Home >	Contents >	Index >

AssetMaker   |    Cart Tags   |    Errors   |    Miscellany   |    Index

AssetMaker Tags: Intro

AssetMaker is the Content Server Direct utility that creates new asset types using the basic asset model of one primary object table per asset type (as opposed to the flex asset model available with Content Server Direct Advantage).

To create a new basic asset type, you code an XML file called an asset descriptor file using the AssetMaker XML tags, and then you upload the file with the AssetMaker utility. This AssetMaker tags are as follows:

ASSET
PROPERTIES
PROPERTY
STORAGE
INPUTFORM
SEARCHFORM
SEARCHRESULTS

Note that there are no JSP versions of these tags.

In addition, we provide a page on:

• Restrictions and Dependencies with TYPE

Overview: AssetMaker and Asset Descriptor Files

The AssetMaker utility is located on the Admin tab in CS-Direct. AssetMaker creates new basic-style asset types. It does not create new flex-style asset types.

AssetMaker creates new asset types by uploading XML files called asset descriptor files. An asset descriptor file defines the asset type--the columns in the asset table and the fields in the forms that you use to create or edit a new asset of that type.

This is the general format of an asset descriptor file:

<ASSET NAME="assetTypeName" ...>
<PROPERTIES>
  <PROPERTY...>
    <STORAGE.../>
    <INPUTFORM.../>
    <SEARCHFORM...>
    <SEARCHRESULTS.../>
  </PROPERTY>
  <PROPERTY...>
    <STORAGE.../>    
    <INPUTFORM.../>
    <SEARCHFORM...>
    <SEARCHRESULTS.../>
  </PROPERTY>
</PROPERTIES>
</ASSET>

The term "property" refers to both a column in a database table and the field that displays values from that column in the CS-Direct forms. An asset descriptor file must define several things about each of the properties for the asset type:

• The name and data type of the column that holds the values for the property.

• The name and format of the field when it is displayed in the CS-Direct New and Edit forms.

• Whether the field appears in the CS-Direct Advanced Search form and simple search for assets of this type.

• Whether the field appears in the CS-Direct Search Results form for assets of this type.

When AssetMaker creates an asset type, it does the following:

• Creates an object table in the Content Server database for assets of this type. The STORAGE clauses in the PROPERTY statements tell AssetMaker how to define the columns in the table. Additionally, there are several columns that AssetMaker creates by default.

• Creates elements that render the forms that you use in CS-Direct to create and maintain assets of this type. The INPUTFORM, SEARCHFORM, and SEARCHRESULTS clauses in the PROPERTY statements tell AssetMaker how to format the CS-Direct forms for those asset types.

If the Burlington Financial sample site is installed on your system, there are two example asset descriptor files in the AssetType table that you can examine: ImageFile.xml and StyleSheet.xml.

For more information about asset types and AssetMaker, see the Developer's Guide.

		Home >	Contents >	Index >
	FatWire Miscellaneous Reference Copyright 2005 by FatWire Software All rights reserved.