Monday, October 10, 2011

Google Docs integration with Alfresco

Hi again :) In this post I'll write How to Use the Google Docs Integration with Alfresco. Lets start:

Alfresco provides powerful and massively scalable repository services for the control of critical information. Google Docs™ provides a refreshing and empowering user experience for the creation and development of that information. Both solutions have experienced extraordinary adoption within the small/mid-market market and both have moved into the Enterprise market with equal aplomb and success.

The increasing market demand for and adoption of Alfresco and Google Docs™ has made an intersection of the two solutions immanent. True to the character of the company and culture of the community, Alfresco recognized the need, identified the value, and delivered a solution.


Alfresco has released an integration that makes the use of Google Docs™ seem more natural than the use of traditional desktop applications. The goal of this document is to introduce you to the process of using these two solutions together and, thus, experience it for yourself.



Configuration Notes: 
The two configuration files that require modification are:
Share Properties Files
  • /tomcat/shared/classes/alfresco/web-extension/share-config-custom.xml
  • or /tomcat/webapps/share/WEB-INF/classes/alfresco/web-extension/share-config-custom.xml
Google Docs Properties
  • /tomcat/webapps/alfresco/WEB-INF/classes/alfresco/subsystems/googledocs/default/googledocs.properties 
  • or tomcat/webapps/alfresco/WEB-INF/classes/alfresco-global.properties
Share Properties File (share-config-custom.xml)
Here, you need to:
Ensure that you have the Google Editable Aspect declared.
  • <aspect name="gd:googleEditable" />
Look for the Google Docs section of the file and ensure that you have the “enabled” option set to “true”
  • <enabled>true</enabled>
On my laptop this configurations looks like following:
   <!-- Document Library config section -->
   <config evaluator="string-compare" condition="DocumentLibrary" replace="true">

      <tree>
         <evaluate-child-folders>false</evaluate-child-folders>
         <maximum-folder-count>-1</maximum-folder-count>
      </tree>

      <aspects>
         <!-- Aspects that a user can see -->
         <visible>
            <aspect name="cm:generalclassifiable" />
            <aspect name="cm:versionable" />>
            <aspect name="gd:googleEditable" />
         </visible>

         <!-- Aspects that a user can add. Same as "visible" if left empty -->
         <addable>
         </addable>

         <!-- Aspects that a user can remove. Same as "visible" if left empty -->
         <removeable>
         </removeable>
      </aspects>

      <types>
         <type name="cm:content">
         </type>

         <type name="cm:folder">
         </type>
      </types>

      <repository-url>http://localhost:8083/alfresco</repository-url>

      <!-- Google Docs integration -->
      <google-docs>
         <enabled>true</enabled>

         <creatable-types>
            <creatable type="doc">application/msword</creatable>
            <creatable type="xls">application/vnd.ms-excel</creatable>
            <creatable type="ppt">application/vnd.ms-powerpoint</creatable>
         </creatable-types>
      </google-docs>

      <!-- File upload configuration -->
      <file-upload>
         <adobe-flash-enabled>true</adobe-flash-enabled>
      </file-upload>
   </config> 

Google Docs Properties:
Here, the primary items of concern are setting “enabled” to “true” and filling in your account information:
#google docs 
googledocs.url=https://docs.google.com/feeds/default/private/full 
googledocs.googleeditable.enabled=true 
googledocs.username=youraccount@gmail.com 
googledocs.password=xxxxxxxxxxxx

End of  configuration :) Restart alfresco server and lets test our integration:
The Steps:

  • Login to your Share application
  • Navigate to a Document Library within a Share Site.

  • Click on the “Create Content” link
  • Select the “Google Docs™ Document” item
If you do not see the Google Docs items, your environment is not configured to allow the integration.
For help with configuring your environment, see the “Configuration Notes” section of this post
  • Save your content item
  • Go to the “Details” page for your item
  • Select the “Document Action” called “Checkout to Google Docs” 
  • Notice the message presented below the breadcrumb
  • Click on the “Google Docs” link in order to edit the document in Google Docs

  • Save the item from the File>Save menu
  • Return to the Alfresco Share “Details” page for your item
  • Click on the “Checkin from Google Docs” link under Actions
  • CONGRATULATIONS! Your content has been created in Alfreso, edited in Google Docs, and brought back into Alfresco
That is why I love Magic Alfresco :)
If u find this post useful then live your comment :)

1 comment:

  1. haha, now i know what i missed in the past... its HTTPS instead of HTTP for the googledocs url :)

    ReplyDelete