IBM BPM, V8.0.1, All platforms > Create processes in IBM Process Designer > Modeling processes > Integrating with Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems > Inbound events from Enterprise Content Management systems > Performing administrative tasks for inbound events

Use the event handler for FileNet Content Manager

You can deploy the event handler on a IBM FileNet Content Manager system, and configure it to provide notification events to your IBM BPM processes.


Overview

The event handler is for IBM FileNet Content Manager version 5.1.


Supported events

The following table lists all ECM events that are supported by IBM BPM, and the corresponding FileNet Content Manager events. Use the table to identify the FileNet Content Manager events that you need to subscribe to, and the names used in Process Designer to identify the same events in IBM BPM.

Mapping between supported ECM events and FileNet Content Manager events
ECM events supported by IBM BPM (com.ibm.bpm.BPMEventType) Object types that the event can apply to Corresponding FileNet Content Manager events (com.filenet.api.events)
CheckedIn Document CheckinEvent
CheckedOut Document CheckoutEvent
CheckOutCancelled Document CancelCheckoutEvent
ClassChanged Folder or Document ChangeClassEvent
ClassifyCompleted Document ClassifyCompleteEvent
Created Folder or Document CreationEvent
Deleted Folder or Document DeletionEvent
Filed Folder FileEvent
Frozen Document FreezeEvent
Locked Folder or Document LockEvent
PublishCompleted Document PublishCompleteEvent
PublishRequested Document PublishRequestEvent
SecurityUpdated Folder or Document UpdateSecurityEvent
StateChanged Document ChangeStateEvent
Unfiled Folder UnfileEvent
Unlocked Folder or Document UnlockEvent
Updated Folder or Document UpdateEvent
VersionDemoted Document DemoteVersionEvent
VersionPromoted Document PromoteVersionEvent


Define a process to consume the ECM events

Before you configure the event handler to generate event notifications on your IBM BPM system, you might want to create a test process to consume the notifications. For a simple end-to-end verification test, consider subscribing to one event that is not triggered too often, for example, the Updated event for folders. For details about how to create an event subscription in Process Designer, refer to Create event subscriptions.

Tip: In Process Designer, when you use the content integration control, the value that you specify for the Object Type must match the name of the document class you select when creating the subscription on the FileNet Content Manager server.


Copy the event handler to your FileNet Content Manager server

The event handler is in the following location on your IBM BPM server:

Copy the event handler to a suitable location on your FileNet Content Manager server.


Create the connection information document

The connection information necessary for the ECM event handler to connect to the IBM BPM system is stored as a document in the FileNet Content Manager repository. To create the connection information document...

  1. On your FileNet Content Manager server, create a properties file.

    If you require multiple subscriptions that notify different IBM BPM servers of events, you need one properties file for each IBM BPM server. Although you can give the properties file any name, it makes sense to include the name of the server in the name of the properties file, for example, bpmserver1.properties.

    • If you have a suitable J2C authentication alias defined on the application server where FileNet Content Manager is running, you can define the connection properties file to use the authentication alias.

      For example: 

      bpm.server.authalias= scope/ my_authentication_alias
bpm.server.uri=http\:// bpm_server_name\:9080
      Where scope is the scope of the authentication alias my_authentication_alias, and bpm_server_name is the host name or IP address of your IBM BPM server, for example, bpm1.example.com.

    • If you do not use an authentication alias, your server connection properties file must specify a suitable IBM BPM user name and password.

      For example: 

      bpm.server.username= bpm_user
bpm.server.password= bpm_user_password
bpm.server.uri=http\:// bpm_server_name\:9080
      Where bpm_user is a user ID that is authorized to access the IBM BPM, bpm_user_password is the password for the user ID, and bpm_server_name is the host name or IP address of your IBM BPM server, for example, bpm1.example.com.

  2. Store the properties file in the ECM system. There are several ways that you can store the properties file.

    For example, you can use the Workplace XT portal to store the properties file by performing the following actions:

    1. Using a browser, log on to the Workplace XT portal at the URL http:// filenet_server_host_name: port/WorkplaceXT.

    2. Select the object store where you want to store the configuration file. The default object stores are DESIGN and TARGET. Select the same object store where the case solution is located.
    3. Expand the object store, then either add a new folder or select a suitable existing folder where you want to store the properties file.

    4. Click the Add Document... action or icon.

    5. Click Choose File. On the local file system, locate the properties file, select it, and click OK, then Next.

    6. Click OK, then Add.
  3. Make a note of the document ID for the properties file.

    For example, if you are using the Workplace XT portal, perform the following actions.

    1. Right-click the name of the properties file that you stored, for example, bpmserver1.properties, and select Properties.
    2. Make a note of the document ID, or select and copy it to a convenient clipboard or text file.

      Remember: Specify this document ID later when you configure the binding of the event handler to the event subscription.


Create a subscription and binding it to the event handler

Add a subscription for the events that you want to be sent to your IBM BPM system.

  1. If the document class or folder class that you want to receive event notifications for does not yet exist, create a suitable class .

    1. Using the FileNet Enterprise Manager, expand the object store where the case solution resides.

      For example, DESIGN or TARGET.

    2. To create the new class, perform one of the following.

      • To create a new document class, right-click Document class, and select New Class.

      • To create a new folder class, expand Other Classes, right-click Folder, and select New Class.

    3. Enter the Name, for example life_insurance_applications, a Symbolic Name, and a Description for the new class.

      Remember: In Process Designer when you use the content integration control, use this class name for the Object Type.

  2. Add a subscription to the class and bind the subscription to the event handler.

    1. Using the FileNet Enterprise Manager, right-click the appropriate document class or folder class, and select Add Subscription.

    2. Enter a Name and Description for the new subscription, then click Next.

    3. Specify that the subscription applies to all instances of the class, and click Next.

    4. Add the required events from the Available Events list to the Subscribed Events list. Repeatedly select a required event and add it to the Subscribed Events list by clicking Add. When all required events are in the Subscribed Events list, click Next.

    5. If you already created an event action for the BpmEventHandler event handler, select it using the drop-down list, then click Next. Otherwise, create a new event action for the BpmEventHandler event handler by performing the following steps:

      1. Click New, enter an appropriate name for the action event, for example, BpmEventHandler, and click Next.

      2. For Handler Java Class Name, enter com.ibm.bpm.integration.filenet.BPMEventHandler, select Configure Code Module, then click Next.

      3. Click Browse/Add to locate the event handler JAR file filenet-bpm-event-handler-51.jar that you copied from your IBM BPM server, then click Next, Finish.
      4. Verify that the newly created event action is selected, and click Next.

    6. Accept the default settings in Specifiy Additional Properties by clicking Next.

    7. Click Finish to complete creating the subscription.
  3. Set the User String property for the subscription to the document ID for the properties file.

    1. In the Subscription Name list, select the subscription that you named in step 2.b.

    2. Click Properties.

    3. In the list of properties, locate the property with the Property Name of User String.

    4. Click the ... button, and enter (or preferably copy and paste) the value of the document ID for the properties file. This is the string that you noted during Creating the connection information document.

      If you want different IBM BPM servers to receive event notifications, you will have a connection properties file for each IBM BPM server. Verify that you provide the document ID for the appropriate server’s connection properties file.

    5. Click OK.

    6. Click OK.

    Remember: If you ever modify the connection information in the properties file, because the new version gets a new document ID, you must change the User String to identify the new document ID.

Now notifications of all subscribed events are sent to the appropriate IBM BPM server.

Performing administrative tasks for inbound events


Related tasks:
Adding an Enterprise Content Management server
Building a service that integrates with an Enterprise Content Management system
Adding events to a BPD


Related reference:
REST API: ECM Event Resource - POST Method