Is anyone able to define a remote endpoint in Share and Surf?

[darryl_staflund]

Hi every,

According to the new Wrox Alfresco book (pp. 306 - 309), the proper way of defining a remote end-point in Alfresco is to define <authenticator />, <connector />, and <endpoint /> elements and invoke them using the Webscript 'remote' object.

For instance, if I define the following connector objects in a configuration file:

	<config evaluator="string-compare" condition="Remote">
		<remote>
			<authenticator>
				<id>proof-of-concept-authenticator</id>
				<name>Proof-of-Concept Authenticator</name>
				<description>Proof-of-Concept Authenticator</description>
				<class>org.alfresco.connector.AlfrescoAuthenticator</class>
			</authenticator>
			<connector>
				<id>proof-of-concept-connector</id>
				<name>Proof-of-Concept Connector</name>
				<description>Proof-of-Concept Connector</description>
				<class>org.alfresco.connector.AlfrescoConnector</class>
				<authenticator-id>proof-of-concept-authenticator</authenticator-id>
			</connector>
			<endpoint>
				<id>proof-of-concept-endpoint</id>
				<name>Proof-of-Concept Endpoint</name>
				<description>Proof-of-Concept Endpoint</description>
				<connector-id>proof-of-concept-connector</connector-id>
				<endpoint-url>http://localhost:8080/alfresco/service</endpoint-url>
				<identity>user</identity>
			</endpoint>
		</remote>
	</config>

I should be able to connect to the defined endpoint using the following script:

var connector = remote.connect("proof-of-concept-endpoint");
model.result = connector.get("/path/to/a/remote/service");

The default authenticators, connectors, and endpoints are defined in the 'spring-webscripts-config.xml' file of the 'spring0webscripts' project of the Spring Surf SDK.

Problem is, the book never tells where this configuration is supposed to be placed -- especially if you're trying to add end-points to a Share application. If you take a look at '/share/WEB-INF/classes/alfresco/slingshot-application-context.xml', it appears as though endpoints are to be added to one of the following three locations:

<value>classpath:org/springframework/extensions/webscripts/spring-webscripts-config.xml</value>
<value>classpath:META-INF/spring-webscripts-config-custom.xml</value>
<value>jar:*!/META-INF/spring-webscripts-config-custom.xml</value>

If I define my endpoints in a local copy of:

<value>classpath:org/springframework/extensions/webscripts/spring-webscripts-config.xml</value>

my endpoints are read, but the default endpoints defined in the Spring Surf 'spring-webscripts' project are not. Clearly, I shouldn't be overriding these settings.

However, if I define my endpoints in:

<value>classpath:META-INF/spring-webscripts-config-custom.xml</value>

they don't seem to be picked up. In fact, the script doesn't seem to be processed at all, for if I deliberately introduce a syntax error into the XML file (in my case by adding a dangling '<' to the middle of the file), Share starts up just fine and does not choke on the error. And further, if I stop the Javascript Debugger on the script trying to open the endpoint and watch the following expression:

remote.allEndpoints

I learn that my endpoint is not known to my application.

Anyone have an idea on how to do this?

Darryl

[Arkhantos]

Hi darryl_staflund,

I create a endpoint in a spring surf application, not for an alfresco connection, just for a custom webservice provider but i think it should works the same.
I put the configuration of the endpoint, in the surf.xml file on the WEB-INF folder of my surf application. i hope this helps

[darryl_staflund]

Hi Arkhantos,

I saw your post on defining the end-point in surf.xml but couldn't get it working. Maybe I configured it wrong?

In any event, I just got back from the Alfresco technical meetup in New York City and got a chance to ask Michael Farman the question directly. He showed that the endpoints are to be defined in spring-webscripts-config-custom.xml inside of:

/<tomcat_home>/shared/classes/alfresco/web-extension

I will give it a shot and let you know if it works.

Darryl

[darryl_staflund]

Hi again,

It works, although the config file is called webscript-framework-config-custom.xml instead of webscript-config-custom.xml. There is a sample configuration file in the Alfresco 3.3 Community edition.

I will have to play around with this some more to see if I can place the file somewhere in:

/<tomcat_home>/webapps/<surf_app>/WEB-INF/**/*

instead of:

<tomcat_home>/shared/classes/alfresco/web-extension

It would seem that I should be able to do this in cases where I want to deploy my Surf app to a different Tomcat instance than the one hosting Alfresco.

Darryl

[michellflaver]

Sorry I don't have any idea hope someone else will help you........




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