Working with assets

Components that make up the application are called assets . Any file that is required to run the application when you deploy it must be added to an application. You can also include assets that are not required for running the application but may be added later or used in another application. For example, you can create an application that acts as a library of assets for other applications. Examples of assets are processes, form designs, images, and DDX files.

Your application can also contain assets that you created in AEM forms. Their original properties are preserved provided you use the asset within the application that it was imported into. However, when you copy such an asset into another application, it becomes a AEM forms application asset. (See Leveraging legacy solutions in AEM forms .)

Important: To avoid problems with application deployment and execution, manually remove the Deployment ID from LiveCycle ES (8.x) assets before you reference them in AEM forms. Alternatively, migrate the LiveCycle ES (8.x) assets using the Archive Migration Tool before you use them in AEM forms.

When working with application assets, you can perform the following actions:

  • Add and remove assets

  • Organize assets

  • Edit and view assets

Adding and removing assets

Use one of the following methods to add assets to your application:

  • Create an asset in Workbench and specify the application that the asset belongs to.

  • Copy assets from another application.

  • Add assets created outside Workbench, such as graphic files or text files.

When you first create an asset, it is created in your local folder. To make it available on the server, check in either the application that the asset resides in or the particular asset.

Creating assets in Workbench

The New Asset wizards that you follow when creating the following assets require you to select the application the asset belongs to:

Create an asset:

  1. Use one of the following methods to select the type of asset to create:

    • Select File > New > asset type , where asset type is the name of a valid asset type.

    • Select File > New > Other and select the asset type from the list.

  2. Follow the instructions in the wizard.

Note: When you select File > New > Other, the Enter Or Select The Parent Folder box displays the tree structure of the local file system. It does not display the Workbench Applications view.

When creating an asset name, use the following rules:

  • Alphanumeric characters, double-byte characters, and spaces can be used.

  • These characters cannot be used: /\:+$?%*: |"<>.[]TAB.

  • Control characters (ASCII value less than 32) cannot be used.

  • Maximum number of characters and spaces is 40.

Note: Full path to an asset cannot exceed 256 characters. This path includes the entire path where the asset is cached on the computer.

Copying assets from another application

The application you copy assets from must be available on your local system. Therefore, if the source application is on the server, first add the application to your local view by using the Get Application command.

Copy assets between applications:

  1. (Optional) Select File > Get Application and select the application to add to your local system.

  2. Expand the application tree in the Applications view and select the asset to copy.

  3. Use one of the following methods to copy the asset:

    • Select Edit > Copy.

    • Click the Copy button.

    • Right-click the asset and select Copy.

    • Press Ctrl+C.

  4. In the destination location, select either a folder or the application version and use one of the following methods to paste the asset:

    • Select Edit > Paste.

    • Click the Paste button.

    • Right-click the destination folder or application version and select Paste.

    • Press Ctrl+V.

    You can also drag the asset from one location to another while pressing the Ctrl key.
Note: Assets can reference other assets. When an asset is copied to a different location (such as another folder or application), any references still point to the old location. If for any reason the reference to the old location is broken, the process at the new location fails at runtime. (For example, if the asset at the old location is deleted.) To avoid this issue, after you copy an asset to a new location, update any references.

Adding assets created outside AEM forms

Your application can contain assets that were created in another application. For example, if your process displays illustrations on the forms or uses a spreadsheet, these files must be included in the application.

Add assets created outside AEM forms:

Drag the file from the desktop or the folder to the application or the application folder.

Removing assets

You can easily remove assets that are no longer required in the application. When deleting assets, remember these situations:

  • Assets that exist only in your local folder, and are not checked into the repository, are deleted from the application immediately. The local asset icons in the application tree have a white cross on a green background in a lower-right corner.

  • Assets that were checked into the repository at least once are marked for deletion and are deleted from the application after you perform a check in operation. The icons for the assets marked for deletion are annotated with a red X.

    Deleted asset - icon marked with a red X

Delete an asset:

  1. Right-click the asset and select Delete.

  2. Click Yes to confirm deletion. A local asset is immediately removed from the list. An asset that was checked into the repository is marked with a red X.

  3. Right-click the asset that is marked with a red X and select Check In. The asset is removed from the local list and from the repository.

Organizing assets

Assets can reside below the root of the application in a single list. Alternatively, you can organize them into logical groups inside folders and subfolders. Create a folder structure inside your application to suit your particular requirements. For example, you can group all the forms used in the process in a folder called Forms .

As you can create only one folder level at a time, repeat the procedure several times to create a deeper folder structure.

You can add various assets to a AEM forms that includes image files, DDX files, processes, and forms. It is recommended that each application contains 50 assets or less. For existing applications with 50 or more assets, partition them into smaller applications. When you keep the number of assets small, it improves application performance and maintainability.

Create a folder

  1. Select File > New > Folder.

  2. On the New Folder panel, select the application version and specify the name of the folder.

Note: You can also create a folder while adding assets to the application.

When creating a folder name, use the following rules:

  • Alphanumeric characters, double-byte characters, and spaces can be used.

  • These characters cannot be used: /\:+$?%*: |"<>.[]TAB.

  • Control characters (ASCII value less than 32) cannot be used.

  • Maximum number of characters and spaces is 40.

Note: Full path to an asset cannot exceed 256 characters. This path includes the entire path where the asset is cached on the computer.

Add an asset to a folder

Use one of the following methods:

  • Select the folder name while creating an asset.

  • Drag an asset from the desktop to the folder.

  • Copy and paste assets between folders.

Copy and paste an asset between folders

  1. Select an asset and use one of the following methods to copy it:

    • Select Edit > Copy.

    • Click the Copy button.

    • Right-click an asset and select Copy.

    • Press Ctrl+C.

  2. Select the destination folder and use one of the following methods to paste the asset:

    • Select Edit > Paste.

    • Click the Paste button.

    • Right-click the destination folder and select Paste.

    • Press Ctrl+V.

    You can also drag the asset from one location to another while pressing the Ctrl key.

Renaming assets

You can rename assets for undeployed applications. When you rename the asset, you must change all references to the asset. For example, if you rename a XSD file in your application, you must change the form that references the XSD file to use the new name.

  1. Right-click the application where the asset exists and select Undeploy. You need to complete this step only when your application is deployed.

  2. Right-click the asset to rename and select Check Out.

  3. In the Rename dialog box, type new name for the asset and click OK.

  4. Right-click the asset and select Check-In.

  5. (Optional) Check-out processes and forms that use the asset that you rename and redeploy the application.

Editing and viewing assets

After an asset becomes part of an application, you can view it, edit it, and change its properties. Some assets open inside Workbench, and other assets you open in their native programs. When opening an asset, you can either let Workbench select a default editor, or you can manually select the editor.

If you are opening an asset to edit it, you must first check it out. When you start editing an asset that is not checked out, an automatic checkout message prompts you to check out the asset before you save it. If you decline the checkout, the asset remains in read-only state. Use a different name to save it.

You close an asset when you no longer want to view or edit it. An asset that you edit remains checked out after you close it. You must check it in after you edit it to allow others to modify it.

You can also edit several properties for an asset, such as description, custom metadata, and deployment information.

Open an asset for viewing or editing:

  1. Use one of the following methods:

    • Right-click the asset and select Open or Open With > editor name . This command opens the asset in its default editor.

    • Right-click the asset and select Open With > Other. This command opens the Editor Selection dialog box, where you can select the editor to use for editing the asset. You can select the editor from the list of internal editors or the list of external programs. If you cannot find the required editor on either list, you can browse for the location of the specific editor.

  2. To always automatically check out an asset, in the Automatic Checkout dialog box, select Never Show This Dialog Again And Remember My Decision. To return to the default setting and see the Automatic Checkout dialog box each time you checkout an asset, click Window > Preferences > AEM forms > Preferences, and deselect Perform Asset(s) Checkout Automatically.

Edit asset properties:

If the asset has custom properties defined, they are listed in the Custom Properties table.

The Deployment ID and Deployment Version boxes display the name, path, and version of the assets that were imported from the LiveCycle ES (8.x) application. (See Leveraging legacy solutions in AEM forms .)

  1. Right-click the asset and select Properties.

  2. (Optional) In the Description box, modify or add a descriptive text for the asset.

  3. (Optional) To edit a custom property, select the property in the Custom Properties table, click Edit , and change the value.

  4. To remove the values for Deployment ID and Deployment Version, click Reset.

Managing asset dependencies

Dependency is a functional relationship that an asset shares with another asset. An asset can have outgoing references by referencing another asset or an asset can have incoming references when dependent assets reference it. Modifying assets and asset properties may have adverse effects. The dependency detection feature in Workbench notifies when such modifications are attempted. The following are instances when dependencies are detected:

  • Creating archive files : When creating an LCA, there may be outgoing references to assets outside the application. Such assets are implicitly selected on the Archive Properties dialog box to be archived along with the selected application. You can choose to omit these outgoing references by deselecting appropriate assets. For more information, see Creating archive files .

  • Adding applications from the server : You can choose to add assets that have outgoing references from the application. For more information, see Adding applications from the server .

  • Deleting an asset : Workbench throws a warning when you try deleting an asset that has incoming references. Ensure that you do not delete such assets that are critical for dependent assets to be functional.

  • Renaming an asset : Workbench throws a warning when you try renaming an asset that has incoming references. If you intend to persist with these dependencies, ensure that you have the Update References checkbox checked on the Renaming dialog box.

Visualizing dependencies

Dependency Visualisation feature allows you to track and monitor all incoming and outgoing references of an asset. Use this feature as an indicator of the dependencies of the asset before you modify its properties.

  1. In Workbench, access Window > Show View > Other to open the Show View dialog box. Drill down General views to open the Properties view.

  2. Select an asset in the Applications view whose references you want to view.

  3. In the Properties view, click Outgoing References to view the list of dependencies of the asset. Also, click Incoming References to view the list of assets that are dependent on the selected asset.

Note: You can view only the immediate level of asset references. For example, consider that ProcessA has an outgoing reference to ProcessB and Process B in turn has an outgoing to ProcessC. When viewing outgoing references of ProcessA, ProcessC is not listed as a reference.

// Ethnio survey code removed