Explore the Endeca Configuration Repository using WebDAV Client

The Endeca Workbench application is storing all its configuration files inside a configuration repository. It is called Endeca configuration repository (ECR). Endeca Configuration Repository is Apache Sling, a REST web framework built on top of the Java Content Repository Apache JackRabbit.

Workbench interacts with ECR using scripts in the control folder (inside deployed application) to upload content to that configuration repository, such as set_media, set_editors_config, import_site and set_templates.

One interesting thing about this repository is you can connect with ECR using any WebDAV client. Once connected you can explore the content of the repository.

Here I am going to demonstrate ECR (for Discover application) exploration using CyberDuck client on windows.

1. Download and install CyberDuck.

2. Open CyberDuck and enter details for connection.

Server : Workbench server
Port : Workbench Port
Username : Workbench username
Password : Workbench password
Path :/ifcr/sites/<Enter name of endeca application>

Connect Endeca Content Repository

3. Explore the repository.

Explore Endeca Content Repository

4. Disconnect from repository using Disconnect button.

ATG | Configure Last-Modified Property for repository items

Sometimes we need to persist the information, when a repository item was most recently modified. In ATG there is a way to configure last-modified property for item descriptor. 

Follow below steps to configure last-modified property for a given item-descriptor.

1. The item descriptor must contain a date or timestamp property that stores the last-modified value. This property must be persistent (add column in one of the existing table) and single-valued.

   <property name="lastActivity" data-type="timestamp"/>

2. The item descriptor sets the last-modified-property attribute to the name of the last-modified property (defined in above step).

    <item-descriptor name="customerServiceArticle" last-modified-property="lastActivity">

3. The item descriptor sets the updateLastModified <attribute> (attribute of item descriptor) element to true.

<attribute name="updateLastModified" value="true"/>

Example item descriptor (Only demonstrating last modified property).
==========================================================================
<item-descriptor name="customerServiceArticle" last-modified-property="lastActivity">

    <attribute name="updateLastModified" value="true"/>

    <table name="customer_articles" type="primary">
        <property name="lastActivity" data-type="timestamp"  column-name="last_updated"/>
    </table>

</item-descriptor>
 =========================================================================

Note : This property is automatically (no code required) updated with the current time when the item is added or updated.

Repository Cached Items are no more puzzle

While analyzing cache behaviour for our application. I came to know one more interesting thing related to repository cache. That is to print the content of item-cache.

The <dump-caches> tag can be used to print out the contents of the item cache for one or more item descriptors.

There are two attributes in this tag.
  

   1. dump-type It takes  one of the values from below set.

         - debug : To display  cache items.

         - queries : Creates a log entry consisting of the <load-items> tag that is used to reload the cache.

         - both : Combines the output of debug and queries.

   2. item-descriptors  A comma-separated list of one or more item descriptor names. If no item descriptors are specified, all item descriptor caches are exported.

 

ATG Repository Item Cache Interesting

While analyzing repository item cache related issues. I found interesting point about item cache size configuration in the case of item descriptor inheritance. 

Link :
http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E26180_01/Platform.94/RepositoryGuide/html/s1010cacheconfiguration01.html

How item cache size works : It is the maximum number of items of this type to store in the item cache. When this maximum is exceeded, the oldest items are removed from the cache.

Here is the fact : Within an inheritance tree, the last-read item descriptor’s item-cache-size setting applies to all item descriptors within the inheritance tree. In order to ensure the desired item cache size, be sure to assign the same item-cache-size to all related item descriptors 

Default Item Cache Value : 1000