Preface

This manual describes how to customize the behavior of Oracle Internet File System (Oracle 9iFS) or create new applications using Oracle 9iFS as a development platform. Topics include:

• Intended Audience

• Structure of this Guide

• About Sample Code

• Related Documents

• Documentation Accessibility

• Conventions

Intended Audience

The Oracle 9iFS Developer Reference is intended for application developers who create custom file system applications using XML and Java.

Oracle 9iFS presents a wide range of development possibilities, ranging from simple presentation-layer design to complex interactions between file system actions and external database schemas. Not all customization require a complete grasp of the entire framework, much less the entire Oracle 9iFS Java API.

Structure of this Guide

This manual contains these chapters and appendices:

Chapter 1	Getting Started with the Oracle Internet File System SDK	Provides an overview of the requirements for writing an application based on the Oracle 9iFS Software Development Kit (SDK).
Chapter 2	The Anatomy of Oracle 9iFS	Briefly outlines system elements, describing key database features, and identifying points of extensibility to give developers an understanding of the architecture of Oracle 9iFS.
Chapter 3	Java API Overview	Serves as both an introduction to the Oracle 9iFS Java API, to be read in its entirety, and as a reference, to be scanned for specific information on classes.
Chapter 4	Creating an Oracle Internet File System Document	Explains how to programmatically work with the out-of-the-box Document class to create a generic Document object. Provides a base on which customization concepts can be built.
Chapter 5	Extending Content Types and Attributes	Discusses extending the Oracle 9iFS content type hierarchy to manage custom types of information.
Chapter 6	Applying Arbitrary Metadata and Behavior	Describes how to apply arbitrary metadata and behavior to content types.
Chapter 7	Attribute Validation	Describes the three ways to validate attributes in Oracle 9iFS: using value defaults, value domains, and class domains.
Chapter 8	Building Search Applications	Describes how to build search applications with Oracle 9iFS selectors and searches.
Chapter 9	Creating a Custom Parser	Discusses the creation and use of custom parsers in Oracle iFS
Chapter 10	XML and the Oracle Internet File System	Describes some of the specific supports built into Oracle 9iFS for working with XML data.
Chapter 11	Creating a Custom Renderer	Focuses on creation of a custom renderer
Chapter 12	Web Interface Customization	Describes how to create a custom user interface that will allow your users to view and modify the attributes of your custom document types using an HTML browser.
Chapter 13	Creating Custom Servers	Describes the process of creating, testing, and deploying custom protocol servers and agents.
Chapter 14	Implementing Versioning in a Custom Application	Explains how the Oracle 9iFS implements versioning, and introduces strategies for implementing versioning in a custom application.
Chapter 15	Security	Discusses how to secure information in Oracle 9iFS.
Chapter 16	Managing Sessions and Transactions	Discusses session management in more detail by covering advanced topics.
Chapter 17	Customizing Content Type Behavior	Explains how to customize the behavior of content types.
Chapter 18	Programmatically Sending and Receiving E-Mail	Discusses how custom applications can use the JavaMail API and the Oracle 9iFS Java API to programmatically send and receive e-mail in Oracle 9iFS.
Appendix A	Error Messages	Presents typical error messages you may encounter while developing your application.

About Sample Code

Code samples are included in this guide where possible. Longer programs excerpted within this document are included in the Sample_Code directory accompanying this document. You can also download the samples from Oracle Technet at:

http://otn.oracle.com/sample_code/products/ifs/listing.htm

Related Documents

For more information, see the following manuals in the Internet File System and Oracle9i database documentation sets. Documentation is available in HTML and PDF format.

• Oracle Internet File System Release Notes: Contains special information for this release of Oracle 9iFS.

• Oracle Internet File System Installation Guide: Provides information for the installation and configuration of Oracle 9iFS.

• Oracle Internet File System Setup and Administration Guide: Provides information for setting up and administering Oracle 9iFS.

• Oracle Text Reference: Provides information on configuring and using Oracle Text, a text search tool fully integrated in the database.

• Oracle9i Database Administrator's Guide: Provides information on configuring a remote database.

• Oracle9i Administrator's Guide: Provides information on managing and tuning the database and information on tablespace sizing.

• Oracle9i User-Managed Backup and Recovery Guide: Provides information on backing up the Oracle9i database.

• Oracle9i Enterprise Manager Administrator's Guide: Provides information on using the Oracle9i Enterprise Manager Console to manage the Oracle9i database.

• Oracle9i Enterprise Manager Configuration Guide: Provides information on setting up the Oracle9i Enterprise Manager.

• Oracle9i Net Services Administrator's Guide: Provides information for configuring the Oracle network services which connect the Oracle client and server.

• Oracle9i Globalization Support Guide: Provides an overview of Oracle National Language Support (NLS).

Ordering Related Documentation

To order documentation, call the appropriate number listed below.

• In the United States, call Documentation Sales at: 1-800-252-0303.

• In the United Kingdom, call Oracle Direct Response at: +44-990-332200.

• In other European countries, contact your local Oracle Support office.

• In the Asia-Pacific region, contact your Oracle sales representative.

You can also order documentation from Oracle Store on the Web, at http://oraclestore.oracle.com.

Documentation Accessibility

Our goal is to make Oracle products, services, and supporting documentation accessible, with good usability, to the disabled community . To that end, our documentation includes features that make information available to users of assistive technology. This documentation is available in HTML format, and contains markup to facilitate access by the disabled community. Standards will continue to evolve over time, and Oracle is actively engaged with other market-leading technology vendors to address technical obstacles so that our documentation can be accessible to all of our customers. For additional information, visit the Oracle Accessibility Program Web site at:

http://www.oracle.com/accessibility/

Accessibility of Code Examples in Documentation

JAWS, a Windows screen reader, may not always correctly read the code examples in this document. The conventions for writing code require that closing braces should appear on an otherwise empty line; however, JAWS may not always read a line of text that consists solely of a bracket or brace.

Conventions

The following notational conventions appear in this manual:

Convention	Description
italic	Italicized type identifies document titles.
Monospace	Monospace type indicates commands, script names, directory names, path names, and file names (for example, the root.sh script).
UPPERCASE	Uppercase letters indicate parameters or environment variables (for example, ORACLE_HOME).
. . .	In code examples, vertical ellipsis points indicate that information not directly related to the example has been omitted.
. . .	In command syntax, horizontal ellipsis points indicate repetition of the preceding parameters. The following command example indicates that more than one input_file may be specified on the command line. command [input_file ...]
< >	In command syntax, angle brackets identify variables that the user must supply. You do not type the angle brackets. The following command example indicates that the user must enter a value for the variable input_file: command <input_file>
[ ]	In command syntax, brackets enclose optional clauses from which you can choose one or none. You do not type the brackets. The following command example indicates that the variable output_file is optional: command <input_file> [output_file]
{ }	In command syntax, curly brackets indicate that a choice of two or more items separated by a vertical bar or pipe ( | ). You do not type the curly brackets. The following command example indicates a choice of either a or b: command {a | b}
$	The dollar sign represents the shell prompt in Solaris. Foot 1

1 In examples, an implied return occurs at the end of each line, unless otherwise noted. You must press the [Enter] key at the end of a line of input.