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Output File and DCR Name

smarchetti

I am looking for a way to automatically determine the output file name for a generated page based on the name of the DCR. I am trying to eliminate the user prompt that asks for output file name and presentation template choice. I have tried to experiment with the Form Settings panel, but that seems to only affect the output options for the current session. Any suggestions?

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Sean Marchetti
smarchetti@hess.com

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Adam Stoller

Handle content creation through workflows *only* - and that way you can prevent users from ever, manually, using the Generate function - and thus you can control the arguments provided to iwgen / iwpt_compile.ipl and base the output filename on the dcrname.

--fish
Senior Consultant, Quotient Inc.
http://www.quotient-inc.com

smarchetti

I was afraid that would be the response. Where would you suggest that the workflow gets "kicked off?" All of my users will be using Content Center Standard.

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Sean Marchetti
smarchetti@hess.com

Adam Stoller

That's more problematic - you'll have to have the workflow instantiation form prompt for the proper branch / workarea (simplified if you only have one workarea per branch) and then from there you prompt for information that you need to determine the category/data-type directory (use sub-directories under data/ to map directly to content directory structure under root of workarea / document root on web-server) and dcr name.

Basically you need to *design* the solution first, implement the solution and then train the users.... (hopefully the implementation will make training simple...)

--fish
Senior Consultant, Quotient Inc.
http://www.quotient-inc.com

iwovGraduate

you'll have to have the workflow instantiation form prompt for the proper branch / workarea

I think this is because CCStd does not have a context of a area from the main page ?
Not tried this, however if you are invoking the workflow via the tt_data event, the DCR would be attached to the workflow and I would think that the branch/area vpath information can be passed to the workflow, without the need for prompting the user for branch/workarea information.

Adam Stoller

Correct - CCStd does not provide context so you need to prompt for that information. CCPro (like WDP) provides context so you do *not* have to prompt in that circumstance.

Using tt_data is irrelevent if you're trying to control the content creation process because you would only be creating the DCRs *within* the context of the workflow and not initiating a workflow after the creation of a DCR.

--fish
Senior Consultant, Quotient Inc.
http://www.quotient-inc.com

Dwayne

Using tt_data is irrelevent if you're trying to control the content creation process because you would only be creating the DCRs *within* the context of the workflow and not initiating a workflow after the creation of a DCR.

I don't know -- I don't see anything in the original post that would invalidate the model of kicking off the workflow on save of a DCR. Granted, you've got more control if the workflow is responsible for the process even before that, but I don't see that it's a requirement in this case, based on the information provided so far.

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Current project: TS 5.5.2/6.1 W2K

iwovGraduate

I get the idea. I was under the assumption that creation of DCRs (or is it called Forms now ?) can happen outside the context of a workflow, generate happens only from within a workflow.

Adam Stoller

Ah - yes, okay - you could just mask out the abilty to generate from the UI and only allow that to happen from within a workflow context and then be able to control the name of the output file within the workflow - but you still need the users to create the DCR with the right name in the right directory structure in order to automate things properly - and that's why I tend to prefer to put the content creation process *within* the workflow rather than have it happen outside.

--fish
Senior Consultant, Quotient Inc.
http://www.quotient-inc.com

smarchetti

Isn't it possible to automatically generate the name of a DCR using FormAPI? If this is the case, you could automatically set the name of the DCR (remove all buttons from the DCT except preview), and kick off the workflow when the user clicks "Finished." The workflow could then handle generation.

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Sean Marchetti
smarchetti@hess.com

Adam Stoller

It depends - I'm not sure how well the auto-naming algorithms work for situations where you want to use sub-directories under the 'data/' directory - so you'll end up moving the browse functionality into the DCT if you want data/sub-dir structure. (you'd have to do the browsing within the workflow context too - but it can be handled in a variety of ways with a bit more freedom than trying to do it from the templating UI)

If you don't care about using a sub-dir structure under data/ (a mistake IMO) then yes, simple autonaming can provide you with the DCR from which you can then initiate a workflow.

Another reason why I like pre-creating the DCR via a workflow is that you can make more use of FormAPI for hiding/exposing fields based on the location of the DCR (something which won't work if the DCR doesn't already exist).

--fish
Senior Consultant, Quotient Inc.
http://www.quotient-inc.com