Using Business Workspaces 21.4 REST API to create a Business Workspace

Peter Forsbom · 2022-01-07T13:17:24+00:00

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I have configured a Business Application and a Business Object Type in xECM.

Now I am trying to create a Business Workspace as described in the REST API documentation.

The code for creating a "early" business workspace works fine:

{"parent_id":14180,"template_id":14183,"name":"John Doe","description":"Business Workspace of John Doe"}

But when I try to create a "late" business workspace with a bo_id then I get an error message :"Cannot get metadata from the business application ?. Business object type: ?, business object ID: 123456"

I also tried creating a "early" business workspace first and then doing a PUT /v2/businessworkspaces/{node_id}/workspacereferences to update the workspace reference but I get the same error message.

Now in my Business Application I have provided a bougus "Application Server Endpoint" and I suspect that the calls I am making with bo_id is trying to lookup this id in the Business Application.

In my project I am currently using the ECMLink web services but I would like to switch to the REST API. When I am using the createOrUpdateWorkspaces in ECMLink everything is working fine.

There is a line in the REST API documentation that I am puzzled about:

If the "template_id" is not provided, then the workspace template ID is determined from the values of "bo_type_id" and "bo_id".

Why would you need to use the bo_id to determine the template_id? You can set the template by setting "Workspace Template" when you configure your Business Object Type!

And one last thing: does anyone know if you can provide "Business Properties" when crating the Business Workspace?

Any input would be appreciated 👍️

Peter

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Comments

Clarke

You cannot make a true Business Workspace via the REST API, you can only make a Connected Workspace via the REST API.

Only ECMLink can create a true (linked) Business Workspace.

Regards,

-MC

Peter Forsbom

Yes I suspected that but why have they supplied xECM spesiffic parameters in the new 21.4 API

"bo_id": "<string>" - the business object ID.
"bo_type_id": <integer> - the business object type ID.
"bo_type": "<string>" - the business object type.
"ext_system_id": "<string>" - the external system ID.

These are all for Extended ECM.

And even some of the examples are using bo_id.

We have opened a ticket with OT regarding this.

regards

Peter

Appu Nair

Why is the rest api considered better, I assumed you are moving to REST because of long term supportability. I do not know the answer to the question so this is for me to understand.

In a traditional XECM rollout you will keep all configuration related to Business properties in Content Server

You will do a mapping of Business properties into Categories. Then the leading application's payload(SOAP assumed) consists of External System, BO Type, Primary Keys to Create the Object and then name value pairs which in turn gets parsed in CS to Category attributes .When I don my ECMLINK hat I do not know the category in the other system is Attr_12345_23

Cut to REST API my pay load now becomes riddled with Roles->Categories with me specifying Attr_12345_12 and a whole lot of others .In retrospect the leading application programmer donning that hat(me) has to know everything about Categories in the CS, that it will change between systems(not withstanding knowledge of the Uniquenames).

Is the additional overhead of mapping Business properties to Content Server saved in this implementation ?may be speed improved .

Please enlighten me so I can be a convert ...

Clarke

For ECMLink you can only put Users in Roles, not Groups.

Roles fully support Groups, you can add them via the GUI or the Connected Workspace REST API.

Just not via ECMLink, unless you have the special Partner patch, which unlocks the ability in ECMLink

KB16626140

Regards,

-MC

Clarke

I do see there is now Business Workspace REST API in 21.4

https://developer.opentext.com/apis/14ba85a7-4693-48d3-8c93-9214c663edd2/4403207c-40f1-476a-b794-fdb563e37e1f/5e5b5a07-69f3-4df2-a88d-535cae86e3f3#operation/createBusinessWorkspace

This is new, so now it is possible to create a "true" linked BWS via the REST (not just a Connected Workspace), if you can get it to work.

My Client, who is a fully Custom XECM installation (not with a Oscript SPI, like some) but with a much easier and cheaper C# SPI WSDL, I will see if I can get the REST call going and report back.

Regards,

-MC