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Overview 

The Document object type is more than a simple file stored on the web server.  It is a "logical container" that holds the "components" of your document.  And it enables the document to be described, published and gernerally "controlled". 

Your web service may have a need to present or manage Documents, which may be in different formats, such as PDF, Word, Powerpoint, Excel etc.  In fact some documents may even have multiple components! The Document Object type has been built to enable this, complete all of the regular / common functions that a Document can be expected to provide.

Guidance

The Document object type inherits the "Product" object, making it available for e-commerce and stock control.

In the event that the application you are working on requires further properties or functionality, you can build your own custom Document object type - inheriting this core Document object properties and associations.

Object Properties - Ref

This simple property allows the user to give the Document a Reference.  Often used for internal purposes, this field has no checking built into it.

Object Properties - ISBN

This simple property allows the user to give the Document an ISBN Reference.  

ISBN is the acronym for International Standard Book Number. This 13-digit number identifies a specific book, an edition of a book, or a book-like product (such as an audiobook).  note, if the same book is delivered in two formats - Hard Copy and Soft Copy, this requires that each Docuemnt is uniquely identified by an ISBN.  This field has no checking built into it.

Object Properties - Abstract

Abstracts are short summaries to explain the document to a User before they read the entire document.  Often this is provided at the beginning of a Technical Report.  In the case of the Document Object, we provide it as a Property, so that it can added to the document independanlty of the Document Component/s and searched etc. without needing to open the document.

Object Properties - Keywords

Keywords are discrete words used as tags for the document,  They are a further method of classifying the document for rapid searching / cross referencing. 

 

 

Object Properties - IsDownloadable

Documents stored and accessed via a website will comprise one or more components.  In some cases you may want the Document to be made available to the User in their My Profile atom (see separate Help Resource), depending on whether they have purchased the Document. If this property is set to true, the document will be available in the correctly configured "My Profile" atom.

Object Properties - Components

This is a sub table property.  Documents can comprise several individual Files - such as a series of PDFs, a Word document and a Spreadsheet.  These are all referred to as Document Components, individual files held under the Document umbrella.  This list (if there is one) presents the Document object type with a dilemma - which of those in the list is the principal component - the one that double clicking might activate?  The Components sub table property contains the following Fields;

PublishedAt

This records the date that the Component was added to the Document 

PublishedBy

This records the account name that added the Component to the Document - this is taken from the actual Contact object that did the upload.

FileTypeId

This field refers to the Independent Table "FileType", to record the Type ID of the file that has been added as a Component. 

FType

This is the actual file type, as recorded in the "FileType" table.

ComponentId

The unique ID for the particular Component 

DocumentObjectId

The Document that this Component has been connected to.

FileName

The name given to the File when it is uploaded to the Document, including the extension.

IsDefault

This records whether this component has been set as the default component for this document - the component that will be opened when the document is accessed. 

VersionId

If versioning is enabled for the document this will record any version change.

LanguageId

This is not enabled on the core document type

Association Types

The Document Object is configured as a core component of XPOR.  The Association Types are therefore set by default.  Below we have detailed some of the Association Types used with Document Objects and provide an explanation as to why they are provided.

Documents /EDMS - Author(s)

The Author / of the Document.  Note that the components also have UploadeBy recorded.  This Association Type allows the listing of documents that the Contact has Authored. 

Documents /EDMS - Co Author(s)

 Any Co-Authors of the Document. This Association Type allows the listing of of documents that the Contact has Co-Authored. 

Documents /EDMS - Referenced Documents

The Document may specifically reference other documents.  This association type will allow the document to either be referenced and or be connected to other documents as reference.

Navigation Children - CD

Documents can have a CD object type as a child association.  This is used for documents that have supporting software, for example, that would be provided on a CD.

Navigation Children - Document

Similar to the CD child association, Documents may also have child Documents

Navigation Parents - Folder

Document can be located inside folders. There are several other Parent types that can contain Documents.

Navigation Parents - Category

A key Parent container is the Category folder.  This folder type is discussed in a separate Help Resource.