Triggers for CCMS Desktop

Action triggers

Action triggers automatically run when a user performs an action such as Release, Lock, or Publish.

For example, this trigger applies the @ixia_locid attribute to specified elements in a map when a user releases the map in Authoring.

<trigger apply-to="Release" class="com.ixiasoft.cms.triggers.IdentifyElementsOnRelease" name="identify" objtype="map" schedule="before">
    <parameters>
        <param name="status" value="Authoring:*"/>
    </parameters>
</trigger>

Status change triggers

Automatically run when a user (or the system) changes the status of an object.

For example, this trigger removes specified processing instructions (PIs) from topics when the topic moves from any Authoring status to Authoring:done:

<!-- Remove change tracking marks -->
<trigger apply-to="changeStatus" class="com.ixiasoft.cms.triggers.RemoveProcIns" name="Clean Processing Instructions" objtype="topic" schedule="before">
    <parameters>
        <param name="initial-status" value="Authoring:*"/>
        <param name="end-status" value="Authoring:done"/>
    </parameters>
</trigger>

Anatomy of a trigger

Triggers are identified by their @name and @class attributes. While several triggers might have the same name, each trigger's class is unique.

<trigger apply-to="changeStatus" class="com.ixiasoft.cms.triggers.RemoveProcIns" name="Clean Processing Instructions" objtype="topic" schedule="before">

The type of trigger is identified by the @apply-to attribute:

<trigger apply-to="changeStatus" class="com.ixiasoft.cms.triggers.RemoveProcIns" name="Clean Processing Instructions" objtype="topic" schedule="before">

The value of this attribute is changeStatus, Release, Delete, assignTo, Publish, or Lock.

The type of object that the trigger applies to is identified by the @objtype attribute:

<trigger apply-to="changeStatus" class="com.ixiasoft.cms.triggers.RemoveProcIns" name="Clean Processing Instructions" objtype="topic" schedule="before">

A trigger can apply to only one object type. If a trigger applies to more than one object type, you must define the trigger multiple times, once for each object type.

The timing of the trigger is identified by the @schedule attribute, whose value is either before, after or BEFORE_VALIDATION:

<trigger apply-to="changeStatus" class="com.ixiasoft.cms.triggers.RemoveProcIns" name="Clean Processing Instructions" objtype="topic" schedule="before">

The <parameters> element(s) identify each scenario for which the trigger applies. For example, this trigger has only one scenario. It applies when a topic changes status from any Authoring status to Authoring:done:

<!-- Remove change tracking marks -->
<trigger apply-to="changeStatus" class="com.ixiasoft.cms.triggers.RemoveProcIns" name="Clean Processing Instructions" objtype="topic" schedule="before">
    <parameters>
        <param name="initial-status" value="Authoring:*"/>
        <param name="end-status" value="Authoring:done"/>
    </parameters>
</trigger>

Some triggers can have multiple scenarios. For example, say that when you activate the trigger above, you know that some topics at Authoring:done have PIs and you want to remove them before a user edits those topics. You could add a second <parameters> element to cover this scenario:

<!-- Remove change tracking marks -->
<trigger apply-to="changeStatus" class="com.ixiasoft.cms.triggers.RemoveProcIns" name="Clean Processing Instructions" objtype="topic" schedule="before">
    <parameters>
        <param name="initial-status" value="Authoring:*"/>
        <param name="end-status" value="Authoring:done"/>
    </parameters>
    <parameters>
        <param name="initial-status" value="Authoring:done"/>
        <param name="end-status" value="Authoring:work"/>
    </parameters>
</trigger>

As shown, you must add a second <parameters> element. You cannot add <param> elements to an existing <parameters> element. Each <parameters> element must describe only one scenario.