work with object's attached files

There are many cases where you will want to associate external files with an OBEROn business object (for example, a Drawing object can have attached CAD files). To make this association, you must put the files into the object. This operation is called fileput.
Attaching a file to an OBEROn object allows other users to access this file that might not otherwise be accessible (for example when the file is stored into a personal directory of your PC).
A single object may have files in various types; this depends on the list of filetypes associated to the object's current lifecycle. The filetype specifies a kind of file (such as TEXT, OFFICE , CAD etc.) that may be placed into an object. It defines the default extension for the filename (.txt, .pdf, .xls etc.) and the mime-type which represent the programs to launch for document editing, viewing, or printing.

Adding files to an object

The OBEROn fileput feature allows files of various formats to be managed by the object.
The file is logically placed into a filespace depending on the object lifecycle's rules and it is physically placed into the local file system or into a remote file system associated to the filespace.
In particular, the final destination of the file's physical copy is determined by OBEROn according to the filespace protocol (http/ftp/file/database) and its associated localareas.
When a filespace doesn't have associated localareas the file is directly transferred to filespace's storage locations; on the other hand, when the filespace is locally replicated, the file copy is transferred to the user's default localarea if it is defined (or to the filespace otherwise).
All the process is completely transparent for the user.

To add the files, a user should have the fileput privilege activated in the current lifecycle stage . Users can add a files to an object by the "Domain Object Manipulation" client. Simply search/select the object and push the "File Put" button.

In the "File Put" form you can choose one or more files from your local file system according to the selected filetype's extension. You can also activate the overwrite and the unlock checks; their meaning is:
- overwrite: when activated all file for the same filetype will be removed before attach the new ones. Note: the fileput operation has the effect of updating the object with the latest version of the file; in other words, if a file with the same name for the selected filetype is already attached to the object, the file content will be updated with the new content.
- unlock: normally the file is marked as locked when attached to the object, this prevents other users from editing the file’s contents until the current user doesn't finish working with it.
Typically, the object holder will want to maintain editing control over the file. For example, the user may be editing a CAD file and the file is still undergoing changes. After the edit was completed, the user would remove the lock (checking this option during the fileput process).
- indexed: when a file is indexed, its content is extracted inside the platform and saved into the database; this allows the users to perform full text search inside object attachments and to retrieve objects on the basis of these filters. [Requires the Apache TIKA module]

An equivalent OOQL command might be:

The attached files will not change if you edit your own personal copy: any edits that you make to that file will not automatically appear in OBEROn. The only way to have those changes visible to other users is to either put the new version.

Getting/Removing object's attached files

The lifecycle definition can also designate when specified users, teams, and assignments have access to object's attached files. Once a file is attached to an object, it can be downloaded by other users who have the fileget access in the object's current lifecycle stage . If the file is not locked, another user who have the fileput access can edit and update it inside OBEROn, in this case you may want to replace your original copy with the one from OBEROn, or you may want to edit the file externally.
When a business object file is retrieved, a copy is made and placed in the folder specified into your local file system. This copy does not affect the OBEROn copy, still available to other users.
The file is not deleted from the filespace and remains under the control of OBEROn at all times, until you explicitly delete it.

Users can retrieve one or more files from an object by the "Domain Object Manipulation" client. Simply search/select the object and push the "File List" button.

In the "File List" form you can see all object's attached files; the blue point on the left and the yellow padlock icon indicate the default filetype and if the file is currently locked respectively.
For each file is also reported the filespace and the localarea(s) where a copy of it is physically stored; the brackets indicate where is placed the most updated file version.
A file can be locked during the fileget so that no one else can update the copy saved in OBEROn while you are working on it. When you complete the work on this file, you must put the file back into OBEROn in order to update the system with the new version.

Selecting the interested file(s) form the "File List" form, you can perform two kinds of operations:
- fileget: extract a copy of the files from OBEROn into the specified Path

- filelock / fileunlock: allow the user to lock an unlocked file or unlock a previous locked file without the need to download it. Obviously a user can unlock only files locked by himself.

There are two levels for locks: object lock and file lock. These are the rules:

- if an object is locked by another user you cannot lock it or perform other operations ( edit, fileput, progress..... )
- if you have the unlock privilege, you may unlock a locked object, but there is a flag to choice if extend or not the unlock to all attached files. So you can unlock the object but leave the locks on the files.
- if a file is locked by another user you can't update (fileput) the same file (or in other terms you can't overwrite the same file in the filespace)
- if you download a locked file, you can unlock it only if you are the locker
- you can upload and lock files even if there are other files locked by other users

Note: for executing these operations the user needs the fileput access right

- filedelete: remove the files from OBEROn
(this process doesn't remove physically the files from the OBEROn folders, but you will need an additional filespace defrag action to completely remove them)

Renaming the files

Users can also rename one or more attached files: simply searching/selecting the object and pushing the "File Rename" button.

By the "File Rename" form you can change the Original file name and you can also change the filetype. The first change has only effect on the meta-data and on the physical file name when the filespace or the localarea doesn't apply the file hashing. On the other hand, the filetype change has effect only on the hashed file names because they take the new filetype extension.

File synchronization

In the "File List" form you can also push the synchronize button. This process executes a synchronization between the filespace and all the localareas where the files are present; in other words the most recent version (for each file) will be replicated for other storage locations so that all of them will have the same updated copies. The synchronization command will affect all object's attached files.