Question

Doc Man - Change File Name Structure

  • 20 March 2020
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Hi,

Is there anyway in IFS to change the structure of the file name stored in the repository?

Currently it appears to be  “Doc Title (Doc Class - Doc No - Doc Sheet - Doc Revision) - Revision No”

If we wanted for instance to remove some of the fields and replace them with additional ones, how is this possible using core IFS? 

We are currently using IFS Apps 8.

Regards

Shaun

8 replies

AndreasIsengaard
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I am pretty convinced it is not possible to change / override repository file name (since it is being used in many places), perhaps @Mathias Dahl can confirm this?

Regards, Andreas
Mathias Dahl
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I am pretty convinced it is not possible to change / override repository file name (since it is being used in many places), perhaps @Mathias Dahl can confirm this?

Well, it depends on how you define “possible”… :) There is no way to change this by configuration, but I think the code that creates the file name is in one single place in the code (as it should be), so it would not be very hard to change this.

However, my view is that this should be avoided. We happen to use the keys of the document file reference, since that will (normally) create a unique file name. But they could be reandom names, in theory and I don’t think customers or users should make any assumptions about these names. It is the job of Docman, and the LUs/tables there, to know where the files for a certain document revision is.

Why do you want to change these file names? For sure, they are the customer’s files, and they can do whatever they like to them, but I would argue that if you want to have Docman to keep track of them, to “manage” them, you are better off not messing with them.

My guess is that someone wants to make some kind of “integration” with Docman, but I would suggest a better way than to access the files directly.

 

/Mathias
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Thanks for your responses @Mathias Dahl  and @AndreasIsengaard.

You are correct the business has asked about adding some other key fields into the file name which IFS generates upon upload into DocMan, so that the file name can be used to extract this information into SharePoint for as I understand population of key fields (metadata?) in this system. This allows users to search and query documents in SharePoint based on these field values. 

When we export a file from IFS DocMan the file name is as follows: 

Copy of 36 Man JRSLA LC Costs 2015 (1207 - 1122290 - 1 - REV00) - 1.xlsx 

They want the ability to change the above structure to add/remove fields to this if possible. 

I don’t want to touch the core application code as this is not permitted; so if the application via the client doesn't allow you to manipulate this then I will have to provide this feedback to the users. 

Regards

Shaun

 

 

AndreasIsengaard
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Instead of using repository file name, why not either a) Store additional meta-data around the file in SP or b) Use a naming convention for original file name that holds this information?

In IFS I think you can either export file using IFS file convention, or export file using original file name 

Regards, Andreas
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@AndreasIsengaard IFS documents hold all the key information so it is trying to find a way of extracting that so it can be uploaded into SharePoint and for this to be added as meta data. 

Naming convention may have worked but documents have been uploaded into IFS already over the last 4 years...also difficult to impose. 

One of the key fields is data created for instance; if left to user interpretation you could have several different ways of writing the date on a file name; so would prefer to use the data IFS generates.

Is there a SharePoint plugin or standard integration do you know with IFS Apps 8?

AndreasIsengaard
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k, then I guess syncing more meta-data from IFS to SP is one way to go.

I am unaware of such plugins and / or standard integrations though, however - integrating between IFS and SharePoint is pretty much straightforward using e.g. c# (I actually worked on such a PoC many years ago and it was pretty straightforward, but we decided to fully move into IFS DocumentManagement instead of continuing with SharePoint at that time).

Regards, Andreas
Mathias Dahl
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One option would be to store links, or shortcut files, to the documents in Docman, in SP. It’s hard to say how practical it would be since it would depend on a lot of things (how many, should things be completely automatic, etc.)

There is no official integration to SP at this point. But I think that the partner DinERP in Norway works with such things…

 

/Mathias
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Thanks for your responses @Mathias Dahl  and @AndreasIsengaard.

You are correct the business has asked about adding some other key fields into the file name which IFS generates upon upload into DocMan, so that the file name can be used to extract this information into SharePoint ...

“

 

 

As a slightly longer workaround:

Let IFS rename files as usual.

Run SQL report for whatever metadata you need, including a column for DocID/Rev/Sht/Class. Store this spreadsheet somewhere.

Make a double-clickable powershell script that :

  1. Checks to see if any IFS documents in folder (e.g. checked out)
  2. If found, (make a copy in an archive folder), look up that docID/Rev combination on the metadata SQL report, once found, you can pull any other data you may want ( date sent, association category, responsible person, date created, whatever).
  3. Renames the file with additional metadata, as required.

 

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