Using DFC in Documentum Applications: DOC3-USINGDFC-1200

Using DFC in
Documentum
Applications
Version 4.2
December 2000
DOC3-USINGDFC-1200
DOC3-USINGDFC-1200
Copyright © 1999, 2000
Documentum, Inc.
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Preface
1 Overview of Documentum Foundation Classes (DFC)
Introduction to DFC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
DFC Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Documentum Object Hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Subtypes and Supertypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Persistence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
DFC Interface Hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Overview of DFC Interface Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Typed Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Session and Identifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Getting and Setting Attribute Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Additional Methods for Operating on Repeating Attributes . . . . . . . . 1-15
Attribute Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Persistent Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Methods Relating to the Basic Properties of Persistent Objects . . . . . . . 1-16
Basic Operations on an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Audit Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Convenience Methods for Creating Object Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Validation Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Pass-Through Methods to the DMCL API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Persistent Objects Without Associated Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
IDfACL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
IDfFormat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
IDfUser and IDfGroup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
IDfType . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Basic Attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Parent Type Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Type Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
Sysobjects—Persistent Objects With Content. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
Basic Operations on Sysobjects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
Types That Derive From IDfSysObject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25
IDfSession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26
Provide Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26
Create Objects and Obtain Object References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-27
Configuration Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-28
Transaction Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-28
Docbase Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-28
Multithreading Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-29
API Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-29
Using DFC in Documentum Applications iii

Inbox and Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-30
Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-30
Session State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-31
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-31
IDfClient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-31
Creating Sessions and Obtaining References to Existing Sessions . . . . . .1-31
Maps and Config Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-32
Service Methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-33
Common Package. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-34
Queries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-34
Flow of Query Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-34
IDfQuery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-35
IDfCollection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-36
2 Using DFC
Using DFC From Application Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
C++ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Syntax Differences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Creating DFC Client Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Java Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
COM Example. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Creating a DFC Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Shared Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Adopted Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Using DFC Tracing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Using the DFC Online Reference Documentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
3 Managing DFC Sessions

Connecting and Disconnecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
connectToDocbase in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
disconnectFromDocbase in Java. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
displaySessionInfo in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
connectToDocbase in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
disconnectFromDocbase in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
displaySessionInfo in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
iv Using DFC in Documentum Applications

Using a Docbase Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
displayDocbaseInfo in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
connectToDocbase(map, index) in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Step through Docbases in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
displayDocbaseInfo in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
connectToDocbase(name) in Visual Basic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
4 Manipulating Docbase Objects with DFC

Creating and Destroying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
createCabinet in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
createFolder in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
createDocument in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
destroyObject in Visual Basic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
createType in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
createDQLStatement in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
createCabinet in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
createFolder in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
createDocument in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
displayObjectInfo in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
destroyObject in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
createType in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
createDQLStatement in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
Checking Sysobjects In and Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
checkOutObject in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
cancelCheckout in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8
checkInObject in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8
removeLocalFile in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9
editFile in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9
checkOutObject in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9
cancelCheckout in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10
checkInObject in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10
removeLocalFile in Java. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
editFile in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Working With Sysobject Versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
displayVersionInfo in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
changeVersionInfo in Visual Basic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
displayVersionInfo in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
changeVersionInfo in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Using DFC in Documentum Applications v

5 Managing Docbase Queries with DFC
Basic Queries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
exQuery in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
displayResults in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
exQuery in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
displayResults in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
6 Automating Business Rules with DFC

Checking Objects Against Validation Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
validate in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Changing Permissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
changeBasicPermissions in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
changeExtendedPermissions in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
changeBasicPermissions in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
changeExtendedPermissions in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Using Private ACLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
privateACLs in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
privateACLs in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
ACL Utility Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
permissionToString in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
extendedPermissionToString in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
displayBasicPermissions in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
displayExtendedPermissions in Visual Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
permissionToString in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
extendedPermissionToString in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
displayBasicPermissions in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
displayExtendedPermissions in Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
7 DFC Methods by Task

Communicating with the Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
IDfClient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
IDfSession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
DMCL (No Associated DFC Methods) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Administering the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
IDfClient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
IDfSession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
DMCL (No Associated DFC Methods) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
Handling Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
IDfSession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
IDfPersistentObject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
IDfSysObject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
IDfAcl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
vi Using DFC in Documentum Applications

Retrieving and Setting Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
IDfSession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
IDfTypedObject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Searching the Docbase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
IDfQuery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
IDfSession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
IDfCollection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Handling Content Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
IDfSysObject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
DMCL (No Associated DFC Methods) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Printing Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
IDfSysObject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Handling Virtual Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
IDfSysObject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
Handling Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
IDfWorkflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Handling Process Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
IDfProcess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Handling Activity Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
IDfActivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Handling Work Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
IDfWorkitem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Managing Inboxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
IDfSession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
IDfSysObject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
8 DFC and DMCL

Relationship to DMCL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Calling DMCL Directly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
DMCL to DFC Correspondence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
A Questions and Answers

Folder Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-1
Create a Microsoft Word Document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-3
Name Strings for IDfOperation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-3
IDfSession.sendToDistributionList Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-4
Index
Using DFC in Documentum Applications vii

viii Using DFC in Documentum Applications
PREFACE
Purpose of the Manual

This manual shows how to use Documentum Foundation Classes (DFC) in
building or customizing Documentum applications. It provides an overview
of DFC and includes lots of sample code that uses DFC to perform common
Documentum operations.
All of the sample code is extracted and simplified from the sample classes that
Documentum provides with DFC. The sample classes provide complete
working examples that you can run, modify, and experiment with.
The simplified examples focus on specific DFC tasks and omit code from the
sample classes that is not specific to DFC.
Intended Audience
This manual is intended for application developers. It assumes a knowledge
of object-oriented programming, Java, interfaces, and, in some places, the
Microsoft component object model (COM).
Organization of the Manual

The table summarizes the topics that this manual covers. The classes
mentioned in the table are the sample classes that Documentum provides with
DFC.
This manual does not cover structured documents, workflows, or document
lifecycles. You can find examples of how to work with structured documents
in the DfExVDM sample class, workflows in the DfExWorkflow sample class,
and document lifecycles in the DfExBusinessPolicy class.
Using DFC in Documentum Applications ix

Chapter/Appendix Contents
Chapter 1, Overview of How DFC helps you connect to a Docbase and gives
Documentum Foundation you an object oriented interface to the Documentum
Classes (DFC) object hierarchy.
Chapter 2, Using DFC Making DFC work with your programming and
execution environments.
Chapter 3, Managing DFC Annotated examples, based on the classes

Sessions DfExSession and DfExDocbaseMap, of how to
work with DFC sessions and a Docbase map.
Chapter 4, Manipulating Annotated examples, based on the classes
Docbase Objects with DFC DfExCreate, DfExCheckinCheckout,
DfExVersionPolicy, and DfExDestroy, of how to
manipulate Docbase objects.
Chapter 5, Managing Docbase Annotated examples, based on the class
Queries with DFC DfExSimpleQuery, of how to create and execute
Docbase queries.
Chapter 6, Automating Annotated examples, based on the classes
Business Rules with DFC DfExSimpleValidation and DfExACL, of how to
use Documentum to enforce business rules.
Chapter 7, DFC Methods by An index to the major DFC methods, organized
Task by the tasks the methods accomplish.
Chapter 8, DFC and DMCL An explanation of DFC in terms of the methods
that previous Documentum client products use
to access server capabilities.
Appendix A, Questions and Questions that developers who are starting to work
Answers with DFC have asked.
Conventions
This manual uses the following conventions:
x Using DFC in Documentum Applications

Convention Description
➤ Represents a pop-up or pull-down menu.

Indicates the introduction to a procedure.
italics Represents a variable name for which you must provide a

value, or a defined term.
typewriter Represents code samples, user input, and computer output.
[] square brackets Indicates an optional argument.
{} braces (curly Indicates an optional argument that can be repeated more than
brackets) once.
Using Links in PDF Files

If you are reading this document as a Portable Display Format (PDF) file,
cross-references and page numbers in the index are clickable blue hypertext
links. Table of contents page numbers are also clickable links, but they appear
in black.
Some manuals contain clickable cross-references to other manuals.
Note: These references assume that the referenced file is in the current
directory and that it has the name that Documentum originally assigned it. If
you change file names or store documents in different directories, the
references do not work.
➤ To follow a link:
1. Move the pointer over a linked area.
The pointer changes to a pointing finger when positioned over a link. The
finger pointer displays a W when moved over a Web link.
2. Click to follow the link.
Note: To follow Web links, your Weblink preferences must specify a Web
browser. See Setting Weblink preferences in Adobe Acrobat Help for more
information.
Using DFC in Documentum Applications xi

Bug Lists and Documentation Online
Customers with a Software Support Agreement can read our product
documentation and, after commercial release of a product, view lists of fixed
bugs on Documentum’s Technical Support web pages. To access online
support, first request access and obtain a user name and password.
Applying for Access
➤ To apply for access to online support:

1. In your Web browser, open
http://www.documentum.com/
2. Click the Technical Support link.
3. Click the Request Access link.
4. Complete the form and send it.
Documentum responds to access requests within two business days.
Fixed Bugs List
A list of customer-reported bugs that have been fixed in a release is available

two weeks after the release, at the Technical Support area of the
documentum.com Web site. For information about obtaining access to online
support, refer to “Applying for Access.” The lists of fixed bugs are in PDF
format.
➤ To view the list of fixed bugs:

1. In your web browser, open
3. Log on to the Technical Support site.
4. In the Troubleshooting section, click View Bugs.
5. Click Fixed Bugs and Feature Requests Lists.
6. Click the name of the bug list.
xii Using DFC in Documentum Applications

Product Documentation
Customers with a software support agreement can view PDF format product
documentation at the documentum.com Web site. First request a user name
and password (refer to “Applying for Access”).
➤ To view a document:
1. In your Web browser, open
3. Log on to the Technical Support site.
4. In the Resources section, click Documentation.
5. Click the name of the document.
Purchasing Bound Paper Manuals

Our product documentation is available for purchase as bound paper
manuals. To place an order, call the Documentation Order Line at (925) 600-
6666. You can pay with a purchase order, check, or credit card.
Using DFC in Documentum Applications xiii

xiv Using DFC in Documentum Applications
1
Overview of Documentum
Foundation Classes (DFC) 1
Desktop Client components use the foundation class library Documentum

Foundation Classes (DFC) to access the capabilities of eContent Server. This
chapter describes DFC and introduces basic DFC concepts. It contains the
following major sections:
■ “Introduction to DFC” on page 1-1
■ “Overview of DFC Interface Capabilities” on page 1-12
■ “IDfSession” on page 1-26
■ “IDfClient” on page 1-31
■ “Common Package” on page 1-34
■ “Queries” on page 1-34
Introduction to DFC
Documentum applications depend heavily on the Documentum object model,
which is the object-oriented structure by which eContent Server organizes the
contents and control mechanisms of Docbases. The eContent Server
Fundamentals manual describes this object model and provides an overview of
how to interact with it through the Documentum client library (DMCL), an
application programming interface (API). DMCL flattens the object model as a
set of commands issued via text string arguments to the dmAPIGet,
dmAPISet, and dmAPIExec commands.
DFC exposes the Documentum object model as an object-oriented client
library. Client-side applications, such as Desktop Client or applications that
you develop, and middle-tier libraries and applications, such as Web
Development Kit (WDK), use DFC.
Using DFC in Documentum Applications 1–1

Overview of Documentum Foundation Classes (DFC)
Introduction to DFC
The core of DFC is a set of Java classes, but it includes other elements as well:
■ A collection of DLLs to provide the DFC functionality.
■ A shared library that you must load to use DFC with non-Microsoft Java
virtual machines (JVMs).
■ A type library for accessing DFC via COM from Visual Basic or Visual
C++.
■ A set of C++ wrapper classes that hide many details of the DFC/COM
interface.
DFC Programming
Before you begin to use DFC, it is important to understand the DFC

programming approach. Because of the complexities of accessing Docbases
efficiently and reliably from remote client machines, Documentum centralizes
this access in client-side software that establishes and maintains
communication sessions with eContent Server and Docbases. DFC
encapsulates this client-side software in the IDfClient interface, which serves
as the entry point for DFC code.
IDfClient handles basic connection details. It loads the necessary shared
libraries. You obtain the initial IDfClient interface by calling the static method
DfClient.getLocalClient. The IDfClient interface then serves as a factory for
IDfSession objects. If you are familiar with the standard Java database
connectivity package, JDBC, you can see an analogy between that
programming model and this one.
An object that implements IDfSession represents a session with the
Documentum server and provides services related to that session. DFC
programmers create new Docbase objects or obtain references to existing
Docbase objects through the IDfSession interface.
With DFC you usually don’t create objects directly. Instead, you obtain objects
by calling the methods of other objects. Those methods create or obtain the
requested object. Methods that create new Docbase objects or fetch existing
ones return objects that implement IDfPersistentObject.
The following general procedure may help to clarify the DFC approach. Don’t
worry if you don’t completely understand the references to the interface
hierarchy. Subsequent sections deal with that subject.
1–2 Using DFC in Documentum Applications

Introduction to DFC
➤ To process a Docbase object:

1. Obtain an IDfClient object by calling DfClient.getLocalClient.
2. Call the IDfClient method newSession or getSharedSession to create a session
with the Docbase (see “connectToDocbase in Java” on page 3-2).
3. If you have a reference to the object, call the IDfSession checkout method to
lock it. Otherwise call an IDfSession method (for example, newObject or
getObjectByQualification) to create an object or to obtain a reference to an
existing object.
If the object is an IDfSysObject, you can call
a. setContentType to set the object’s format.
b. setFile to set the its content.
c. setObjectName to set its name.
d. save to save the object in the Docbase.
4. If you checked out the object in Step 3, call checkin to release the lock.
5. Close the session if you are done with it.
The following fragment from a Java program that uses DFC contains three
blocks of code. They implement the first three steps of the procedure.
Example IDfClient client = DfClient.getLocalClient();
IDfLoginInfo loginInfo = new DfLoginInfo();

loginInfo.setUser("Mary");
loginInfo.setPassword("ganDalF");
loginInfo.setDomain("");
session = client.newSession("MyDocbase", loginInfo);
IDfDocument document = null;

document = (IDfDocument) session.newObject("dm_document");
document.setObjectName("Report on Wizards");
document.setContentType("crtext");
document.setFile("C:\Temp\Wiz.txt");
document.save();
The first block creates the client object, which encapsulates the Documentum
client software.
The second block creates and populates an object to hold login information
and uses it to manufacture an IDfSession object, which encapsulates a session
for this application program with the specified Docbase.

Introduction to DFC
The third block of code creates and populates an IDfDocument object and
saves it in the Docbase. Notice that the newObject method of the session object
manufactures the object.
The newObject method returns an IDfPersistentObject object. The program
explicitly casts it to an IDfDocument object, then uses the document object’s
save method, a method that IDfDocument inherits from IDfPersistentObject.
COM does not support interface inheritance, so the Visual Basic and C++
versions of the above code explicitly cast the document object to a persistent
object before saving it (see “createDocument in Visual Basic” on page 4-2).
Most DFC methods throw DfException to report errors. Java code like that in
the above example normally appears within a try/catch/finally block, with an
error handler in the catch block. Visual Basic code uses the On Error Goto
statement to handle exceptions.
Packages
DFC is organized into packages, that is, sets of related classes and interfaces.
■ The names of DFC Java classes begin with Df (for example, DfWorkflow).
■ Names of interfaces begin with IDf (for example, IDfWorkflow).
Interfaces expose DFC’s public methods and constants. Each interface

contains a set of related methods.
Table 1-1 describes the purpose of the classes and interfaces of DFC packages.
Table 1-1 Description of DFC Packages
Java Package Name Purpose
com.documentum.fc.client Provides basic functionality:

■ Establishing DFC sessions
■ Retrieving and validating data
■ Managing workflows
■ Manipulating virtual documents
■ Working with document versions
common.documentum.fc.client.qb Constructs and runs queries and SmartLists.
com.documentum.com Facilitates accessing DFC from COM.

Introduction to DFC
Table 1-1 Description of DFC Packages (continued)
Java Package Name Purpose
com.documentum.fc.common Supplies utility methods for other DFC classes.
com.documentum.fc.common Supports Docbase sessions.

.session
com.documentum.operations Provides high-level functionality, such as

checking documents or virtual documents in
and out.
com.documentum.registry Maintains Documentum information on the

client’s system, using the Windows registry on
Win32 platforms, and .ini files otherwise.
Both the com.documentum.operations package and the IDfSysObject interface

in the com.documentum.fc.client package have methods for high-level client
operations, such as checking in and checking out documents. The methods in
the operations package perform additional work, such as writing to the
registry. Use the interfaces in the operations package to interact with Desktop
Client components. Use the operation methods in IDfSysObject only if your
code does not interact with Desktop Client components.
The DFC interfaces form a hierarchy; some derive methods and constants
from others. Use the Tree link from the home page of the DFC online reference
(see “Using the DFC Online Reference Documentation” on page 2-6) to
examine the interface hierarchy. Click any interface to go to its definition.
Each interface inherits the methods and constants of the interfaces above it in
the hierarchy. For example, in Java you can call the save method of a sysobject,
because IDfSysObject inherits save from IDfPersistentObject (see “Persistent
Objects” on page 1-16 and “Sysobjects—Persistent Objects With Content” on
page 1-24).
Visual Basic does not support interface inheritance. Visual Basic or C++
programs access DFC via COM and see DFC as a type library. The library is
flat, that is, it contains all of the interfaces but none of the inheritance
information. For example, you must convert a sysobject to a persistent object
before you can save it.

Introduction to DFC
Documentum Object Hierarchy
Everything you manipulate in Documentum is an object. Documents,

cabinets, folders, and even users are objects. Objects have associated
characteristics called attributes (or properties), and associated operations
called methods. Each object has a type, which is a template for objects of that
kind. All objects of a given type have the same sets of attributes and methods.
When the server creates an object, it uses the type description as a model. For
example, document objects belong to the dm_document type. When you
create a new document, the server uses the dm_document type description to
create the new document object. The names of all system-defined type names
begin with the prefix dm_.
Attributes are fields that are part of the object. The values in these fields
describe the object. For example, two of the attributes for a document object
are title and subject. When you create a document, you provide a title and
subject that are specific to that document. Attributes are either single-valued
or multi-valued (repeating). Some are read only and some can be read or
written.
Using DFC, you operate on objects through interfaces that represent the
object. Because the Documentum model and DFC are both object-oriented, a
large part of the DFC structure corresponds directly to the Documentum
object type structure. DFC provides interfaces corresponding to most system-
defined object types. The interface has separate set and get methods for each
of the type’s attributes, and it has methods that pertain to objects of that type.
You read or change the attribute values via the get and set methods, and you
operate on the object through the interface’s methods.
By the conventions of object-oriented programming, a method without
arguments performs the corresponding operation on its associated object. For
example, the statement
document.save();
appears in the example on page 1-3. It tells the document object to apply its
save method to itself, that is, to save the document in the Docbase. Methods
that operate on other objects take references to those objects as arguments.

Introduction to DFC
Subtypes and Supertypes
Documentum object types exist in a hierarchy. A supertype is an object type

that is the basis for another object type, called a subtype. The subtype inherits
the attributes of the supertype. The subtype can also have additional
attributes of its own. Within the hierarchy, an object type can be a supertype, a
subtype, both, or neither.
For example, the dm_folder type is a subtype of dm_sysobject. It has all the
attributes defined for dm_sysobject plus two defined specifically for
dm_folder. A type can be both a supertype and a subtype. For example,
dm_folder is a subtype of dm_sysobject and a supertype of dm_cabinet.
Documentum lets you create your own object types. You can create a type
with no supertype, defining all of its attributes yourself, or you can create a
subtype of any of the following types:
■ dm_sysobject and its subtypes
■ dm_user and its subtypes
■ dm_relation
■ User-defined types
Persistence
Most objects the server manipulates are persistent, that is, they reside in the
Docbase and persist across sessions. A document you create and save in one
session is still there in another session on another day.
Some objects are not persistent, that is, they do not reside in the Docbase. The
server creates them as needed at runtime. For example, collection objects and
query result objects, which return the results of DQL statements, are not
persistent. When the server executes a DQL query it creates a collection object
to contain the results of the query. It creates a query result object for each row
that the underlying database returns for the underlying SELECT statement,
and it associates the query result objects with the collection object. When you
close a collection, the server destroys the collection object and the query result
objects.

Introduction to DFC
DFC Interface Hierarchy
DFC exposes most of the Documentum object hierarchy as a set of interfaces.

An interface defines a contract between an implementation class and any
client that uses instances of that class. Interfaces do not specify
implementation. They simply define a set of methods with specific signatures
and specific semantics. A class provides the implementation, but as an
application programmer, you usually don’t need to know which class. If you
hold a reference to a class that implements a given interface, you know that
objects of that class have all of the functionality that the interface promises.
DFC includes a default implementation for each interface.
For example, to operate on a document object, obtain an IDfDocument
interface from DFC (this is an abbreviated way to say “obtain an object that
implements the IDfDocument interface”). That interface allows you to read or
set the object’s attributes, attach content to the object, check the object into or
out of a Docbase, and so forth. It doesn’t matter whether the implementation
class is DfDocument (DFC’s default implementation of the IDfDocument
interface) or another class that properly implements the functionality. By
separating the implementation from the definition, interfaces isolate client
code from changes in the underlying implementation. DFC’s use of interfaces
promotes customization, because it allows customers to substitute their own
implementations for DFC’s default implementations.
DFC does not provide an interface for every server object type. Sometimes
you must use the DFC interface that corresponds to a supertype of a given
object type. For example, to write code to operate on cabinets, you must use
IDfFolder (dm_folder is the parent, or supertype, of dm_cabinet).
Some DFC interfaces correspond to operations that are independent of server
object types. For example, the IDfLoginInfo interface, which allows you to
assemble and maintain access information, does not correspond to a server
object type.
Another example is IDfPersistentObject. The IDfPersistentObject interface
defines functionality common to all server objects that derive from
dm_persistentobject. The type dm_persistentobject is the base type of all
server objects that persist beyond the current session, but you cannot create a
dm_persistentobject in the server, nor can you run a query that selects objects
from the type dm_persistentobject. The server only allows the creation and
querying of objects of types that are subtypes of dm_persistentobject. In DFC,
on the other hand, IDfPersistentObject is a common type for arguments or
return values.

Introduction to DFC
You can operate on a more derived type with a less-derived interface, but
some methods are available only on more derived interfaces. For example,
you cannot perform a save on the IDfTypedObject interface. To save, you must
hold a reference to an IDfPersistentObject interface or an interface that derives
from IDfPersistentObject. Similarly, to perform checkins and checkouts on an
object whose type derives from dm_sysobject, you need to refer to that object
with at least an IDfSysObject interface.
A small subset of the Documentum object hierarchy appears in Figure 1-1.
DFC interfaces are in the top (white) parts of the boxes. The corresponding
server objects are in the lower (gray) parts.
Figure 1-1 DFC Hierarchy Corresponds to Documentum Object Hierarchy
IDfTypedObject
Non-Persistent Type
IDfDocbaseMap IDfPersistentObject IDfCollection

Docbase Locator Persistent Object Non-Persistent
IDfACL IDfFormat IDfGroup IDfSysObject IDfType IDfUser

dm_acl dm_format dm_group dm_sysobject dm_type dm_user
IDfDocument IDfFolder
dm_document dm_folder
<None>
dm_cabinet
In Figure 1-2 on page 1-10, you can see how the interfaces that derive from the
Documentum hierarchy fit into the total DFC interface hierarchy.

Introduction to DFC
Figure 1-2 DFC Interface Hierarchy
IDfTypedObject
IDfPersistentObject
IDfACL
IDfAliasSet
IDfAssembly
IDfContainment
IDfFormat
IDfGroup
IDfPackage
IDfQueueItem
IDfRelation
IDfRelationType
IDfActivity
IDfSysObject
IDfDocument
IDfType
IDfFolder
IDfUser
IDfProcess
IDfWorkItem
IDfRouter
IDfWorkflow
IDfCollection
IDfDocbaseMap

Introduction to DFC
IDfOperation
IDfCancelCheckoutOperation
IDfCheckinOperation
IDfCheckoutOperation
IDfCopyOperation
IDfDeleteOperation
IDfExportOperation
IDfImportOperation
IDfMoveOperation
IDfOperationNode
IDfCancelCheckoutNode
IDfCheckinNode
IDfCheckoutNode
IDfCopyNode
IDfDeleteNode
IDfExportNode
IDfImportNode
IDfMoveNode
IDfClientRegistryObject
IDfCheckedOutObject
IDfLocalObject
IDfViewedObject
DFC interfaces that are not in the above diagrams are not part of the interface
hierarchy. They do not derive from other DFC interfaces, and vice versa.

Overview of DFC Interface Capabilities

The following sections move through the DFC interfaces that derive from the
Documentum object type hierarchy, starting from the top.
Typed Objects
The IDfTypedObject interface provides the basis for both persistent and non-
persistent types. Here are the main facts about typed objects:
■ They have attributes (properties) that you can retrieve and set.
■ In almost all cases, you obtain them directly or indirectly through a DFC
session; therefore they have a reference to the session that created them.
■ A unique object ID identifies them.
The ID of a persistent object uniquely identifies the object in the Docbase. The
ID of a non-persistent object, such as a collection or a Docbase map, identifies
the object only for the session that creates it.
The DFC online reference contains signatures of the methods of DFC
interfaces (see “Using the DFC Online Reference Documentation” on page
2-6). This section describes the general categories of methods of the
IdfTypedObject interface. IDfTypedObject is the base object for most DFC
objects.
Session and Identifier
Typed objects have IDs, and they hold references to the session that created
them. The IDfTypedObject methods getSession and getObjectId return this
information.
Getting and Setting Attribute Values
An attribute of a Documentum object can contain either a single value or

multiple values. An attribute that can have multiple values is called a
repeating-value attribute or just a repeating attribute.

Documentum defines the following types for attribute values: Boolean,

Integer, String, ID, Time, and Double.
The IDfTypedObject methods for setting and getting attribute values reflect
these types. For single-valued attributes, call one of the following methods:
boolean getBoolean(String attrName)
double getDouble(String attrName)
IDfId getId(String attrName)
int getInt(String attrName)
String getString(String attrName)
IDfTime getTime(String attrName)
IDfValue getValue(String attrName)
The argument attrName refers to the attribute, such as object_name.
Regardless of the type of the attribute, you can call getString to retrieve the
value in the form of a string. If you call a get method that is inappropriate for
the type of the attribute, for example, getInt("object_name"), DFC attempts to
convert the value to that type.
To set the value of a single-valued attribute, call one of the following methods,
where attrName is the name of the attribute and value is the value you want
to assign to that attribute:
void setBoolean(String attrName, boolean value)
void setDouble(String attrName, double value)
void setId(String attrName, IDfId value)
void setInt(String attrName, int value)
void setString(String attrName, String value)
void setTime(String attrName, IDfTime value)
void setValue(String attrName, IDfValue value)
There are several sets of methods that relate to repeating attributes. The server
maintains an indexed array of values for a repeating attribute.
For example, the authors attribute may contain the following values with the
specified indexes:
[0] Sleepy
[1] Dopey
[2] Happy
[3] Sneezy
[4] Grumpy
[5] Doc
[6] Bashful
Methods that operate on repeating attributes often take an index, which
specifies which value the operation should affect. The descriptions that follow
refer to the authors listed above.

The set and get methods for repeating attributes are similar to the set and get
methods for single-valued attributes:
boolean getRepeatingBoolean(String attrName, int index)
double getRepeatingDouble(String attrName, int index)
IDfId getRepeatingId(String attrName, int index)
int getRepeatingInt(String attrName, int index)
String getRepeatingString(String attrName, int index)
IDfTime getRepeatingTime(String attrName, int index)
IDfValue getRepeatingValue(String attrName, int index)
void setRepeatingBoolean(
String attrName, int index, boolean value)
void setRepeatingDouble(
String attrName, int index, double value)
void setRepeatingId(
String attrName, int index, IDfId value)
void setRepeatingInt(
String attrName, int index, int value)
void setRepeatingString(
String attrName, int index, String value)
void setRepeatingTime(
String attrName, int index, IDfTime value)
void setRepeatingValue(
String attrName, int index, IDfValue value)
You can use single-value attribute methods to set/get repeating attributes and
repeating-attribute methods to get/set single valued attributes. Single-valued
methods always operate on the repeating attribute value at index 0. To use a
repeating-attribute method for a single-valued attribute, the index argument
must be 0.
The call
getAllRepeatingStrings(String attrName, String separator)
returns all values of a repeating attribute as a single string with values
delimited by separator, or by a comma if separator is null.
For example, given the authors mentioned above,
getAllRepeatingStrings("authors", null)
returns the string
Sleepy,Dopey,Happy,Sneezy,Grumpy,Doc,Bashful

Additional Methods for Operating on Repeating Attributes
The following methods operate on repeating attributes. Type stands for

Boolean, Double, Id, . . ., and datatype represents boolean, double, IDfId, . . . .
void appendType (String attrName, datatype value)
void insertType (String attrName, int index, datatype value)
int findType (String attrName, datatype value)
int getValueCount (String attrName)
void remove (String attrName, int index)
void removeAll (String attrName)
void truncate (String attrName, int index)
The appendType methods add values to the end of a repeating attribute’s list
of values. For example, to add an eighth dwarf, call
myobj.appendString ("authors", "Burpy")
The insertType methods are similar, but they add the value at the specified
index rather than at the end. To make Burpy the fourth dwarf, call
myobj.insertString ("authors", 3, "Burpy")
Generally, appending is more efficient, because insertions can force the server
to copy existing values to new index locations.
The find methods retrieve the first index at which a specified value appears.
For example, findString ("authors", "Happy") returns 2.
The remove method deletes the value at the specified index. The truncate
method deletes all values from the specified index onward. The removeAll
method deletes all values from the specified repeating attribute. The
getValueCount method returns the number of values the specified repeating
attribute has.
Attribute Information
IDfTypedObject has a number of methods that allow you to get information

about the object’s attributes:
String dump()
int getAttrCount()
boolean hasAttr(String attrName)
boolean isAttrRepeating(String attrName)
int getAttrDataType(String attrName)
int findAttrIndex(String attrName)
IDfAttr getAttr(int index)
Enumeration enumAttrs()

The dump method is for debugging. It returns the object’s attributes and
values in a formatted string.
The getAttrCount method returns the number of attributes that the object has.
The hasAttr method returns a boolean value indicating whether the object’s
type has the specified attribute.
The isAttrRepeating method returns a boolean value indicating whether the
specified attribute is repeating (True) or single (False).
The getAttrDataType method returns an integer representing the attribute’s
type (see the DFC online reference for IDfAttr for the possible return values).
The attributes of a Documentum object have a column order. The
findAttrIndex method returns the column index of the specified attribute.
The getAttr and enumAttrs methods provide more detailed information about
the specified attribute. The getAttr method returns an IDfAttr object for the
attribute at the specified index. An IDfAttr object allows you to get the
attribute’s name and type. IDfAttr also allows you to determine whether an
attribute is repeating. If an attribute is of type String, the maximum character
length of any value stored in that attribute may be obtained by calling
IDfAttr’s getLength method.
The enumAttrs method returns an enumeration of IDfAttr objects. This
enables you to iterate over all of the object’s attributes.
Persistent Objects
Persistent objects are at the second level of the DFC interface hierarchy. They
are typed objects that reside in the Docbase. The IDfPersistentObject interface
inherits from the IDfTypedObject interface, and hence, IDfPersistentObject
has all the methods of IDfTypedObject. In addition IDfPeristentObject has the
following sets of methods.
Methods Relating to the Basic Properties of Persistent Objects
Every object in the Docbase has an i_vstamp attribute, which contains the
number of committed transactions that have changed the object. This value is
used for versioning, as part of the locking mechanism, to ensure that one user
does not overwrite the changes made by another. The getVStamp method
returns this value.

You can replicate Documentum objects, that is, have them appear in more
than one Docbase. The isReplica method returns True if the object is a local
replica of an object in a remote Docbase.
Every object in the Docbase has an object type. DFC exposes the type through
the IDfType interface. To obtain an object’s type information, call the getType
method.
Basic Operations on an Object
IDfPersistentObject defines the following methods that affect or query the

state of an object in the current session or in the Docbase:
void save()
void destroy()
boolean isDeleted()
boolean isNew()
boolean isDirty()
void fetch()
void revert()
The save method directs the server to store the local copy of the object into the
Docbase. When you create a new Docbase object, others cannot see it until you
explicitly call its save method. Saving an existing object fails if your version of
the object is older than the object in the Docbase, that is, if the i_vstamp of
your version contains a lower number than the i_vstamp of the object in the
Docbase. This happens if another user saves changes to the object between the
time you obtain a copy and the time you try to save it. You can prevent this
from happening by checking out the object before changing it.
The destroy method directs the server to remove the object from the Docbase.
The isDeleted method tells you whether the object has been destroyed in the
current session. This method does not detect deletion by another user or even
in another session subsequent to the time that you obtained the local copy.
The isNew method returns False if the object has ever been successfully saved
in the Docbase.
The isDirty method returns True if you have made unsaved changes to the
local copy of the object.
The fetch method obtains the latest version of the object from the Docbase if
and only if the Docbase version has a newer i_vstamp. If the values are the
same, the local copy retains any changes you have made.

The revert method obtains the latest version of the object from the Docbase
unconditionally. The local copy loses any changes you have made to it.
Audit Trail
Auditing enables you to record information about system events and preserve
information in an audit trail, which you can then use to track events and
generate reports. You choose which events to monitor, and the audit system
logs pertinent data, including the time of the event. To support this process,
IDfPersistentObject has the signoff method, which creates an audit trail entry
of signoff information for an object.
Convenience Methods for Creating Object Relations
Documentum provides the dm_relation type to enable you to define

relationships between objects. The IDfPersistentObject interface has methods
that create a relationship between the persistent object and another persistent
object specified as an argument.
Other methods return information about the object’s relationships (see the
DFC online reference for more information):
IDfRelation addChildRelative(
String relationTypeName, IDfId childId, String childLabel,
boolean isPermanent, String description)
IDfRelation addParentRelative(
String relationTypeName, IDfId parentId, String childLabel,
boolean isPermanent, String description)
void removeChildRelative(
String relationTypeName, IDfId childId, String childLabel)
public void removeParentRelative(
String relationTypeName, IDfId parentId, String childLabel)
public IDfCollection getChildRelatives(
String relationTypeName)
public IDfCollection getParentRelatives(
String relationTypeName)

Validation Methods
DFC provides the IDfValidator interface, which makes it easy to validate

proposed new or changed attribute values against information in the data
dictionary. Normally, you need to do this when you interact with a user to
obtain the attribute values. A related interface, IDfValueAssistance, supports
providing contitional value assistance in the user interface.
The following method returns an IDfValidator object for the persistent object:
IDfValidator getValidator()
You can also obtain an IDfValidator interface for an IDfType object:
IDfValidator getValidator(IDfID policy, String state)
The IDfValidator interface provides a variety of utilities:
void validateAll(IDfProperties attrValues, boolean
modifiedAttrsOnly)
void validateAllAttrRules(IDfProperties attrValues, boolean
modifiedAttrsOnly)
void validateAllObjRules(IDfProperties attrValues)
void validateAttrRules(String attrName, IDfList values,
IDfProperties depAttrValues)
IDfValueAssistance getValueAssistance(String attrName,

IDfProperties depAttrValues)
boolean hasValueAssistance(String attrName)
IDfProperties getValueAssistanceDependencies(String attrName)
void setMaxErrorBeforeStop(int stopAfterNumOfErrors)

int getMaxErrorBeforeStop()
String getWidgetType(int environment, String attrName)

void setTimePattern(String timePattern)
String getTimePattern()
IDfPersistentObject getAssociatedObject()
String getObjectType()
IDfId getPolicyID()
String getStateName()
Pass-Through Methods to the DMCL API
IDfPersistentObject provides methods that invoke the DMCL dmAPIGet,

dmAPISet, and dmAPIExec methods. These IDfPersistentObject methods
automatically insert the session ID and the object ID in the appropriate places.

Use these methods only where necessary, that is, to access functionality that is
not available via DFC. Calling these methods bypasses built-in support for
validation:
String apiGet(String cmd, String args)
boolean apiSet(String cmd, String args, String value)
boolean apiExec(String cmd, String args)
Persistent Objects Without Associated Content
The level of the object hierarchy below IDfPersistentObject contains

IDfSysObject, which is the root type for all objects that have associated
content. Most user types extend IDfSysObject. Discussion of IDfSysObject
appears in a subsequent section
The other types at the level of the object hierarchy below IDfPersistentObject
relate to the administration and operation of the Docbase. The following
sections discuss these types.
IDfACL
IDfACL provides the functionality associated with the server type dm_acl. An
access control list (ACL), also called a permission set, is the usual server
mechanism for controlling who has access to an object. If the Docbase security
mode is set to acl, then every sysobject (that is, every object of type
dm_sysobject or of a type that derives from dm_sysobject) has an associated
ACL that specifies which users that can operate on an object and what they
can do.
The Documentum eContent Server Fundamentals manual discusses the two kinds
of permissions: basic and extended. Chapter 6, Automating Business Rules
with DFC contains an extended example of how to use DFC to work with
these permissions.
IDfFormat
IDfFormat provides the interface methods for obtaining the attribute

information from a dm_format object.
A format object contains information about a file format recognized by the
server. All content stored in the Docbase has an associated format such as
msw8 (Microsoft Word 97 document), pdf (Acrobat PDF document), or html

(an HTML file). All sysobjects that have associated content keep the content
type in the a_content_type attribute. This value corresponds to a dm_format
object.
Administrators can create new format objects for formats that the server does
not support automatically. Format objects provide the information necessary
to open a viewer or editor appropriate to the content type.
IDfUser and IDfGroup
The server documentation contains information about how to work with

users and groups. Refer to the DFC online reference for details of the IDfUser
and IDfGroup interfaces and their methods.
IDfType
IDfType provides methods for getting information about a type. IDfType

provides the following categories of information.
Basic Attributes
The getName method returns the type’s name—a string like dm_format or
dm_document.
The getDescription method returns the type’s user-friendly name from the
data dictionary. The user interface uses the user-friendly name. For example, a
search dialog box may display the name Format rather than dm_format.
Parent Type Information
Most types derive from other types. People who deploy Documentum usually
create several layers of new types to meet their specific needs. IDfType
provides the following methods to test whether the type derives from another
type:
String getSuperName()
IDfType getSuperType()
boolean isSubTypeOf(String typeName)
The getSuperName method returns the name of the type’s parent type, or null
if the type has no parent type. For example, if you hold an IDfType reference
to the dm_document type, getSuperName returns dm_sysobject.

The method getSuperType returns an IDfType reference to the supertype, not

just its name.
You can call isSubTypeOf to test whether a type is a subtype of another type.
For example, if you hold an IDfType reference to the dm_document type,
isSubTypeOf("dm_sysobject") returns True. By convention, a type is
not a subtype of itself, so isSubTypeOf("dm_document") returns False.
Type Information
Programs typically make use of IDfType objects to get information about the
attributes of that type. The type dm_type contains several repeating attributes
that describe the attributes of the type. The DFC methods for most of these
methods come in two flavors. One takes an index into the array of repeating
attributes; the other takes a string specifying the attribute name. The indexed
methods are slightly more efficient.
The following IDfType methods return type information:
int getTypeAttrCount()
String getTypeAttrNameAt(int index)
int getTypeAttrDataTypeAt(int index)
int getTypeAttrDataType(String attrName)
boolean isTypeAttrRepeatingAt(int index)
boolean isTypeAttrRepeating(String attrName)
int getTypeAttrLengthAt(int index)
int getTypeAttrLength(String attrName)
int findTypeAttrIndex(String attrName)
String getTypeAttrDescriptionAt(int index)
String getTypeAttrDescription(String attrName)
The getTypeAttrCount method returns the number of attributes the type has.
The method getTypeAttrNameAt returns the attribute name at the specified
index. To find an attribute’s index, call findTypeAttrIndex. The index is 0-
based. The above get type attribute methods return the type of the attribute.
This is one of the following values:
IDfType.DF_BOOLEAN
IDfType.DF_INTEGER
IDfType.DF_STRING
IDfType.DF_ID
IDfType.DF_TIME
IDfType.DF_DOUBLE
IDfType.DF_UNDEFINED
They return IDfType.DF_UNDEFINED only in unusual circumstances.

The isRepeating methods indicate whether the attribute is repeating.

For attributes whose type is DF_STRING, the getTypeAttrLengthAt and
getTypeAttrLengthAt methods return the maximum character length of any
string that can be stored in that attribute. For attributes of other types, these
methods return 0.
The get type attribute description methods return attribute descriptions from
the data dictionary. This information does not reside in the dm_type object.
Recall that IDfType derives from IDfPersistentObject, which, in turn, derives
from IDfTypedObject. IDfTypedObject has the following methods:
Enumeration enumAttrs()
IDfAttr getAttr(int index)
int getAttrCount()
boolean hasAttr(String attrName)
isAttrRepeating(String attrName)
Developers often find this confusing. Calling these methods on an IDfType
object returns information about the attributes of the type dm_type, not the
type that the IDfType object describes.
For example, suppose that the IDfType object named doctype describes the
type dm_document. The method doctype.getAttrCount returns 15, even
though dm_document has almost 70 attributes. The reason is that
getAttrCount returns the number of attributes that dm_type has, not the
number of attributes that dm_document has.
To get the number attributes for dm_document, call
doctype.getTypeAttrCount
Similarly, if you call doctype.getAttrDataType("object_name"), DFC throws an
exception, because dm_type does not have an attribute called "object_name".
To discover the type of the dm_document attribute object_name, call
getTypeAttrDataType("object_name").
All IDfType methods that return attribute information about the type that the
IDfType object describes have method names that begin with getTypeAttr. The
methods inherited from IDfTypedObject return information about dm_type.

Sysobjects—Persistent Objects With Content
IDfSysObject provides the functionality associated with sysobjects, that is,

objects of the type dm_sysobject. Sysobjects can do the following:
■ Own content.
■ Be checked into and out of the Docbase.
■ Have an ACL to control access.
■ Reside in a folder.
■ Be versioned.
■ Be part of a virtual document.
■ Have an attached business policy (DLC).
Types that need any of these capabilities derive from dm_sysobject. Since the
primary focus of Docbases is content, most objects in the Docbase are either
sysobjects or objects whose type derives from dm_sysobject.
Basic Operations on Sysobjects
The IDfSysObject interface has a large number of methods. Refer to the DFC
online reference for detailed information. The Documentum eContent Server
Fundamentals manual provides the conceptual background. The following
functional categories provide an overview of IDfSysObject:
■ Checkout/Checkin
“Checking Sysobjects In and Out” on page 4-7 contains examples of how to
check objects out of and into a Docbase and how to cancel a checkout.
■ Content-Related
The eContent Server Fundamentals manual discusses content, renditions,
and file formats.
■ Versioning
Documentum provides implicit versions, major and minor version
changes, version labels, and branching. “Working With Sysobject Versions”
on page 4-11 contains examples of how to use DFC to work with versions.

■ Security
Documentum provides two kinds of permissions: basic and extended. A
user can have one basic permission level, and each basic permission level
includes the capabilities of all of the lower levels. Users can also have any
combination of the extended permissions. “Using Private ACLs” on page
6-5 and “ACL Utility Methods” on page 6-7 contain examples of how to
use DFC to work with basic and extended permissions.
■ Folder-Related
Documentum provides folder and cabinet objects to organize the contents
of a Docbase. All sysobjects and sysobject subtypes (except cabinets) must
reside in a cabinet or in a folder.
■ Virtual Document
A virtual document is a compound document whose components are
either simple documents or other virtual documents. The content that
users see is the content files associated with these components. A virtual
document can also have its own associated content file (or files). The
components of virtual documents can have a mixture of formats.
■ Business Policy
Business policies are also known as document lifecycles (DLCs). The
Documentum eContent Server Fundamentals manual explains how DLCs
work.
Types That Derive From IDfSysObject
An IDfDocument object contains information about a document. Documents

can be simple documents or virtual documents. In a simple document, the
content generally seen by a user is in one or more content files associated with
the document. IDfDocument is a logical interface for operating on
documents, but it does not add attributes or methods to those found in
IDfSysObject.
Documentum provides a folder and cabinet paradigm for organizing the
documents in a Docbase. Cabinet objects are top-level folders and cannot
reside in other folders or cabinets. A folder must reside in a cabinet or in
another folder. DFC does not provide an IDfCabinet interface, so use an
IDfFolder interface to operate on cabinet references.

IDfSession
The dm_cabinet type has an attribute is_private, which is not an attribute of

dm_folder. To retrieve this value, call the getBoolean method inherited from
IDfTypedObject. For example,
boolean bIsPrivate = myCabinet.getBoolean("is_private");
Folders and cabinets do not usually have associated content. They derive from
IDfSysObject because folders use the ACL security mechanism.
The preceding sections discuss all of the interfaces in Figure 1-1, except for
IDfDocbaseMap and IDfCollection. Discussion of those interfaces follows the
discussion of the IDfSession and IDfClient interfaces.
IDfSession
All interaction with a Docbase occurs in a session, that is, using an IDfSession
object. In broad terms, a session:
■ Uses the underlying DMCL library to maintain a connection to a Docbase.
■ Maintains the state of the interaction between an application and the
Docbase.
■ Caches information to increase performance.
A session keeps track of the objects you fetch and change. It provides
explicit and implicit transaction support. The underlying DMCL does most
of this, but DFC also caches some information and maintains some state.
■ Provides service methods for creating and fetching objects, performing
administrative tasks, and obtaining session information.
An IDfSession provides the following categories of functionality.
Provide Information
The following methods ask for information that the session has access to:
IDfClient getClient();
IDfLoginInfo getLoginInfo()
String getDBMSName()
String getDMCLSessionId()
String getDocbaseId()
String getDocbaseName()
String getDocbaseOwnerName()

IDfSession
String getLoginUserName()
String getSecurityMode()
String getServerVersion()
String getSessionId()
boolean isACLDocbase()
boolean isAdopted()
boolean isConnected()
boolean isRemote()
boolean isShared()
Note: be careful not to write getRDBMSName for getDBMSName. The
version without the “R”is correct.
Create Objects and Obtain Object References
Developers sometimes ask why they can’t create a new sysobject as follows:
obj = new DfSysObject;
The short answer is that all persistent objects reside in the Docbase, so you can
create or fetch them only through a session. “DFC Programming” on page 1-2
discusses this point in more detail.
The getObject methods return IDfPersistentObject interfaces, because
IDfPersistentObject is the most derived interface that is general to all of the
possible return types. For example, getObject could return an IDfType, an
IDfUser, an IDfDocument, or an IDfFolder (among other possibilities). The
only interfaces common to those types are IDfTypedObject and
IDfPersistentObject. IDfPersistentObject is the more derived. The effect of this
is that Java code must provide an explicit cast. For example
IDfFormat format =
(IDfFormat) mysession.getObjectByQualification
("dm_format where name = 'tex');
The following methods support creating objects and obtaining object
references:
int getDefaultACL()
IDfACL getACL(String aclDomain, String aclName)
IDfFolder getFolderByPath(String folderPath)
IDfFormat getFormat(String formatName)
IDfGroup getGroup(String groupName)
IDfId getIdByQualification(String qualification)
IDfPersistentObject getObject(IDfId objectId)
IDfPersistentObject getObjectByPath(String objectPath)
IDfPersistentObject getObjectByQualification(
String qualification)

IDfSession
IDfPersistentObject getObjectWithType(
IDfId objectId, String objType, String className)
DfPersistentObject newObject(String typeName)
DfPersistentObject newObjectWithType(
String typeName, String className)
DfType getType(String typeName)
DfTypedObject getTypeDescription(
String typeName, String attribute, IDfId businessPolicyId,
String state)
DfUser getUser(String userName)
DfUser getUserByOSName(
String userOSName, String userOSDomain)
Configuration Information
The eContent Server documentation discusses configuration objects (see the

sections dealing with apiconfig, sessionconfig, and serverconfig).
The IDfClient interface provides the following methods. They return typed
objects, because they return configuration information, not Docbase objects.
IDfTypedObject getClientConfig() throws DfException;
IDfTypedObject getConnectionConfig()
IDfTypedObject getDocbaseConfig()
IDfTypedObject getDocbrokerMap()
IDfTypedObject getServerConfig()
IDfTypedObject getServerMap(String DocbaseName)
IDfTypedObject getSessionConfig()
Transaction Support
The following are the basic methods for managing transactions:

void abortTrans()
void beginTrans()
void commitTrans()
Docbase Scope
Docbase scope tells the server which Docbase a method applies to. In many
cases this does not change; in other cases, the server can determine it by
examining a method argument that conveys the scope implicitly. For example,
if one of the method’s arguments is an object ID, the server can determine the
Docbase scope from the ID.

IDfSession
The following are the basic methods for managing Docbase scope when
necessary:
String getDocbaseScope()
String setDocbaseScope(String DocbaseName)
String setDocbaseScopeById(IDfId objectId)
Multithreading Support
If more than one thread can access a session, you must take care to lock and
unlock the session before using it.
The following IDfSession methods provide this capability:
boolean lock(int timeoutInMsec);
boolean unlock();
You can lock the session explicitly (calling a method of IDfSession) or
implicitly (calling a method of IDfPersistentObject, because persistent objects
hold a reference to a session).
Generally, you should lock and unlock blocks of code. If you lock and unlock a
session at too fine a granularity, performance suffers and you increase the
chance of making a mistake. If you lock too big a chunk of code, you cause
other threads to wait needlessly, also hurting performance.
DFC does not enforce the locking mechanism on sessions, so a multithreaded
application must be careful to lock and unlock the session. Failure to do so can
cause crashes. The need to protect a session against concurrent access applies
to both shared sessions and private sessions (sessions obtained through the
newSession call), but you must be especially careful if you share sessions
across components in a multithreaded environment. You don’t need to lock
and unlock a session if only one thread at a time can use it.
Tip: In Java you can use the finally statement to ensure that a thread releases
its lock when it dies.
Tip: Lock sessions during transactions to prevent synchronization problems.
API Calls
Occasionally, an application needs to interact directly with the session’s

underlying DMCL programs in ways for which DFC does not provide
interfaces. The following routines allow such interactions:

IDfSession
ByteArrayInputStream apiGetBytes(
String cmd, String args, String buf,
String buflen, int length)
IDfCollection apply(
String objId, String functionName, IDfList args,
IDfList dataType, IDfList values)
IDfCollection getLastCollection()
IDfList apiDesc(String api)
String apiGet(String cmd, String args)
String describe(String type, String objType)
String getMessage(int severityLevel)
boolean apiExec(String cmd, String args)
boolean apiSet(String cmd, String args, String value)
boolean apiSetBytes(
String cmd, String args, ByteArrayOutputStream content)
void traceDMCL(int level, String traceFile)
Inbox and Workflow
The Documentum eContent Server Fundamentals manual explains the way

workflow templates and workflows work.
The following methods pertain to inboxes and workflows:
IDfCollection getTasks(
String userName, int filter,
String additionalAttributes, String orderBy)
IDfId sendToDistributionList(
IDfList toUsers, IDfList toGroups,
String instructions, IDfList objectIDs,
int priority, boolean endNotification)
IDfWorkflowBuilder newWorkflowBuilder(IDfId processId)
String resolveAlias(IDfId sysObject, String scopeAlias)
void dequeue(IDfId stampId)
IDfCollection getEvents()
boolean hasEvents()
IDfCollection getRunnableProcesses(
String additionalAttributes)
Administration
The following methods support system administration:

IDfId archive(
String predicate, String operatorName, int priority,
boolean sendMail, IDfTime dueDate)

IDfClient
IDfId restore(
String predicate, String dumpFile, String operatorName,
int priority, boolean sendMail, IDfTime dueDate)
void changePassword(String oldPasswd, String newPasswd)
void reInit(String serverConfigName)
void reStart(String serverConfigName, boolean restartClient)
void shutdown(boolean immediate, boolean deleteEntry)
Session State
The following methods enable you to control certain aspects of the session:
void disconnect()
void flush(String flushType, String cacheKey)
void flushCache(boolean discardChanged)
void purgeLocalFiles()
void setBatchHint(int batchSize)
Miscellaneous
IDfRelationType getRelationType(String relationName)
IDfVersionTreeLabels getVersionTreeLabels(IDfId chronicleId)
String getLoginTicket()
IDfClient
Most DFC programs start by obtaining an object that implements the
IDfClient interface, through a call like the following:
IDfClient client = DfClient.getLocalClient();
The IDfClient object loads the DMCL shared library. Its main function is to
create and share sessions, but programs also use IDfClient to get information
about the available Docbases and to obtain certain DMCL configuration
information. IDfClient also enables client programs to cache information.
Creating Sessions and Obtaining References to Existing Sessions
An IDfClient object enables an application to create new sessions, share

sessions across components, or obtain references to existing sessions. It has the
following session-related methods:

IDfClient
IDfSession newSession(
String DocbaseName, IDfLoginInfo loginInfo)
IDfSession getSharedSession(
String DocbaseName, IDfLoginInfo loginInfo, String key)
IDfSession adoptDMCLSession(String dmclSessionId)
void unadoptDMCLSession(String dmclSessionId)
Enumeration enumSharedSessions(String key)
IDfSession findSession(String dfcSessionId)
The methods for creating a new session (newSession and getSharedSession)
take an IDfLoginInfo object as an argument. An IDfLoginInfo object carries
the user name, the password, and, optionally, the domain name. The sample
code in“connectToDocbase in Java” on page 3-2 shows how to use
IDfLoginInfo.
Shared sessions enable the components of a DFC application to share a DFC
session. The getSharedSession method uses a key known to all components
that share the session. Internally, DFC checks whether it has already created a
session for the same Docbase, the same login information, and same key. If it
has, it returns that session. Otherwise, it creates a new session.
Sharing sessions saves resources on both the client and the server sides. The
getSharedSession method does not allow sharing sessions among users. It is
for sharing sessions across components accessed by the same user for the
same Docbase in the same application.
The method newSession always creates a new session. Applications should
call newSession if they do not intend to share sessions across components.
The method adoptDMCLSession is intended for integrating with legacy
applications that use DMCL. This method takes the identifier for a session
created by a DMCL connect call (s0, for example) and wraps the underlying
session as a DFC session so DFC code can use it. If you adopt a session, you
must call unadoptDMCLSession when you finished with the session. Do not
call the close method of IDfSession.
The DFC online reference contains detailed information about the
enumSharedSessions and findSession methods.
Maps and Config Information
Client applications often present the user with a list of available Docbases.
DFC returns this list through the IDfDocbaseMap interface, which is obtained
by calling the IDfClient getDocbaseMap method. The IDfDocbaseMap

IDfClient
interface provides methods for getting the number of Docbases in the list, the
name of the Docbase at a specified index, a description of the Docbase at the
specified index, and the version of the server at the specified index. IDfClient
also provides methods for obtaining a docbroker map (the list of docbrokers
that you can access) and a server map (the servers that you can access). It
returns these maps as IDfTypedObjects. Typical client applications do not
need these maps. The server documentation provides more information about
them under the headings Docbroker Locator and Server Locator. The
examples in “Using a Docbase Map” on page 3-5 show how to work with
Docbase maps.
IDfClient allows you to obtain information about your general client
configuration through the getClientConfig method. This client configuration
object maps to the API Config object discussed in the server documentation.
Through this object you can dynamically configure such things as your
Docbroker, the maximum number of simultaneous sessions allowed, and the
maximum number of open collections allowed. You should alter the default
values only after reading the server administration documentation.
Service Methods
The IDfClient object provides an IDfProperties object for caching and sharing
information within your application. An IDfProperties object is an object that
allows you to store name-value pairs. The method
getContext(String contextId)
returns the properties object for the specified ID or creates a new one if one
does not already exist. The method
removeContext(String contextId)
removes the specified properties object. Some applications share data within a
session by using this object. In this case, they typically use the session ID
returned by the IDfSession method getSessionId as the context ID. You should
not use the DMCL session ID (for example, s0) for this purpose. Applications
should be careful to remove the properties object associated with a session
when they no longer use that session.

Common Package
Common Package
The com.documentum.fc.common package contains interfaces that client
programs sometimes find useful.
DFC wraps IDs and Time values in IDfId and IDfTime objects. To get an ID as
a string you can call either getId or toString (they return the same thing).
IDfTime objects allow you to perform time format conversions. Both the IDfId
and IDfTime interfaces provide convenience methods.
The getValue method returns an IDfValue object, which contains not only the
attribute’s value, but also its type. IDfValue objects are convenient when you
need to store an attribute value as an object (such as inserting it into a Java
hashtable), but later need to determine its type as well as its value.
Avoid calling getValue if you can, because creating an additional object and
obtaining and storing the type information are needless overhead if you don’t
use those features.
Queries
DFC provides an easy-to-use mechanism for querying the Docbase and
processing the query results.You use a query object to submit the query, and
receive the results in a collection object.
Flow of Query Processing
The general flow of query processing is as follows.
➤ To query the Docbase and process the results:

1. Obtain an IDfClient interface by calling DfClient.getLocalClient.
2. Create a session, sess, by calling newSession or getSharedSession on the
IDfClient object.
3. Obtain an IDfQuery object, query:
■ For Java-based DFC programs, call new DfQuery.

Queries
■ For Visual Basic and C++ programs, call the getQuery method of
IDfClientX.
4. Create a DQL query as a text string, dq.
5. Call query.setDQL(dq) to set the DQL string into the query object.
6. Call query.execute(sess, querytype) to execute the query.
The arguments of the execute method include a session reference, because the
query is not tied to the session, and a code for the type of query to execute.
The method returns an IDfCollection, col.
7. Iterate through the IDfCollection by calling col.next() until it returns False.
Obtain values from an IDfCollection by calling the various get methods of
IDfTypedObject (the parent type of IDfCollection).
For example, if you know that attribute 0 of the object at the current row of the
collection is a string, the following code prints it:
IDfAttr attr = col.getAttr(0)
System.out.println(typedObj.getString(attr.getName()))
If you don’t know that the attribute is a string, you can find out what it is by
calling
attr.getDataType()
and changing the second line above according to what getDataType returns.
8. Close the IDfCollection and IDfSession objects.
IDfQuery has no close method, because a query object is not tied to a session.
Be careful to close open collections and sessions even in the event of an
exception. The best place for a Java program to call close is in a finally block,
because Java executes a finally block whether there is an exception or not.
IDfQuery
An IDfQuery object holds a DQL query string and allows you to perform that
query in any session. You pass the session and the query to the execute
method, and it returns results as an IDfCollection object.

Queries
IDfCollection
An IDfCollection object is like an SQL cursor. It contains references to the

objects that the query returns, in an ordered sequence of rows. The collection
points to one row of data at a time. You must call next before accessing the
first row (if the collection is empty, the first call to next returns False).
Note: An IDfCollection is a typed object. You access the current row’s data by
calling the IDfTypedObject methods getBoolean, getInt, getString, and so
forth, as if the collection were the same as its current row. You should not, and do
not need, to call the collection’s getTypedObject method unless you want to
save the current row for later use (compare the code in Step 7 on page 1-35,
which does not call getTypedObject, with the code in “displayResults in
Visual Basic” on page 5-2, which does call getTypedObject).

2
Using DFC 2
This chapter discusses operational issues that arise when you set up and use
DFC in your programming environment.
Using DFC From Application Programs

You can use COM or Java to access DFC. Your choices depend on your
programming language.
Java
From Java, use the Java interface. Simply add the DFC class and interface files
(for example, ...Documentum\DFCre40\lib\dfc.jar) to your CLASSPATH.
Visual Basic
From Visual Basic, the dfc.tlb type library provides access to DFC through
COM. Visual Basic hides the details.
Interface inheritance requires a workaround if you access DFC from Visual
Basic, because the Microsoft Java virtual machine does not support COM
interface inheritance.
For example, in Java you can use the save method that a SysObject inherits
from a PersistentObject.
//Java
IDfSysObject sysobj = session.newObject("dm_document");
sysobj.setObjectName("test");
sysobj.save();

Using DFC
Using DFC From Application Programs
In Visual Basic, however, you must assign the IDfSysObject object to an

IDfPersistentObject object before calling its save method:
'Visual Basic
Dim sysobj As IDfSysObject
Dim pobj As IDfPersistentObject
Set sysobj = session.newObject("dm_document")
sysobj.setObjectName ("test")
set pobj = sysobj
pobj.save
C++
From C++, use COM directly, or you can use classes, called wrapper classes,
that Documentum provides to hide some of the complexities of the COM
interface. To use these classes with Microsoft’s MFC, include the following
files in your Visual C++ project: DfClientX.h, DfClientX.cpp, dfc.h, and dfc_i.c
If you don’t use MFC or if you wish to write your own wrapper classes,
include only dfc.h and dfc_i.c.
Note: Interface inheritance requires a workaround if you access DFC from
C++, because the Microsoft Java virtual machine does not support COM
interface inheritance. See the Visual Basic example in the previous section.
Follow these rules for objects and pointers:
■ Always assign a DFC object to a new pointer.
First delete the old pointer, then create a new CDfSysObject, as in the
following C++ example:
//Get a DFC object
CDfSysObject sobj1 = session.getObject(id);
CDfSysObject *pSysObj = null;
//Delete the old pointer

if (pSysObj) delete pSysObj;
//Create new CDfSysObject

pSysObj = new CDfSysObject(sobj1);

Using DFC
Creating DFC Client Objects
■ A procedure that returns a DFC object should return a pointer to the object,
as demonstrated in the following Visual C++ example:
CDfSysObject *myFunction();
{
CDfSysObject sobj1 = session.getObject(id);
CDfSysObject *retval = new CDfSysObject (sobj1);
return retval;
}
Syntax Differences
COM and Java give you access to the same DFC classes and interfaces, but
COM datatypes differ slightly from Java datatypes. Table 2-1 shows the COM
equivalents of DFC datatypes.
Table 2-1 Equivalents for DFC Datatypes
Java (DFC datatype) Visual Basic C++ with MFC C++ directly to COM
(and Docbasic) wrapper classes
boolean Boolean BOOL VARIANT_BOOL
int Long long int
String String CString BSTR
double Double double double
IDfinterfacename IDfinterfacename CDfinterfacename IDfinterfacename

or Object
Creating DFC Client Objects

➤ Perform the following steps before calling DFC methods:
1. Create a DFC client object as an interface to DFC.
The DFC client object must reside in the same process as the Documentum
client library, DMCL. DFC client objects are also called local DFC clients. Java
and COM use different interfaces to create the DFC client object, as shown in
the examples.

Using DFC
Creating a DFC Session
2. Provide login information and establish a DFC session (refer to “Creating a

DFC Session” on page 2-4).
Java Example
Use the DfClient.getLocalClient static method.

IDfClient myclient = DfClient.getLocalClient();
This line of code creates an interface, myclient, to a local DFC client object. The
interface provides access to the methods and data in the DFC client object.
Call the object’s methods through the interface.
COM Example
IDfClientX creates DFC objects in COM development environments. You must

instantiate an IDfClientX object before you can create DFC objects. Use the
IDfClientX interface’s getLocalClient static method. The following example
demonstrates how to create a DFC client object in Visual Basic.
Dim myclient As IDfClient
Dim myclientx As DfClientX
Set myclientX = CreateObject(“Documentum.Dfc”)
Set myclient = myclientX.getLocalClient
Creating a DFC Session

Provide login information and establish a DFC session with a Documentum
server. The DFC client issues server commands and accesses data via the
session. Table 2-2 describes the three types of DFC sessions.
Table 2-2 DFC Session Types
Type Description DFC Method
Shared Can be shared across components getSharedSession
Private Used by only one component newSession
Adopted DMCL session used as a DFC session adoptDMCLSession

Using DFC
Using DFC Tracing
Shared Sessions
If you ask for a shared session, DFC returns an existing one or creates a new
one for you. Using shared sessions decreases the number of sessions you must
connect and disconnect yourself.
To establish a shared session, you must specify a session key. For security
reasons, there is no DFC method to retrieve this key, so you must save it if you
need to use it again. To use a specific shared session, you must know its key.
Adopted Sessions
To create an adopted session, DFC uses the ID of an existing DMCL session,

that is, a session established by a direct call to the connect method. When
migrating pre-DFC customizations, you may find adopted sessions
convenient. Otherwise, Documentum recommends establishing sessions
through DFC.
To prevent synchronization problems, DFC allows a DMCL session to be
adopted only once. Adopted sessions cannot be shared.
Note: You cannot disconnect an adopted session through DFC. After you
unadopt an adopted session with the DFC unadopt method, you must use the
disconnect server API to disconnect the underlying DMCL session.
Using DFC Tracing

DFC provides a tracing mechanism through static methods of the DfTrace
class. The principal ones are:
setTraceLevel(int traceLevel)
steTraceFileName(String fileName)
Visual Basic programs can access the same methods through the IDfClientX
interface.
Trace levels are 0 to turn off tracing or an integer from 1 to 10. Higher levels
provide more detailed tracing. If you don’t set a trace file, the information
goes to the standard output.
Because static methods implement tracing, the facility is independent of
specific objects or sessions.

Using DFC
Using the DFC Online Reference Documentation
Using the DFC Online Reference Documentation

This section explains how to use the DFC online reference documentation to
find greater detail about DFC structure and syntax.
Documentum uses the Javadoc facility to produce a DFC reference. This
reference is available online in HTML form, both by itself and as part of the
Developer Studio online help.
From the home page of the reference, you can choose a variety of views. The
Help link provides a description of how the reference is organized.
The DFC library is large, and programmers sometimes have difficultly
determining where to find or look for functionality. If this happens, consider
using the following decision sequence.
➤ To find the interface that provides a specified operation:

1. If you wish to operate on an object in the Docbase, determine the most general
interface that should support the operation, and look there.
For example, you can save any persistent object, so look for a save method
in IDfPersistentObject.
If the functionality involves content, security, versioning, or checkout/
checkin, look at IDfSysObject or interfaces derived from it.
2. If you wish to create an object, obtain a reference to an object, or perform a
general operation,
a. If the operation depends on having a session, look in IDfSession.
b. Otherwise, look in IDfClient.

3
Managing DFC Sessions 3
This chapter describes the way to work with DFC sessions and a Docbase
map. The examples in it are based on the classes DfExSession and
DfExDocbaseMap, which are available in Java and Visual Basic versions on
the distribution CD.
The chapter contains the following main sections:
■ “Connecting and Disconnecting” on page 3-1
■ “Using a Docbase Map” on page 3-5
Connecting and Disconnecting

As explained in “DFC Programming” on page 1-2, the IDfClient interface
provides the programmer’s gateway into DFC. It handles basic connection
details and loads the necessary shared libraries.
You obtain the initial IDfClient interface by calling the static method
DfClient.getLocalClient. The IDfClient interface then serves as a factory for
IDfSession objects.
In order to create a session to a Docbase, you must provide login information.
The examples on the CD contain code to obtain this information from the user.
The examples in this chapter suppress the user interaction and error checking.
For example, the line
li.setUser(DfExUtils.gUsername);
in the Java version and the line
li.setUser DfExMainForm.txtUsername.Text
in the Visual Basic version both assume that the corresponding mechanism
returns a valid user name.
The code that establishes the session is
sess = client.newSession(docbase, li);

Managing DFC Sessions
in the Java version and

Set sess = client.newSession
(DfExMainForm.cbxDocbase.Text, li)
in the Visual Basic version. In either case, the call can produce a DfException.
The Java code uses a try block followed by a catch statement to handle this
exception. The visual Basic code uses an On Error statement and an error
handling section to accomplish the same thing.
connectToDocbase in Java
//Connect to the Docbase.
IDfSession connectToDocbase() throws IOException {
IDfSession sess = null;
String docbase = null;
try {
//Get local client object that calls into DMCL40 to connect
//to Documentum servers - this is the entrance to DFC
//Set up login credentials.

IDfLoginInfo li = new DfLoginInfo();
//Assume user has entered user name, password,

//and Docbase via DfExUtils
li.setUser(DfExUtils.gUsername);
li.setPassword(DfExUtils.gPassword);
docbase = DfExUtils.gDocbase; //Connect to docbase

sess = client.newSession(docbase, li);
if(sess.isConnected()) {
System.out.println("\nConnected");
}
} catch(DfException dfe) {
System.out.println("\n" + dfe.toString());
}
return sess;
}
disconnectFromDocbase in Java
boolean disconnectFromDocbase(IDfSession sess) {
boolean retVal = false;
try {
if(sess.isConnected()) { //If session is connected
sess.disconnect(); // Disconnect
if(!sess.isConnected()) { // If disconnect succeeded
retVal = true; // Report success
} else { // If disconnect failed
//ERROR ACTION // Take error action
}
} else { //If session not connected

}
}
return retVal;
}
displaySessionInfo in Java
//Display details about the active session.
void displaySessionInfo(IDfSession s) {
try {
System.out.println("\nDocbase : " + s.getDocbaseName());
System.out.println("Srvr Vers : " + s.getServerVersion());
System.out.println("DBMS : " + s.getDBMSName());
System.out.println("Owner : " + s.getDocbaseOwnerName());
System.out.println("Sess Id : " + s.getSessionId());
System.out.println("DMCL Sess Id: " + s.getDMCLSessionId());
System.out.println("Docbase Id : " + s.getDocbaseId());
System.out.println("Scope : " + s.getDocbaseScope());
System.out.println("User : " + s.getLoginUserName());
System.out.println("Login Ticket: " + s.getLoginTicket());
System.out.println("Security : " + s.getSecurityMode());
} }
connectToDocbase in Visual Basic

Function connectToDocbase(sess As IDfSession) As IDfSession
Dim clientx As New DfClientX
Dim client As IDfClient
Dim li As IDfLoginInfo
On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
Set connectToDocbase = Nothing

If sess Is Nothing Then
Set client = clientx.getLocalClient 'Get client object
Set li = clientx.getLoginInfo 'Get login info object
li.setUser DfExMainForm.txtUsername.Text 'Assume username,
li.setPassword DfExMainForm.txtPassword.Text 'password,domain,
li.setDomain DfExMainForm.txtDomain.Text 'and Docbase
'from DfExMainForm
'Establish the session
Set sess = client.newSession(DfExMainForm.cbxDocbase.Text, li)
End If
Set connectToDocbase = sess

Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
writeDiagnostic Err.Description, False
End Function

disconnectFromDocbase in Visual Basic

Function disconnectFromDocbase(sess As IDfSession) As Boolean
Dim retVal As Boolean
disconnectFromDocbase = retVal
If sess.isConnected Then 'If session is connected

sess.disconnect ' Disconnect
If Not sess.isConnected Then ' If disconnect succeeded
retVal = True ' Report success
Set sess = Nothing
Else ' If disconnect failed
'ERROR ACTION ' Take error action
End If
Else 'If session not connected
End If
disconnectFromDocbase = retVal
Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
End Function
displaySessionInfo in Visual Basic

Sub displaySessionInfo(sess As IDfSession)
writeDiagnostic "Docbase: " + sess.getDocbaseName(), False

writeDiagnostic "Server Version: " + sess.getServerVersion(), False
writeDiagnostic "DBMS: " + sess.getDBMSName(), False
writeDiagnostic "Owner: " + sess.getDocbaseOwnerName(), False
writeDiagnostic "Session: " + sess.getSessionId(), False
writeDiagnostic "DMCL Session: " + sess.getDMCLSessionId(), False
writeDiagnostic "Docbase Id: " + sess.getDocbaseId(), False
writeDiagnostic "Docbase Scope: " + sess.getDocbaseScope(), False
writeDiagnostic "Current User: " + sess.getLoginUserName(), False
writeDiagnostic "Login Ticket: " + sess.getLoginTicket(), False
writeDiagnostic "Security Mode: " + sess.getSecurityMode(), False
Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:
End Sub

Using a Docbase Map
Using a Docbase Map

The Documentum system uses intermediaries called docbrokers to help client
programs connect to Docbases. Each Docbase projects (that is, sends its
address and identifying information) to one or more docbrokers. A client
program connects to a docbroker, after which it can communicate with any
Docbase that projects to that docbroker.
displayDocbaseInfo in Java
void displayDocbaseInfo(IDfDocbaseMap m, int idx){
try {
System.out.println("Docbase: " + m.getDocbaseName(idx));
System.out.println("Descrip: " + m.getDocbaseDescription(idx));
System.out.println("Id : " + m.getDocbaseId(idx));
System.out.println("Server : " + m.getServerVersion(idx));
} catch (DfException dfe) {
} }
connectToDocbase(map, index) in Java

void connectToDocbase(IDfDocbaseMap m, int idx)
throws IOException {
try {
DfExSession exSess = new DfExSession(); //Create session object
DfExUtils.gDocbase = m.getDocbaseName(idx); //Connect
IDfSession sess = exSess.connectToDocbase();
if (sess != null) {
System.out.println("\nConnected: " + m.getDocbaseName(idx));
DfExUtils.getInput("\nRETURN to continue...");
exSess.disconnectFromDocbase(sess); //Disconnect
}
} }
Step through Docbases in Java

static void main (String argv[]) throws IOException {
DfExDocbaseMap exDbMap = new DfExDocbaseMap();
try {
// Get a DFC local client object
IDfDocbaseMap m = client.getDocbaseMap();
System.out.println("\nHost: " + m.getHostName() + "\n");

Using a Docbase Map
for (int i = 0; i < m.getDocbaseCount(); i++) {

exDbMap.displayDocbaseInfo(m, i); // Display details
exDbMap.connectToDocbase(m, i);
}
} }
displayDocbaseInfo in Visual Basic

Sub displayDocbaseInfo(m As IDfDocbaseMap, idx As Integer)
writeDiagnostic "Name : " + m.getDocbaseName(idx), False
writeDiagnostic "Descrip: " + m.getDocbaseDescription(idx), False
writeDiagnostic "Id : " + m.getDocbaseId(idx), False
writeDiagnostic "Server : " + m.getServerVersion(idx), False
Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:
End Sub
connectToDocbase(name) in Visual Basic

Sub connectToDocbase(docbaseName As String)
Dim sess As IDfSession
Dim exSess As New DfExSession 'Instantiate session obj
DfExMainForm.cbxDocbase.Text = docbaseName
Set sess = exSess.connectToDocbase(sess) 'Connect to Docbase
If Not sess Is Nothing Then
writeDiagnostic "Connected to: " +
docbaseName, False
exSess.displaySessionInfo sess 'Display session details
exSess.disconnectFromDocbase sess 'Disconnect
End If
Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:
End Sub

4
Manipulating Docbase
Objects with DFC 4
This chapter describes the way to manipulate Docbase objects. The examples
in it are based on the classes DfExCreate, DfExCheckinCheckout,
DfExDestroy, and DfExVersionPolicy, which are available in Java and Visual
Basic versions on the distribution CD.
■ “Creating and Destroying” on page 4-1
■ “Checking Sysobjects In and Out” on page 4-7
■ “Working With Sysobject Versions” on page 4-11
Creating and Destroying
createCabinet in Visual Basic

Sub createCabinet(sess As IDfSession, cabinetName As String)
Dim sysObj As IDfSysObject
Dim pObj As IDfPersistentObject
Set sysObj = sess.newObject("dm_cabinet") 'Create cabinet object

sysObj.setObjectName cabinetName 'Set some attributes
sysObj.setSubject "Sample cabinet"
Set pObj = sysObj '"Cast" to persistent obj
pObj.save 'Save
displayObjectInfo sysObj 'Display details
Set sysObj = Nothing 'Release memory

Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:
End Sub

Manipulating Docbase Objects with DFC
createFolder in Visual Basic

Sub createFolder(sess As IDfSession, folderName As String, linkName As String)

Set sysObj = sess.newObject("dm_folder") 'Create folder object

sysObj.setObjectName folderName 'Set attributes
sysObj.setSubject "Sample folder"
sysObj.link linkName 'Set parent folder
Set pObj = sysObj '"Cast" to persistent object
pObj.save 'Save

Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:
End Sub
createDocument in Visual Basic

Sub createDocument(sess As IDfSession, docName As String,
contentFile As String, linkName As String)

Set sysObj = sess.newObject("dm_document") 'Create doc obj
sysObj.setObjectName docName 'Set attributes
sysObj.setSubject "Sample document"
sysObj.setContentType "crtext"
sysObj.setTitle "DFC Example Doc"
sysObj.setFile contentFile
sysObj.link linkName
pObj.save 'Save

Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:
End Sub
displayObjectInfo in Visual Basic
Sub displayObjectInfo(sysObj As IDfSysObject)

Set pObj = sysObj 'Make it persistent to get ID

writeDiagnostic "Id: " + pObj.getObjectId.getId, False
writeDiagnostic "Name: " + sysObj.getObjectName, False

writeDiagnostic "Owner: " + sysObj.getOwnerName, False
writeDiagnostic "Created: " + sysObj.getCreationDate.toString, False

writeDiagnostic "Subject: " + sysObj.getSubject, False

writeDiagnostic "Content type: " + sysObj.getContentType, False
Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:
End Sub
destroyObject in Visual Basic

Sub destroyObject(sess As IDfSession, objId As String, version As String)

Dim sysObjId As IDfId
Set sysObjId = clientx.getId(objId) 'Convert string to sysObjId

Set sysObj = sess.getObject(sysObjId) 'Get the object
Dim verString As String 'Display version labels

verString = ""
For i = 0 To (sysObj.getVersionLabelCount - 1)
If i = 0 Then
verString = verString + sysObj.getVersionLabel(i)
Else
verString = verString + ", " + sysObj.getVersionLabel(i)
End If
Next i
writeDiagnostic verString, False
If version = "DESTROYCURRENT" Then 'If call specifies current

Set pObj = sysObj ' Make it persistent,
pObj.destroy ' then destroy it
Else 'Otherwise
sysObj.destroyAllVersions ' Destroy all versions
End If
If Not pObj.isDeleted Then 'If object still exists

End If

Set IDfId = Nothing
Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:
End Sub
createType in Visual Basic

Sub createType(
sess As IDfSession, 'Session
typeName As String, 'Name for the new type
supertypeName As String, 'Supertype of the new type
lstAttrs As ListBox) 'Uninherited attributes
' (assume user entered these)

Dim dqlStatement As String

Dim exQuery As DfExSimpleQuery
dqlStatement = createDQLStatement(typeName,
supertypeName, lstAttrs)
Set exQuery = New DfExSimpleQuery 'Use DfExSimpleQuery class
exQuery.execQuery sess, dqlStatement
Set exQuery = Nothing 'Release memory

Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:
End Sub
createDQLStatement in Visual Basic

'Return a CREATE TYPE statement in the form:
' create type typeName (attr_name datatype, ...) with supertype superName
Function createDQLStatement(
typeName As String, 'Name of new type
superName As String, 'Supertype
lstAttrs As ListBox 'List of
) As String ' (attr_name datatype)
Dim dqlStatement As String

Dim attrDefs As String
createDQLStatement = ""
If lstAttrs.ListCount > 0 Then 'Build comma-separated
For i = 0 To (lstAttrs.ListCount - 1) ' string of attributes
If Not attrDefs = "" Then
attrDefs = attrDefs + "," + lstAttrs.List(i)
Else
attrDefs = lstAttrs.List(i)
End If
Next i
End If
dqlStatement = "CREATE TYPE " + typeName 'Construct statement

If Not attrDefs = "" Then
dqlStatement = dqlStatement + " (" + attrDefs + ")"
End If
dqlStatement = dqlStatement + " WITH SUPERTYPE " + superName
createDQLStatement = dqlStatement
Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
End Function

createCabinet in Java
void createCabinet(IDfSession sess) throws IOException {
try {
IDfSysObject sysObj = //Create cabinet obj
(IDfSysObject)sess.newObject("dm_cabinet");
sysObj.setObjectName("SampleCabinet"); //Set attributes

sysObj.setSubject("Sample Cabinet");
sysObj.save(); //Save cabinet
displayObjectInfo(sysObj); //Display details
} }
createFolder in Java
void createFolder(IDfSession sess) throws IOException {
try {
IDfSysObject sysObj = //Create folder obj
(IDfSysObject)sess.newObject("dm_folder");
sysObj.setObjectName("SampleFolder"); //Set attributes
sysObj.setSubject("DFC example folder");
sysObj.link("SampleParent"); //Assume it exists
sysObj.save(); //Save
} }
createDocument in Java
void createDocument(IDfSession sess) throws IOException {
try {
IDfSysObject sysObj = //Create document obj
(IDfSysObject)sess.newObject("dm_document");
sysObj.setObjectName("SampleDoc"); //Set attributes
sysObj.setSubject("Sample document");
sysObj.setContentType("crtext");
sysObj.setTitle("Sample Document");
sysObj.setFile("C:\test.txt"); //Assume content file
sysObj.link("SampleCabinet"); // and cabinet exist
sysObj.save(); //Save
} }

displayObjectInfo in Java
void displayObjectInfo(IDfSysObject Obj) {
try {
System.out.println("\tID : " + Obj.getObjectId().getId());
System.out.println("\tName : " + Obj.getObjectName());
System.out.println("\tOwner : " + Obj.getOwnerName());
System.out.println("\tCreated : " + Obj.getCreationDate());
System.out.println("\tSubject : " + Obj.getSubject());
System.out.println("\tContent : " + Obj.getContentType());
} catch (Exception e) {
System.out.println("\n" + e.toString());
} }
destroyObject in Java
void destroyObject(IDfSession sess, String objId, String version)
try {
IDfId sysObjId = new DfId(objId); //objId --> IDfId obj
IDfSysObject sysObj = //Get the object
(IDfSysObject)sess.getObject(sysObjId);
//Display version labels

for (int i = 0; i < sysObj.getVersionLabelCount(); i++) {
System.out.println(sysObj.getVersionLabel(i));
}
if (version == "A") { //If call specifies "A"
sysObj.destroyAllVersions(); // Destroy all versions
} else if (version == "C") { //If "C"
sysObj.destroy(); // Destroy current
} //Otherwise, do nothing
} }
createType in Java
void createType(
IDfSession sess, //Session
String typeName, //Name of the new type
String superName, //Supertype
String attrDefs //Attribute definitions
) {
try {
String dqlStatement = createDQLStatement();
DfExSimpleQuery exQuery = new DfExSimpleQuery();
exQuery.execQuery(sess, dqlStatement);
} catch (Exception e) {
System.out.println("\n" + e.toString());
} }

Checking Sysobjects In and Out
createDQLStatement in Java
//Return a create type statement in the form:
// CREATE TYPE typeName (attr_name datatype, ...) with supertype superName
String createDQLStatement(
String typeName, //Name of the new type
String superName, //Supertype
String attrDefs //Attribute definitions
) throws IOException {
//Construct the DQL statement

String dqlStatement = "CREATE TYPE " + typeName;
if (attrDefs != null) {
dqlStatement = dqlStatement + " (" + attrDefs + ")";
}
dqlStatement = dqlStatement + " WITH SUPERTYPE " + superName;
return dqlStatement;
}
checkOutObject in Visual Basic

Function checkOutObject(sess As IDfSession, objId As String) As Boolean

checkOutObject = True
Set sysObjId = clientx.getId(objId) 'Create IDfId object
Set sysObj = sess.GetObject(sysObjId) 'Create IDfSysObject
If sysObj.isCheckedOut Then 'If object is checked out

Else 'If not checked out
sysObj.checkout ' Lock the object
sysObj.getFile sysObj.getObjectName ' Copy to curr working dir
End If
Set sysObjId = Nothing 'Release memory

Set sysObj = Nothing
Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
checkOutObject = False
End Function

cancelCheckout in Visual Basic

Function cancelCheckout (sess As IDfSession, objId As String)



sysObj.cancelCheckout ' Cancel checkout
removeLocalFile sysObj ' Remove local file
cancelCheckout = True
End If

Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
End Function
checkInObject in Visual Basic

Function checkInObject(sess As IDfSession, objId As String)

Dim newSysObjId As IDfId


writeDiagnostic "Version: CURRENT, " + ' Display version label
sysObj.getVersionPolicy.getNextMinorLabel,
False
sysObj.setFile
sysObj.getObjectName ' Get the file
Set newSysObjId = sysObj.checkin(False, "") ' Check in as default version
writeDiagnostic "Checked in: " + ' Display ID
newSysObjId.getId, False
removeLocalFile sysObj ' Remove local file
checkInObject = True
End If


Set newSysObjId = Nothing

Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
End Function
removeLocalFile in Visual Basic

Sub removeLocalFile(sysObj As IDfSysObject)
Dim f As IDfFile
Set f = clientx.getFile(sysObj.getObjectName()) 'Create file object

f.deleteFile 'Delete the file
Set f = Nothing 'Release memory

Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:
End Sub
editFile in Visual Basic

Function editFile(sess As IDfSession, objId As String)

Shell "NOTEPAD.EXE " + 'Call editing program

sysObj.getObjectName, vbNormalFocus
editFile = True

Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
End Function
checkOutObject in Java
boolean checkOutObject(IDfSession sess, String objId) {
boolean retVal = false;
try {
IDfId sysObjId = new DfId(objId); //Create IDfId object
IDfSysObject sysObj = //Create IDfSysObject

if (sysObj.isCheckedOut()) { //If object checked out

} else { //If not checked out
sysObj.checkout(); // Lock it
sysObj.getFile(sysObj.getObjectName()); // Get local copy
retVal = true;
}
}
return retVal;
}
cancelCheckout in Java
void cancelCheckout(IDfSession sess, String objId)
try {
if (sysObj.isCheckedOut()) { //If object checked out

sysObj.cancelCheckout(); // Cancel checkout
removeLocalFile(sysObj); // Delete local copy
//ERROR ACTION // Handle error
}
} }
checkInObject in Java
void checkInObject(IDfSession sess, String objId)
try {
if (sysObj.isCheckedOut()) { //If checked out

System.out.println("\nObject version: " + // Show label
"CURRENT, " +
sysObj.getVersionPolicy().getNextMinorLabel());
sysObj.setFile(sysObj.getObjectName()); // Get local copy
IDfId newSysObjId = sysObj.checkin(false, ""); // Check in as
// default version
removeLocalFile(sysObj); // Delete local file
}
} }

Working With Sysobject Versions
removeLocalFile in Java
void removeLocalFile(IDfSysObject sysObj)
try {
IDfFile f = new DfFile(sysObj.getObjectName()); //Create file object
f.deleteFile(); //Delete file
} }
editFile in Java
void editFile(IDfSession sess, String objId)
try {
//Spawn child process for the editor to run in

String editor = /*Obtain name of editor executable*/;
Runtime.getRuntime().exec(editor + " " + sysObj.getObjectName());
} }
displayVersionInfo in Visual Basic

'Display version details about an object
Sub displayVersionInfo(sess As IDfSession, objId As String)
Dim verPolObj As IDfVersionPolicy
Set sysObjId = clientx.getId(objId)

Set sysObj = sess.GetObject(sysObjId)
Set pObj = sysObj
Set verPolObj = sysObj.getVersionPolicy
'Display version label details about the sysobject

writeDiagnostic "Object: " + pObj.getObjectId.getId, False
writeDiagnostic "Curr vers: " + verPolObj.getSameLabel, False
writeDiagnostic "Nxt minor: " + verPolObj.getNextMinorLabel, False
writeDiagnostic "Nxt major: " + verPolObj.getNextMajorLabel, False

if verPolObj.getDefaultCheckinVersion() =
DFCLib.IDfVersionPolicy_DF_NEXT_MAJOR Then
writeDiagnostic "Default label: DF_NEXT_MAJOR", False
ElseIf verPolObj.getDefaultCheckinVersion =
DFCLib.IDfVersionPolicy_DF_NEXT_MINOR Then
writeDiagnostic "Default label: DF_NEXT_MINOR", False
DFCLib.IDfVersionPolicy_DF_SAME_VERSION Then
writeDiagnostic "Default label: DF_SAME_VERSION", False
DFCLib.IDfVersionPolicy_DF_BRANCH_VERSION Then
writeDiagnostic "Default label: DF_BRANCH_VERSION", False
End If
writeDiagnostic "Label: " + verPolObj.getBranchLabel, False
writeDiagnostic "Summ: " + verPolObj.getVersionSummary("; "), False
writeDiagnostic "Comnt: " + verPolObj.getLogComment, False
'Free memory
Set sysObjId = Nothing
Set verPolObj = Nothing
Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:
End Sub
changeVersionInfo in Visual Basic

'Change the version of an object.
Sub changeVersionInfo(
sess As IDfSession, 'Docbase connection
objId As String, 'Object to change
symbolicLabel As String) 'Label to assign

Dim newId As IDfId

Set sysObj = sess.GetObject(sysObjId) 'Create sysobject
If Not sysObj.isCheckedOut Then 'Check it out

sysObj.checkout ' if necessary
End If
if sysObj.isCheckedOutBy(sess.getLoginUserName) 'If user has the lock

Then
sysObj.mark symbolicLabel ' Assign the label
Set newId = sysObj.checkin(False, "") ' Chk in minor version
displayVersionInfo sess, newId.getId ' Display the new info
Else 'Otherwise
End If
' Free memory.


Set newId = Nothing

Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:
writeDiagnostic "\n" + Err.Description, False
End Sub
displayVersionInfo in Java
//Display version info for an object
void displayVersionInfo(IDfSession sess, String objId)
{
try {
//Get ID, then corresponding sysobject, then version policy object
IDfId sysObjId = new DfId(objId);
IDfSysObject sysObj = (IDfSysObject)sess.getObject(sysObjId);
IDfVersionPolicy verPolObj = sysObj.getVersionPolicy();
//Display version label details about the sysobject

System.out.println("Version : " + verPolObj.getSameLabel());
System.out.println("Nxt minor: " + verPolObj.getNextMinorLabel());
System.out.println("Nxt major: " + verPolObj.getNextMajorLabel());
if (verPolObj.getDefaultCheckinVersion() ==
verPolObj.DF_NEXT_MAJOR) {
System.out.println("Default label : DF_NEXT_MAJOR");
} else if (verPolObj.getDefaultCheckinVersion() ==
verPolObj.DF_NEXT_MINOR) {
System.out.println("Default label : DF_NEXT_MINOR");
verPolObj.DF_SAME_VERSION) {
System.out.println("Default label : DF_SAME_VERSION");
verPolObj.DF_BRANCH_VERSION) {
System.out.println("Default label : DF_BRANCH_VERSION");
}
System.out.println("Br label : " + verPolObj.getBranchLabel());
System.out.println("Vers summ: " + verPolObj.getVersionSummary(";"));
System.out.println("Log cmt : " + verPolObj.getLogComment());
} }
changeVersionInfo in Java
//Change the version of an object.
void changeVersionInfo(IDfSession sess, String objId) throws IOException
{
//Obtain the object ID, then the corresponding sysobject
try {
if (!sysObj.isCheckedOut()) { //Check out if

sysObj.checkout(); // necessary
}

if (sysObj.isCheckedOutBy(sess.getLoginUserName())) { //If user owns lock

//String symbolicLabel = OBTAIN LABEL FROM USER; // get label
sysObj.mark(symbolicLabel); // assign it
IDfId newId = sysObj.checkin (false, ""); // check in
displayVersionInfo(sess, newId.getId());
} else { //Otherwise
//ERROR ACTION // error action
}
} }

5
Managing Docbase Queries
with DFC 5
This chapter describes the way to use DFC to create and perform queries and
to process the results. The examples in it are based on the class
DfExSimpleQuery, which is available in Java and Visual Basic versions on the
distribution CD.
You can find out more about queries by examining the DfExFullTextQuery
class on the distribution CD. This manual does not contain examples from that
class.
Basic Queries
exQuery in Visual Basic

Function execQuery(
queryString As String) 'Query string
As IDfCollection 'Return a collection

Dim col As IDfCollection
Dim q As IDfQuery
Set execQuery = Nothing 'Initialize return value
Set q = clientx.getQuery 'Create query object

q.setDQL queryString 'Give it the query string
Set col = q.execute(sess, 'Execute the query and get

DFCLib.IDfQuery_DF_READ_QUERY) ' back a collection
Set execQuery = col 'Set the return value

Exit Function
ErrorHandler:

Managing Docbase Queries with DFC
Basic Queries
End Function
displayResults in Visual Basic

'Step through a collection
Sub displayResults(col As IDfCollection)
Dim resItems As Integer

Dim attr As IDfAttr
Dim tObj As IDfTypedObject
Dim msg As String
resItems = 0 'Count rows

While (col.Next()) 'Step thru rows
Set tObj = col.getTypedObject
resItems = resItems + 1
writeDiagnostic "\nRow: " + CStr(resItems), False 'Display row num
For i = 0 To (tObj.getAttrCount() - 1) 'For each attribute
Set attr = tObj.GetAttr(i)
msg = attr.getName() + ": " ' Display name
If attr.getDataType = DFCLib.DF_BOOLEAN Then ' Display value
writeDiagnostic msg + ' using method
CStr(tObj.getBoolean(attr.getName)), False ' for its type
ElseIf attr.getDataType = DFCLib.DF_DOUBLE Then
writeDiagnostic msg +
CStr(tObj.getDouble(attr.getName())), False
ElseIf attr.getDataType = DFCLib.DF_ID Then
tObj.getId(attr.getName()).getId, False
ElseIf attr.getDataType = DFCLib.DF_INTEGER Then
CStr(tObj.getInt(attr.getName())), False
ElseIf attr.getDataType = DFCLib.DF_STRING Then
tObj.getString(attr.getName()), False
ElseIf attr.getDataType = DFCLib.DF_TIME Then
tObj.getTime(attr.getName()).toString(), False
Else 'Unknown type
'ERROR ACTION ' Handle error
End If
Next i
Wend
col.Close
Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:
End Sub
exQuery in Java
IDfCollection execQuery(IDfSession sess, String queryString)
{
IDfCollection col = null; //For the result
try {

Basic Queries
IDfQuery q = new DfQuery(); //Create query object

q.setDQL(queryString); //Give it the query
col = q.execute(sess, DfQuery.DF_READ_QUERY); //Execute synchronously
}
return col;
}
displayResults in Java
//Step through a collection and display results
void displayResults(IDfCollection col) throws IOException
{
try {
int resItems = 1; //Count rows
while (col.next()) {
System.out.println("\nResult row: " + resItems++); //Display row num
for (int i = 0; i < col.getAttrCount(); i++) { //For attribute
IDfAttr attr = col.getAttr(i);
System.out.print("\t" + attr.getName() + ": "); // Display name
if (attr.getDataType() == attr.DM_BOOLEAN) { // Display value
System.out.println( // using method
col.getBoolean(attr.getName())); // for its type
} else if (attr.getDataType() == attr.DM_DOUBLE) {
System.out.println(
col.getDouble(attr.getName()));
} else if (attr.getDataType() == attr.DM_ID) {
System.out.println(
col.getId(attr.getName()).toString());
} else if (attr.getDataType() == attr.DM_INTEGER) {
System.out.println(
col.getInt(attr.getName()));
} else if (attr.getDataType() == attr.DM_STRING) {
System.out.println(
col.getString(attr.getName()));
} else if (attr.getDataType() == attr.DM_TIME) {
System.out.println(
col.getTime(attr.getName()).toString());
} else { //Unknown type
} } }
col.close(); //Close collection
} }

Basic Queries

6
Automating Business Rules
with DFC 6
This chapter describes the way to work with Documentum features that help
you automate your business rules. The examples in it are based on the classes
DfExSimpleValidation andDfExACL, which are available in Java and Visual
Basic versions on the distribution CD.
The classes DfExBusinessPolicy and DfExWorkflow show other ways to
automate business rules. This manual does not contain examples from those
classes.
■ “Checking Objects Against Validation Rules” on page 6-1
■ “Changing Permissions” on page 6-2
■ “Using Private ACLs” on page 6-5
■ “ACL Utility Methods” on page 6-7
Checking Objects Against Validation Rules
validate in Java
// Perform validation
void validate(
String objIdStr, //ID of the object to validate
String attrName) //Attribute to validate (null or "" = perform both
// object level and attribute level validation)
throws DfValidationException, IOException
{
try {
IDfId objId = new DfId(objIdStr);
IDfPersistentObject perObj = sess.getObject(objId);
IDfValidator validator = perObj.getValidator();
IDfType type = perObj.getType();

Automating Business Rules with DFC
Changing Permissions
if (attrName == null || attrName.equals("")) {

validator.validateAll(null, false);
} else {
if (type.findTypeAttrIndex(attrName) < 0) {
//ERROR ACTION
return;
}
// validate the value of the specific attribute
validator.validateAttrRules(attrName, null, null);
}
} }
changeBasicPermissions in Visual Basic

'Change and display object permissions
Sub changeBasicPermissions(
objId As String, 'ID of obj for which to change permissions
anotherUser As String) 'A user to whom to assign permissions

'Use ID string to obtain the ID, then the object

displayBasicPermissions sysObj 'Display the object's permissions
sysObj.grant anotherUser, 6, "" 'Grant the user and dm_world

sysObj.grant "dm_world", 6, "" ' WRITE permission
Set pObj = sysObj 'Make the object persistent

pObj.save ' then save it
displayBasicPermissions sysObj 'Display the object's permission
sysObj.revoke anotherUser, "" 'Revoke the user's permissions

sysObj.grant "dm_world", 3, "" 'Grant dm_world READ permission

displayBasicPermissions sysObj 'Display the object's permission
Set sysObjId = Nothing 'Free memory

Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:
End Sub
changeExtendedPermissions in Visual Basic

'Change and display extended object permissions
Sub changeExtendedPermissions(
objId As String, 'ID of obj for which to change permissions
anotherUser As String) 'A user to whom to assign permissions


displayExtendedPermissions sysObj 'Display the ext permissions
sysObj.grant anotherUser, 6, "CHANGE_STATE" 'Grant WRITE and CHANGE_STATE

sysObj.revoke anotherUser, "CHANGE_STATE"

sysObj.revoke anotherUser, ""

Set sysObjId = Nothing 'Free memory

Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:
End Sub
changeBasicPermissions in Java
//Change and display object permissions
void changeBasicPermissions(
String objId, //ID of obj for which to change permissions
String anotherUser) //A user to whom to assign permissions

try {
//Use ID string to obtain the ID, then the object
displayBasicPermissions(sysObj); //Display the object's permissions
//Grant the user and dm_world WRITE permission

sysObj.grant( anotherUser, 6, "");
sysObj.grant("dm_world", 6, "");
sysObj.save(); //Save the object

//Revoke the user's permissions and grant dm_world READ permission

sysObj.revoke(anotherUser, "");
sysObj.grant ("dm_world", 3, "");


} }
changeExtendedPermissions in Java
//Change and display extended object permissions
void changeExtendedPermissions(
String objId, //ID of obj for which to change permissions
String anotherUser) //A user to whom to assign permissions
throws IOException
{
try {
displayExtendedPermissions(sysObj); //Display the ext permissions
//Grant the user WRITE and CHANGE_STATE permissions

sysObj.grant(anotherUser, 6, "CHANGE_STATE");

displayExtendedPermissions(sysObj); //Display the ext permissions
sysObj.revoke(anotherUser, "CHANGE_STATE"); //Revoke user's CHANGE_STATE

sysObj.revoke(anotherUser, ""); //Revoke user's basic perms

displayBasicPermissions(sysObj); //Display the ext permissions

} }

Using Private ACLs
Using Private ACLs
privateACLs in Visual Basic

'Create a private ACL and apply it to an object
Sub privateACLs(
objId As String, 'Object with which to associate the ACL
permission As String, 'Permission to grant world and owner
extPermission As String, 'Ext permissions to grant world and owner
aclName As String) 'Name of ACL to create

Dim oldACL As IDfACL
Dim newACL As IDfACL

'Create a new ACL object and give it the specified name

Set pObj = sess.newObject("dm_acl")
pObj.apiSet "set", "object_name", aclName
'Grant the specifiedpermissions to owner and world

pObj.apiExec "grant", "dm_owner," + permission + "," + extPermission
pObj.apiExec "grant", "dm_world," + permission + "," + extPermission
pObj.save 'Save the new private ACL

Set oldACL = sysObj.getACL 'Save the object's current ACL
'Instantiate an instance of the new private ACL

Set newACL = sess.getACL(sess.getLoginUserName(), aclName)
sysObj.setACL newACL 'Apply new ACL to the sysobject

Set pObj = sysObj 'Use persistent obj interface to
pObj.save ' save it with its new ACL
displayBasicPermissions sysObj 'Display the new permissions

displayExtendedPermissions sysObj
sysObj.setACL oldACL 'Apply old ACL to the sysobject

pObj.save 'Save it (pObj & sysObj are the same)
displayBasicPermissions sysObj 'Display restored permissions

displayExtendedPermissions sysObj
Set sysObj = Nothing 'Free memory

Set oldACL = Nothing
Set newACL = Nothing
Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:

Using Private ACLs

End Sub
privateACLs in Java
//Create a private ACL and apply it to an object
void privateACLs(
String objId //Object with which to associate the ACL
String permission, //Permission to grant to world and owner
String extPermission, //Ext permissions to grant world and owner
String aclName //Name of ACL to create
) throws IOException {
try {
//Create a new ACL object and give it the specified name

IDfPersistentObject pObj = (IDfPersistentObject)sess.newObject("dm_acl");
pObj.apiSet("set", "object_name", aclName);
//Grant the specified permissions to owner and world

pObj.apiExec("grant", "dm_owner," + permission + "," + extPermission);
pObj.apiExec("grant", "dm_world," + permission + "," + extPermission);
pObj.save(); //Save the new private ACL

IDfACL oldACL = sysObj.getACL(); //Save the object's current ACL
// Instantiate an instance of the new private ACL

IDfACL newACL = sess.getACL(sess.getLoginUserName(), aclName);
sysObj.setACL(newACL); //Apply new ACL to the sysobject

sysObj.save(); //Save sysobject with its new ACL
displayBasicPermissions(sysObj); //Display new permissions

displayExtendedPermissions(sysObj);
sysObj.setACL(oldACL); //Apply old ACL to the sysobject

sysObj.save(); //Save sysobj with restored ACL
displayBasicPermissions(sysObj); //Display restored permissions

displayExtendedPermissions(sysObj);

} }

ACL Utility Methods
ACL Utility Methods
permissionToString in Visual Basic

'Convert permission code to name
Function permissionToString(permission As String) As String
If permission = "1" Then permissionToString = "NONE"

ElseIf permission = "2" Then permissionToString = "BROWSE"
ElseIf permission = "3" Then permissionToString = "READ"
ElseIf permission = "4" Then permissionToString = "NOTE"
ElseIf permission = "5" Then permissionToString = "VERSION"
ElseIf permission = "6" Then permissionToString = "WRITE"
ElseIf permission = "7" Then permissionToString = "DELETE"
End If
Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
End Function
extendedPermissionToString in Visual Basic

'Convert extended permission code to name
Function extendedPermissionToString(permission As String) As String
If permission = "1" Then extendedPermissionToString = "CHANGE_STATE"

ElseIf permission = "2" Then extendedPermissionToString = "CHANGE_PERMIT"
ElseIf permission = "3" Then extendedPermissionToString = "CHANGE_OWNER"
ElseIf permission = "4" Then extendedPermissionToString = "EXECUTE_PROC"
ElseIf permission = "5" Then extendedPermissionToString = "CHANGE_LOCATION"
End If
Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
End Function
displayBasicPermissions in Visual Basic

'Display object permissions
Sub displayBasicPermissions(sysObj As IDfSysObject)
writeDiagnostic
" ACL Name: " +
sysObj.getACLName, False 'ACL name

ACL Utility Methods
For i = 0 To (sysObj.getAccessorCount - 1) 'For each accessor

writeDiagnostic
" Accessor: " + ' Name
sysObj.getAccessorName(i) +
" Permission: " + ' Permission
permissionToString(sysObj.getAccessorPermit(i)), False
Next i
Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:
End Sub
displayExtendedPermissions in Visual Basic

'Display the object's extended permissions
Sub displayExtendedPermissions(sysObj As IDfSysObject)
writeDiagnostic
" ACL Name: " + sysObj.getACLName, False 'ACL name
For i = 0 To (sysObj.getAccessorCount - 1) 'For each accessor

writeDiagnostic
" Accessor: " + sysObj.getAccessorName(i) + ' Name
" Extended Permissions: " +
sysObj.getAccessorXPermitNames(i), False ' Extended permissions
Next i
Exit Sub
ErrorHandler:
End Sub
permissionToString in Java
//Convert permission code to name
String permissionToString(String permission)
{
String retVal = null;
if (permission.equals("1")) retVal = "NONE";

else if (permission.equals("2")) retVal = "BROWSE";
else if (permission.equals("3")) retVal = "READ";
else if (permission.equals("4")) retVal = "NOTE";
else if (permission.equals("5")) retVal = "VERSION";
else if (permission.equals("6")) retVal = "WRITE";
else if (permission.equals("7")) retVal = "DELETE";
return retVal;
}

ACL Utility Methods
extendedPermissionToString in Java
//Convert extended permission code to name
String extendedPermissionToString(String permission)
{
String retVal = null;
if (permission.equals("1")) retVal = "CHANGE_STATE";

else if (permission.equals("2")) retVal = "CHANGE_PERMIT";
else if (permission.equals("3")) retVal = "CHANGE_OWNER";
else if (permission.equals("4")) retVal = "EXECUTE_PROC";
else if (permission.equals("5")) retVal = "CHANGE_LOCATION";
return retVal;
}
displayBasicPermissions in Java
//Display object permissions
void displayBasicPermissions(IDfSysObject sysObj)
{
try {
System.out.println(
"\tACL Name: " + //ACL name
sysObj.getACLName());
for (int i = 0; i < sysObj.getAccessorCount(); i++) { //For each accessor

System.out.println(
"\tAccessor: " + //Name
sysObj.getAccessorName(i) +
" Permission: " + //Permission
permissionToString(sysObj.getAccessorPermit(i)));
}
} }
displayExtendedPermissions in Java
//Display the object's extended permissions
void displayExtendedPermissions(IDfSysObject sysObj)
{
try {
System.out.println(
"\tACL Name: " + sysObj.getACLName()); //ACL name
for (int i = 0; i < sysObj.getAccessorCount(); i++) { //For each accessor

System.out.println(
"\tAccessor: " + sysObj.getAccessorName(i) + // Name
" Extended Permissions: " +
sysObj.getAccessorXPermitNames(i)); // Ext permissions
}
} }

ACL Utility Methods

7
DFC Methods by Task 7
This chapter provides an index to the major DFC methods, organized by the
tasks the methods accomplish. The methods appear under the following
categories:
■ “Communicating with the Server” on page 7-2
■ “Administering the System” on page 7-3
■ “Handling Objects” on page 7-5
■ “Retrieving and Setting Attributes” on page 7-10
■ “Searching the Docbase” on page 7-12
■ “Handling Content Objects” on page 7-13
■ “Printing Documents” on page 7-15
■ “Handling Virtual Documents” on page 7-16
■ “Handling Workflows” on page 7-18
■ “Handling Process Definitions” on page 7-19
■ “Handling Activity Definitions” on page 7-20
■ “Handling Work Items” on page 7-21
■ “Managing Inboxes” on page 7-22
Under each category, the methods are grouped by interface.

Some tasks have no associated DFC methods. The apiSet, apiGet, and apiExec
methods of the IDfSession interface enable you to use the Documentum client
library (DMCL) API to perform those tasks. Such tasks appear under the
DMCL headings at the ends of their categories.

DFC Methods by Task
Communicating with the Server
Communicating with the Server

The following methods communicate with the server to disconnect, retrieve
messages, or manage explicit transactions.
IDfClient
Establish a session with a Docbase.

IDfSession newSession(
String docbaseName, IDfLoginInfo loginInfo)
IDfSession getSharedSession(String docbaseName, IDfLoginInfo
loginInfo, String key)
IDfSession
Cancel the transaction opened by the last beginTrans call, and discard all of its
changes.
void abortTrans()
Open a transaction.
void beginTrans()
Save changes made since the last beginTrans call, and close the transaction.
void commitTrans()
Disconnect the session.

void disconnect()
Obtain a ticket that an application can substitute for the current user’s
password as an argument to the Connect method.
String getLoginTicket()
Return all error and informational messages at or above the specified severity
level for a session.
String getMessage(int severityLevel)
Specify the maximum number of rows an RDBMS call can return.

void setBatchHint(int batchSize)

DFC Methods by Task
Administering the System
Shut down the server connected to the session.

void shutdown(boolean immediate, boolean deleteEntry)
Turn on tracing for the server for the session.

void traceDMCL(int level, String traceFile)
DMCL (No Associated DFC Methods)
Shut down a session.

apiExec("kill,session,session_to_kill"[,immediacy_level]
[,message]")

The following methods carry out system administration tasks.
IDfClient
Return information about all Docbases known to the DocBroker.

IDfDocbaseMap getDocbaseMap()
IDfDocbaseMap getDocbaseMapEx(
String protocol,
String hostName,
String portNumber)
Return information about known DocBrokers.

IDfTypedObject getDocbrokerMap()
Return information about the servers known to the DocBroker.

IDfTypedObject getServerMap(String docbaseName)
IDfTypedObject getServerMapEx(
String docbaseName,
String protocol,
String hostName,
String portNumber)

DFC Methods by Task
IDfSession
Send a DM_ARCHIVE event to the Docbase operator.

IDfId archive(
String predicate,
String operatorName,
int priority,
boolean sendMail,
IDfTime dueDate)
Change the user’s password.

void changePassword(
String oldPasswd,
String newPasswd)
Remove query caches, release memory for the server, or remove data
dictionary information.
void flush(
String flushType,
String cacheKey)
Remove objects in server and client caches.

void flushCache(boolean discardChanged)
Remove files copied to the local common area during a session.

void purgeLocalFiles()
Reinitialize the root process server.

void reInit(String serverConfigName)
Reinitialize the session’s server process.

void reStart(
String serverConfigName,
boolean restartClient)
Queue a restore from archives request to the Docbase operator.

IDfId restore(
String predicate,
String dumpFile,
String operatorName,
int priority,
boolean sendMail,
IDfTime dueDate)

DFC Methods by Task
Handling Objects
Enable auditing of the specified event.

apiSet("audit,session,object_id","event_name")
Return a list of subconnections and the Docbases to which they are connected.
apiGet("dumpconnection[,session]")
Return the subconnection identifier for an existing connection or establish a

new subconnection.
apiGet("getconnection,session,scoping_value[,connect_flag]")
Indicate whether an object type is in the DMCL type cache.

apiGet("iscached,session,typecache,cache_key")
Return the subconnections and the Docbases associated with them for a
specified session.
apiGet("listconnection,session")
Stop auditing an event.

apiSet("unaudit,session,object_id","event_name")
Handling Objects
The following methods manipulate objects.
IDfSession
Create a new persistent object of the specified type, optionally specifying the
fully qualified name of the DFC-derived subclass of IDfPersistentObject.
IDfPersistentObject newObject(String typeName)
IDfPersistentObject newObjectWithType(
String typeName,
String className)
Resolve an alias, returning its value.

String resolveAlias(
IDfId sysObject,
String scopeAlias)

DFC Methods by Task
Handling Objects
IDfPersistentObject
Remove the object from the Docbase.

void destroy()
Retrieve but don’t lock the object.

boolean fetch(String internalType)
Fetch the object from the Docbase again (discard unsaved changes).
void revert()
Save the object, overwriting the copy currently in the Docbase.

void save()
IDfSysObject
Attach a dm_note (annotation) to the object.

void addNote(
IDfId annotationId,
boolean keepPermanent)
Associate a business policy with the object.

void attachPolicy(
IDfId policyId,
String state,
String scope)
Simultaneously check the object out and create a new version branch.
IDfId branch(String versionLabel)
Remove an intention lock from the object.

void cancelCheckout()
cancelCheckoutEx(
boolean sendMail,
String compoundValue,
String specialValue)
Create and save a new version of the checked-out object and remove the lock
from the previous version.
IDfId checkin(
boolean fRetainLock,
String versionLabels)

DFC Methods by Task
Handling Objects
IDfId checkinEx(
boolean fRetainLock,
String versionLabels,
String oldCompoundArchValue,
String oldSpecialAppValue,
String newCompoundArchValue,
String newSpecialAppValue)
Create and save a new version of the checked-out object and remove the lock
from the previous version. This method is intended for use internally and by
user-written applications. It differs from checkin by providing arguments that
set the a_special_app and a_compound_architecture attributes.
checkinApp()
Retrieve the object from the Docbase and lock it.

void checkout()
IDfId checkoutEx(
String versionLabel,
String compoundArchValue,
String specialAppValue)
Demote the object to an allowable normal state of its lifecycle.

void demote(
String state,
boolean toBase)
Mark the object and, optionally, its associated assembly, as unchangeable.

void freeze(boolean freezeComponents)
Obtain the ID of the remote object pointed to by the object. This only applies if
the object is a local mirror object.
IDfId getRemoteId()
Create an access control entry in the object.

void grant(
String accessorName,
int accessorPermit,
String extendedPermission)
Associate the object with the specified folder or cabinet.

void link(String folderSpec)
Assign the specified symbolic labels to the object.

void mark(String versionLabels)

DFC Methods by Task
Handling Objects
Promote the object to the specified state of its lifecycle, optionally overriding
entry criteria. Optionally, test the entry criteria without promoting the object.
void promote(
String state,
boolean override,
boolean fTestOnly)
Remove all old versions of the object, optionally keeping labeled versions.
void prune(boolean keepSLabel)
Refresh attribute values from the remote object pointed to by the object. This
applies only if the object is a local mirror object.
void refreshReference()
Detach the specified annotation from the object.

void removeNote(IDfId annotationId)
Resolve an alias, returning its value.

String resolveAlias(String scopeAlias)
Move the object from a suspended state to a normal state in its lifecycle.
void resume(
String state,
boolean toBase,
boolean override,
boolean fTestOnly)
Discard unsaved permission changes.

void revertACL()
Remove all access control entries from this object for the specified user or
group.
void revoke(
Create a copy of the object, optionally sharing content.

IDfId saveAsNew(boolean shareContent)
Save the object, overwriting the copy in the Docbase. Keep the lock, and don’t
change the version.
void saveLock()

DFC Methods by Task
Handling Objects
Move the object from the specified lifecycle state to the associated exception
state.
void suspend(
String state,
boolean override,
boolean fTestOnly)
Unfreeze the object and, optionally, unfreeze its associated assembly.

void unfreeze(boolean thawComponents)
Unlink the object from the specified folder or cabinet.

void unlink(String folderSpec)
Remove one or more symbolic labels from an object.

void unmark(String versionLabels)
Specify which ACL to use for the object (folder, user, type, or none).
void useACL(String aclType)
IDfAcl
Create an access control entry in the object.

void grant(
int accessorPermit,
Remove the access control entries or an extended permission for a user or

group.
void revoke(

DFC Methods by Task
Retrieving and Setting Attributes

The following methods manipulate object attributes
IDfSession
Return a description of the attributes of an object type or registered table.

String describe(
String type,
String objType)
Return the data dictionary description of the specified type or attribute.

IDfTypedObject getTypeDescription(
String typeName,
String attribute,
IDfId businessPolicyId,
String state)
IDfTypedObject
Some of the methods of IDfTypedObject that deal with attributes have

different versions for each of the allowed attribute types. In this section the
notation MethodType represents a collection of methods, one for each of the
following values of Type:
Boolean, Double, Id, Int, String, Time, Value
The associated argument or return type declarations, type, are:

boolean, double, Id, int, String, IDfTime, IDfValue
For example, the notation appendType refers to the methods:

appendBoolean, appendDouble, appendId, appendInt
appendString, appendTime, appendValue
The declaration of the value parameter for each of these methods is:
boolean value, double value, Id value, int value
String value, IDfTime value, IDfValue value
Add a new value to a repeating attribute.

void appendType(
String attrName,
type value)

DFC Methods by Task
Return the names and values of the object’s attributes.

String dump()
Return the position of an attribute in the object’s indexed set of attributes.

Return the index of the first occurrence of the specified value in the specified
repeating attribute.
int findType(
String attrName,
type value)
Return all the values of the specified repeating attribute, concatenated into a
single string.
String getAllRepeatingStrings(
String attrName,
String separator)
Return the number of attributes the object has.

int getAttrCount()
Return the specified attribute’s datatype, encoded as an integer.

Return the value of the specified attribute.

type getType(String attrName)
Return the value at the specified index in the specified repeating attribute.
type getRepeatingType(
String attrName,
int valueIndex)
Return the number of values the specified attribute has (always 1 for a single-
valued attribute).
int getValueCount(String attrName)
Insert a value into a the specified repeating attribute.

void insertType(
String attrName,
int valueIndex,
type value)
Return True if the specified attribute is repeating, false if it is single-valued.

boolean isAttrRepeating(String attrName)

DFC Methods by Task
Searching the Docbase
Remove the value at the specified index from the specified repeating attribute.
void remove(
String attrName,
int valueIndex)
Remove all values from the specified repeating attribute.

void removeAll(String attrName)
Set the value of the specified attribute.

void setType(
String attrName,
type value)
void setRepeatingType(
String attrName,
int valueIndex,
type value)
Remove all values with index greater than or equal to the specified index from
the specified repeating attribute.
void truncate(
String attrName,
int valueIndex)
Searching the Docbase

The following methods execute, process, and close DQL queries.
IDfQuery
Execute a DQL query, and return the results as a collection.

void setDQL(String dqlStatement)
IDfCollection execute(
IDfSession session,
int queryType)
IDfSession
Return the object (or its ID) that satisfies the search condition, which is the
portion of a SELECT statement that begins with the keyword FROM.
IDfPersistentObject getObjectByQualification
(String qualification)

DFC Methods by Task
Handling Content Objects
IDfId getIdByQualification(String qualification)
Return the collection that resulted from the most recently executed query.
IDfCollection getLastCollection()
IDfCollection
Close the collection.

void close()
Move to the next item in the collection.

boolean next()
To access the current item of the collection, use methods IDfCollection inherits
from IDfTypedObject (see “Retrieving and Setting Attributes” on page 7-10).

The following methods manipulate content objects.
IDfSysObject
Add a rendition to the document, using the specified format and the contents
of the specified file.
void addRendition(
String fileName,
String formatName)
void addRenditionEx(
String fileName,
String formatName,
int pageNumber,
String storageName,
boolean atomic)
Append information in working memory as the last content file for the
document (used in applications to append content to multipaged documents).
void appendContent(ByteArrayOutputStream content)
Append a content file to the document’s list of files.

void appendFile(String fileName)

DFC Methods by Task
Bind a content object belonging to another document to this document at the

specified page number. The content then belongs to both documents.
void bindFile(
int pageNumber,
IDfId srcId,
int srcPageNumber)
Fetch the object’s contents into a byte array stream.

ByteArrayInputStream getContent()
ByteArrayInputStream getContentEx(
String format,
int pageNum)
Fetch the specified content file from the Docbase, and return the file path at
which the system places it.
String getFile(String fileName)
String getFileEx(
String fileName,
String formatName,
int pageNumber,
boolean getResource)
Insert content from a byte array stream into the document at the specified
page. (Used by applications to insert data into multipaged documents.)
void insertContent(
ByteArrayOutputStream content,
int pageNumber)
Insert content from a file into the document.

void insertFile(
String fileName,
int pageNumber)
Remove content from the specified page of the object.

void removeContent(int pageNumber)
Remove the specified rendition from the document, optionally saving the
changes to the Docbase as part of the operation.
void removeRendition(String formatName)
void removeRenditionEx(
String formatName,
int pageNumber,
boolean atomic)

DFC Methods by Task
Printing Documents
Set data in working memory as new content or use it to replace content. (Used
in applications to set the content of an object.)
boolean setContent(ByteArrayOutputStream content)
Identify a file to be new or replacement content for the object.

void setFile(String fileName)
void setFileEx(
String fileName,
String formatName,
int pageNumber,
String otherFile)
Set the next position (byte range) for reading a content collection.
apiExec("seek,session,collection,
position[,direction]")
Printing Documents
The following methods perform print operations.
IDfSysObject
Send a document to a printer.

print()
Show the print queue for a printer.

apiGet("lpq,session[,printer]")
IDfClient::
apiExec
Remove a print job from a print queue.

apiExec("unprint,session
[,printer_name],job_id")

DFC Methods by Task
Handling Virtual Documents

The following methods manipulate the components of virtual documents.
IDfSysObject
Add a new component to the end of the object’s list of components.

IDfId appendPart(
IDfId componentId,
boolean useNodeVerLabel,
boolean followAssembly,
int copyChild)
Create an assembly and associate it with the object.

IDfCollection assemble(
IDfId virtualDocId,
int interruptFreq,
String qualification,
String nodesortList)
Destroy the object’s assembly.

void disassemble()
Mark the object and all components of its assembly as unchangeable.

void freeze(boolean freezeComponents)
Insert the specified component at the specified position in the object’s list of
components.
IDfId insertPart(
IDfId componentID,
IDfId beforeContainmentId,
double orderNo,
boolean orderNoFlag,
boolean useNodeVerLabel,
int copyChild)

DFC Methods by Task
Remove the specified component from the object.

void removePart(
IDfId containmentId,
double orderNo,
boolean orderNoFlag)
Force the server to treat the object as a virtual document, even though it may
have no components.
void setIsVirtualDocument(boolean treatAsVirtual )
Unfreeze the object and, optionally, its assembly.

void unfreeze(boolean thawComponents)
Modify the specified component of the object.

void updatePart(
IDfId containmentId,
double orderNo,
boolean userNodeVerLabel,
int copyChild)
Return paths to a component in one or more virtual documents. This method

provides faster performance than Vdmpathdql but less flexibility in choosing
the paths.
apiGet("vdmpath,session,component_id
[,root_id][,shortest_path]
{,version_list}")
IDfClient::
apiGet
Return paths to a component in one or more virtual documents. This method

provides more flexibility in choosing the paths but slower performance.
apiGet("vdmpathdql,session,
component_id[,root_id]
[,shortest_path][,type]
[,binding_condition][,nodesort_by]")

DFC Methods by Task
Handling Workflows
Handling Workflows
The following methods manage running workflows.
IDfWorkflow
Abort the workflow.

void abort()
Attach a package to the specified start activity of the workflow.

IDfId addPackage(
String startActivityName,
String inputPortName,
String packageName,
String packageType,
String noteText,
boolean notePersistent,
IDfList componentIds)
Start the workflow.

void execute()
Halt the specified activity of the workflow.

void halt(int activitySeqNo)
Halt the workflow.

void haltAll()
Notify the workflow about the specified event.

IDfId queue(
String supervisor,
int eventType,
int priority,
boolean sendMail,
IDfTime dueDate,
String message)
Remove a package from the specified start activity of the workflow..

void removePackage(
String startActivityName,
String portName,
String packageName)

DFC Methods by Task
Handling Process Definitions
Restart the halted workflow or specified failed activity.

void restart(int activitySeqNo)
Resume a halted activity of the workflow.

void resume(int activitySeqNo)
Resume the halted workflow.

void resumeAll()
Handling Process Definitions

The following methods help you create and manage workflow process
definitions.
IDfProcess
Add an activity to a process definition.

void addActivity(
String actName,
IDfId actId,
String actType,
int actPriority)
Create a link to connect the specified output port of the specified source
activity to the specified input port of the specified destination activity (all
ports and activities are already part of the process definition).
void addLink(
String linkName,
String linkSrcActivity,
String linkSrcPortName,
String linkDestActivity,
String linkDstPortName)
Install the validated process definition and, if necessary, its activities. Specify
whether to resume or to abort workflows that are based on this definition.
void install(
boolean installActivity,
boolean resume)
Remove the specified activity from the process definition.

void removeActivity(String actName)

DFC Methods by Task
Handling Activity Definitions
Remove the specified link from the process definition.

void removeLink(String linkName)
Move the installed process definition back to the validated state.

void uninstall()
Validate the process definition.

void validate()
Handling Activity Definitions

The following methods help you define and manage process activities.
IDfActivity
Add the specified package to the specified port of the activity definition.
void addPackageInfo(
String portName,
String packageName,
String packageType,
IDfId packageId,
String packageLabel,
String packageOperation)
Add the specified port to the activity definition.

void addPort(
String portName,
String portType)
Add the specified route case (a conditional selection of a set of destination

ports—like a line in a case statement) to the activity definition.
void addRouteCase(
String routeCaseIdentifier,
String condition,
IDfList outputPorts)
Install the validated activity definition.

void install()

DFC Methods by Task
Handling Work Items
Remove the specified package from the specified port of the activity
definition.
void removePackageInfo(
String portName,
String packageName)
Remove the specified port from the activity definition.

void removePort(String portName)
Remove the specified route case from the activity.

void removeRouteCase(String routeCaseIdentifier)
Uninstall the validated activity definition.

void uninstall()
Validate the package definitions associated with the activity definition.

void validate()
Handling Work Items

The following methods manage work items.
IDfWorkitem
Acquire the work item for the performer.

void acquire()
Attach the specified package to the work item.

IDfId addPackage(
String packageName,
String packageType,
IDfList componentIds)
Mark the work item as finished. If desired, return additional information.

void complete()
void completeEx(
int returnValue,
String execOSError,
IDfId execResultId)

DFC Methods by Task
Managing Inboxes
Delegate the work item to the specified user.

void delegateTask(String user)
Suspend the work item.

void pause()
Remove the specified package from the work item.

void removePackage(String packageName)
Designate a list of additional users or groups to receive the work item when
the performer finishes it.
void repeat(IDfList list)
Move the paused work item to the dormant state.

void resume()
Managing Inboxes
The following methods manage inboxes (user queues).
IDfSession
Remove the specified item from the user’s queue.

void dequeue(IDfId stampId)
Return the collection of unread items in the user’s queue.

IDfCollection getEvents()
Return True if there are unread items in the user’s queue.

boolean hasEvents()

DFC Methods by Task
Managing Inboxes
IDfSysObject
Register the user to receive notification if the specified event happens to the
object.
void registerEvent(
String message,
String event,
int priority,
boolean sendMail)
Remove the specified event registration from the object.

void unRegisterEvent(String event)

DFC Methods by Task
Managing Inboxes

8
DFC and DMCL 8
This chapter assumes that you are familiar with the methods that previous
Documentum client products use to access server capabilities. It explains DFC
by relating it to those methods. It contains the following main sections:
■ “Relationship to DMCL” on page 8-1
This section explains the relationship between DFC and the Documentum
client library (DMCL).
■ “Calling DMCL Directly” on page 8-3
This section describes a way to bypass DFC and to communicate with the
server via DMCL.
■ “DMCL to DFC Correspondence” on page 8-4
This section contains a table of DMCL methods and the corresponding
DFC methods.
Relationship to DMCL
The Documentum client library, DMCL, is a library of procedures and
functions that implement the server API. DFC implements the API and an
additional layer of related business logic, as shown in Figure 8-1. It does so
through a set of interfaces that client programs can use to access DFC from
Java or COM.

DFC and DMCL
Relationship to DMCL
Figure 8-1 DFC Builds Business Logic Above DMCL
DocApp
Data Workflow VDM Version

Operations
Validation Runtime Policy
DFC
Object-Oriented Access to Server API
DMCL Server API
Using DFC differs from using DMCL in the following ways:

■ DMCL communicates via strings of arguments and results. DFC creates
objects that implement specified interfaces.
■ DMCL reports errors via error messages. DFC uses the Java exception
mechanism.
Example The following calls show the ways to use DMCL to access the server.
■ Pass DMCL a method (connect) and its arguments.
char *session = dmAPIGet("connect,docbase,user,password")
■ Pass the method (create), the session ID (s0), and the argument.
char *object = dmAPIGet("create,s0,dm_document")
■ Pass the method (get), the session ID (s0), the object ID (09017...), and the
argument.
char *name = dmAPIGet("get,s0,09017...,object_name")
The following code illustrates DMCL error handling:
boolean fOK = dmAPIExec(“checkout,s0, 09017...“);
if (fOK == FALSE) {
char *err = dmAPIGet(“getmessage,s0“);
dmAPIExec(“reset,s0,09017...“);
}
DFC’s IDfSession interface hides the session ID and object ID, leading to the
following code corresponding to the first DMCL call:
IDfLoginInfo loginInfo = new DfLoginInfo();
loginInfo.setUser("user");
loginInfo.setPassword("password");
IDfSession session = client.newSession("docbase",loginInfo );

DFC and DMCL
Calling DMCL Directly
The second DMCL call corresponds to the following DFC code:

IDfDocument object =
(IDfDocument)session.newObject("dm_document");
The third DMCL call can take either of the following forms with DFC:
String name = object.getString("object_name");
String name = object.getObjectName();
In the first form, you know that the attribute is a string. In the second form,
you know that the object is of type dm_sysobject.
If any of the DFC calls fails, DFC throws DfException, and the getMessage
method of the exception object returns the same string that the DMCL
getmessage method returns. DFC also performs the reset automatically.
The following code fragments show how to handle the error: first in Java, then
in Visual Basic:
try //Java
{ object.checkout(); }
catch (DfException e)
{ // checkout failed
System.out.println(e.getMessage());
}
On Error GoTo errHandler #Visual Basic

object.checkout
GoTo finish
errHandler:
Dim e As IDfException
Set e = cx.parseException(Err.Description)
MsgBox e.getMessage
finish:
The Visual Basic fragment assumes you have set cx via code like the
following:
Dim cx as IDfClientX
cx = CreateObject(“Documentum.Dfc“)
Calling DMCL Directly

This section describes a way to bypass DFC and access the server via DMCL.

DFC and DMCL
DMCL to DFC Correspondence
DFC provides complete, object-oriented access to the server API. Sometimes,

such as when migrating legacy customizations, you may wish to call the
server API directly. Table 8-1 describes DFC methods in the IDfSession
interface that provide direct access to DMCL.
Note: When you call DMCL directly, you bypass the DFC validation services.
You must provide code to validate the data explicitly.
Table 8-1 DFC Methods Providing Access to DMCL
Method Description
apiGet Equivalent to calling dmAPIGet from DFC.
apiSet Equivalent to calling dmAPISet from DFC.
apiExec Equivalent to calling dmAPIExec from DFC.
Refer to the eContent Server reference documentation for more information

about how to use these methods.
DFC returns a DfException object when a DMCL error occurs. In Java, use a
try . . . catch code block to handle the error.

This section contains a table of DMCL methods and the corresponding DFC
methods.
Table 8-2 shows the DFC methods corresponding to DMCL API commands. If
you are familiar with DMCL commands, use the table to find the
corresponding DFC interface and method. The DFC column has format
Interface :: Method.
Table 8-2 DFC methods corresponding to DMCL API commands
DMCL DFC
Abort IDfSession :: abortTrans
Acquire IDfRouter :: acquire

DFC and DMCL
Table 8-2 DFC methods corresponding to DMCL API commands (continued)
DMCL DFC
Addnote IDfSysObject :: addNote
Addrendition IDfSysObject :: addRendition

IDfSysObject :: addRenditionEx
Anyevents IDfSession :: hasEvents
Append IDfTypedObject :: appendBoolean

IDfTypedObject :: appendDouble
IDfTypedObject :: appendId
IDfTypedObject :: appendInt
IDfTypedObject :: appendString
IDfTypedObject :: appendTime
IDfTypedObject :: appendValue
Appendcontent IDfSysObject :: appendContent
Appendfile IDfSysObject :: appendFile
Appendpart IDfSysObject :: appendPart
Appendtask IDfRouter :: appendTask
Apply IDfSession :: apply
Archive IDfSession :: archive
Assemble IDfSysObject :: assemble
Attach IDfSysObject :: attachPolicy
Begintran IDfSession :: beginTrans
Bindfile IDfSysObject :: bindFile
Branch IDfSysObject :: branch
Changepassword IDfSession :: changePassword
Checkin IDfSysObject :: Checkin

IDfSysObject :: CheckinEx
Checkinapp IDfSysObject :: checkinApp
Checkout IDfSysObject :: Checkout

IDfSysObject :: CheckoutEx

DFC and DMCL
DMCL DFC
Close IDfCollection :: close
Commit IDfSession :: commitTrans
Connect IDfClient :: newSession

IDfClient :: getSharedSession
Count IDfTypedObject :: getAttrCount
Create IDfSession :: newObject

IDfSession :: newObjectWithType
Datatype IDfTypedObject :: getAttrDataType
Demote IDfSysObject :: demote
Dequeue IDfSession :: dequeue
Describe IDfSession :: describe
Destroy IDfPersistentObject :: destroy
Disassemble IDfSysObject :: disassemble
Disconnect IDfSession :: disconnect
Dump IDfTypedObject :: dump
End IDfRouter :: end
Fetch IDfPersistentObject :: fetch

IDfSession :: getObject
IDfSession :: getObjectWithType
Flush IDfSession :: flush
Flushcache IDfSession :: flushCache
Force IDfRouter :: force
Forward IDfRouter :: forward
Freeze IDfSysObject :: freeze

DFC and DMCL
DMCL DFC
Get IDfTypedObject :: getBoolean

IDfTypedObject :: getDouble
IDfTypedObject :: getId
IDfTypedObject :: getInt
IDfTypedObject :: getString
IDfTypedObject :: getTime
IDfTypedObject :: getValue
IDfTypedObject :: getAllRepeatingStrings
IDfTypedObject :: getRepeatingBoolean
IDfTypedObject :: getRepeatingDouble
IDfTypedObject :: getRepeatingId
IDfTypedObject :: getRepeatingInt
IDfTypedObject :: getRepeatingString
IDfTypedObject :: getRepeatingTime
IDfTypedObject :: getRepeatingValue
Getcontent IDfSysObject :: getContent

IDfSysObject :: getContentEx
Getdocbasemap IDfClient :: getDocbaseMap

IDfClient :: getDocbaseMapEx
Getdocbrokermap IDfClient :: getDocbrokerMap

IDfClient :: getDocbrokerMapEx
Getevents IDfSession :: getEvents
Getfile IDfSysObject :: getFile

IDfSysObject :: getFileEx
Getlastcoll IDfSession :: getLastCollection
Getlogin IDfSession :: getLoginTicket
Getmessage this happens automatically when the error occurs

IDfSession :: getMessage
Getpath IDfSysObject :: getPath
Getservermap IDfClient :: getServerMap

IDfClient :: getServerMapEx
Grant IDfACL :: grant

IDfSysObject :: grant

DFC and DMCL
DMCL DFC
Halt IDfRouter :: halt
Id IDfSession :: getIdByQualification
Insert IDfTypedObject :: insertBoolean

IDfTypedObject :: insertDouble
IDfTypedObject :: insertId
IDfTypedObject :: insertInt
IDfTypedObject :: insertString
IDfTypedObject :: insertTime
IDfTypedObject :: insertValue
Insertcontent IDfSysObject :: insertContent
Insertfile IDfSysObject :: insertFile
Insertpart IDfSysObject :: insertPart
Inserttask IDfRouter :: insertTask
Link IDfSysObject :: link
Locate IDfTypedObject :: findBoolean

IDfTypedObject :: findDouble
IDfTypedObject :: findId
IDfTypedObject :: findInt
IDfTypedObject :: findString
IDfTypedObject :: findTime
IDfTypedObject :: findValue
Mark IDfSysObject :: mark
Next IDfCollection :: next
Offset IDfTypedObject :: findAttrIndex
Pause IDfRouter :: pause
Print IDfSysObject :: print
Promote IDfSysObject :: promote
Prune IDfSysObject :: prune
Purgelocal IDfSession :: purgeLocalFiles

DFC and DMCL
DMCL DFC
Query IDfQuery.execute
Queue IDfSysObject :: queue
Readquery IDfQuery.execute
Reassign IDfRouter :: reAssign
Register IDfSysObject :: register
Reinit IDfSession :: reInit
Remove IDfTypedObject :: remove

IDfTypedObject :: removeAll
Removecontent IDfSysObject :: removeContent
Removenote IDfSysObject :: removeNote
Removepart IDfSysObject :: removePart
Removerendition IDfSysObject :: removeRendition

IDfSysObject :: removeRenditionEx
Removetask IDfRouter :: removeTask
Repeating IDfTypedObject :: isAttrRepeating
Reset Happens automatically when the error occurs
Restart IDfSession :: reStart
Restore IDfSession :: restore
Resume IDfRouter :: resumeRouter

IDfSysObject :: resume
Retrieve IDfSession :: getObjectByQualification
Reverse IDfRouter :: reverse
Revert IDfPersistentObject :: revert

IDfSysObject :: revertACL
Revoke IDfACL :: revoke

IDfSysObject :: revoke

DFC and DMCL
DMCL DFC
Save IDfPersistentObject :: save

IDfSysObject :: saveLock
Saveasnew IDfSysObject :: saveAsNew
Scope IDfSession :: setDocbaseScope
Set IDfTypedObject :: setBoolean

IDfTypedObject :: setDouble
IDfTypedObject :: setId
IDfTypedObject :: setInt
IDfTypedObject :: setString
IDfTypedObject :: setTime
IDfTypedObject :: setValue
IDfTypedObject :: setRepeatingBoolean
IDfTypedObject :: setRepeatingDouble
IDfTypedObject :: setRepeatingId
IDfTypedObject :: setRepeatingInt
IDfTypedObject :: setRepeatingString
IDfTypedObject :: setRepeatingTime
IDfTypedObject :: setRepeatingValue
Setbatchhint IDfSession :: setBatchHint
Setcontent IDfSysObject :: setContent

IDfSysObject :: setContentEx
Setdoc IDfSysObject :: setIsVirtualDocument
Setfile IDfSysObject :: setFile

IDfSysObject :: setFileEx
Setpath IDfSysObject :: setPath
Shutdown IDfSession :: shutdown
Signoff IDfRouter :: signOff
Start IDfRouter :: start
Suspend IDfSysObject :: suspend
Trace IDfSession :: traceDMCL
Truncate IDfTypedObject :: truncate

DFC and DMCL
DMCL DFC
Type IDfSession :: getTypeDescription
Unfreeze IDfSysObject :: unfreeze
Unlink IDfSysObject :: unlink
Unlock IDfSysObject :: cancelCheckout

IDfSysObject :: cancelCheckoutEx
Unmark IDfSysObject :: unmark
Unregister IDfSysObject :: unRegister
Updatepart IDfSysObject :: updatePart
Useacl IDfSysObject :: useACL
Validate IDfRouter :: validateRouter
Values IDfTypedObject :: getValueCount

DFC and DMCL

A
Questions and Answers A
This appendix contains a selection of questions that developers sometimes ask

as they start to work with DFC. Many of the questions come from an internal
mailing list at Documentum.
This appendix contains the following questions:
■ “Folder Path” on page A-1
■ “Create a Microsoft Word Document” on page A-3
■ “Name Strings for IDfOperation” on page A-3
■ “IDfSession.sendToDistributionList Arguments” on page A-4
Folder Path
How do I get the path on the local file system for the content file for a
document, given its folder path in Documentum?
Answer 1
The first answer comes from service note 4810. It pertains to the case when the
object is checked out. This example uses a hardcoded object_id. Normally, the
ID comes from an earlier query or selection. The example also assumes a valid
IDfClientX object and session (sess) object.
Private Sub cmdGetPath_Click()
Dim id_obj As IDfId
Dim po As IDfPersistentObject
Dim regobj As IDfClientRegistryObject
Dim reg As IDfClientRegistry
Dim checked_out_obj As IDfCheckedOutObject
' object_id = "0909f883800003ac"
Using DFC in Documentum Applications A–1

Questions and Answers
Folder Path
If object_id = "" Then

MsgBox "Please select an object_id from _
the Results list"
Exit Sub
Else
Set id_obj = clientx.getId(object_id)
' chk_id$ = id_obj.getId
' MsgBox chk_id
Set po = sess.GetObject(id_obj)
Set reg = clientx.getClientRegistry

Set checked_out_obj =
reg.getCheckedOutObjectById(id_obj)
' This failed originally...

' VB shows getFilePath as a method of an
' IDfCheckedOutObject object
' filepath$ = checked_out_obj.getFilePath
' VB lets you access inherited methods from the children.

' You need to call the method from the parent class
' where it is defined.
' IDfCheckedOutObject extends IDfClientRegistryObject
' so getFilePath is called from IDfClientRegistryObject
' ...so the right way to do it is.
Set regobj = checked_out_obj

filepath$ = regobj.getFilePath
End If
End Sub
Answer 2
If the document is checked out, you can get the path from the object ID using
IDfClientRegistry.getCheckedOutObjectById(), which returns an
IDfCheckedOutObject, which is a subclass of IDfClientRegistryObject. Use
IDfClientRegistryObject.getFilePath() to get the path to the checked out file.
There are similar calls for “viewed” or “local files” documents.
A–2 Using DFC in Documentum Applications

Create a Microsoft Word Document
Create a Microsoft Word Document

How do I create a word document by calling DFC directly from VB?
Answer
Look at “createDocument in Visual Basic” on page 4-2. Substitute msw8 for

crtext in the example. The relevant portion of the code looks like this:
Set sysObj = sess.newObject("dm_document") 'Create doc obj
sysObj.setObjectName docName 'Set attributes
sysObj.setSubject "Sample document"
sysObj.setContentType "msw8"
sysObj.setTitle "DFC Example Doc"
sysObj.setFile contentFile
sysObj.link linkName
pObj.save 'Save
Don’t forget to create a persistent object version before saving. If you try to
execute sysObj.save, Visual Basic crashes, because a sysobject inherits its save
method from the persistent object type, but COM does not handle this
inheritance. See the discussion following the example on page 1-3.
Name Strings for IDfOperation

For IDfOperation and its subclasses (for example, IDfCopyOperation), you
create an instance by using the DfClientX method getOperation. The
getOperation method takes one string that specifies which subclassed
Operation type to create. For example
Set IDfCopyOperation = DfClientX.getOperation("Copy")
creates an IDfCopyOperation object.
What are the valid strings that can be passed as operation name to
IDfClientX::getOperation to get an IDfOperation?

IDfSession.sendToDistributionList Arguments
Answer
The following are the valid strings that can be passed as operation name to
IDfClientX::getOperation to get an IDfOperation:
Checkout Checkout operation
Checkin Checkin operation
Import Import operation
Export Export operation
CancelCheckout CancelCheckout operation
Copy Copy operation
Delete Delete operation
Move Move operation
We need help with the IDfSession.sendToDistributionList method. Several
arguments are identified as being of type IDfList, which is a container object,
but what type does sendToDistributionList expect to be in the IDfList objects?
For instance we’re currently passing a DfList of IDfUser objects for the first
argument, an empty DfList for the second argument (since we don’t want to
route to groups, only named users), a string containing a message for the third
argument, a DfList of DfID objects for the documents parameter, an integer,
and a boolean.
The error message we get back is:
[DM_DFC_E_TYPE_MISMATCH_GET]error: "Type mismatch. The type
'String' cannot be returned as type 'Object'."
Answer
Don’t insert IDfUser into the IDfList. Just insert the user name as a string.
Don’t use the user’s OS name. Try with a user name in the Docbase.

It is fine if you don’t insert any IDfGroup to the IDfList.

The following VB program runs the sendToDistributionList method:
Dim session82ID As String
Dim session82 As IDfSession
Dim cx As DfClientX
Dim client As IDfClient
Private Sub Form_Load()

makeSession
End Sub
Sub makeSession()
Set cx = New DfClientX

cx.setTraceFileName "D:\OpenDialogVBTestTrace.txt"
cx.setTraceLevel 6
Set client = cx.getLocalClient
Dim li As IDfLoginInfo
Set li = cx.getLoginInfo
li.setUser ("yourUserName")
li.setPassword ("yourPassword")
Set session82 = client.getSharedSession("yourDocbase",_
li, "my_key")
session82ID = session82.getSessionId
Dim ticket As String

ticket = session82.getLoginTicket()
Dim users As IDfList

Set users = cx.getList
users.appendString "tuser1"
users.appendString "tuser2"
'users.appendString "Lazyworm"
Dim groups As IDfList

Set groups = cx.getList
Dim obj As IDfList

Set obj = cx.getList
Dim objID As IDfId

'for docbs
Set objID = cx.getId("Document Object ID")

obj.appendId objID
session82.apiExec "trace", "8,d:\temp\dmcl.txt"
session82.sendToDistributionList users, groups,_

"Testing", obj, 10, False
'session82.apiExec "trace", "0"
End Sub

INDEX
A com.documentum.fc.common package 1-5,

abortTrans method 1-28 1-34
ACLs 6-2 com.documentum.fc.common.session
private 6-5 package 1-5
adoptDMCLSession method 1-32 com.documentum.operations package 1-5
API calls 1-30 com.documentum.registry package 1-5
API Config object 1-33 commitTrans method 1-28
apiDesc method 1-30 common.documentum.fc.client.qb package
apiExec method 1-30, 6-5 1-4
apiGet method 1-30 connections
apiGetBytes method 1-30 methods related to 7-3
apiSet method 1-30, 6-5 connectToDocbase method 3-6
apiSetBytes method 1-30 content objects
apply method 1-30 methods that work with 7-13
archive method 1-30 create type statement 4-4, 4-7
attributes creating
methods related to 7-10 cabinets 4-1, 4-5
documents 4-2, 4-5
folders 4-2, 4-5
B types 4-7
beginTrans method 1-28
D
C deleteFile 4-9
cabinets 4-1, 4-5 deleting
cancelCheckout method 4-8 local files 4-9
cancelling checkouts 4-8 See also destroying
changePassword method 1-31 dequeue method 1-30
checkin method 4-8 describe method 1-30
checking in objects 4-8 destroy method 4-6
checking out objects 4-7 destroyAllVersions method 4-3, 4-6
checkout method 4-7 destroying
close method 1-35 objects 4-3, 4-6
collections DFC (Documentum Foundation Classes)
stepping through 5-2 COM interface 1-2
COM elements 1-2
inheritance 1-5, 4-1, 4-2 DFC (Documentum foundation classes)
com.documentum.com package 1-4 adopted sessions 2-5
com.documentum.fc.client package 1-4 comparison with DMCL 8-4
Using DFC in Documentum Applications Index–1

datatypes 2-3 E
DMCL process 2-3 eContent Server
inheritance 2-1 communicating with 7-2
migrating to 8-4 methods for communicating with 7-2
naming convention 1-4 enumAttrs method 1-23
objects and pointers 2-2 enumSharedSessions method 1-32
online reference 2-6 execute method 5-1
server API calls
8-4
shared sessions 2-5 F
DFC interface hierarchy 1-9 findAttrIndex method 1-23
DfClient class 1-31, 3-1, 3-2, 3-5 findSession method 1-32
DfClientX class 4-7, 4-8 flush method 1-31
DfLoginInfo class 3-2 flushCache method 1-31
DfPersistentObject class 1-28 folders 4-2, 4-5
DfQuery class 1-34
DfType class 1-28 G
DfTypedObject class 1-28 getACL method 1-27
DfUser class 1-28 getAllRepeatingStrings method 1-14
DfValidationException class 6-1 getAttr method 1-23, 1-35
disconnect method 1-31 getAttrCount method 1-23
disconnectFromDocbase method 3-5 getAttrDataType method 1-23
dm_cabinet type 1-26 getBoolean method 1-13, 1-26
dm_folder type 1-26 getClient method 1-26
DMCL commands 8-4 getClientConfig method 1-28, 1-33
DMCL shared library 1-31 getConnectionConfig method 1-28
Docbase scope 1-28 getContext method 1-33
Docbases getDataType method 1-35
querying with methods 7-12 getDBMSName method 1-26, 3-4
docbrokers 1-33, 3-5 getDefaultACL method 1-27
documents 4-2 getDMCLSessionId method 1-26, 3-4
methods for printing 7-15 getDocbaseConfig method 1-28
Documentum foundation classes. See DFC getDocbaseDescription method 3-6
DQL (Document Query Language) getDocbaseId method 1-26, 3-4
methods that work with 7-12 getDocbaseMap method 1-32, 3-5
DQL queries 1-35 getDocbaseName method 1-26, 3-5, 3-6
DQL statements 4-4, 4-7 getDocbaseOwnerName method 1-26, 3-4
getDocbaseScope method 1-29, 3-4
getDocbrokerMap method 1-28
getDouble method 1-13
getEvents method 1-30
Index-2 Using DFC in Documentum Applications

getFile method 4-9 getTime method 1-13
getFolderByPath method 1-27 getType method 1-28
getFormat method 1-27 getTypeDescription method 1-28
getGroup method 1-27 getTypedObject method 1-36
getId method 1-13, 4-8 getUser method 1-28
getIdByQualification method 1-27 getUserByOSName method 1-28
getInt method 1-13 getValue method 1-13, 1-34
getLastCollection method 1-30 when to avoid 1-34
getLocalClient method 3-1 getVersionLabel method 4-6
getLoginInfo method 1-26 getVersionLabelCount method 4-3, 4-6
getLoginTicket method 1-31, 3-4 getVersionPolicy method 4-8, 4-11
getLoginUserName method 1-27, 3-4 getVersionTreeLabels method 1-31
getMessage method 1-30 grant method 6-2, 6-3
getNextMinorLabel method 4-8
GetObject method 4-8 H
getObject method 1-27, 4-3 hasAttr method 1-23
getObjectByPath method 1-27 hierarchy, of DFC interfaces 1-9
getObjectByQualification method 1-27
getObjectName method 4-7, 4-8
getObjectWithType method 1-28 I
getQuery method 1-35 IdfACL interface 1-27
getRDBMSName is incorrect 1-27 IDfAttr interface 1-23
getRelationType method IDfRelationType IDfClient interface 1-2, 1-26, 1-28, 1-31, 3-
interface 1-31 1, 3-2, 3-5
getRepeatingBoolean method 1-14 IDfClientX interface 1-35
getRepeatingDouble method 1-14 IDfCollection interface 1-30, 1-35, 5-1
getRepeatingId method 1-14 IDfDocbaseMap interface 1-32, 3-5
getRepeatingInt method 1-14 IDfDocument interface 1-25
getRepeatingString method 1-14 IDfFolder interface 1-27
getRepeatingTime method 1-14 IDfFormat interface 1-27
getRepeatingValue method 1-14 IDfGroup interface 1-27
getRunnableProcesses method 1-30 IDfId interface 1-13, 1-14, 1-27, 1-30, 1-31
getSecurityMode method 1-27, 3-4 IDfList interface 1-30
getServerConfig method 1-28 IDfLoginInfo interface 1-26, 1-32, 3-2, 3-3
getServerMap method 1-28 IDfPersistentObject interface 1-8, 1-27, 1-
getServerVersion method 1-27, 3-4, 3-6 28
getSessionConfig method 1-28 IDfProperties interface 1-33
getSessionId method 1-27, 3-4 IDfSession interface 1-2, 1-26, 1-29, 1-32
getSharedSession method 1-32 IDfSysObject interface 1-5, 1-24
getString method 1-13, 1-35 IDfTypedObject interface 1-28
getTasks method 1-30 IDfValidator interface 6-1
Using DFC in Documentum Applications Index-3

IDfValue interface 1-34 Q
IDfVersionTreeLabels interface 1-31 queries 1-36, 5-1
IDfWorkflowBuilder interface 1-30 displaying results 5-2
inboxes flow of processing 1-34
methods related to 7-22 queues, user. See inboxes
isACLDocbase method 1-27
isAdopted method 1-27
isAttrRepeating method 1-23 R
isCheckedOut method 4-7, 4-8 reInit method 1-31
isConnected method 1-27, 3-2 removeContext method 1-33
isDeleted method 4-3 repeating attributes 1-15
isRemote method 1-27 resolveAlias method 1-30
isShared method 1-27 restore method 1-31
revoke method 6-3
L rows 1-36
link method 4-2, 4-5
S
M save method 4-5, 6-5
saving
methods
sysobject as persistent object 4-1, 4-2
server communication 7-2
sendToDistributionList method 1-30
sessions 1-26, 1-31, 1-32, 3-1
N keys 1-32
newObject method 4-1, 4-2, 4-5 multithreading 1-29
newObjectWithType method 1-28 shared 1-32
newSession method 1-32, 3-1, 3-2 setACL method 6-5
newWorkflowBuilder method 1-30 setBatchHint method 1-31
setBoolean method 1-13
O setContentType method 4-2, 4-5
setDocbaseScope method 1-29
objects
setDocbaseScopeById method 1-29
methods for handling 7-5
setDomain method 3-3
setDouble method 1-13
P setFile method 4-2, 4-5, 4-8
passwords 1-32 setId method 1-13
permissions 6-2, 6-3 setInt method 1-13
persistent objects 1-7, 1-27 setObjectName method 4-1, 4-2, 4-5
printing setPassword method 3-2
methods related to 7-15 setRepeatingBoolean method 1-14
private ACLs 6-5 setRepeatingDouble method 1-14
purgeLocalFiles method 1-31 setRepeatingId method 1-14

setRepeatingInt method 1-14 workflow templates 1-30
setRepeatingString method 1-14 workflows 1-30
setRepeatingTime method 1-14
setRepeatingValue method 1-14
setString method 1-13
setSubject method 4-1, 4-2, 4-5
setTime method 1-13
setTitle method 4-2, 4-5
setUser method 3-2
setValue method 1-13
shared sessions 1-32
shutdown method 1-31
subconnections
methods related to 7-3
subtypes 1-7
supertypes 1-7, 1-8
sysobjects 1-24
system administration
methods for 7-3
T
traceDMCL method 1-30
transactions 1-28
type libraries 1-2
typed objects 1-28
U
unlock method 1-29
user names 1-32
V
validateAttrRules method 6-2
versions 4-11
virtual documents
methods related to 7-16
W
warnings
COM interface inheritance fails 2-1
Using DFC in Documentum Applications Index-5


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Using DFC in

Documentum®, Documentum 4i™, Docbase™, Documentum eContent

Using DFC in Documentum Applications iii

3 Managing DFC Sessions

iv Using DFC in Documentum Applications

4 Manipulating Docbase Objects with DFC

Using DFC in Documentum Applications v

6 Automating Business Rules with DFC

7 DFC Methods by Task

vi Using DFC in Documentum Applications

8 DFC and DMCL

A Questions and Answers

Using DFC in Documentum Applications vii

Purpose of the Manual

Organization of the Manual

Using DFC in Documentum Applications ix

Chapter 3, Managing DFC Annotated examples, based on the classes

This manual uses the following conventions:

x Using DFC in Documentum Applications

➤ Represents a pop-up or pull-down menu.

italics Represents a variable name for which you must provide a

typewriter Represents code samples, user input, and computer output.

[] square brackets Indicates an optional argument.

Using Links in PDF Files

Using DFC in Documentum Applications xi

Applying for Access

➤ To apply for access to online support:

Fixed Bugs List

A list of customer-reported bugs that have been fixed in a release is available

➤ To view the list of fixed bugs:

xii Using DFC in Documentum Applications

Purchasing Bound Paper Manuals

Using DFC in Documentum Applications xiii

Desktop Client components use the foundation class library Documentum

Using DFC in Documentum Applications 1–1

Before you begin to use DFC, it is important to understand the DFC

1–2 Using DFC in Documentum Applications

➤ To process a Docbase object:

IDfLoginInfo loginInfo = new DfLoginInfo();

IDfDocument document = null;

Using DFC in Documentum Applications 1–3

Interfaces expose DFC’s public methods and constants. Each interface

Table 1-1 Description of DFC Packages

Java Package Name Purpose

com.documentum.fc.client Provides basic functionality:

common.documentum.fc.client.qb Constructs and runs queries and SmartLists.

com.documentum.com Facilitates accessing DFC from COM.

1–4 Using DFC in Documentum Applications

Table 1-1 Description of DFC Packages (continued)

Java Package Name Purpose

com.documentum.fc.common Supplies utility methods for other DFC classes.

com.documentum.fc.common Supports Docbase sessions.

com.documentum.operations Provides high-level functionality, such as

com.documentum.registry Maintains Documentum information on the

Both the com.documentum.operations package and the IDfSysObject interface

Using DFC in Documentum Applications 1–5

Documentum Object Hierarchy

Everything you manipulate in Documentum is an object. Documents,

1–6 Using DFC in Documentum Applications

Subtypes and Supertypes

Documentum object types exist in a hierarchy. A supertype is an object type

Using DFC in Documentum Applications 1–7