Customizing the IBM Content Manager OnDemand Administrative Client

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Level: Introductory

Debbie Wagner, Software Engineer, IBM

06 Jun 2002

This article describes how the Administrative client can be customized by adding strings to the Registry, by using startup parameters, and by saving current settings in the Registry so they can be used the next time the Administrative client is started.

© 2002 International Business Machines Corporation. All rights reserved.

Introduction

IBM Content Manager OnDemand is an automated archival/retrieval system that is used to store printed output such as reports, statements, invoices, and image documents. The printed output is processed and stored onto various types of storage media, including hard disks, optical platters, and tapes. Index values are extracted from the printed output and stored in a relational database. Once the printed output and index values are stored, any of the OnDemand client programs can be used to query and retrieve documents.

OnDemand provides an Administrative client that is used to perform system administrative tasks such as defining users and reports to the OnDemand system. It runs under Windows NT® 4.0 with SP5 or later, Windows 2000®, Windows XP® and Windows 98®. For many Windows programs, the Registry is used to store and retrieve parameters that are used by the Windows program. In this article I describe how you can customize the Administrative client by adding parameters to the Registry, using command line parameters, and using a text file to customize the About dialog box. I also describe the settings that are saved in the Registry by the Administrative client and are used the next time the program is started or the next time the function is used within the program. Finally, I discuss how to change the font that is used to display sample line data documents and reports that are created using the Report function of the Administrative client.

Important: Using the Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. IBM cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT or Windows 2000, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

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Purpose

The purpose of the article is to provide one source for all of the ways in which the Administrative client can be customized. I've included examples of how some customers are making use of the customization. You may have the same situation and can benefit from the same solution. Of course, none of the customization is required. However, now or in the future, you may have a problem that can be solved by using one of the ways described here. With the simple step-by-step instructions and the illustrations, customizing the Administrative client can be done in a matter of minutes.

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Adding parameters to the Registry

There are five areas you can add entries to the Registry to customize the OnDemand Administrative client:

1. Adding date formats
2. Setting up a local server
3. Changing text fidelity
4. Using OnDemand keywords
5. Displaying the OnDemand splash screen or About dialog box

Adding date formats

A default set of date formats are provided with the Administrative client so that you can select the date format that describes the format of the date string. If the date string does not match one of the default date formats, you can enter a date format. Alternatively, you can provide a set of date formats, including the date format that matches the date string by adding them to the Registry. Your set of date formats replace the set of formats provided by the Administrative client.

A date format is used by OnDemand during the loading process. When a date string is extracted from a report, it is converted to an internal date value and stored in the database. The correct date format must be provided so that the date string can be successfully converted and stored. A date format is also used to validate the date string that is entered when a document search is performed using one of the OnDemand client programs. Another date format is used to display date values in the list of hits that was generated as a result of the document search request. An example of a date format is %m/%d/%y. The example date format can be used to describe the date string "12/21/01."

The main reason for adding date formats to the Registry is to provide date formats that aren't provided in the default set. This is especially important when defining a report using the Report Wizard function of the Administrative client. The Report Wizard tries to determine the date format from the date string. It uses the set of date formats provided by the Administrative client or the date formats you added to the Registry. If the date format does not match any in the provided set, a default date format of %m/%d/%y is used. If the date string is not in the default format, you'll have to update the application and folder with the correct date format after the Report Wizard has completed.

By defining your own set of date formats, you can ensure the necessary date formats are available for selection and that only those date formats that are needed are included in the selection list. For example, all of the date formats provided by the Administrative client specify the month first and then the day of the month (i.e., mm-dd-yy). If in your environment, the day of the month is specified first, followed by the month (i.e., dd-mm-yy), you can add date formats to the Registry that meet this requirement.

To add date formats to the Registry, locate the section My Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\IBM\OnDemand32\Common. Add a new key under Common called DateFormat. Begin by adding new strings under DateFormat, starting with FORMAT1. Each string name should start with FORMAT and should be numbered in sequential order. The maximum number of formats that can be added is 30. The example below shows the Registry after four date formats have been added.

Setting up a local server

OnDemand supports two types of servers. The first type of server uses TCP/IP to communicate between the client programs and the server programs. The server programs run on operating systems such as AIX®, HP-UX®, Sun Solaris®, OS/390®, OS/400®, and Windows®. The databases supported by the server are DB2®, Oracle® (AIX, HP-UX, Sun Solaris, Windows platforms only), and Microsoft SQL server (Windows platforms only). Definitions of users, groups, applications, etc., are stored in the database as well as the index values for the data.

The second type of server is a local server. The local server is self-contained (no TCP/IP communication) and is defined using files contained in a directory located on a PC rather than in a database. The files represent the system tables that define the various objects such as users, groups, and applications.

One of the uses of a local server is to provide the ability to export definitions from a non-local server to a local server so the definitions can then be imported to a different non-local server. This is especially beneficial when a TCP/IP connection does not exist between two non-local servers. One of the limitations of exporting definitions from a non-local server to a local server is the local server does not support any of the operating-specific or database-specific parameters that are defined when using the Administrative client.

When you log on to the Administrative client, the Administrative client determines whether you've logged on to a local or non-local server. If the server is a non-local server, the operating system and the database types are determined. Based on the server type, the operating system and database, default settings are determined, entry fields are hidden or displayed, and values are added or removed from selection lists. For definitions that have been exported from a non-local server to a local server, updating or viewing the definitions may not have the desired results because of the operating differences between local and non-local servers. For example, when an application group and application are exported from an OS/400 server to a local server, the OS/400 Indexer used in the application is not supported on a local server. When the application is viewed on the local server, the Indexer field on the Indexer Information tab will not have a value and the OS/400 Indexer will not be listed as an indexer choice.

To correctly display operating system- and database-specific parameters on a local server that have been previously defined for a non-local server, two string values can be added to the local server definition in the Registry. The string values identify the operating system and the database type. When the local server is logged on from the Administrative client, the server will "look" and operate like a non-local server for the specified operating system and database. In the case of the application group and application that was exported from the OS/400 server, the OS/400 Indexer will now be selected when the application is updated or viewed from the local server. Since the OS/400 Indexer is dependent upon the operating system and not the database type, only the operating system string value is necessary in the Registry.

As another example, an AIX server uses Oracle as the database. An application group and application is exported from the AIX server to a local server. To correctly display the database-specific parameters in the application group, the database string value of "Oracle" is added to the local server definition in the Registry.

To add the operating system and database types to the Registry, locate the section My Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\IBM\OnDemand32\Common. Locate the local server name in the Common section where the reserved keyword will be added. All server names in the Common section have a prefix of "@SRV@_". To specify an operating system for the local server, add a new string under the specific local server and name it OS_TYPE. To specify a database for the local server, add a new string under the specific local server and name it DB_TYPE. Values for the operating system and database type are case insensitive and can be entered in lower, upper, or mixed case.

The following is a list of string values that can be specified for the operating system type in the Registry. The list also shows string values that can be specified for the database type and which databases string values can be used with the specified operating system. If a database is specified and the operating system does not support the database, the database value will be ignored and DB2 will be used. For example, if Oracle is specified with OS400, Oracle will be ignored and DB2 will be used instead. If a database type isn't specified, the default for the local server is DB2. If an operating system isn't specified the default for the local server is AIX.

The example below shows the Registry after an operating system and a database type has been added to the local server named localserver.

Note: Even though the local server can "look" like a non-local server, limitations still exist for a local server. The following is a list of limitations for a local server:

• The userid of a user defined on a local server cannot be updated.
• User and group permissions for users are not supported (User Permissions tab on Users dialog box).
• The Find function is not supported.
• Server Printers are not supported.
• Data Distribution Files and Groups are not supported.

Changing text fidelity

The Administrative client provides the ability to define indexer parameters for line data documents by displaying a line data document in a window and allowing you to select text of the document to define the location of index values. The default text fidelity used to display the document is Character. Character text fidelity provides the highest fidelity because the position of each character is individually adjusted in the window. Other possible choices for text fidelity are:

• 240-Pel - Adjusts the position for characters that have been specifically placed for a 240-Pel device.
• Word - Each word is individually positioned in the window.
• Line - Each line is individually positioned in the window.
• Draft - No adjustment is made such as variable spacing, inter-character adjustment, and character rotation, and yields the lowest text fidelity.

Since Character text fidelity provides the highest text fidelity, it is the preferred and best choice. In addition, it ensures the graphical indexer can accurately identify the text string you have selected with the mouse. However, in some cases, using Character text fidelity may cause the characters in the document to be displayed incorrectly. A specific case is a document in the Arabic language. The Arabic language contains several glyphs (picture of the character) for a single character. The glyph that is used to represent the character is dependent upon the characters that precede and follow the character. When Character text fidelity is used, information isn't available for characters that precede or follow a character because they are placed independently of each other. Using Word or Line text fidelity solves this problem because each word or line is positioned as a group and the information about each character in the word or line can be used to determine which glyph should be used relative to other characters in the word or line.

To change the text fidelity used by the graphical indexer, locate the section My Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\IBM\OnDemand32\Admin\Preferences in the Registry. Add a new string under Preferences called FIDELITY. Set the string value to one of the defined values: Line, Word, Character, Draft, or 240-Pel. The value is case insensitive and can be entered in lower, upper, or mixed case. The example below shows the Registry after a text fidelity value of "Line" has been added.

Using OnDemand keywords

There are 12 OnDemand keywords that are reserved for OnDemand use. The keywords are used as column names in the database to store control information about the documents. Database field names you define cannot use any of the OnDemand keywords or database-specific keywords. The Administrative client performs a check to ensure the reserved keywords are not used.

Because some of the OnDemand keywords were added in later releases of the product, it's possible that one or more of the OnDemand keywords were used as a database field name before they were designated as reserved keywords.

A provision has been made that allows the use of OnDemand keywords if the keyword was used before the keyword was added as a reserved keyword. To use an OnDemand keyword, an entry is made in the Windows Registry that identifies a list of keywords that can be used. When this list is present, the Administrative client allows the use of the reserved keywords as application group database field names.

The following is a list of OnDemand reserved keywords:

• annot
• comp_len
• comp_off
• comp_type
• doc_len
• doc_name
• doc_off
• doc_type
• pri_nid
• res_comp_type
• resource
• sec_nid

Important: Adding OnDemand reserved keywords to the Registry should only be added if one of the reserved keywords was in use in a prior release of OnDemand. This function should not be used to allow new application groups to use any of the reserved keywords.

Reserved keywords are added to the Registry on a per-server basis. For example, you have access to two different OnDemand servers. Only one of the servers has an application group that uses a reserved keyword as one of the database field names. The reserved keyword is added to the OnDemand server where the application group is defined. To add the reserved keyword to the Registry, locate the section My Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\IBM\OnDemand32\Common. Locate the server name in the Common section where the reserved keyword will be added. All server names in the Common section have a prefix of "@SRV@_". Add a new string under the specific server name and specify the name IGNORE_KEYWORDS. The string value should contain one or more reserved keywords, separated by a comma. The reserved keyword must be entered exactly as the name appears in the list (i.e., case must match). The example below shows the Registry after the reserved keywords "doc_type" and "doc_name" have been added to the server named "ODServer".

Displaying the OnDemand splash screen or About dialog box

When the Administrative client is first started, an OnDemand splash screen or an About dialog box is displayed for approximately two seconds. By default, the OnDemand splash screen will be displayed. However, if the About dialog box has been customized or if the OnDemand splash screen bitmap ODSplash.bmp file does not exist in the OnDemand installation directory, the About dialog box will be displayed. The amount of time to display the splash screen or About dialog box can be changed to a longer or shorter time by adding an entry in the Windows Registry. The display time is specified in seconds. A value of zero can be specified to prevent the splash screen or the About dialog box from being displayed.

If you have customized the About dialog box to provide Customer Support information, it may be desirable to increase the display time. Alternatively, to provide a uniform look for all of the products used by a company, it may be desirable not to display the OnDemand splash screen so that the Administrative client appears to be part of a suite of programs used by the company. For more information about customizing the About dialog box, see the Customizing the About dialog box section.

To change the display time, locate the section My Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\IBM\OnDemand32\Admin\Preferences. Add a new string under Preferences called SHOWLOGO. Set the string value to a value of zero or more seconds. The example below shows the Registry after a display time of zero has been added.

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Using startup parameters with the Administrative client

The initial appearance of the Administrative client can be customized by specifying parameters on the command line that determine which areas will appear in the list after a server is logged on. The command line parameters also provide the ability to automate the logon process for a specific server.

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Examples

A System Administrator performs administrative tasks on only one OnDemand server. The Administrative client can be customized so that when the program is started, the System Administrator is automatically logged on to the OnDemand server.

 
     "C:\Program Files\IBM\OnDemand32\ARSADM32.EXE" /1  
     C:\Program Files\IBM\OnDemand32\Locale\Enu /U sysadmin 
     /P mypasswd /S odserver

A User Administrator uses the Administrative client to add users and groups. The Administrative client can be customized so that only users and groups appear in the left pane.

 
     "C:\Program Files\IBM\OnDemand32\ARSADM32.EXE" /1 
      C:\Program Files\IBM\OnDemand32\Locale\Enu /I /O

A Report Administrator uses the Administrative client to add applications, application groups, and folders. The Administrative client can be customized so that only applications, application groups, and folders appear in the left pane.

 
     "C:\Program Files\IBM\OnDemand32\ARSADM32.EXE" /1 
      C:\Program Files\IBM\OnDemand32\Locale\Enu /B /D /Q

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Customizing the About dialog box

The About dialog box is displayed when the Administrative client is first started and can be displayed later by selecting About OnDemand Administrator from the Help menu. The About dialog box can be customized with user-specific text and graphics. Up to eight lines of text can be added as well as a bitmap and text for the title bar.

One of the reasons for customizing the About dialog box is to provide Customer Support information such as telephone numbers and names of customer service representatives for the company that is using the OnDemand product. Another reason for performing the customization is to provide a seamless look to the products that are used by a company. The About dialog box can be customized to contain company-specific information such as the company name, company logo, etc.

The information that is displayed on the About dialog box is obtained from a text file called product.inf. The file is created using any text editor or text processing program such as NotePad. The customized information is used when the file is located in the OnDemand installation directory. The default installation directory is C:\Program Files\IBM\OnDemand32.

Below is an example of the contents of a product.inf file:

 
[Product] 
NAME=Baxter Bay Bank 
LOGO_FILE= C:\Program Files\IBM\OnDemand32\bbblogo.bmp 
ABOUT_TITLE=Customer Support 
ABOUT_LINE1=To contact a customer support representative call: 
ABOUT_LINE2=Customer Support Hotline 
ABOUT_LINE3=   1-888-BBB-HELP 
ABOUT_LINE4=Data Processing Center 
ABOUT_LINE5=   1-888-552-5392 
ABOUT_LINE6=For Online help view the web pages: 
ABOUT_LINE7=   http://www.BBB.CSHotline.com 
ABOUT_LINE8=   http://www.BBB.DataCenter.com

The following image is an example of a customized About Dialog box using the information contained in the sample product.inf file. The title bar of the OnDemand main window has been customized with the name "Baxter Bay Bank" from the NAME keyword in the product.inf file.

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Parameters added to the Registry by the Administrative client

The Administrative client uses the Windows Registry to save settings that are used as default values each time the Administrative client is started. Settings that are saved include the main frame window size, the left and right pane sizes, the view style, the data directory, the graphical indexer window size, the zoom value, and a list of Find strings.

Main frame window size

When the Administrative client is started for the first time after installation, the main frame window is displayed in a maximized view. The size can be reduced by selecting one of the edges of the window and dragging the mouse so that the window size is reduced to the desired size. The last size of the main frame is saved in the Windows Registry when the Administrative client is terminated and is used when the Administrative client is started again.

Left and right pane size

The left pane of the Administrative client contains a list of items such as a list of servers or a list of objects that can be defined to OnDemand. The right pane contains a list of defined objects, depending on what is selected in the left pane. The left and right pane sizes can be adjusted by dragging the vertical bar between the two panes to the left or to the right. The left and right pane sizes are saved in the Windows Registry when the Administrative client is terminated and is used when the Administrative client is started again.

View style

The list of defined objects in the right pane can be displayed in one of four view styles: Large Icons, Small Icons, List, and Detail. The view style is saved in the Windows Registry when the Administrative client is terminated. When the Administrative client is started again, the objects in the right pane will be displayed in the style that was saved in the Registry.

Graphical indexer settings

The Administrative client provides the ability to define indexer parameters for line data and PDF documents by displaying a document in a window and allowing the user to select text of the document to define the location of index values. The document is selected from an Open File dialog box. The directory that contains the document is first selected and then the document is selected and displayed in a window. Once the data directory is selected, its location is saved and used each time a document is selected. Prior to making a selection, the initial data directory is the directory in which OnDemand is installed.

The first time the graphical indexer is used after installation is completed, the window is displayed in a maximized view. The size can be reduced by selecting one of the edges of the window and dragging the mouse so that the window size is reduced to the desired size.

The graphical indexer can display the document using a variety of zoom values. The document is first displayed using a 100% zoom value. The user can change the zoom value to any value in the range of 10% to 1000%.

Another function within the graphical indexer is the ability to search for a word or a group of words. Up to 30 search strings are retained to facilitate the process of searching for the same string again. If 30 search strings have been saved, new search strings replace the least recently used search strings.

The last size of the window, the zoom value, the data directory, and a list of Find strings are saved in the Windows Registry when the Administrative client is terminated and is used the next time the graphical indexer is started.

The figure above shows the Administrative client after it has been customized by adjusting the left and right panes widths, the main frame window size, and the view style. The next time the Administrative client is started, the same settings will be used.

The next figure shows the graphical indexer window after it has been customized. The status bar at the bottom of the window indicates 90% zoom. The Find dialog box is displayed and contains the first Find string in the list. The example also illustrates the size of the window has been reduced from its original maximized state. Each time the graphical indexer is started, either during the same invocation of the Administrative client or the next time the Administrative client is started, the same settings will be used.

The example below illustrates the Open File dialog box. Once an initial data directory is selected, the Open File dialog box will be set to the same directory each time a file needs to be opened by the graphical indexer. In this example, the Open File dialog box will be set to use the data directory "C:\Samples".

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Selecting a font used to display line data

The Administrative client uses a line data viewer to display sample data from the graphical indexer so that indexer parameters can be defined visually. The line data viewer is also used to define logical view fields for the sample data and report files that have been created with the Report function. The default system font is used by the line data viewer unless a different font is selected.

The Windows client uses the same line data viewer to display line data documents that have been stored in OnDemand. The ability to change the font used by the line data viewer is provided in the Windows client. When the font is changed, the change is also in affect for the Administrative client.

To change the font, start the Windows client, open a folder containing line data documents, perform a search, and select a document to view. From the View menu, select Font then click on Select... from the submenu. The Font dialog box will be displayed. Choose a font from the list and select OK to accept the font selection.

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Summary

In the article I've described how the Administrative client can be customized by adding strings to the Registry, by using startup parameters, and by saving current settings in the Registry so they can be used the next time the Administrative client is started. The following table provides a list of some of the ways the Administrative client can be customized and an example for performing the customization.

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Resources

• IBM Content Manager portfolio
  
  
• OnDemand product page
  
  
• OnDemand: Designing a Solution for Performance and User Satisfaction, Eric Hann and Benjamin Boltz
  
  
• Choosing a Model for IBM Content Manager OnDemand System Administration, Debbie Wagner
  

About the author

		Debbie Wagner is a Software Engineer for IBM DB2 Content Manager OnDemand for Multiplatforms.

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