as raw commands that the users can edit with whatever tool with which they're most comfortable (having not done much with XSL - I'm not sure what tools these would be)

Migrateduser

Sure, it's feasible but I wonder if the same could be accomplished by using a simple presentation template. If you guys are heavily customizing your stuff anyway, it might be worthwhile to look at the guts of a PDF. There are countless tools out there to help with composing a PDF from scratch, anyway. It's the part where you're going from XML and XSL that I'm not sure about...

rishishehrawat

Hi,

The document that needs the workflow is a legal document. The user can change the terms & conditions that will be kept in the XML. The user can also change the formatting information like font, bold. itlalics which will be kept in the XSL. We figured that this is the reason why we cannot use the default PT(presentation template) mechanisim provided by interwoven.

The user that will change/approve will be non technical business users, therefore the need to provide a form that will capture the chages & generate the XML & XSL by parsing the DCR's. The external program (uisng opensource framework) will then take the XML & XSL & generate the pdf.

Question 1 : Can i configure the form in the workflow to read/pick information from a underlying XML & XSL. Will need to do this as the workflow will have to start with modification of an existing legal document?

Question 2: (Think if the answer to question1 is yes then this chould be possible) Can the form directly modify the underlying XML & XSL? This will mean that we dont have to parse the DCR's & generate the XML & XSL

Question 3: Does interwoven provide some inbuilt mechanisim using which we could generate the pdf .. this will mean that we don't have to invoke the external program to generate the pdf

Thanks in Advance,
Rishi

Adam Stoller

Question 1 : Can i configure the form in the workflow to read/pick information from a underlying XML & XSL. Will need to do this as the workflow will have to start with modification of an existing legal document?

Question 2: (Think if the answer to question1 is yes then this chould be possible) Can the form directly modify the underlying XML & XSL? This will mean that we dont have to parse the DCR's & generate the XML & XSL

Question 3: Does interwoven provide some inbuilt mechanisim using which we could generate the pdf .. this will mean that we don't have to invoke the external program to generate the pdf

So I think you're on the right track, but need to work out a bit more of the details. I haven't had the need / opportunity to work on something like this yet, so I don't have first-hand knowledge of the implementation details. If you do get this working, please consider sharing some of that information in the forums.