Setting up content management

[mdyesowitch]

I use an SCC compliant content management system, (DesignSync) and I was wondering if I can set it up as the content repository for XMetaL Author. 

I've tried to use the help to figure out the format of the Adapator Configuration file, but it only says that the config file associated with the cm system you're using must have the AdapterInstance  attribute set to True, which doesn't really tell me anything about what should be in the file.

My …XMetaL 5.1AuthorCRCLconfigs directory is empty, so I don't exactly have a file to copy from.  What's this file supposed to look like.  Can I hook up any SCC compliant CM system, or does it need to be specific to XMetaL?
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[markposton]

Hi,

I too am looking for more information on how to go about integrating XMetaL with a CMS.

Is there any guidance documentation on doing this?

Regards

Mark

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[Derek Read]

There is documentation for the “XMetaL Connector”.

As of yet, I don't believe we've given this to anyone except partners (mostly CMS vendors that have created “connectors” for XMetaL Author). I would suggest anyone interested in this contact the XMetaL sales team (the person you normally deal with for purchases). They can put you in touch with the manager that deals directly with partners.

For clients interested in a particular CMS connector, contacting sales is also the best route. There may already be something out there that supports your particular CMS (in case you don't already know for sure or for some reason cannot obtain that information from the vendor themselves), or a partner that could be contracted to do the work for CMS vendors that do not wish to do so.

The team we have here that maintains the “XMetaL Author Enterprise for Documentum Webtop” connector is pretty busy, particularly with each new release of Documentum's server. So, from what I see, creating and maintaining a connector is not a simple undertaking.

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[Derek Read]

I think we might want to make a distinction between CMS and VCS and the expectations people have for each.

At the basic level they are both used to manage files in a safe way, and to do this both usually offer some form of file locking via a check-out/in process, but beyond that people may expect to interact with them in different ways. Vendors for various products also support different functionality beyond the basics of check-out/in.

In theory “XMetaL Connector” could be used to integrate with and support any system, the differentiator being how much work needs to be done to do so. The “Repository” menu in XMetaL Author is enabled when an adapter is installed and it shows the basic functionality that can be enabled and can generally be expected to be provided for accessing any CMS system, though the creator of the adapter can choose to implement as many of the features as they like and obviously some CMS systems may not support all of them. For CMS systems that support additional functionality an adapter may extend the menu.

I can't seem to locate any definitive information on an “SCC” specification, but if it is being widely adopted I would be interested in seeing it so I could pass that information along to our development team for consideration.

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