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centrallised repository for assets

curiousmaverick

I have a no of sites which follows the same look and feel standards as set by the parent company. I have each of these sites on a separate branch. Now for eg, if tomorrow the company decides that from now onwards we will use a diff image for arrow.gif(just an example).In that case, i need to update the image in all the images folders in different branches.

Can something like this be possible where I can keep the images folder in a centrallised location and whenever I make any changes to it, I can simply push out the changes to all the branches?

Please recommend the best approach you can think of.

Regards,
Mav

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nbwoven

Yes this can be done but will requires some effort.It'll definitely affect your Templates too as Some elements[like "" ] in a DCT generate pathnames that are relative to the root of the local workarea.

This includes any _docroot directory, such as "htdocs". If this path is used in a generated file, it will likely lead to a broken link, since the docroot directory itself is normally not deployed to the website.

moonkhanna

I have a no of sites which follows the same look and feel standards as set by the parent company. I have each of these sites on a separate branch. Now for eg, if tomorrow the company decides that from now onwards we will use a diff image for arrow.gif(just an example).In that case, i need to update the image in all the images folders in different branches.

Can something like this be possible where I can keep the images folder in a centrallised location and whenever I make any changes to it, I can simply push out the changes to all the branches?

Please recommend the best approach you can think of.

Regards,
Mav

Mav, you can actually use a different branch all together for your images and then move them to various branches as and when updated using a workflow. Your workflow basically should copy the updated file to the respective workarea in various branches and then submit this file there.. and then deploy to production..

Lemme know if you are not clear about the solution..

ISCBorisB

Mav, you can actually use a different branch all together for your images and then move them...

With the "Dedicated Shared Assets Branch" approach it is often (not always!) possible to configure TS Proxy Server
so that it maps requests to this Branch STAGING for example. In this case you do not even have to Copy/Deploy anything
anywhere (not for Preview, anyway. You will still need regular Deployments/WFs to promote assets to proper Targets
like QA, UAT, Production and whatnot)

moonkhanna

With the "Dedicated Shared Assets Branch" approach it is often (not always!) possible to configure TS Proxy Server
so that it maps requests to this Branch STAGING for example. In this case you do not even have to Copy/Deploy anything
anywhere (not for Preview, anyway. You will still need regular Deployments/WFs to promote assets to proper Targets
like QA, UAT, Production and whatnot)

Hi Bo,

I am running into a similar scenario. Can you please share how to proxy things to another branch itself?

LMX

We keep all of our baseline assets (images, css, scripts, includes, etc.) in a seperate directory while each sub branch holds branch specific data. This approach has really helped the team become more efficient, particularly when dealing with client requests.

Moon, You can configure your proxy (iw.cfg, preconnect remaps) so that all of these common elements are redirected accordingly during preview. For lack of a better example, this is simply a regex that would point all */assets/* links of your sub-branches to your baseline branch.

As for workflows, well... they'd have to be configured to ensure these assets are published to the appropriate target(s).

ISCBorisB

Hi Bo,

I am running into a similar scenario. Can you please share how to proxy things to another branch itself?

It becomes really simple after few trials and errors.

Check TeamSite® Administration Guide, Chapter Configuring the TeamSite Web Daemon and Proxy Server for details.
To give you an example, something like the following tells Proxy to redirect any request for *.gif or *.jpg to the STAGING
area of "Shared_Assets_Branch" Branch

[iwproxy_preconnect_remap]
_regex=(^/iw-mount/[^/]+/main/(.*)/(((WORKAREA|EDITION)/[^/]+)|STAGING)/(.*(\.gif|\.jpg)))$=/iw-mount/Shared_Assets_Branch/STAGING/$6

nipper

Hi Bo,

I am running into a similar scenario. Can you please share how to proxy things to another branch itself?

If you have the iw.cfg on the project you took over for me, check it out as that was done often. As was the cross branch browser.

moonkhanna

It becomes really simple after few trials and errors.

Check TeamSite® Administration Guide, Chapter Configuring the TeamSite Web Daemon and Proxy Server for details.
To give you an example, something like the following tells Proxy to redirect any request for *.gif or *.jpg to the STAGING
area of "Shared_Assets_Branch" Branch

[iwproxy_preconnect_remap]
_regex=(^/iw-mount/[^/]+/main/(.*)/(((WORKAREA|EDITION)/[^/]+)|STAGING)/(.*(\.gif|\.jpg)))$=/iw-mount/Shared_Assets_Branch/STAGING/$6

yupe got it thanks! :-)

moonkhanna

If you have the iw.cfg on the project you took over for me, check it out as that was done often. As was the cross branch browser.

Sure Andy, will do.. :-)

moonkhanna

We keep all of our baseline assets (images, css, scripts, includes, etc.) in a seperate directory while each sub branch holds branch specific data. This approach has really helped the team become more efficient, particularly when dealing with client requests.

Moon, You can configure your proxy (iw.cfg, preconnect remaps) so that all of these common elements are redirected accordingly during preview. For lack of a better example, this is simply a regex that would point all */assets/* links of your sub-branches to your baseline branch.

As for workflows, well... they'd have to be configured to ensure these assets are published to the appropriate target(s).

thanks LMX

curiousmaverick

Then how Do I reach for an asset in another branch from another branch say using a browse button?

Regards,
Mav

nipper

There are a number of options for a cross branch browser. I suggest you start researching them.

ISCBorisB

Then how Do I reach for an asset in another branch from another branch say using a browse button?

Regards,
Mav

You've got to be kidding... You were using custom browsing few weeks ago - or did you just copy my code without
even slightest attempt to understand what you are doing and why?

moonkhanna

It becomes really simple after few trials and errors.

Check TeamSite® Administration Guide, Chapter Configuring the TeamSite Web Daemon and Proxy Server for details.
To give you an example, something like the following tells Proxy to redirect any request for *.gif or *.jpg to the STAGING
area of "Shared_Assets_Branch" Branch

[iwproxy_preconnect_remap]
_regex=(^/iw-mount/[^/]+/main/(.*)/(((WORKAREA|EDITION)/[^/]+)|STAGING)/(.*(\.gif|\.jpg)))$=/iw-mount/Shared_Assets_Branch/STAGING/$6

Hi Bo, Andy,

I tried the above, however this is only working for direct previews. For eg. if the file I am previewing has a reference\ include of another file which I want to be fetched from another branch.. Do we have any workarrounds for the scenario?

Just to be more clear - Say in Branch 1, if I am trying to preview file1, the preview is taking me to the branch as per the preconnect remap.

However, if I try to preview file2 in Branch 1 wherein file2 just includes file1 as a section, the preview now looks for file1 in Branch 1 only and does not get remapped to Branch configured in preconnect remap...?

nipper

Just to be more clear - Say in Branch 1, if I am trying to preview file1, the preview is taking me to the branch as per the preconnect remap.

However, if I try to preview file2 in Branch 1 wherein file2 just includes file1 as a section, the preview now looks for file1 in Branch 1 only and does not get remapped to Branch configured in preconnect remap...?

Don't be offended if I mention that your definition of "more clear" and mine are slightly different. Smiley Very Happy

It sounds like you are using server side includes here. That is very common for navigation menu, header, footer, etc. Those have yet another change you need to be able to virtualize them. Have you loaded the TS SSI module into IIS ?

moonkhanna

Don't be offended if I mention that your definition of "more clear" and mine are slightly different.

It sounds like you are using server side includes here. That is very common for navigation menu, header, footer, etc. Those have yet another change you need to be able to virtualize them. Have you loaded the TS SSI module into IIS ?

Andy, thanks for your response. Basically, these are aspx pages, which include pages into them from the Common Assets branch. However, even after remapping, what happens is that when I try previewing, one of the aspx pages, it looks for the included Page say xyz.aspx in the same branch.

If I try previewing xyz.aspx directly in this branch, it is previewed as per the remapping.

Any suggestions on this? the SSI Module is already installed.. Any other configurations, I need to make.

nipper

OK, this is different.

You are using ASPX, so you have something like this:

[html]
<%@ Register TagPrefix="Content" TagName="Page" src="~/some/path/to/some/file.ascx" %
[/html]

There are potentially a couple of issues. If you are using TS templates to generate this file (the aspx as well as the included file, ascx), and you are using iw_ostream to generate the 2nd file, then you TST is renaming the output file, even though you called it blah, it is being generated as zz_tst_123_me_blah.ascx

That is easy to overcome, there is a tech note I wrote on it, you should be able to search for it.

The second issue is IF you have the included file on a different branch from the aspx. I have never tried to get asp.net to use the proxy to decide which file to load

HTH

Andy

moonkhanna

Hi Andy,

Thanks for your response. Yes, you got it right. That is my issue. I am not templatising the ascx pages so we would be good there for now however I will go through your tech note for some more light on the topic.

Bo, All, Do you have any other suggestions for the issue?

nipper

Hi Andy,

Thanks for your response. Yes, you got it right. That is my issue. I am not templatising the ascx pages so we would be good there for now however I will go through your tech note for some more light on the topic.

Bo, All, Do you have any other suggestions for the issue?

1st, I doubt my tech article will help, that was for people needing to massage the name of the ascx. You do not need to do that.

start the proxy in debug mode and see if it is intercepting the loads in your aspx. I am not certain that it will. If it does, then the debug will help figure out the proper regex.

If this load bypasses the proxy (similar to SSI) then you have some more difficult issues.

ISCBorisB

Hi Andy,

Thanks for your response. Yes, you got it right. That is my issue. I am not templatising the ascx pages so we would be good there for now however I will go through your tech note for some more light on the topic.

Bo, All, Do you have any other suggestions for the issue?

Assets that are parsed by the Host Web Server are not parsed by iwproxy (It's simply too late for that - proxy
works after the *root* Page has been rendered by the Web Server).

So, you can not use IWOV Proxy to (re)map for example SSIs. IWOV provides few Web Server plug-ins to do that, "iwproxy_isapi.dll"
for IIS and "mod_iw_ts_rewrite.so" for Apache. (search for this names in Support, you'll get KB Articles explaining how to configure
all that, etc)

What you are trying to achieve is way out of the scope of my little *Proxy for Shared Images* note. I do not know if plug-ins I've
mentioned will cover .NET case (doubt it). If I were you - I would have contacted Support

nipper

Yea that was what I had thought, but I was not certain.

So, another option is to put the proxy functionality in the TPL. Something to the effect of, if the DCR is in preview mode only (you cannot do this for generate because the changed file will go to production), then change the load statement to map to a different workarea, probably running off of a different port.

moonkhanna

Thanks Bo, Andy,

I will contact Support.
I will post back the solution if Support gets me some better solution.