Document Management API Code Snippet - Add Documents with Metadata

Sometimes customers will integrate the FileHold document management software system with other systems, databases and applications in their network or enterprise. While the majority of our wide ranging customer base use FileHold Document Management Software out of the box, there are customer examples who require an API for integration into other systems. For example, we have customers that have integrated with SAP, GlobalShop ERP, Java based systems via SOAP, Oracle E-Business Suite Financials, MS SharePoint, and custom intranet applications as well as various types of corporate enterprise information portals.

FileHold is a .NET 2.0 / 3.0 C# based system designed around a scalable, highly configurable web services oriented architecture.

This blog post features a useful code snippet that shows how you can add a document to the FileHold document management software system via the FileHold web services based API.

For those who do not understand what a code snippet is - this is an example of how to use code - not an entirely self contained piece of software.

============================
The Document Manager class has a method AddDocument and one of the
parameters is a array of FieldWithValues structure.



// ----------- code snippet


// get the fields definition for the schema

FieldDefinition[] fielddefinitions =
DocumentSchemaManager.GetDocumentSchemaFields( SchemaId );


//create the new schema values for the document

List fieldsWithValues = new List();


//for each schema field

foreach ( FieldDefinition field in fielddefinitions )

{

// only do for NON system fields

if ( !field.IsSystem )

{

FieldWithValue newFieldValue = = new
FieldWithValue();



//global field id

newFieldValue.FieldId = field.MetadataFieldId;



// define variable ob type object

object value = null;

// and now based on the field type assign the value

// if you want to assign default value

// value = field.InitialValue;



// if it is string

// value = "text of the metadata"



// if it is date

// DateTime dt = new DateTime( 2008, 4, 12 );

// value = dt;



// in case of dropdown menu

// get the menu items into array

// DropdownFieldChoice[] menuchoices =
DocumentSchemaManager.GetDropDownMenuItems(field.MetadataFieldId);

// // set the default null value

// value = new int[] { };

// foreach (DocumentSchemaManagerService.DropdownFieldChoice menu in
menuchoices )

// {

// if (menu.Value == YOU_MENU_FIELD_VALUE )

// {

// value = new int[] { menu.Id };

// break;

// }

// }



// set the value

newFieldValue.FieldValue = value;

// add the field value to the list

fieldsWithValues.Add( newFieldValue );

}

}



// now you can use the fieldsWithValues variable in the AddDocument method



// ----------- end of code snippet

Backing up FileHold Document Management Software

It has been a very busy last few weeks here at FileHold. We keep busy helping customers configure FileHold software and get the most out of their document management systems / software. We welcome questions about document management, document imaging and scanning or other IT, security or implementation questions you might have that are related to FileHold and document management in general.

In today's post I wanted to put some focus on the FileHold backup procedures PDF document that is available to any customer and is provided with our product materials and installation applications. Today's blog post is only to highlight the scope of backing up FileHold. It is not meant to replace the document itself. As always, test your backups and simulate disaster on a regular basis. The sales team at FileHold can sell a backup/test server license of FileHold to help you with your disaster planning efforts.

Items to back up in FileHold:

1) Document Repository storage folder structure
- Daily is recommended
Example: D:\DocumentRepository


2) Full Text Search folder structure
Example: D:\FullTextSearch\DTSIndex
- Daily backup is recommended


3) Backing up ADAM Repository
- Using the NTBackup/backup tool supplied in Windows Server 2003 you will want to backup the entire Microsoft ADAM folder structure - typically at C:\Program Files\Microsoft ADAM\FHURM\data
- Daily backup is recommended
- ADAM contains the users and group objects of your system
- ADAM can also contain Active Directory information if you are using Active Directory user/group synchronization which is optional.
- Microsoft wrote an interesting case study of our implementation of MS ADAM in FileHoldThis link opens up a Word document from the Microsoft site.


4) Backing up FileHold web application folder structure:
- A periodic backup of the ...inetpub/wwwroot/FH/FileHold web folder structure
- backing this up a few times a year is suggested.

5) FileHold Databases
- Finally - we recommend nightly backups of the 5 FileHold databases that start with ch_

ch_fulltextsearch
ch_documentrepository
ch_librarymanager
ch_userrolemanager
ch_workflowpersistencestore

Summary:
- We recommend that you do these backups at the same time - usually scheduling on a Saturday night or something is the best idea.
- We recommend that you stop the FH App Pool or web server services - this can all be done with Scheduler on the server to automate this. More on this topic is covered in the FileHold backup and recovery procedures document we provide.
- Obviously, there are more advanced ways of backing up a document management system like FileHold.
- There are server imaging products like Acronis True Image.
- Many of our customers use virtualization products like VMWare Corporation's virtual server technology to run FileHold and to simplify disaster recovery.

Let us know if you have any questions by commenting on this blog post or logging into the support system if you are a FileHold customer and opening up a help ticket.

Thanks.

Cameron Siguenza
VP Services
FileHold Systems Inc.

FileHold: Training Video - System Administration for FileHold Document Management Software

Today's post will showcase the System Administration portion of our online video training titles that are available for FileHold document management software customers around the world. These videos supplement the human touch provided by the FileHold support and implementation team when they work directly with customers in the training and configuring of the FileHold document management library. Our goal with each customer is to make document management implementation a simple and straightforward process.

Remember: FileHold's online help system is always available:

1) System Administration Series: 3 Videos
1a)FileHold User & Document Security Overview (15:06)

This tutorial video series is designed to help you to understand FileHold security and setup of the System Administration area of FileHold.

This presentation provides an overview of FileHold’s user and content security model and provides best practices guidance when planning your FileHold implementation.

This video covers the following topics;

1. FileHold Groups & roles bases security model
2. Locally Managed & Active Directory Domain managed user accounts
3. How documents are secured (content authentication)
4. Best practices when preparing to add users / documents

1b) Implementing your User & Document Security Standards (12:25)

This video provides step-by-step instruction on how to implement your user and document security standards in FileHold.Once the exercises in this video are complete you should be ready to test the security standards you have implemented prior to rolling it out to end users in the next video.

This video covers the following topics;

1. Create FileHold Groups & Assign roles to each group
2. Add users (or Import Synchronized Users from Active Directory)
3. Assign Users to FileHold Groups
4. Setup Document Type Memberships
5. Setup Cabinet memberships, drawers & sample folders

1c) Testing your User & Document Security Standards (5:06)

In this final video title of the System Administration series, this presentation focuses on how to test the security model you have implemented as a result of the exercises outlined in the implementing your security model video.

This video covers the following topics;

1. Test user / system security (authorization to File Cabinets and Folders)
2. Test document security (document permissions and authentication)
3. Test search security (Users can only search within Cabinets, Folders and File types that they are authorized to access)