Attaching DCRs

Normally I do not automatically attach a DCR to a WF if the generated file was submitted. There are cases when you do not want to (often to avoid the overhead of regenerating if you submit a bunch).

Now I have been asked to. My users don't know much about DCRs but then know the HTML. They save and generate and click submit later. Then they select a bunch of files and submit. Net result is that the DCR goes not get unlocked or versioned.

What do others do ?

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ISCBorisB

Normally I do not automatically attach a DCR to a WF if the generated file was submitted. There are cases when you do not want to (often to avoid the overhead of regenerating if you submit a bunch).

Now I have been asked to. My users don't know much about DCRs but then know the HTML. They save and generate and click submit later. Then they select a bunch of files and submit. Net result is that the DCR goes not get unlocked or versioned.

What do others do ?

Can you elaborate a bit? What exactly is bothering you?

DCRs are automatically saved before generation. Surely it's technically trivial to scan attached html's in some dedicated
external Task, collect references from the "PrimaryDCR" EAs and attach these Files for the submission. Locks should be already
handled one way or another by your Submit Task (or Submission CLT, whatever the case might be).

nipper

I am just curious if you automatically attach the DCR when a generated file is sent. I have always included the generated page if the DCR is submitted but I have also had the need to submit generated files without regeneration (thus not including the DCR). It is just kind of backwards I guess.

You are correct that it is not too terribly difficult. I am working on it now, but just curious if it was a normal operation.

If I did not explain the issue here, content editors are editing and regenerating but not submitting. Then they select a bunch of generated files and send them out. So the generated pages are fine, but the DCRs do not go through WF.

Andy

ISCBorisB

I am just curious if you automatically attach the DCR when a generated file is sent. I have always included the generated page if the DCR is submitted but I have also had the need to submit generated files without regeneration (thus not including the DCR). It is just kind of backwards I guess.

You are correct that it is not too terribly difficult. I am working on it now, but just curious if it was a normal operation.

If I did not explain the issue here, content editors are editing and regenerating but not submitting. Then they select a bunch of generated files and send them out. So the generated pages are fine, but the DCRs do not go through WF.

Andy

I see. It is IMO safer to always attach/submit DCRs upon submission of generated assets. This way the Branch (read STAGING)
maintains *referential integrity*(to steal the term from RDBs), published Editions retain an ability to re-generate approved assets and so on.

Normally I try to design in such a manner that Content Contributors do not know and do not care what's been generated from any
particular DCR. That's just me though, lately I do CMS implementations for Web Applications. Multiple assets generated from each
DCR are not individually viewable, they are just *Lego* pieces for the Application Servers to assemble run-time.

Adam Stoller

I am just curious if you automatically attach the DCR when a generated file is sent. I have always included the generated page if the DCR is submitted but I have also had the need to submit generated files without regeneration (thus not including the DCR). It is just kind of backwards I guess.

You are correct that it is not too terribly difficult. I am working on it now, but just curious if it was a normal operation.

If I did not explain the issue here, content editors are editing and regenerating but not submitting. Then they select a bunch of generated files and send them out. So the generated pages are fine, but the DCRs do not go through WF.

Andy

I've almost always made sure that DCRs are attached to workflows if generated files were pre-selected (usually handled within the WFT code itself) - whether or not you go through a re-generation step as part of the workflow is up to you / your customer's, but I generally find that to be reasonable to do also - so you are ensured that the output is, in fact, the byproduct of processing the DCR with a specific PT that are all versioned together.