Getting all the referenced objects

Hi,

What's the API to use for getting all the referenced objects for a given ManagedObject? I am looking for the exact same results as if you were clicking on the Properties button of a content instance and then clicking on the References tab.

Thanks!

Victor

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William_Thayer

In com.vignette.as.client.javabean.ManagedObject

static ManagedObjectVCMRef[] getReferredManagedObjects(ManagedObjectVCMRef vcmReferrer)

Get the referent ManagedObjects that the specified ManagedObject refers to.

static ManagedObjectVCMRef[] getReferringManagedObjects(ManagedObjectVCMRef vcmReferent)

Get the ManagedObjects that refer to the specified referent ManagedObject.

Will Thayer
Principal Consultant | Avalon Consulting, LLC
P: 720-480-2163

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On Thu, May 29, 2014 at 12:33 PM, eLink Entry: Discussion Group - Web Experience Management <v7webcontentmanagement@elinkkc.opentext.com> wrote:

Getting all the referenced objects Posted byvwang@toronto.ca (****, Victor)On 05/29/2014 02:18 PM

Hi, What's the API to use for getting all the referenced objects for a given ManagedObject? I am looking for the exact same results as if you were clicking on the Properties button of a content instance and then clicking on the References tab. Thanks! Victor
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Forum: Discussion Group - Web Experience Management
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Victor_Wang

Thanks for the API. I tried it out, and found out that it doesn't return all the references. For example, I have an Article which contains a link to another Channel. I didn't see that channel object in the returned referred objects array. Does the system manage the reference between content instances/static files only?

Thanks.

David_Stiles

The API specified by Will is the API used in the references tab in the UI. Do you see the channel in question listed in the references tab? I’m guessing you do not.

The system does not manage only references between content instances and static files. But the reference object API methods only return what are considered “managed references”. You can define an attribute on a content type that can hold values that you consider to logically be references to other objects. But if the attribute is not defined structurally to be a reference attribute then the system wont have any awareness that you are storing reference values in the attribute and therefore wont manage those references. This is still a valid use case, but you can’t expect these values to be treated as actual references by the system, which means that the objects being referred to wont be managed as such (i.e. they wont be automatically published, exported or reported as references).

Defining an attribute to be a reference attribute structural is a detailed task, but this is typically handled for you by the widgets you assign to attributes. For example, a selection type of widget will typically be a reference widget that configures the attribute it is assigned to as a reference attribute.

From: eLink Entry: Discussion Group - Web Experience Management [mailto:v7webcontentmanagement@elinkkc.opentext.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2014 3:46 PM
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Subject: Re Getting all the referenced objects

Re Getting all the referenced objects

Posted byvwang@toronto.ca (****, Victor) On 05/29/2014 04:44 PM

Thanks.

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Topic:	Getting all the referenced objects
Forum:	Discussion Group - Web Experience Management
Content Server:	Knowledge Center

Victor_Wang

Thanks David for the insightful explaination. What I found in the system is actually quite interesting. Here is an example:

In an article with TinyMCE widget, I create the following links:

- link to a CI with channel association

- link to a CI with no channel association

- link to a channel

Then, in the References tab of the article, I only see the reference to one of the articles, and don't see the reference to the channel at all.

Through API, it returns me all the referenced CIs, but not the channel.

Is this behaviour in the references tab and API by design, or should I open a support ticket regarding this?

Thanks!

David_Stiles

I’m probably not the best person to help you here. I can tell you a lot about what is possible at a low level (i.e. at the API level), but I’m far less familiar with the behavior of specific widgets, so I couldn’t be certain if what you see is expected or not. Others here could probably help more, but opening a ticket might get you to the answers you need quicker.

One thing that could be involved here, and which I avoided mentioning before while trying to keep my explanation simple, is something called ad-hoc references. At the API level, ad-hoc references allow you to define arbitrary references between two objects without requiring you to manage reference data in user defined attributes. They are not represented in the structural definition of a given content type, but they are still managed references. In general, ad-hoc references can be used in any way you choose, but one system usage is that certain types of widgets (and I don’t know, but perhaps the TinyMCE widget is one) convert embedded links contained in attribute data into ad-hoc references. Depending on a given widget’s features, it may also be configurable to indicate which types of links should be treated as managed references or not, or it could be that links to certain types of objects are never converted to ad-hoc references with certain widgets. Perhaps this is all related to the behavior you are seeing.

From: eLink Entry: Discussion Group - Web Experience Management [mailto:v7webcontentmanagement@elinkkc.opentext.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2014 1:11 PM
To: eLink Recipient
Subject: RE Re Getting all the referenced objects

RE Re Getting all the referenced objects

Posted byvwang@toronto.ca (****, Victor) On 06/03/2014 02:08 PM

Thanks David for the insightful explaination. What I found in the system is actually quite interesting. Here is an example:

In an article with TinyMCE widget, I create the following links:

- link to a CI with channel association

- link to a CI with no channel association

- link to a channel

Then, in the References tab of the article, I only see the reference to one of the articles, and don't see the reference to the channel at all.

Through API, it returns me all the referenced CIs, but not the channel.

Is this behaviour in the references tab and API by design, or should I open a support ticket regarding this?

Thanks!

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Topic:	Getting all the referenced objects
Forum:	Discussion Group - Web Experience Management
Content Server:	Knowledge Center

Qutubuddin

To best of my knowledge this is intentional product behavior and not a bug.

There are good reasons for not adding references for embedded channel link. It can be simply stated as to avoid complex dependencies.

If a channel is added as a reference to content then their will be pretty complex implications

<![if !supportLists]>- <![endif]>Implications to security model.

<![if !supportLists]>- <![endif]>Implication to publishing validation.

<![if !supportLists]>- <![endif]>Implication to export / import tool.

etc.

Best Regards

Qutubuddin Saifuddin
Architect I America Services Organization

Phone: (732) 354 4423
Mobile: (732) 397 7951

Website: www.opentext.com

This email message is confidential, may be privileged, and is intended for the exclusive use of the addressee. Any other person is strictly prohibited from disclosing orreproducing it. If the addressee cannot be reached or is unknown to you, please inform the sender by return email and delete this email message and all copies immediately.

From: eLink Entry: Discussion Group - Web Experience Management [mailto:v7webcontentmanagement@elinkkc.opentext.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2014 2:11 PM
To: eLink Recipient
Subject: RE Re Getting all the referenced objects

RE Re Getting all the referenced objects

Posted byvwang@toronto.ca (****, Victor) On 06/03/2014 02:08 PM

Thanks David for the insightful explaination. What I found in the system is actually quite interesting. Here is an example:

In an article with TinyMCE widget, I create the following links:

- link to a CI with channel association

- link to a CI with no channel association

- link to a channel

Then, in the References tab of the article, I only see the reference to one of the articles, and don't see the reference to the channel at all.

Through API, it returns me all the referenced CIs, but not the channel.

Is this behaviour in the references tab and API by design, or should I open a support ticket regarding this?

Thanks!

[To post a comment, use the normal reply function]
Topic:	Getting all the referenced objects
Forum:	Discussion Group - Web Experience Management
Content Server:	Knowledge Center

Victor_Wang

Hi David,

I checed all the ad hoc references too. That channel is not in those references neither. I will open a support ticket on this one. Thanks.

Mario_DAnna

You don't have to open a ticket, you should read the posts on this forum.

Many times we have pointed out that no reference is created to channel linked from the inline link widget/EditLiveJava/TinyMCE for many reasons.

What you see, therefore, is the correct and expected behaviour

ciao

Mario

From: eLink Entry: Discussion Group - Web Experience Management [mailto:v7webcontentmanagement@elinkkc.opentext.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 04, 2014 4:22 PM
To: eLink Recipient
Subject: RE RE Re Getting all the referenced objects

RE RE Re Getting all the referenced objects

Posted byvwang@toronto.ca (****, Victor) On 06/04/2014 10:15 AM

Hi David,

I checed all the ad hoc references too. That channel is not in those references neither. I will open a support ticket on this one. Thanks.

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Topic:	Getting all the referenced objects
Forum:	Discussion Group - Web Experience Management
Content Server:	Knowledge Center

Victor_Wang

Thank you all for the response and explainations.