Getting started with the Web Interface
The Web Interface allows you to use the same functionality in a simple web browser like the Generic Tool Adaptor or the Eclipse plugin has. Any kind of web browser can be used which supports the HTML 4.01.
With this extension your users do not have to install OTIF to use OTIF functions. If you install OTIF and setup the MS IIS web server on your server machine, your users may publish or fetch any kind of documents through a web browser.
How to use the package
- First of all you have to setup your IIS web server:
- You have to setup the home directory of your web site. Go to the "Start Menu/Administrative Tools/Internet Information Services" and click on it.
- Go to the "Web Sites/Default Web Site" and click on the Properties. Click on the "Home Directory" label and set the "Local Path" of the web site.
- The "Local Path" should be set to the [OTIF_installation_directory]/www. The OTIF installation directory is "C:\Program Files\ISIS\OTIF" by default. So the "Local Path" should be something similar to "C:\Program Files\ISIS\OTIF\www".
- The installation process set the correct rights for the www folder, but you may check it. The Guests
Group has to have Read&Execute, List Folder Contents and Read rights on the www folder and Modify, Read&Execute, List Folder Contents, Read and Write rights on the upload folder under www folder.
- You have to start the Default Web Site, (Don't forget to start the Backplane server process!) and check if everything works correctly. Open a web browser window and go to 127.0.0.1, you should see the OTIF Generic Tool Adaptor screen.
- Let's see how you can publish or fetch documents:
- First you have to choose which tool adaptor type you may use to connect to the Backplane server. Your web browser box will act like the specified ToolAdaptor type.
- Use the Publish document button to publish a document. The
Paradigm field show you the corresponding paradigm.
- Use the Subscribe button to subscribe to a paradigm. After subscription the available documents will appear in the web page when the page is refreshed and there are available documents.
- Use the Unsubscribe button to unsubscribe from a paradigm.
- When you publish a document you may specify an XSLT document or attachments. The document will be processed by this XSLT file before publishing it. You have to specify the number of the attachment files on the web page if you want to send attachments with the document.
- When a document is available you may use the Request document to fetch the document. After the request process you may download the document from the web server using the
Download button.
- When you request a document you may specify an XSLT document. The fetched document will be translated by this XSLT file.
- If you want to end your web page session, please use the Click here to logout link to log out from the Backplane server.
How to create your own OTIF site
You need to be familiar with Active Server Page technology, a
good start point can be the ASP pages in [OTIF_installation_directory]/www. This
simple OTIF site implements all the functionality that you can find in Generic
Tool Adaptor.
The pages are using interface provided by [OTIF_installation_directory]/bin/Generic_ToolAdaptor_ActiveX.ocx
to generate HTML pages.
The interface methods are the follows:
STDMETHOD(initialize)(/*[in]*/ BSTR parameters, /*[out,retval]*/ BSTR *err);
STDMETHOD(remoteTypes)(/*[out,retval]*/ BSTR *ret);
STDMETHOD(remoteParadigms)(/*[out,retval]*/ BSTR *ret);
STDMETHOD(getActions)(/*[out,retval]*/ BSTR *ret);
STDMETHOD(getSubscribable)(/*[out,retval]*/ BSTR *ret);
STDMETHOD(getPublishable)(/*[out,retval]*/ BSTR *ret);
STDMETHOD(loginToolAdaptor)(/*[in]*/ BSTR type, /*[out,retval]*/ BSTR *err);
STDMETHOD(publishDocument)(/*[in]*/ BSTR name, /*[in]*/ BSTR version, /*[in]*/
long keepAlive, /*[in]*/ BSTR remarks,
/*[in]*/ BSTR filename, /*[in]*/ BSTR xslt_filename, /*[in]*/ BSTR attachments,
/*[in]*/ long update_id, /*[out,retval]*/ BSTR *err);
STDMETHOD(subscribeParadigm)(/*[in]*/ BSTR par_name, /*[in]*/ BSTR par_version,
/*[out,retval]*/ BSTR *err);
STDMETHOD(availableDocuments)(/*[out,retval]*/ BSTR *ret);
STDMETHOD(requestDocument)(/*[in]*/ BSTR extension, /*[in]*/ BSTR mga_par,
/*[in]*/ BSTR directory, /*[in]*/ long doc_id,
/*[in]*/ BSTR xslt_filename, /*[out,retval]*/ BSTR *err);
STDMETHOD(availableGMEParadigms)(/*[out,retval]*/ BSTR *ret);
STDMETHOD(logout)(/*[out,retval]*/ BSTR *ret);
STDMETHOD(unsubscribeParadigm)(/*[in]*/ BSTR par_name, /*[in]*/ BSTR par_version,
/*[out,retval]*/ BSTR *err);
STDMETHOD(getExistingDocuments)(/*[out,retval]*/ BSTR *ret);
You need to design your own ASP site and implement (with VBS
or JScript) the control using the methods above to reach OTIF's core
functionality.
Dependencies
This package depends on (and fully compatible with):
- OTIF v1.3.5
- Microsoft IIS 5.0 and higher
Contact and support
If you have any question, please contact: Andras Lang
Upgrades, accessories are posted to the project website
Credits