Alfresco – Check-in/Check-out Enhancement Request
Request
We would like to propose an Enhancement Request to the basic functionality of Alfresco. We
would like to propose an automatic check-in / check-out feature that is similar to what has
been used in the Livelink ECM. In Livelink, the user can check-out a document, make edits,
and save the document on the repository using only one click while in Alfresco, the same
sequence is much more protracted.
Example of Livelink Functionality
In Livelink, the user is given a variety of options along with their document, one of which is the
Edit function.
Ben Graham
The Miller Group – 16/11/2010
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Alfresco – Check-in/Check-out Enhancement Request
Clicking on Edit then downloads the file to the user’s desktop, and opens the file in a native
application.
During the Edit process, Livelink has “reserved” or locked the document in question, so that
others can’t edit it or check it out. An item is shown to be reserved with an image of a red tick
next to the document.
Ben Graham
The Miller Group – 16/11/2010
2
Alfresco – Check-in/Check-out Enhancement Request
I have made some changes to the content of the document, notable a section about WCM.
Ben Graham
The Miller Group – 16/11/2010
3
Alfresco – Check-in/Check-out Enhancement Request
Now that I’m finished editing my document, I click on the Close button in the top right corner,
and I’m then presented with this prompt:
This asks me if I want to Save the Changes to Livelink, Save as a copy on your Desktop
or Discard the changes. Selecting the Edit option on Livelink downloads the document to
your desktop for editing, but still has a “hook” into the document. This hook allows Livelink to
know when the user is finished with a document, and if they would like to save the changes
they’ve made to the online document. Selecting the Save the changes to Livelink option
closes the document, and if the option is checked refreshes the webpage.
Ben Graham
The Miller Group – 16/11/2010
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Alfresco – Check-in/Check-out Enhancement Request
The document is now unreserved (the red tick is gone). Opening the document in the Inbrowser viewer shows that the addition has been saved:
Currently Alfresco does not have this functionality. We have tried to replicate this using the
update rule on a folder.
1. First, a document is opened using Edit Online, which is automatically configured to
open using WebDAV
2. The document is automatically locked, and a working copy version is created,
which is the document that has been opened via WebDAV
3. User edits the document, clicks close and is asked to Save.
4. When Save is pressed, the working copy document is updated with the changes
5. Then a rule which executes when files are Updated, then checks in any documents
which have the text “(working copy)” in the file name
6. This then checks in the working copy, and then updates the original document
This approach works if the user closes the document and then saves when prompted, but we
run into problems if the user saves and continues working on the document.
If the user makes changes to the document and saves more than once, then a new document
called <file (working copy)> is created, which is then updated every time the user Saves
their work. This new working copy that is created does not maintain a link with the original
file we want to update, which means our approach falls short here.
Can Alfresco be enhanced with this automatic check in check out functionality?
Ben Graham
The Miller Group – 16/11/2010
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