Integration with a WebDAV Client
Purpose
The WebDAV interface (Web-Based Distributed Authoring and Versioning)enables a connection to be set up between cProjects or cFolders and SAP Knowledge Management in the SAP NetWeaver Portal. It also allows integration with Microsoft Windows File Explorer.
This connection enables project members from a cProjects or cFolders project to edit the project and collaboration hierarchy structures contained in a cProjects or cFolders repository, using an external WebDAV-compatible application.
● The connection to SAP Knowledge Management in the SAP NetWeaver Portal allows cProjects or cFolders documents to be used as a data source in the portal. You can then process this data using functions provided by SAP Knowledge Management (for example, the cross-repository search function).
● The integration with Microsoft Windows File Explorer provides users with a user interface comparable to the user interface of a file server. Employees can then navigate in a familiar working environment within the nested structure elements and evaluate and edit the resources that exist there (for example, folders and documents).
Integration
WebDAV Applications
The standard system supports two WebDAV applications:
● WebDAV repository manager in SAP Knowledge Management (application component EP-KM)
You install a SAP NetWeaver portal with SAP Knowledge Management (KM) and configure a WebDAV repository manager for the cProjects or cFolders repository in Content Managementin KM. Your system administrator for the cProjects or cFolders system defines the WebDAV access in Customizing for cFolders or cProjects.
● SAP NetWeaver portal drive
This WebDAV application connects Microsoft Windows File Explorer to a configured cProjects or cFolders repository.
You install the portal drive on your PC. Your system administrator for the cProjects or cFolders system defines the WebDAV access in Customizing for cFolders or cProjects.
For more information about the necessary configuration steps, see Technical Description and Configuration Information.
For more information about the portal drive connection, see SAP Library for SAP NetWeaver under Getting Started – Using SAP Software → Working with Tools and Features → Working with Folders → Working with Folders in Windows (Portal Drive) → Personalizing the Portal Drive → Connect.
Language
A WebDAV application creates a session in the cProjects or cFolders system. Language-dependent texts are output in the language of the current session in the cProjects or cFolders system.
● If the WebDAV request is issued by KM in the portal, this session uses the language that is set up for the user in the portal, irrespective of the user-specific language setting in the cProjects or cFolders system.
● If the WebDAV request comes from the portal drive, the user-specific language setting in the cProjects or cFolders system determines the language of the session. You make the language setting by choosing System → User Profile → Own Data.
Authorizations
A WebDAV application must authenticate itself each time it sends a request to the cProjects or cFolders system. The user must enter his or her user name and password for the system.
Only those users who can log on directly to the cProjects or cFolders system have access to the cProjects or cFolders repository via the WebDAV interface.
The authorizations for the user are checked in the cProjects or cFolders system:
● The user only has access to cProjects or cFolders data via the WebDAV interface for which he or she has read authorization.
A user who has read authorization for a project element in cProjects should also have read authorization for all the subfolders and subdocuments of this project element. Otherwise, the WebDAV interface cannot transfer the data correctly.
● If the user wants to create, change, or delete data via the external WebDAV application, he or she requires special authorization in the cProjects or cFolders system.
Features
Evaluating the Hierarchy Structures
The following overview contains the elements of the hierarchy structures from cProjects or cFolders that you can access via the WebDAV interface.
Structure Elements
Application |
Structure Elements |
Project structure from cProjects |
Project elements: project definition, phase, checklist, checklist item, task Folder Document |
Collaboration structure from cFolders |
Collaboration, work area Root folder, folder Document |
You have the option of connecting a WebDAV-compatible application to an entry object in such a way that only the hierarchy is visible below the entry object. For more information, see Technical Description and Configuration Information.
Entry Objects
Application |
Entry Objects |
Project structure from cProjects |
cProjects repository Project elements: project definition, phase, checklist, checklist item, task |
Collaboration structure from cFolders |
cFolders repository Collaboration, work area, root folder, folder |
Editing cProjects and cFolders Structures
In the WebDAV application, you can navigate in the project and collaboration structure and access the structure elements (for example, documents) contained there.
For more information, see
Editing Functions for Project and Collaboration Structures
Constraints
In order for the external WebDAV-compatible application to process all data from the cProjects or cFolders repository, note the following recommendations:
● Documents
○ Document names can have a maximum of 35 characters.
○
In cProjects, the
name of a folder can have a maximum of 35 characters.
If documents or folders are created whose names have more than 35 characters,
the name is cut off after 35 characters and is uniquely defined by a number.
However, this is not WebDAV-compliant and can lead to names being
misinterpreted by the WebDAV application.
○ Archived documents can no longer be accessed via the WebDAV interface.
○
cProjects:
DMS documents, status reports and documents that are only checked in as a link
cannot be accessed via the WebDAV interface.
○
cFolders
Documents without a version (file) cannot be accessed via the WebDAV
interface.
○ Only the newest version of documents that have several versions can be accessed via the WebDAV interface. A new version of the document is created each time you save.
● Portal drive
○ This WebDAV application can currently only process paths of less than 240 characters. If, for example, you specify a naming convention of 30 characters for each hierarchy level, you can work with a structure depth of eight levels.
○ This WebDAV application can currently process a URL of up to 180 characters as the WebDAV URL for an entry object.
● The date format for the Session Timeout is not WebDAV-compliant. If you use WebDAV applications that are not supported by SAP, multiple sessions are created for a user in the cProjects or cFolders system.
● The WebDAV interface of the cProjects or cFolders repository does not support all the functions that are provided on the user interface of the WebDAV application. For a list of the functions, see Function Details.
● The following special characters may have a special meaning in the URL: %, &, /, \, +, #, <, and spaces. Therefore, these special characters must not appear in the names of the following objects: collaborations, work areas, root folders, project elements, folders, and documents.