Alfresco WCM Really Simple Web Content Management Ben Hagan www.alfresco.com

Agenda Alfresco WCM Overview Types of supported users Web Forms File System Projection User Roles Workflow Sandboxes Virtualisation Server Static vs Dynamic File System Receiver Alfresco Server Receiver Snapshots Demonstration

Alfresco WCM Overview

Types of supported users

Web Forms

File System Projection

User Roles

Workflow

Sandboxes

Virtualisation Server

Static vs Dynamic

File System Receiver

Alfresco Server Receiver

Snapshots

Demonstration

Alfresco WCM Content Production Production Model Sandboxes Transparent Layers Workflow Roles Virtualisation File system Projection Content Delivery Deployment Alfresco Runtimes Static v’s Dynamic Runtimes

Content Production

Production Model

Sandboxes

Transparent Layers

Workflow

Roles

Virtualisation

File system Projection

Content Delivery

Deployment

Alfresco Runtimes

Static v’s Dynamic Runtimes

What types of users are supported? Web Designers / Developers Support any tool for authoring, development Support any number, type of website Integrated staging, preview, and deployment Application Developers Code versioning, testing, staging Content Managers / Web Publishers XML-based publishing, transformation, preview Content Reviewers Email-based task notification, management Content Contributors Drag-and-drop Word document Automatic transformation, publishing to Web Architects

Web Designers / Developers

Support any tool for authoring, development

Support any number, type of website

Integrated staging, preview, and deployment

Application Developers

Code versioning, testing, staging

Content Managers / Web Publishers

XML-based publishing, transformation, preview

Content Reviewers

Email-based task notification, management

Content Contributors

Drag-and-drop Word document

Automatic transformation, publishing to Web

Architects

What types of users are supported? Designers Authors Content Model Template Repository

Alfresco WCM Content Production

Content Production

Content Authoring - Web Forms Web Forms

Web Forms

Content Authoring - Web Forms Web Forms XML Schema XForms Templates (XSLT, Freemarker, XSL-FO, Custom) ‏ Multi-channel output (renditions) ‏

Web Forms

XML Schema

XForms

Templates (XSLT, Freemarker, XSL-FO, Custom) ‏

Multi-channel output (renditions) ‏

Content Authoring - Web Forms

Content Authoring - Web Forms Content with templates Separates content from presentation. Templates can change independent of content. Applied “statically” in Alfresco just after the content is authored. Pre-baked Template + Content

Content with templates

Separates content from presentation. Templates can change independent of content.

Applied “statically” in Alfresco just after the content is authored.

Pre-baked

Filesystem Projection CIFS Interface Webdav FTP Editorial tool of choice Dreamweaver Eclipse Notepad etc…

CIFS Interface

Webdav

FTP

Editorial tool of choice

Dreamweaver

Eclipse

Notepad etc…

Content Manager Content Publisher Content Contributor Content Reviewer Editorial Power Roles Role Relative User Population Content Manager Few Content Publisher Some Content Contributor Many Content Reviewer Implementation Dependent

Content Manager

Content Publisher

Content Contributor

Content Reviewer

Workflow Serial and parallel review configurable OOTB Tasks Task notification – task list Contain an entire change set Review layers – virtualization server Reviewers see in-context view of user’s changes against current site Workflow configuration Workflows can be configured for each form or for any arbitrary set of non-form assets

Serial and parallel review configurable OOTB

Tasks

Task notification – task list

Contain an entire change set

Review layers – virtualization server

Reviewers see in-context view of user’s changes against current site

Workflow configuration

Workflows can be configured for each form or for any arbitrary set of non-form assets

Sandboxes User Sandbox Preview, undo, check links for individual updates and sites Staging Sandbox Preview all approved updates Review snapshots (previous versions) ‏ Revert to previous Content edited in isolation Content must be approved before merging with staging sandbox. Preview with virtualized web server. Repository Staging Sandbox User Sandboxes

User Sandbox

Preview, undo, check links for individual updates and sites

Staging Sandbox

Preview all approved updates

Review snapshots (previous versions) ‏

Revert to previous

Content edited in isolation

Content must be approved before merging with staging sandbox.

Preview with virtualized web server.

Sandboxes Cont.. User sandboxes

User sandboxes

Sandboxes – under the covers.. A user sandbox acts like a “sheet of glass” sitting on top of the staging sandbox. Until modified, any object (file or folder) viewed in a user sandbox is actually seen directly in the staging sandbox, as if through glass. When modified, the object is copied into the user sandbox and the modifications saved there. The original version remains unchanged in the staging sandbox. Upon successful completion of workflow, the modified version of the object is promoted into the staging sandbox, replacing the version that was previously there.

A user sandbox acts like a “sheet of glass” sitting on top of the staging sandbox.

Until modified, any object (file or folder) viewed in a user sandbox is actually seen directly in the staging sandbox, as if through glass.

When modified, the object is copied into the user sandbox and the modifications saved there. The original version remains unchanged in the staging sandbox.

Upon successful completion of workflow, the modified version of the object is promoted into the staging sandbox, replacing the version that was previously there.

Virtualization Isolated preview environment for every user sandbox and the staging sandbox Users only see their changes No physical servers required Supports preview of modified content & code (JSP pages, class files, jars) ‏ Minimizes in-memory footprint

Isolated preview environment for every user sandbox and the staging sandbox

Users only see their changes

No physical servers required

Supports preview of modified content & code (JSP pages, class files, jars) ‏

Minimizes in-memory footprint

Virtualization Cont.. How is it used? Preview sandbox Preview a single content asset

How is it used?

Preview sandbox

Preview a single content asset

Alfresco WCM Content Delivery

Content Delivery

Approve and deploy… Forms-based XML capture Email-based production workflow In-context testing Whole website versioning Code and content development Parallel branching and merging Static or dynamic deployment to one or more servers Dependency management and automated updates Authoring Sandbox Preview Sandbox Staging Sandbox Deployment Change Sets Change Sets

Forms-based XML capture

Email-based production workflow

In-context testing

Whole website versioning

Code and content development

Parallel branching and merging

Static or dynamic deployment to one or more servers

Dependency management and automated updates

Static or Dynamic? The single most significant decision when planning a web content management solution is whether the front end web site will be static or dynamic. This decision impacts virtually everything else in the implementation: . Delivery technology Page compositing Deployment mechanism Personalization Performance Application developer skill-sets Static Web servers Submission time Filesystem (FSR) Limited Ultimate Freemarker, XSLT, XSLT-FO Dynamic Application servers Request time Alfresco Runtime (ASR) Unlimited Less than static Any web technology

The single most significant decision when planning a web content management solution is whether the front end web site will be static or dynamic. This decision impacts virtually everything else in the implementation:

Delivery Environment Intelligent File System Receiver (FSR) Delivering static content e.g. via Apache Dynamic Website – Alfresco Server Receiver (ASR) Search User generated content

Intelligent File System Receiver (FSR)

Delivering static content e.g. via Apache

Dynamic Website – Alfresco Server Receiver (ASR)

Search

User generated content

File System Receiver (FSR) Standalone application installed on delivery server(s) Allows files to be deployed to the remote machine using the in-built deployment functionality Much like a file copy

Standalone application installed on delivery server(s)

Allows files to be deployed to the remote machine using the in-built deployment functionality

Much like a file copy

Alfresco Server Receiver (ASR) Alfresco repository installed in the production web environment Why use an ASR? As the search engine for the web site (applicable for both dynamic and static web sites) As a runtime content store that can be queried by a dynamic web application. Any other dynamic process – personalization, User Generated Content etc

Alfresco repository installed in the production web environment

Why use an ASR?

As the search engine for the web site (applicable for both dynamic and static web sites)

As a runtime content store that can be queried by a dynamic web application.

Any other dynamic process – personalization, User Generated Content etc

A Hybrid Model? A third option exists that straddles the fence between static and dynamic. In this model you build the front end web site to support the dynamic model, but leverage the static model wherever possible eg. pre-generating the HTML for page components that rarely vary between pages

A third option exists that straddles the fence between static and dynamic.

In this model you build the front end web site to support the dynamic model, but leverage the static model wherever possible

eg. pre-generating the HTML for page components that rarely vary between pages

Hybrid – FSR and ASR Improves performance by distributing content to different servers or CDNs (Akamai) Internal Authoring Environment External Facing Site Content (Alfresco Runtime or Static) Images (Static) Multimedia (Static)

Improves performance by distributing content to different servers or CDNs (Akamai)

Deployment Manual or Automatic Deploy Staging to 1 or more: File System Receivers (FSR) Alfresco Server Receivers (ASR) Can also deploy any snapshots Monitoring and logging Transactional Incremental

Manual or Automatic

Deploy Staging to 1 or more:

File System Receivers (FSR)

Alfresco Server Receivers (ASR)

Can also deploy any snapshots

Monitoring and logging

Transactional

Incremental

Deployment Cont… Deployment is initiated from the Recent Snapshots list in the staging sandbox: Note: This option is not available unless deployment targets have been configured for the web project

Deployment is initiated from the Recent Snapshots list in the staging sandbox:

Note: This option is not available unless deployment targets have been configured for the web project

Deployment Cont… Select which target(s) to deploy a snapshot to:

Select which target(s) to deploy a snapshot to:

Tracking Updates Snapshots Rollback Deploy Each submission versions each file & parent directories Each submission snapshots staging sandbox Recovers deletions, moves, renames, etc. Allows website to rollback to any point in time

Snapshots

Rollback

Deploy

Each submission versions each file & parent directories

Each submission snapshots staging sandbox

Recovers deletions, moves, renames, etc.

Allows website to rollback to any point in time

Alfresco WCM Demonstration

Demonstration

Really Simple Web Content Management Ben Hagan www.alfresco.com Thank You…

Call To Action Think your Web Content Management can take our Web Content Management? Take the WCM Challenge! (http://tinyurl.com/5zftxn) Try Alfresco WCM (http://tinyurl.com/6pxdfl) View Pre-recorded WCM webinars: Activision.com: WCM of the Year (http://tinyurl.com/57cart) High Scalability with Alfresco WCM (http://tinyurl.com/5zo2re) Nominate Alfresco for the Packt CMS Awards Help us win the Packt award for Open Source CMS of the Year! http:// tinyurl .com/68og3p

Think your Web Content Management can take our Web Content Management?

Take the WCM Challenge! (http://tinyurl.com/5zftxn)

Try Alfresco WCM (http://tinyurl.com/6pxdfl)

View Pre-recorded WCM webinars:

Activision.com: WCM of the Year (http://tinyurl.com/57cart)

High Scalability with Alfresco WCM (http://tinyurl.com/5zo2re)

Nominate Alfresco for the Packt CMS Awards

Help us win the Packt award for Open Source CMS of the Year!

http:// tinyurl .com/68og3p