Squiz Matrix

The next release of MySource Matrix will be next Monday 8th February when versions 3.24.5 and 3.26.1 are made available. New Features Asset Manager lineage listing performance enhancement Matrix Backup Script: Suppression of minor notices

There is no general MySource Matrix developer news this week. New Features Listing Engine: Group by Asset Keyword TRIM Saved Search: Custom Metadata Fields and Search Logic

We are currently developing a bridge between MySource Mini and MySource Matrix so that MySource Matrix content can be brought into a MySource Mini system. When this development is complete you will not only be able to browse your MySource Matrix ... [More] system from MySource Mini, but also: Link to Matrix pages from within MySource Mini WYSIWYG content Create a new link between a Matrix page and a MySource Mini page, giving the Matrix page a MySource Mini URL Edit Matrix pages within the MySource Mini interface via a new Matrix simple edit interface Apply MySource Mini metadata, designs, permissions etc. to a Matrix page through the standard MySource Mini interface To create a connection between MySource Matrix and MySource Mini, you will first need to configure the MySource Matrix SOAP interface. Once you have the URL of the SOAP server, you can use a new Connection wizard within MySource Mini to bridge the two systems.   Along with the standard fields, the required fields for this connection are: The URL of the SOAP server you configured within MySource Matrix A username and password to use for connecting to the SOAP server The ID of an asset within MySource Matrix to use as the root node of the connection Currently, development has been completed to allow you to browse your MySource Matrix asset tree from within MySource Mini. Work is now starting on the remaining features around linking and editing of MySource Matrix content. But you want some proof of course. This image shows a simple MySource Matrix asset tree with a number of different asset types.Note that the number in brackets is the asset ID and not the number of children.   This image shows the asset tree being browsed from within MySource Mini, using the Site asset as the root node of the connection.   To achieve this, we've made an important addition to the MySource Matrix SOAP API. You are currently able to retrieve all the information you require to build an asset tree, but we've added a new API functionGetAssetsInfo() that allows you to pull out this information in one call to significantly improve performance. This is an example of how you use the new API function: <?php$soap_url    = "http://[SYSTEM_ROOT_URL]/_web_services/soap-server?WSDL";$authen_info = array (                'login'    => root,                'password' => root,               );$client  = new SoapClient($soap_url, $authen_info);$request = array(            'AssetIDs'         => [Root AssetID],            'FinderAttributes' => array(                                   'Children',                                   'type',                                   'name'                                  )            );   $assetsInfoResult = $client->GetAssetsInfo($request);       ?>  This is what the returned result looks like: Array ( [0] => Array (           'AssetID' => '90',           'AssetType' => 'backend_user',           'AssetTypeAncestor' => 'user',           'AssetName' => 'Dan Green',           'AssetChildren' =>          array (            0 => '91',            1 => '92',        ),  [1] ......) Please note that this new SOAP API function is not yet available in a stable release of MySource Matrix, but will be in a future 3.26 release. [Less]

We are currently developing a bridge between MySource Mini and MySource Matrix so that MySource Matrix content can be brought into a MySource Mini system. When this development is complete you will not only be able to browse your MySource Matrix ... [More] system from MySource Mini, but also: Link to Matrix pages from within MySource Mini WYSIWYG content Create a new link between a Matrix page and a MySource Mini page, giving the Matrix page a MySource Mini URL Edit Matrix pages within the MySource Mini interface via a new Matrix simple edit interface Apply MySource Mini metadata, designs, permissions etc. to a Matrix page through the standard MySource Mini interface To create a connection between MySource Matrix and MySource Mini, you will first need to configure the MySource Matrix SOAP interface. Once you have the URL of the SOAP server, you can use a new Connection wizard within MySource Mini to bridge the two systems.   Along with the standard fields, the required fields for this connection are: The URL of the SOAP server you configured within MySource Matrix A username and password to use for connecting to the SOAP server The ID of an asset within MySource Matrix to use as the root node of the connection Currently, development has been completed to allow you to browse your MySource Matrix asset tree from within MySource Mini. Work is now starting on the remaining features around linking and editing of MySource Matrix content. But you want some proof of course. This image shows a simple MySource Matrix asset tree with a number of different asset types.Note that the number in brackets is the asset ID and not the number of children.   This image shows the asset tree being browsed from within MySource Mini, using the Site asset as the root node of the connection.   To achieve this, we've made an important addition to the MySource Matrix SOAP API. You are currently able to retrieve all the information you require to build an asset tree, but we've added a new API functionGetAssetsInfo() that allows you to pull out this information in one call to significantly improve performance. This is an example of how you use the new API function: <?php$soap_url    = "http://[SYSTEM_ROOT_URL]/_web_services/soap-server?WSDL";$authen_info = array (                'login'    => root,                'password' => root,               );$client  = new SoapClient($soap_url, $authen_info);$request = array(            'AssetIDs'         => [Root AssetID],            'FinderAttributes' => array(                                   'Children',                                   'type',                                   'name'                                  )            );   $assetsInfoResult = $client->GetAssetsInfo($request);       ?>  This is what the returned result looks like: Array ( [0] => Array (           'AssetID' => '90',           'AssetType' => 'backend_user',           'AssetTypeAncestor' => 'user',           'AssetName' => 'Dan Green',           'AssetChildren' =>          array (            0 => '91',            1 => '92',        ),  [1] ......) Please note that this new SOAP API function is not yet available in a stable release of MySource Matrix, but will be in a future 3.26 release. [Less]

The MySource Matrix JavaScript API now has a new function, setMetadataAllFields(), which accepts an array of metadata values and sets them on a single asset in one call. This function will be made available in version 3.26.1, due out on the 8th of ... [More] Feb 2010. /** * Set metadata values of multiple fields for an asset * * @param string   asset_id     Id of asset to set metadata for * @param array    field_info   Field Ids and their values         * @param function dataCallback Custom callback function * * @version $Revision: 0.1 */function setMetadataAllFields(asset_id, field_info, dataCallback)The JavaScript API could always be used to set a single metadata value for an asset, but we found ourselves sending many requests to the API to set up to 15 different metadata values from our custom frontend interfaces. The overhead of creating connections for 15 requests, and the overhead of performing the same action 15 times within MySource Matrix, left us searching for a new solution.With this new function call, all metadata fields and their corresponding values are provided in one go, so that there is only a single connection no matter how many metadata values you have to set. Internally, MySource Matrix only needs to acquire and release metadata locks once, reducing the number of DB queries being executed. An even bigger saving is made by not having to regenerate the metadata content file each time a metadata value is set, saving DB queries, disk I/O and PHP processing time. If you've got a few metadata values to set on an asset, all these savings will add up to a significant performance improvement. Even just setting 5 metadata values could take almost 10 seconds (depending on a lot of factors) while this new function call can return in less than 2. Like the call that is made to update a single metadata field, this function will return an error if it fails to update any of the fields. Updating your code to use this new function is pretty easy. The following two code blocks show the old and new way of setting multiple metadata values for an asset. The first shows the existing way you would be setting 3 metadata values for an asset: <script type="text/javascript">  window.api_key = 'XXXXXXXXXXXX';   // Asset ID of the asset we are updating  var assetid = "123";   // Update the metadata of the asset  // Metadata field 1000 = Title  //                1001 = Description  //                1002 = Keywords  setMetadata(assetid, "1000", "Test page");  setMetadata(assetid, "1001", "Just a simple test page");  setMetadata(assetid, "1002", "test, page");</script> And this is the new way of setting these values: <script type="text/javascript">  window.api_key = 'XXXXXXXXXXXX';  // Asset ID of the asset we are updating  var assetid = "123";  var field_info = new Array();    // Update the metadata of the asset  // Metadata field 1000 = Title  //                1001 = Description  //                1002 = Keywords  var field_info     = new Array();   field_info["1000"] = "Test page";  field_info["1001"] = "Just a simple test page";  field_info["1002"] = "test page";  setMetadataAllFields(assetid, field_info); </script> Rest assured that the setMetadata() function will continue to work as normal, so upgrading will not cause your API calls to break. But you may want to consider rewriting any parts of your code that set multiple metadata values to get a performance improvement. [Less]

If you've been checking out version 3.26.0 of MySource Matrix [download] [changelog], which was released last week, you may have noticed a subtle change when you tried to create new Workflow Schema assets. Starting from version 3.26, system ... [More] administrators can create workflow schemas that contain multiple approval paths, known as Workflow Streams. Schemas will always contain a default approval stream but can then have one or more optional "alternate" streams. This allows you to create approval paths more suited to certain scenarios. For instance, you can create an "urgent" workflow stream to bypass a usual multiple-step approval path and request approval directly from a manager. You may have noticed a similar feature is provided as part of the workflow system of our next-generation CMS product, MySource Mini. Consistent alternative approval paths These alternate streams can be linked under more than one workflow schema and can be moved or deleted freely. The ability to re-use alternate streams allows you to provide a consistent approval path for these scenarios, in line with business or other policies. Note that the default streams are tied to their schemas and cannot be shared or moved in this way. Alternatively, if different workflows require different "urgent" approval paths (for instance), then alternate streams will be grouped by name. Where an asset has multiple workflow schemas applied, any selected stream name will apply for all workflows. Any workflow that does not use that stream name will use its default stream instead. Which users can use alternate workflow streams? The ability to use alternate streams will be restricted to those with effective Administrator permissions on the asset. For them, a second drop-down will appear next to the Status Change box (on the Details screen) when alternate streams exist, allowing a stream to be chosen when starting workflow. Other users will always use the default workflow stream and will see no changes to their interface. Migration of workflow schemas Migration of existing Workflow Schemas from earlier versions of MySource Matrix to the new workflow stream system in version 3.26.0 is painless as the upgrade will occur during the installation of the Workflow Stream asset. A "default" stream will be automatically created for the existing schemas in your system, and the existing approval steps will be moved underneath it. In summary... Workflow streams provide the ability to specify alternative approval paths for various scenarios (such as urgent approvals). They can be re-used across multiple workflow schemas to create a consistent approval path for non-standard workflows across your site. They can only be activated by asset administrators. All other users can only use the default workflow. Workflow streams were released in MySource Matrix 3.26.0 on the 15th January 2010. [Less]

We welcome 2010 with two new releases of MySource Matrix, due next Monday 11th January. Versions 3.24.4 and 3.26.0 - the first stable release of 3.26 - will be made available on that day.New Features Workflow Bundles

The next release of MySource Matrix will be on Monday 11th January 2010 when versions 3.24.4 and 3.26.0 - the first stable release of 3.26 - are made available. Other news Season's Greetings And coming in 2010... New Features Matrix System Check script TRIM 6.2 compatibility