Configuration

The crossTerm Web suggestion module can be configured by customizing the crossTerm Web configuration file presets.xml and the corresponding workflow definition file with the file extension *.workflow.

Creating/Customizing the crossTerm Web Configuration File

The basic configuration of the crossTerm Web suggestion module can be performed by manually customizing the crossTerm Web configuration file presets.xml or more easily via the PresetTool, the crossTerm Web configuration tool.

Tip

The following section explains the configuration of the suggestion module by manually customizing the crossTerm Web configuration file presets.xml.

For further information, please consult your contact at Across Systems GmbH.

General information on Across services is available at www.across.net/en/services/.

In the file crossTerm Web, the element suggestionConfig defines the functionality of the suggestion module by means of attributes and attribute values.

You can create a crossTerm Web configuration file e.g. by creating a *.txt file with a text editor and subsequently renaming the file to Presets.xml. Make sure that the file actually has the extension *.xml and no longer *.txt. You can then, for example, copy the contents of the configuration file from the following description into the configuration file you have created and adapt the contents to your individual requirements.

If you already have a crossTerm Web configuration file, you merely need to insert the element suggestionConfig in your existing Presets.xml file.

For example, a configuration file Presets.xml may have the following structure:

<webconfig><presetname="default"><suggestionConfigenabled="1"termLanguage="1033"instanceName="Default Across-Server"entryTemplateName="Suggest"termTemplateName="Suggest"layoutName="Suggest"workflowName="Suggest"suggestionButtonView="icon"maxSuggestedTerms="0"anonymousLoginRedirection="1"/></preset></webconfig>

The element suggestionConfig contains the following attributes by default:

Attribute	Description
enabled	Enables or disables the crossTerm Web suggestion module. Possible values: "1" = activated, "0" = deactivated
termLanguage	LCID of the language in which terms can be suggested. Tip Term suggestions can only be made in one language per preset. Therefore it is not possible to define several languages/LCIDs within the same preset.
instanceName	Name of the crossTerm instance to which the term suggestions are to be added. This should be the instance in which the proposals are later to be included as "real" terms. Tip Term suggestions can only be made in one language per preset. Therefore it is not possible to define several languages/LCIDs within the same preset.
entryTemplateName termTemplateName	Name of the entry or term template used for the creation of term suggestions. The data categories defined in the templates are available to the crossTerm Web user for the creation of term templates.
layoutName	Name of the crossTerm layout that is used to display the suggested term to the crossTerm Web user after its transmission to the Across Server. Tip If the attribute is missing in the configuration file, the default layout of crossTerm will automatically be used.
workflowName	Name of the workflow that is used for the further processing of the term suggestions. The name is derived from the name of the workflow definition file. In case of the workflow definition file Suggest.workflow, for example enter "Suggest" as attribute value.
suggestionButtonView	Defines, in which way the page for suggesting a term will be called. Possible configuration: "icon": Display of an icon () "text": Display of the link "icon text": Display of an icon and a link Tip If the attribute is missing in the configuration file, the default icon will be displayed.
maxSuggestedTerms	Defines the number of term suggestions that a user may concurrently add on the suggestion page. These are term suggestions that belong to the same term or entry and therefore have the same meaning. In addition to the standard terms, these are usually synonyms, variants, or abbreviations. The term suggestions must all be stored in the same language that is specified for the term suggestions. Tip If the attribute is missing in the configuration file, any number of term suggestions can be made by default. Possible configuration: "0" = An unlimited number of terms can be suggested for an entry. "1" = Only one term per entry can be suggested. Numeric value > 1 = The maximum number of term suggestions per entry that can be made corresponds to the entered numeric value.
anonymousLoginRedirection	Activates or deactivates the login function for the creation of term suggestions. If the login function is activated, the icon or link for the creation of term suggestions will always be displayed, even if a user is not logged in to crossTerm Web. If a user who is not logged in clicks the suggestion icon or link, the login dialog will appear. Possible values: "1" = activates the login function, "0" = deactivates the login function.

By default, term suggestions can be made in exactly one designated language and for one designated crossTerm instance. The settings for this are centrally configured in the configuration file presets.xml. By defining various presets, terms can, for example, also be suggested in different languages for different crossTerm instances. For example, two presets can be created, one for German term suggestions and one for English term suggestions. You can also set up two presets e.g. to use different workflows.

All existing presets are stored together in the configuration file presets.xml. In crossTerm Web, the presets can be accessed using the corresponding links. For example, the URL for a preset with the name "german" could be as follows:

crossTermWeb/crossTermWeb.dll?preset=german.

Creating/Customizing Workflow Definition File

The workflow definition file has the extension *.workflow (e. g. Suggest.workflow) and defines the further workflow for the processing of the term suggestions.

You can create the workflow definition file by creating a *.txt with a text editor and subsequently renaming the file from .txt to .workflow. Make sure that the file actually has the extension *.workflow and no longer *.txt. You can then, for example, copy the contents of the workflow definition file from the following description into the workflow definition file you have created and adapt the contents to your individual requirements.

For example, a workflow definition file may have the following structure:

<workflow><states><statename="Suggested"/><statename="Accepted"final="true"/><statename="Rejected"final="true"/></states><transitions><transitionname="Add suggestion"from=""to="Suggested"/><transitionname="Accept"from="Suggested"to="Accepted"><actions><publish/></actions></transition><transitionname="Reject"from="Suggested"to="Rejected"/></transitions></workflow>

The workflow definition file by default contains the following elements:

Element	Description
workflow	Root element that provides a basic definition of the workflow. The name of the workflow is derived from the name of the workflow definition file and is thus not determined in the workflow definition file.
states	Defines via the different child elements state the states of the term suggestions.
state	Defines a state of the term suggestion- For every state, a state element is created whereby the number of elements and thus of the states is basically unlimited. The attribute "name" defines the name of the state. The specification final="true" defines whether the state represents the final editing state of the term suggestion or term. Tip If you use several workflows, states with the same name that are used in different workflows are not displayed separately but as one status in the crossTerm Web interface and especially in the suggestion search. If you have to assign the states uniquely, you can give them different names, for example, or assign specific additions to them (such as "Suggested (standard workflow)").
transitions	Defines via the child elements transition the state changes when processing the term suggestions.
transition	Defines the state change when processing term suggestions (e.g. from Suggested to Confirmed or Rejected). In the crossTerm Web interface, the state changes are displayed in the form of buttons. For every state change, a transition element is created (the number of elements and thus of the state changes is virtually unlimited). The attribute "name" defines the name of the state. The name appears in the form of a button in the crossTerm Web interface. The attribute "from" defines the original state of the state change (e.g. Suggested). Tip The initial state of the initial or "new" term suggestions (e.g. Suggested) is defined by the fact that no attribute value is defined for the attribute "from" in the corresponding transition element. The attribute "to" defines the target state of the state change (e.g. Confirmed or Rejected).
actions	Defines actions that are to take place along with the state change defined in the parent element transition.
publish	The standalone-child element publish defines the publication of the term suggestions. Through the publication of a term suggestion, this suggestion is converted into a "normal" term, which can e.g. be found in term searches and be edited with the conventional crossTerm rights.
sendEmail	Defines the transmission of e-mail. E-mails are sent automatically when the state change of the term suggestion that is defined in the parent element transition is performed.

If the workflow definition file cannot be read, e.g. due to an incorrect structure, a record will be written into the log file of crossTerm Web.

Like the other texts of the crossTerm Web suggestion module, the names of the suggestion states can be localized. In this way, the names can be displayed in the language in which the crossTerm Web interface is displayed.

Attention

In the case of individual adjustments of the workflow definition file that deviate from the configuration presented above, we urgently recommend consulting us. Otherwise, Across cannot provide any support in connection with the faulty setup of the suggestion module.

For further information, please consult your contact at Across Systems GmbH.

General information on Across services is available at www.across.net/en/services/.

Automatic Notification by E-Mail in the Event of State Changes

Via the element sendEmail, the automatic sending of e-mails is configured. E-mails are sent when the state change of the term suggestion that is defined in the parent element transition is performed. Within the actions element, the sendEmail element can be inserted e.g. as follows in a parent element transition:

<transition name="Accept" from="Suggested" to="Accepted">
        <actions>
  	<publish />
 	<sendEmail fromAddress="noreply@across.net" toAddress="translator@across.net" 
        messageSubject="Suggestion accepted">
        <![CDATA[
        Dear crossTerm Web user,
  	A terminology suggestion was accepted.
  	For details, please look it up in {WorkItemLink}crossTerm Web{/WorkItemLink}.
  	Thank you.
	---
	This is an automated message.
        You receive it because crossTerm Web was configured this way
        by your Across/IT administrator. If you have any questions
        regarding the reason or nature of this notification, please talk
        to your administrator.]]>
  	</sendEmail> 
 	</actions> 
 </transition>

The element sendEmail contains the following attributes by default:
The attributes fromAddress and toAddress define the e-mail address from which the e-mail is send in the case of a state change.
In order to send the e-mail to the user who made the term proposal when a term proposal changes state, in the attribute toAddress the placeholder {Suggester} can be used as the addressee (e.g. toAddress="{Suggester}"). For this, an e-mail address must be stored for the respective user: If the user is an Across user, the e-mail address must be entered in the user properties in Across. If the user is a member of an AD group that has access to the suggestion module, the e-mail address must be stored in the respective user account of the Active Directory.
The attribute toAddress may contain several e-mail addresses in order to send the respective e-mails to several recipients. The e-mail addresses must be separated with semicolons (e.g. toAddress="{Suggester};translator@across.net").
The attribute messageSubject defines the subject of the e-mail.

To send e-mail, suitable SMTP settings for sending e-mail must be configured in crossAdmin, the administration software of the Across Language Server. To enter the needed settings, open crossAdmin and click crossTerm > Server Administration in the module bar on the left-hand side. Then use the button to stop the crossTerm Server and click Properties. Go to E-Mail Settings and make the required settings. PLAIN authentication is supported as SMTP authentication method. Finally, confirm the input with OK and restart the crossTerm Server.

Should the transmission of e-mail via the suggestion module fail, a record will be written into the log file of crossTerm Web.

To send several e-mails when the status of a term proposal changes, you can use the element sendEmail several times within a transitionelement.

Definition of the E-Mail Text

To determine the text of the e-mails, insert it between the opening tag and the closing tag of the sendEmail element.

Within the e-mail text, XML characters like <, >, and & can only be used if the e-mail text is configured as CDATA paragraph.

Link to the Term Suggestion in crossTerm Web

Via the placeholder WorkItemLink you can insert a link in the e-mails to be sent via the suggestion module. When the link in the incoming e-mail is clicked, crossTerm Web will open up with the respective term suggestion. For the display of the term suggestion in crossTerm Web, the particular user must have the needed rights to view terms.

You can define such a link by inserting the placeholder marks {WorkItemLink} and {/WorkItemLink} in the e-mail before and after the text that is to contain the link, e.g. "Information on the term suggestion is available in {WorkItemLink}crossTerm Web{/WorkItemLink}".

For the link to work correctly, the URL of crossAdmin must be entered in crossTerm Web. The URL can also be defined in the settings of the crossTerm Server. To do this, open the settings of the crossTerm Server once more and go to the crossTerm Web section. Enter the URL of crossTerm Web in the input field, confirm with OK, and restart the crossTerm Server.

Subsequent Customization of the Workflow Definition File

If you adjust the workflow definition file after it has already been used for the creation of term suggestions and for the further processing of term suggestions, previous suggestions will remain unaffected by the changes. This means previous editing states will be retained and will be listed e.g. in the state filter of the suggestion search.