Can any new functions be added to OpenKM?

[bigg]

I have started to deploy some workflow for our company with OpenKM.
In fact, I hope some special fuctions of OpenKM.

Files in a company is not keeped only as a file. They has relationships with assets, equipments, fax and contracts, working tasks, projects, plans of department. All listed things or objects can be thought as a package of files.

I think OpenKM can create these "objects", just treat these as "category", but it seemed not enough.
I hope a more easy way.
All the objects should looked like an "Object", not a category, and can be created and listed in a certain container.
They need a form to decribe the properties of the objects. Then may be has a category, may be not.
But it's very important that these objects can show related files. And then can triger a workflow.

Then, some special business procesure can be adopted and managed in this system.

This is my wish, with truly thanks to all developers of OpenKM. You have done a great job.

[jllort]

For what I understand your workflows need starting linked with a collection of documents not only to one document ?

[bigg]

You are right, but this is not enough.
If we only want initiate a workflow from a collection of document, we can use zipped files or from a certain category. I think the collection of document is not only a position to start a workflow, but also a container or package of some kind of tightly related documents.

In our company, there are some examples:
(1) drawing files are dedigned by department or descipline, so this can be orgnized by folder. We don't talk this.
(2) drawing files are belong to some specail "System" or "Area" or "Unit", so this is another category. we don't talk this either.
(3) some drawing files are created in "Volume", and a "Volume" is a package of some tightly-related documents.
(4) some drawing files are packaged as "transmittal" and sent to another department or descipline for sharing or approval, and a workflow is needed. "transmittal" has its special properties, i.e. the purpose, contents, orgnization, projects and so on.
(6) drawing files or contract files may contain an "equipment" or "asset", for purpose of installation or purchase.
(5) A task may be created and assighed to some people, and with a number of documents and a timing-schedule is defined. the task is looked as a work-package, and shoud be monitored by system for progress controlling. a workflow is not always needed.

In fact, the colletion of document is some real business object. they are something related to documents in our world. Many business tasks are based on them, not directly based on physical files. I hope there are two type of objects managed in OpenKM: File Objects(documents), and Non-File Objects, and classify these objects with a group of categories.

some special function maybe very complicated. but can a simple "Business Object" be created in OpenKM?
I think a kind of "Business Object" may be a certain xml file. its Type and Properties is defined in a meta Schema-Xml. We just need to create a xml to represent a real business object, then display these objects in User Interface. Of course, it's a hard and great job.

[bigg]

I noticed that OpenKM has designed "PropertyGroup.cnd" and "PropertyGroup.xml" for assign properties to document.
In fact, I hope these properties can be customized and defined not only for documents, but also for category and some business objects related to documents.

[jllort]

metadatada is only for folders, docs and mails, not for categories etc...

There're two ways to solve it. Really you're talking about documents or folders linked. Here are two options:
1- before starting workflow link documents ( folders, etc.. ) and then selecting one linked document for starting workwlow, really across linked documents you got the collection you need.
2- start workflow with one document and make some extra form element to link documents, etc... ( collection to be stored into the workflow ) like select multiple but for selecting docs, folders etc...

And is not needed this kind of complications like xml's etc... or new objects, really base objects yet exists and your new objects is only a collection of actual objects, what's really needed is only the relations between them.