Access Area

What are access areas used for?

Access areas are used as an organizational tool to group elements. Elements are objects, templates, pages, users, and environments. If you group certain elements into an access area, only a user permitted in that access area will have permission to view, edit, or modify that element. Access areas are ideal for a company with different divisions, channels, or departments such as HR, Finance, Services and Sales. An access area can be created for each section of the organization and only users in that division will have access to their own area. An administrator can create as many access areas as needed.

 

How do I set an element to an access area?

To assign elements to access areas, you should first locate the panel that corresponds to the element that you will be setting. Select the element (Page, Object, User, etc) to be assigned. Click the element name and choose Set Access Area from the pop up menu. An Access Area Assignment Wizard should then pop up. The left window lists all access areas on your site and the right window lists the access areas the element you selected is assigned to. To assign an access area to the element, select an access area in the left window and click the arrow pointing to the right. You should now see the access area you selected listed in the right window. Click Submit to set the element to the access area.

 

What is the use of the Public Access Area?

The public access area is the default area. All elements on your site will default to belonging to the public access area. This means that all users that have not been set to an access area will have view, edit or modify permissions to those elements.

 

Asset

Are images and assets the same thing?

Yes. Anything that you see on your web site that is not text can be considered an asset. Assets are used as containers to organize and access images, sound files, and multimedia files from a web page. Any binary file can be uploaded into an asset (.jpg, .gif, .swf, .psd, .doc, .pdf, .wav, .aif, .exe).

 

How do I add an image to a page?

The easiest way to add an image to a page is to use keywords in your HTML.. For example, you can just write out Image(your_image_name) leave no spaces in between the parenthesis and be sure the I is capitalized. You can also create an image object so that you don’t have to use key words. The image object is then placed into the content layout and allows you to select the image from the folder you stored it in.

 

 

Category

How are categories used?

Categories are used to organize page elements mainly for navigational purposes. Page navigation user functions can be configured to create linked page lists collecting pages in the same categories to provide dynamic drop-down lists, link lists, etc.

 

Can both pages and articles be placed into categories?

Yes, pages and articles can be placed into categories. Each article page created using aggregation is assigned one or more categories such as Economy, Sports, etc. These are then used for sorting the article pages when they are displayed, making sure the Economy articles are on the Economy pages and so on.

 

To sort pages, categories can be made to represent a single user or group of users. All pages created by this user or group can be attached to that category for easy reference later.

 

 

Deployment

How is deployment used?

Consultant will configure the deployment engine as specified by the client’s system requirements.

WCM generates a scenario configuration file based on the page and environment data it has received. The file is then parsed by the deployment engine, which extracts the necessary data from the file to accurately place the correct files in the correct place. Using the scenario file, the deployment engine collects the elements that it needs to perform the deployment. The deployment engine also checks the pages for related elements that need to be deployed at the same time. Before starting the file transfer the deployment engine checks what elements actually need to be deployed. In many cases the only deployment that needs to be done will be to update the html files on the other server. During deployment to a file server, FileNET WCM generates the necessary HTML files from its database and transfers them to the new server. The deployment is recorded in the deployment ledger for further reference.

 

Do I need other environments in order for deployment to work?

Yes. Deployment is performed to an environment defining the target of the deployment as well as the language/format combination of the specific environement. Any given environment can only contain one target and one language/format combination. However, a page can be set to be deployed to an unlimited number of environments.

 

What is the difference between a target and an enivronmemt?

Targets contain the settings for the receiving servers and databases for the deployments. Among the settings are the preferred method of transfer (for example ftp, sftp, cp, db), the location (path) on the server where the files are going to be stored where as an environment will define the target.

 

Language/Format

What is the difference between language and format?

Even though languages and formats are set up separately, they are always handled in pairs. For each language created, a language/format pair will be generated. At generation time FileNET WCM will check the pair for conflicts, and notify the user. The available language/format options and their status can be viewed in the Language/Format Panel. The default/default pair is set to English/HTML.

 

Why would I need to set up new formats or languages?

Languages and formats permit a user to maintain parallel handling of different versions of the same page. Pages or sites can be generated and managed in different language extensions (English, French, German, etc.) and for different browsing environments (web, wireless and Printer friendly, etc.) using the FileNET WCM administrative interface.

 

Object

How are objects typically used?

An object is a container that can be filled with content of various types. Objects are the building blocks of the whole FileNET WCM concept. Everything seen (and not seen) on a web page is ideally contained in an object. This includes text contained in text objects, images contained in image objects, meta data and page descriptions contained in meta data objects and description objects, etc. The objects may be filled with content that is unique for a specific page (such as page-specific text) or content that should be shared across a large number of pages (such as a corporate logo).

 

I have placed HTML code in an object and now I see the HTML code on the page. Why did this happen?

As you were creating your object, you should see 3 check boxes as the wizard comes to your screen. In the Value tab you will see 2 check boxes under “Extra Info”. Parse and Preserve line Breaks. If you check preserve line breaks, this means with every carriage return you have in the object, it will get translated to a carriage return (or <br> tag) when you see it on your page. If you have Parse checked, this will allow the object to be parsed as code, and that is why the HTML cold appears on the page.

 

What are object groups?

Object groups are used to manage meta-data about the pages of a site D information about the pages themselves that will not be immediately visible on the published web pages. Example of meta-data could be: author, creation date, references, editing notes, etc. Object groups can also be used to add content to HTML meta data tags for each page by adding a meta data object to the page template and then add it to an object group. The content addedd to the meta data object is then added in the meta data tags of the HTML page created.

 

Page

Can I create a page just using a template?

No. When you initially create a page, you will need to pick out a content layout before it lets you go to the next step of page creation. The template sets the look and feel of the site where as the content layout is the way your images and text will be structured.

 

I’ve accidentally deleted a page that I need back. How do I do this?

After you have deleted your page, you will see that your page title has now turned red. Click on the page title. You should see three options: Purge, Set Access Area, and Undelete. Select Undelete and your page will be back.

 

 

Post Process

What does the post processor do?

Post Processors are plug-in Perl programs that enable a FileNET WCM programmer to perform specific operations and/or modifications on page content during the generation process before the actual HTML file is generated. These modifications could include finding and replacing words, cleaning up the code, etc.

 

Do I need to be a programmer in order to use the post processors?

No. New Post Processors can be added my an administrator by using the panel. This does not require any programming.

 

What are conditions?

Conditions are used to select the pages that will be affected by the actions of a post processor. By creating an action you re-use one of the pre-defined post processor programs defined for WCM.

 

Report

Can I see how many people have logged into the site using the report panel?

You can only see when logged in users have modified objects/templates or pages on your site. You will also be able to see if an element is deleted.

 

I see that the status is bad for one of the report logs. What does that indicate?

This indicates that the operation performed by the user failed. Likewise, an indication of good will appear if the operation performed successfully.

 

Role

What is the difference between the user role and the system role?

A user role provides access to User type elements such as Pages, Objects, Templates, etc. whereas System roles are connected to the system elements of a site such as workflows, roles, etc.

 

What is the role of the super user?

The super user has the greatest permissions in the site. This user can define new roles and modify existing roles. This user will have the permissions to access any element on the site.

 

Site

What is the use of having more than one site?

All site management functions are accomplished through the Site Panel. FileNET WCM provides a collaborative working environment by maintaining all site components on a carefully managed database. When connected to a website through the FileNET WCM administrative component, a user will be physically updating a database.

New sites can be created as placeholders for created pages. In the Site panel, all other aspects of a site can also be controlled.

 

What is LDAP import?

The FileNET WCM LDAP import functionality provides a means of importing user data stored in an LDAP directory and implement it on an FileNET WCM site. The LDAP import process does not have a front end interface. It is typically initiated from the command line.

 

Can I push pages from one site to another site?

If you have configured deployment properly, you will be able to push your pages from one site to another.

 

Template

I’ve created a template and see that I don’t have any keywords in it. Will the template still work?

Yes, your template will still work, however if you do not have the keyword “wms_content”, none of the content layouts selected on step 2 of the page wizard will show up on your page. It is best to have the keywords recommended in your template to ensure proper usage of the software.

 

I don’t know HTML. Do I need to know it in order to create a template?

Yes. The template is the controlling factor in who a FileNET WCM web page will look. It is an HTML table that places the common elements shared by multiple pages on a site, as well as the main page content that will differ from page to page.

 

User

How do I set access control of a user I just added?

A user will not be able to do anything on a site without the proper access control set up. Access Control is the combination of a User, a Role, and an Access Area. A user’s access control will consist of a number of Role Assignments (combinations of roles and access areas) defining what actions the user will be able to perform on elements in the different access areas throughout the site.

 

What are the different user types or roles?

There are six basic roles. These include visitor, proofreader, writer, site developer, manager, and administrator. Each one of these levels will have at least one similar corresponding role. In some cases they will be translated into several roles as roles cannot contain both system type operations (System Role) and user element type operations (User Role).

 

User Function

Do I need to create a user function object in order for the user function to work properly?

To create and implement a user function on a page you have to use the a user function object. These objects work just like any other object in FileNET WCM and can be inserted on any page, layout or template as needed.

 

Why do I need to use user functions? Can’t I just create Dynamic HTML to populate navigation?

You can use DHTML to populate navigation but user functions can allow you to do that with little code. The FileNET WCM User Functions makes it possible to add advanced navigation features on pages by inserting pre-formatted User Function objects in the page, layout or template for the page.

 

 

Word Integration

How do I set up Microsoft Word Integration?

First and foremost make sure you are running Ms Windows 2000, MS Word 2000, and MS Internet Explorer of 5.5 or higher. Click on help in any panel and select “About FileNET WCM”. A pop up window will appear listing the version of your software as well as a bunch of shortcut links. Click on “Microsoft Word Integration”. Click on the red Install link. Open or Save the executable file. Double click on the plugin to install (plugin.exe). This will place the FileNET WCM Template file (egrail.dot) in the (Startup templtes ) in MS Word. It will also create a new entry in the registry. When MS Word launches it will ask you to accept macros. Answer yes. When MS Word has started you will see three new buttons in the toolbar.

 

What are the differences between the 2 new icons I see on my Microsoft Word interface?

One imports the new document into eGrail. The other icon updates or modifies a document that you have already created in work. Mouse over the two icons and it will show you which is which.

 

Can I use images in my word document to be imported into WCM?

Yes, you can use images in your word document. It will get imported into WCM Filenet Assets.

 

Workflow

What is the difference between implicit and explicit assignments?

An implicit assignment is a workflow set to start automatically as a user creates a page. An explicit assignment is a workflow set up by a manager when a page needs to be created.

 

What is hot versioning?

When an element (page, asset or template) is modified by a user a workflow will kick off (if the user is set up with a workflow for the particular element type and access area). At this point a Hot Version of the element is created by the workflow module leaving the original copy of the element — the Stable Version — still available for browsing and some other basic functionality such as deployment of a page or an asset. When the workflow has been completed and the hot versioned element has been deployed it overwrites the stable version. This way hot versioning provides the means to maintain two versions of element, one stable version accessible from the element panel and the hot version copy of the element in workflow.

 

Do I need to be a manager in order to create a workflow process?

The Administrator is responsible for creating and maintaining the workflows using a graphical user interface. The Manager makes explicit task assignments and monitors task status. The User performs tasks either implicitly or explicitly assigned to him.