Add a new type to the list of external source types

You can specify additional external source types to the list of those recognized by IXIA CCMS. You can add your external source types to the list by editing the externaltypes.xml file.

The externaltypes.xml file, found in the Repository in the /system/conf/ collection, contains the current list of the external source types. External sources are links to sources such as documents and sites that exist outside the Content Store. Any DITA reference (link) which starts with a declared external type is handled as an external resource, meaning it will not be validated upon a status change, deletion or as part of any other validation process.

The CCMS evaluates links as follows:
  • If the scope attribute is set to "external", it is identified and handled as an external source type.
  • If the scope attribute is not set to "external", it checks the link against the externaltypes.xml file to determine if the link is an external source type. If the link matches a declared external type, it is identified and handled as an external source type.
  • If the scope attribute is set to "peer", it is identified as either an internal or external source type depending on how the peerasexternal is set.
  • If the link is not identified by any of these means to be an external source, then the link is identified as an internal source type and is validated.
Important: Make configuration changes in a test environment and confirm they work before copying them to a production environment.
  1. In the TEXTML Administration perspective, connect to your server.
  2. Locate the externaltypes.xml file in the repository's /system/conf/ collection.
  3. Check out the file and open it for editing.
  4. For each new type that you want to specify, insert a new line in the <externaltypes> section using the format <type>[new source type]</type> and replace [new source type] with your external source type.
    For example, adding an external source type called "scp:" would appear as:
    <externaltypes peerasexternal="true">						
   <type>scp:</type>
</externaltypes>
  5. Save, close, and check in the file.
  6. Inform users of the changes.
    The changes will be applied automatically once users close and then reopen their IXIA CCMS Desktop. Users can also apply the changes without restarting their CCMS Desktop by clicking IXIA CCMS > Synchronize Configuration.