Browsing FileSite from other programs

We are purchasing a product that we need to incorporate the ability for an end user to browse to filesite and copy a document to this other program for historical purposes. We don't want the copy to be managed by filesite, and we cannot change the code of the vendor's program. Is there a way to present filesite to windows as a drive or a network share using VB?

Thanks in advance,

Kevin Flock

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jny

We are purchasing a product that we need to incorporate the ability for an end user to browse to filesite and copy a document to this other program for historical purposes. We don't want the copy to be managed by filesite, and we cannot change the code of the vendor's program. Is there a way to present filesite to windows as a drive or a network share using VB?

Thanks in advance,

Kevin Flock

Do you mean that you would like to bring up the WorkSite Desktop Client Browse dialog - either from within your own Windows app or as an integration piece on top of the other thirdy party software - for the end-user to select a document, then download a copy of the document to the local system directory?

If so, what you may do is through the SDK API's, invoke an instance of the IMANEXT2Lib.IManBrowseCmd (imanext2.dll) to bring up the WorkSiteSite browse dialog for user to select the document. Through the ContextItems collection for the browse command object, you will be able to get a handle to the document user has selected. Then, call the GetCopy (IManDocument) which is exposed by the imanage.dll, to download the file.

Refer to this DevNet article for the use of the IMANEXT2Lib.IManBrowseCmd:

http://devnet.interwoven.com/site.fcgi/techlib/55393

The GetCopy Method is documented in the COM Object for WorkSite Developer's Reference Manual.pdf which is one of the SDK manual distributed with the iToolkit.

If it's something else, please explain in mored details. Perhaps use screen shots as well as a specific use-case scenario to illustrate what you're trying to achieve.

kevinflock

That is what I have been looking at, the issue is that the program I am trying to interface with is a pre-packaged deal, and is web based. When you click upload file, it brings up the explorer browse function. So I have been trying to think of a way to present the FileSite documents as a network share, shared drive, favorite - something of that nature that could be explored by other programs that are not designed to work with DM.

Any ideas on this? I am very new to the odcument management side of things.

Thanks,

Kevin

jny

That is what I have been looking at, the issue is that the program I am trying to interface with is a pre-packaged deal, and is web based. When you click upload file, it brings up the explorer browse function. So I have been trying to think of a way to present the FileSite documents as a network share, shared drive, favorite - something of that nature that could be explored by other programs that are not designed to work with DM.

Any ideas on this? I am very new to the odcument management side of things.

Thanks,

Kevin

Ok, so this other 3rd party software is a Web app. I'm, however, not clear on the "upload click file..." part. Where are you referring to in clicking file upload?

I'm not sure how you could present a FileSite document in the file system - unless you already had a copy of the document downloaded locally.

Since it's a Web app, you will not be able to invoke the IManBrowseCmd because its associated dialog object is a Windows control. Would it suffice to, instead, prompt the end-user for database name and document number, so that you can just use the imanage.dll to find the document object, then call the GetCopy method to download a copy of the file locally?

kevinflock

I should have put 'upload file' in quotes. It is just a button with a label 'upload file' that calls up the explorer file browser. Which is why I would either like to replace the explorer file browser, or have something such as a shared drive. The only problem I can see with something like a virtual drive would be that the documents would be copied down at the time of running (say at logon) and then be static until refreshed. If the document changed in FileSite, it would not change in the virtual drive. If there was a way to modifiy or replace the built in file open dialog in explorer to incorporate FileSite documents and standard explorer options (drives, desktop, mydocs, etc), that would be the best case scenario.

jny

I should have put 'upload file' in quotes. It is just a button with a label 'upload file' that calls up the explorer file browser. Which is why I would either like to replace the explorer file browser, or have something such as a shared drive. The only problem I can see with something like a virtual drive would be that the documents would be copied down at the time of running (say at logon) and then be static until refreshed. If the document changed in FileSite, it would not change in the virtual drive. If there was a way to modifiy or replace the built in file open dialog in explorer to incorporate FileSite documents and standard explorer options (drives, desktop, mydocs, etc), that would be the best case scenario.

It sounds like you'd like to bring the end-user to the WorkSite fileserver so to see the files Worksite stores. If that's the case, I don't recommend it. You should always go through the SDK to get a copy.

kevinflock

Not at all. I don't want to break the filesite security under any circumstanses. What I would like is something that appears LIKE explorer, but is in fact FileSite. Or something close. I just need for a user to be able to browse to his/her documents and download them from other programs other than word or outlook, and not have to copy to the desktop first to import them. Imagine if you were trying to attach a file to a yahoo email, and you browsed to it but were actually taking a copy from FileSite. That is the functionality I am trying to mimick.

jny

Not at all. I don't want to break the filesite security under any circumstanses. What I would like is something that appears LIKE explorer, but is in fact FileSite. Or something close. I just need for a user to be able to browse to his/her documents and download them from other programs other than word or outlook, and not have to copy to the desktop first to import them. Imagine if you were trying to attach a file to a yahoo email, and you browsed to it but were actually taking a copy from FileSite. That is the functionality I am trying to mimick.

There might be a way that you can build an url to the WorkSite Web app's browse window, so that your end-user can select the document to open either in the browser (read-only) or in its native app via integrated checkout option. Does that sound closer what you have in mind?

If so, I'll forward this to one of the web team members.

kevinflock

I just finished sniffing out the url for when I export a file. That sounds like exactly what I am trying to achieve. Do you think a direct url connection would be possible?

Thanks,

Kevin

jny

I just finished sniffing out the url for when I export a file. That sounds like exactly what I am trying to achieve. Do you think a direct url connection would be possible?

Thanks,

Kevin

I know it's possible to build an url to get to a specified document - not sure about an url to a browse window to select a document. But, I'll pass this thread onto my collegues to find out for certain. One of them should be able to respond to this thread directly.

kevinflock

A URL to get to a specific document would be great as well. While it would not be ideal, it would certainly be an acceptable second best. Can you direct me as to where to find the correct syntax? This would clear up an unresolved issue and allow us to move past it.

Thanks again,

Kevin Flock

jny

A URL to get to a specific document would be great as well. While it would not be ideal, it would certainly be an acceptable second best. Can you direct me as to where to find the correct syntax? This would clear up an unresolved issue and allow us to move past it.

Thanks again,

Kevin Flock

You can call a URL like this for each document.

http:///Worksite/scripts/GetDoc.aspx?latest=0&nrtid=!nrtdms:0:!session:blackhawks:!database:hockey:!document:6673,1:

where latest= [0 , 1] indicates if the link points to the latest version of the document or not, and "nrtid" is the moniker of the document.

This URL will launch a dialog as shown below from where the desired document operation can be performed.

Besides this there are other actions that can be performed on a document as described in the Addressable URLs for WorkSite Web Component Server chapter in the WorkSite Web Application Integration Toolkit guide.

The ObjectID mentioned by the WSW team is returned by the IManDocument.ObjectID property. The IManDocument Interface is exposed by the IManage.dll.

kevinflock

I've tried the getdoc.aspx but that only brings up the window that gives the options. I've was curious about export.js and the post to Export.aspx. I am hoping to have a one step process to pull a doc over from one app to another, or better, a browse option to browse and click. I will have to look over those documents you recommended. I know we have purchased the SDK, I just need to find where our software is...

Thanks,

Kevin

jny

I've tried the getdoc.aspx but that only brings up the window that gives the options. I've was curious about export.js and the post to Export.aspx. I am hoping to have a one step process to pull a doc over from one app to another, or better, a browse option to browse and click. I will have to look over those documents you recommended. I know we have purchased the SDK, I just need to find where our software is...

Thanks,

Kevin

Right, that will have to come from my collegue in the web team. She'll be responding to this post sometime today.

dabird

Hello Kevin,

With WorkSite Web, you can invoke our Enhanced Browse Dialog. This dialog allows you to select documents using the classic WorkSite tree or the enhanced search mode. The dialog is quite simple to invoke: you use the WorkSite Web URL and pass your specific parameters. To get the monikers of the selected documents, you must have a JavaScript callback function defined on the client-side in the web app. You would then have to pass the monikers to a custom web page that would then use the SDK to get a copy of the IManDocument objects. I am not sure if you'll be able to do this, though, given that you cannot customize the other web app in any way.

In any case, the Enhanced Browse Dialog is documented in the WorkSite Web Application Integration Toolkit, which is supplied with WorkSite Web. Note, though, that you must have a license for WorkSite Web to take advantage of this feature.

Sample URL:
http://server/worksite/BrowseDlgEx.aspx?title=Select%20Documents&contentType=8120&mutliSelect=1&callback=myCustomFunction

kevinflock

Wow, this look slike exactly where I am trying to go with this. I have also looked at the web docs with the list of url's and tried using

http://server/WorkSite/scripts/Export.aspx?nrtid=!nrtdms:0:!session:filesiteserver:!database:currentdb:!document:6568562,1:!dueDate:10-1-2008:&redirect=/WorkSite/scripts/home.aspx

Without the !dueDate variable I recieved a java error "'dueDate' is null or not an object' .

So I added !dueDate and made up a date. Now I am getting "doc.IsCompound' is null or not an object"

Any idea how many more varialbes I need to add in? What am I missing here?

dabird

You only need to pass the moniker and a redirect to Export.aspx. Your URL without dueDate should work. I tried the following URL with 8.2 SP1 P3 with success:

http://server/WorkSite/scripts/Export.aspx?nrtid=!nrtdms:0:!session:filesiteserver:!database:currentdb:!document:6568562,1:&redirect=/WorkSite/scripts/home.aspx

kevinflock

Just to prove I am not crazy.... I need to find out exactly what version we have installed. That may be the issue.

kevinflock

We are running 8.2.38. Also, my browsedlg only has the lefthand window. Is there a manual I can read for this? Have I completely overlooked something?

Thanks,

Kevin

**** Update - yes I did miss something. BrowseDLGEX. I have trouble reading sometimes... I swear I went to school.

**** One more update - Is the BrowseDLGEx matter centric only? I cannot see 'My Folders'??

dabird

Thanks for attaching the picture. I dug into our release notes and found that bug was fixed in 8.2 SP1 P2: [NT-12235] Cannot export documents from WorkSite Web when forming a URL not invoked from the Action menu. You are currently using 8.2 SP1.

BrowseDlgEx is not matter centric. My Folders should be under WorkSite Explorer | Database | My Folders. If you don't see the WorkSite Explorer node, go to User Options and make sure that it is enabled in the Browse Dialog options.

ppa

I know that I am very late to bring my comment on this post but it may be useful for others.

We are using a 3rd party program called Link2Dms from RBro Solutions www.rbrosolutions.com (only for users that have Filesite). It allows to expose the Filesite filing structure and documents when a user hit a Upload, Download, Open or Save buttons in most applications.

It works very well and it is easy to configure. For example, with Link2DMS, we have integrated an HP scanner software, WEB upload and download, Save PDF from a browser, save reports from a legacy application.