JCR API

JCR API

• Magnolia relies on the JCR API to manage its data.
• Security is handled by JCR.

Three important Util classes

• For making coder's life more convenient, we implemented three Util classes.
• There are Util classes mainly either catch exceptions, or wrap some JCR Api calls together.
• NodeUtil
• PropertyUtil
• NodeTypes

Access a workspace - javax.jcr.Session

• Generally accessing a workspace with the JCR session 'javax.jcr.Session'

  Session session = MgnlContext.getJCRSession("workspaceName");
   
  Session session = someNode.getSession();

Get javax.jcr.Node or javax.jcr.Property

• A specific Node or Property can be accessed by the JCR Session
  

  Node foundNode = session.getNodeByIdentifier("identifier");
  Node foundNode = session.getNode("absolutePath");
  Property foundProperty = session.getProperty("absolutePath");
   
  Node foundNode = NodeUtil.getNodeByIdentifier("workspaceName", "identifier");

Operations on javax.jcr.Node

• Get a node's name
  

  String name = someNode.getName();
   
  String name = NodeUtil.getName(someNode);

• Get all child nodes as a collection

  NodeIterator childrenIterator = someNode.getNodes();
  Iterable<Node> childrenIterable = NodeUtil.asIterable(childrenIterator);
  List<Node> childrenList = NodeUtil.asList(childrenIterable);
   
  Iterable<Node> childrenIterable = NodeUtil.collectAllChildren(someNode);
  List<Node> childrenList = NodeUtil.asList(childrenIterable);

• Get a specific child node by name

  Node childNode = someNode.getNode("relativePath");

• Get a node property by name

  Property nodeProperty = someNode.getProperty("relativePath");
   
  Property foundProperty = PropertyUtil.getProperty(someNode, "relativePath");

• Get a node's path
  

  String pathToNode = someNode.getPath();
   
  String pathToNode = NodeUtil.getNodePathIfPossible(someNode);

   

• Create and set a Property value to a specific node property

  someNode.setProperty("propertyName", "propertyValue");
   
  PropertyUtil.setProperty(someNode, "propertyName", "propertyValue");

• Create a sub node
  

  someNode.addNode("relativePath", primaryNodeTypeName);
   
  NodeUtil.createPath(parent, "relativePath", primaryNodeTypeName)

   

• Save the node with its changes

  //Get Session form Node and save.
  someNode.getSession().save();
   
  //I have the session
  session.save() 

Content node MetaData

• Some examples on content node MetaData with NodeTypes

  NodeTypes.Activatable.getActivationStatus(node);
  NodeTypes.Activatable.update(node, "username", isActivated);
   
  NodeTypes.Renderable.getTemplate(node);
  NodeTypes.Renderable.set(node, "template id");
   
  NodeTypes.LastModified.getLastModified(node);
  NodeTypes.LastModified.update(node);
  NodeTypes.LastModified.update(node, "username", date); 

Operations on javax.jcr.Property

• Get a property's name

  String name = nodeProperty.getName(); 

• Get a property's path

  String pathToProperty = nodeProperty.getPath();

• Get the property's parent node

  Node parentNode = nodeProperty.getParent();

• Get value from the property

  String stringValue = nodeProperty.getString()
  Calendar dateValue = nodeProperty.getDate();
  Double doubleValue = nodeProperty.getDouble();
  Long longValue = nodeProperty.getLong();
  Binary forBinaryNodeData = nodeProperty.getBinary();
   
  PropertyUtil.getString(someNode, propertyName);
  PropertyUtil.getDate(someNode, propertyName);
  PropertyUtil.getBoolean(someNode, propertyName, defaultValue) 

• Set the value of the property

  nodeProperty.setValue(booleanValue);
  nodeProperty.setValue(calendarObject);
  nodeProperty.setValue(longValue);
  nodeProperty.setValue(doubleValue);
  nodeProperty.setValue(intValueWillBeStoredAsLong);
  nodeProperty.setValue(booleanValue);
  nodeProperty.setValue(inputStreamForBinary); 

Providing a Node as ContentMap to scripts

• Operating in template scripts directly on a JCR Node is not very handy.
• cmsfn provides to all scripts any Node transformed into a ContentMap
• Much easier access to the Nodes data by the ContentMap.
• ContentMap provides special attributes which are not properties:
  
  • @name
  • @path
  • @id
  • @depth

  • @nodeType

    
    In Java

    ContentMap nodeAsContentMap = new ContentMap(someNode);
    Node backToNode = nodeAsContentMap.getJCRNode(); 

    In Freemarker

    ${cmsfn.asJCRNode(aContentMap)}
    ${cmsfn.asContentMap(aJCRNode)} 

    See cmsfn for more templating functions operating on the JCR API.