19 Finding Documents

Oracle WebCenter Content stores the metadata you enter when you check in a content item in a database set up by your system administrator. You can search for content items using these metadata values. If your system administrator has configured the Oracle Text Search option or the database full-text search capability, then the text of content items is indexed and made available for searching as well.

Check with your system administrator to see which search solution or database is used and to see if full-text indexing is enabled.

This chapter covers the following topics:

19.1 Search Pages

You can search for content using one of the following ways:

19.1.1 Quick Search Field

With the Quick Search field, you can perform a search regardless of the page in the content area. The Quick Search field performs a substring search of the title and content ID metadata, and the indexed full-text if it is supported on your system.

A substring search is equivalent to including a wildcard at the beginning and end of the search term. For example, if you enter form in the Quick Search field, the search returns items with words such as forms, performance, and reform in the title or content ID metadata, or in the indexed full-text if it is supported on your system.

You or your system administrator can also build custom searches targeted to search one or more metadata fields you specify, and make them available through the Quick Search field. You can create targeted searches with either the Query Builder Form or Expanded Form.

The Quick Search field supports Internet-style search syntax, complex construction, and alternate query formats. For more information, see Using Additional Search Capabilities.

19.1.2 Home Page Search Fields

With the search fields on the Home page, you can perform a metadata search, a full-text search, or a combination of both. Only the most commonly used search fields are available from the home page.

Note:

Your home page may have a different appearance than the default "out-of-the-box" content server home page, which includes search fields. If search functionality is not available from your home page or to search on additional metadata fields, use the Search Tray or Advanced Search Page.

19.1.3 Search Tray

With the Search tray, you can perform a metadata, full-text, or combination search. Only the most commonly used search fields are available from the Search tray.

The Criteria tab on the Search tray displays a form where you can enter your criteria. The Results tab displays the search results.

19.1.4 Advanced Search Page

With the Advanced Search page, you can perform a metadata search, full-text search, or a combination of both on all available fields.

To access this page, click the Advanced link in the Search Tray or use the Search menu on the Toolbar.

The expanded form on the Advanced Search Page displays all search fields available to you on a single page. You can alternate between the expanded form and the query builder form using the Search Forms menu at the top of the search page.

You can also select a different search profile from the Switch Profile menu, if your system administrator has defined them for you. You can specify the default search form to use the Advanced Search page.

Note:

Queries built using the Expanded Form separate the metadata fields with the <AND> operator. Each search criterion entered into each field must be met for a result to be returned. For example, if you enter January into the Title field and presentation into the Type field, then a search finds content only if it has a presentation type and has January in the title.

Note:

When using Oracle Text Search with your Content Server instance, you cannot enter complex search queries into the Full-Text Search field on the Expanded Form of the Advanced Search page. Instead, you must use the Query Builder form.

19.1.5 Query Builder Form

The Query Builder form creates and saves complex queries by selecting options from a series of lists. After a query is built, you can edit the query directly, perform the search, or save the query for easy access from My Saved Queries.

With the Query Builder form, you can separate the metadata fields with either the <AND> operator or the <OR> operator. If you use the <AND> operator, then each search criteria entered into each field must be met to return a result.

If you use the <OR> operator, then only one of each field's criteria must be met. For example, if you enter January into the Title field and presentation into the Type field separated by <OR>, then results include content that has either presentation as the type or has January in the title.

Note:

When using Oracle Text Search with your Content Server instance, you cannot enter complex search queries into the Full-Text Search field on the Expanded Form of the Advanced Search page. Instead, you must use the Query Builder form.

19.2 Working with Search Results

You can specify how to display the results of your search based on the number of content items returned per page and the order of the content items. For example, to find the most recent files that match your criteria, sort the results by release date. If you are searching for specific text such as changed address, sort your search results by score.

Use the Results Options area of the Advanced Search Page to control the display of the Search Results page:

19.2.1 Displaying Search Results

To specify how to display the search results:

  1. Display the home page search fields or the Advanced Search page.
  2. Scroll down to the Results Options.
  3. Set Results Per Page to the maximum number of content items to display on each Search Results page.
  4. Specify the Sort By method and order.
  5. Click Search.
  6. From the Content Actions menu on a Search Results page, choose the view option to specify the search results view.

Note:

  • The Clear button clears the search fields, but does not clear the Results Options settings.

  • The system administrator can use the Content Server Configuration Manager to add or remove sortable fields. To change the fields available for sorting, see your system administrator.

19.2.2 Changing the Search Results View

To change the default search results view:

  1. Display the User Profile page.
  2. Scroll down to the Search Template option.
  3. Click Search Template, and select the search result view.
  4. Click Update.

19.3 Search Result Templates

You can customize the metadata information you want to see on a search result. You can even specify different search results templates to be used for different saved queries. To personalize how search results are displayed, select an option from the list on the User Profile Page, or from the Search Results page. There are three templates available by default, and you have the option to create new views based on the three provided templates using the Search Results Templates for User page to identify the information and specify display options:

19.3.1 Classic View Template

The Classic template lists content items sequentially in single rows, based on the default sort field and order set on the User Profile page.

Graphic of native 11g classic view results
Column Description

Content icon or Thumbnail image

Displays an icon based on the content type. Optionally, if your system administrator has set up Content Server to create a thumbnail image of the content, then it displays the thumbnail image.

Description

Title and Content ID: The title and unique identifier of the content item, linked to display a Web-viewable version of the content, if it is available. If no Web-viewable version is available, it links to the native file.

The title and content ID are displayed in all custom search result templates based on the Classic View, even if those fields are not specifically selected from the Classic View Template section of the Create/Edit Classic View Search Result Template page.

Author: The person who checked in the content item.

Revision: Identifies the revision number of the content item.

Release Date: The date the content item was released.

Comments: Comments entered when the item was checked in, if any.

Content Format: The format of the native file.

Rev.

Displays the revision number of the content item.

Actions

Displays the Actions menu for an item and the Content Info icon.

Actions icon: Click this icon to open a menu of actions for the selected content item.

Content Info icon: Click this icon to display the Content Information page.

19.3.2 Headline View Template

The Headline template by default lists items in a single line, with a minimum of information. The Headline template uses the sort field, sort order, and result count fields on the User Profile page to arrange the results.

Graphic of native 11g headline view results
Column Description

ID

A unique identifier of the content item, linked to a Web-viewable version of the content item, if it is available. If no Web-viewable version is available, it links to the native file.

Title

Displays the title of the content item without any associated link.

Date

Displays the date the content item was released.

Author

Displays the user name of the person who last checked in the content item.

Actions

Displays the Actions menu for an item and the Content Info icon.

Actions icon: Click this icon to open a menu of actions for the selected content item.

Content Info icon: Click this icon to display the Content Information page of the selected content item.

19.3.3 Thumbnail View Template

The Thumbnail template by default lists items in a grid from left-to-right and top-to-bottom and displays an icon based on the content type, or a thumbnail image of the content if your system administrator has set up Content Server to create one. This template is particularly suited for displaying images and other graphic content. The grid arranges results based on the sort field and order set on the User Profile page.

Graphic of native 11g thumbnail view results
Item Description

Icons

Displays the Actions menu for an item and the Content Info icon.

Actions icon: Click this icon to open a menu of actions for the selected content item.

Content Info icon: Click this icon to display the Content Information page of the selected content item.

Thumbnail Icon or Image

Displays an icon based on the content type or a thumbnail image of the content if your system administrator has set up Content Server to create one, linked to a Web-viewable version of the content item, if it is available. If no Web-viewable version is available, it links to the native file.

Title

Displays the title of the content item without any associated link. To maintain the grid structure, long titles are truncated to a single line. Rolling the mouse over the title expands the text to display the full title.

19.3.4 Creating a Custom Search Result Template

To create a custom search result template:

Note:

If you have Oracle WebCenter Content: Records installed with Department of Defense (DoD) functionality enabled, the Security Classification field must always be displayed in a search result. If you do not include the Security Classification field when you customize a search result template, the Security Classification field is included automatically.

  1. Navigate to the Search Result Templates for User page.
    • From a search results page, choose Customize from the Actions menu.

    • Open the My Content Server tray and click My Search Result Templates.

  2. Click the Add Template icon in the Actions column next to the provided List template on which you want to base your custom template.
  3. If your custom template is not based on the provided Headline View template, skip to the next step. If your custom template is based on the Headline View template, on the Create Custom Template page, select a metadata field to display as a column from the Available Fields box, and click the right arrow. The selected metadata field is added to the Columns field. You must select and move each field separately.

    To reorder the column display, use the up and down arrows next to the Columns field. Click the up arrow to move the selected column to the left in the results template. Click the down arrow to move the selected column to the right in the results template.

  4. Select a metadata field to display in the Description column from the Available Fields box, and click Move Here beneath the Description box. The metadata field is added to the Description box. You must select and move each field separately.

    To reorder the column display, use the up and down arrows next to the Main Information field. Click the up arrow to move the selected item up in the Description column. Click the down arrow to move the selected column down in the Description column.

    Note:

    To display the selected fields, you must also display the Description metadata field as a column.

  5. Click Save.

19.4 Saving Queries

You can save and reuse search queries:

19.4.1 About Saved Queries

To quickly display results for a search that you perform often, you can save the search in the My Saved Queries folder in the My Content Server tray.

After you save a query link, you can modify or delete the link from your Saved Queries page.

You or your system administrator can also build custom searches targeted to search one or more metadata fields you specify, and make them available through the Quick Search field.

19.4.2 Saving a Query

To save a search as a query link on the Saved Queries page:

  1. Specify the search criteria you want to save.
  2. Choose Save Search from the Actions menu on the Search Results page.
  3. In the prompt dialog, enter a title to use as the link name for the saved query.
  4. Click OK.

    The new link is shown under the My Saved Queries tray.

19.4.3 Rerunning a Recent Query

To rerun a recent query:

  1. Open the My Recent Queries folder in the My Content Server tray.
  2. Double-click the link for the query you want to run.

    The output from the query displays on your Search Results page.

19.4.4 Clearing Recent Queries

To clear all recent queries from your My Recent Queries tray:

  1. Open My Recent Queries in the My Content Server tray.
  2. Double-click the Clear link.

    Content Server deletes all links except Clear from the My Recent Queries folder.

19.4.5 Creating Quick Search Queries

You can create targeted searches with either the Query Builder Form or Expanded Form. To customize the query string directly, you must use the Query Builder Form as shown in this procedure.

To build a targeted search available through the Quick Search field:

  1. Click My Quick Searches in the My Content Server tray.
  2. On the Quick Searches page, click Create New beneath the My Quick Searches area.

    To edit an existing Quick Search, choose Edit from the associated Actions menu. You must be an administrator to modify the quick searches defined by administrators.

  3. From the Search form menu on the Create/Edit Targeted Quick Search page, select the form to use to create the search query.

    The form you select when you create the quick search is the form you must use when you edit the quick search (the Search form menu is not available when you edit an existing quick search.)

    The Expanded Form is selected by default. If you want to manually edit the query text, use the Query Builder form.

  4. Specify a Quick Search Key to select the search from the Quick Search list. Use lower case letters or numbers. Searches are listed in ascending order based on this key.

    Duplicate keys within the My Quick Searches table are not allowed. Although it is best to use a single character, you can use multiple character keys to avoid duplicate key names. Only the first character acts as the shortcut. For Example, if you have keys a1, a2, and a3, the first time you press "a", you select the search associated with key a1. The next time you press "a", you select the search associated with key a2, and so on.

  5. Specify the Quick Search Label to display in the Quick Search list.
  6. Enter #s in one or more fields to represent the search terms entered by the user in the Quick Search field. To further restrict the search, you can provide specific values for one or more search fields, but you must include #s in at least one field.

    If you use the Query Builder form, you can manually edit the query when you click show advanced query builder options and then select Modify Query Text.

    For example, if you select the date field, the On or After operator, and specify #s to represent the user input, the resulting query text is:

    dInDate >= `#s`
    

    To create a query that shows check-ins within the last specified period of days, subtract the number of days entered by the user from the current date returned by the dateCurrent function:

    dInDate > `<$dateCurrent(-#s)$>`
    
  7. Specify the number of results to show on each page, or use the default.
  8. Specify how to sort the results, or use the defaults.
  9. Specify the template to use to format the results, or use the default.
  10. Click Save.

    The searches you create are displayed under My Quick Searches in the Quick Search menu.

19.5 Searching with Oracle Text Search

If you have a license to use Oracle Text Search (in Oracle Database 11g) or Oracle Secure Enterprise Search 11g, the Oracle Text Search option enables the use of those technologies as the primary full-text search engine for Oracle WebCenter Content Server.

Oracle Text Search can filter and extract content from different document formats in different languages. It supports a large number of document formats, including Microsoft Office file formats, Adobe PDF, HTML, and XML. It can render search results in various formats, including unformatted text, HTML with term highlighting, and original document format.

If the system administrator configured Oracle Text Search, this option enables you to find a content item or items based on information about the file, actual text in the file, or both. The system administrator can also configure Oracle Secure Enterprise Search (Oracle SES) as the back-end search engine for Oracle Text Search.

If your system administrator has configured the Oracle Text Search option, you can specify full-text and metadata searches and select options to filter the results of a search by categories:

19.5.1 Searching with the Expanded Form

On the Expanded Form, you can specify a metadata search, a full-text search, or both to identify a content item or items to search for. Also, you can specify result options.

Figure 19-1 shows part of the Expanded Form for specifying Oracle Text Search queries.

Figure 19-1 Expanded Form for Oracle Text Search

Graphic of native 11g expanded search form

To specify a search on the Expanded Form:

  1. On the Content Server home page, display the Home Page Search Fields from the Search menu or the Search Tray.
  2. In the Metadata Search area of the Expanded Form, you can enter one or more search criteria for metadata fields:
  3. In the Full-Text Search area, you can enter text to search for in a content item or items, to refine your search.

    Note:

    When using Oracle Text Search with your Content Server instance, you cannot enter free-form metadata queries into the Full-Text Search field on the Expanded Form. Instead, you must use the advanced options on the Query Builder Form. For more information, see Searching with the Query Builder Form.

  4. In the Results Options area, you can change the Results Options for displaying the results.
  5. To save the search query under My Saved Queries, click Save.
  6. To run the search query, click Search.

The content item or items that match your search criteria are displayed on the Search Results page.

19.5.2 Filtering Search Results

The Search Results page displays a menu bar with metadata categories you can use to filter the search results. Each category lists values that are valid for the particular search results. The system administrator can add or remove categories. The default set of categories include Content Type, Security Group, and Account.

Figure 19-2 Search Results with Oracle Text Search Default Menu

Graphic is described in surrounding text

An arrow next to the category name indicates that the search results include multiple values for that category. When you move your cursor over the option name, a menu displays the list of the values found in the search results for that category and the number of content items for each value. Click a value to filter the Search Results page to list only the items that have the selected value in the selected category.

Figure 19-3 shows a list of categories under Security Group and the number of items found in each category.

Figure 19-3 Search Results with Expanded Oracle Text Search Menu

Graphic is described in surrounding text

19.5.3 Searching with the Query Builder Form

On the Query Builder form, you can select search criteria from menus as required. You can build and save complex queries by selecting options from a series of lists. You can also manually edit the query text.

Note:

When using Oracle Text Search with your Content Server instance, you cannot enter free-form metadata queries into the Full-Text Search field on the Expanded Form. Instead, you must use the advanced options on the Query Builder Form. For more information, see Searching with the Query Builder Form.

Figure 19-4 shows the Query Builder Form for specifying Oracle Text Search queries.

Figure 19-4 Query Builder Form for Oracle Text Search

Graphic is described in surrounding text

To specify a search on the Query Builder Form:

  1. On the Content Server home page, display the Home Page Search Fields from the Search menu or the Search Tray.
  2. On the Search Forms menu, choose Query Builder Form.
  3. To edit the query, click show advanced query builder options, and then choose Modify Query Text.

    For example, if you select the date field, the On or After operator, and specify a date, the resulting query text is similar to the following:

    dInDate >= `9/22/11 12:00 AM`
    

    To create a search that shows check-ins within the last specified period of days, subtract the number of days (7 in the example below) from the current date returned by the dateCurrent function:

    dInDate > `<$dateCurrent(-7)$>`
    
  4. In the Results Options area, you can change the Results Options for displaying the results.
  5. To save the search query under My Saved Queries, click Save.
  6. To run the search query, click Search.

19.5.4 Metadata Search Operators for Oracle Text Search

On the Advanced Search Page, you can use search operators to refine the search criteria. These operators are listed as options in lists to the left of each field.

The following table describes the search terms used and provides examples for use.

Operator Description Example

CONTAINS

Finds content items with the specified whole word or phrase in the metadata field.

This operator is available only for Oracle Text Search, or for Oracle Database and Microsoft SQL Server database with the optional DBSearchContainsOpSupport component enabled. For more information, see your system administrator.

If you enter form in the Title field, the search returns items with the whole word form in their title, but does not return items with the word performance, reform, or format.

MATCHES

Finds items with the exact specified value in the metadata field.

When you enter address change form in the Title field, the search returns items with the exact title of address change form.

A query that uses the MATCHES operator on a nonoptimized field behaves the same as a query that uses the CONTAINS operator.

For example, if the xDepartment field is not optimized, then the query xDepartment MATCHES 'Marketing' behaves like xDepartment CONTAINS 'Marketing', returning documents that have an xDepartment value of 'Marketing Services' or 'Product Marketing'.

HAS WORD PREFIX

Finds all content items with the specified prefix at the beginning of at least one word in the metadata field.

If you enter form in the Title field, the search finds all content items whose title includes the words form and format, but does not find the words performance or reform.

19.6 Searching with Database Metadata Search

Database metadata search enables you to find a content item or items based on information about the file. The metadata search functionality is installed by default and is available even if other search engines are configured.

19.6.1 About Metadata Searching

Metadata searching is similar to finding a book in a library by searching for its author, title, or subject. When you search by metadata, you specify as much information as you know about a file or a group of files. For example, to find all files written by your supervisor for your department that were released on or after 1/1/2002, specify the following on the search page:

  • Author: supervisor's user name

  • Department: department name

  • Release Date From: 1/1/2002

    Note:

    When you search for metadata, case sensitivity varies depending on how your system administrator has configured Content Server. For your specific configuration, see your system administrator.

    When you use full-text searching, a search is case sensitive for metadata and case insensitive for full text. For Content ID, however, lowercase letters are converted to uppercase letters, so you cannot search Content ID with lowercase letters.

19.6.2 Performing a Metadata Search

To search for files using metadata as the search criteria:

  1. Display the Home Page Search Fields or the Search Tray.
  2. Enter your search criteria in the Expanded Form.
  3. Select the Results Options for displaying the results.
  4. Click Search.

The files that match your search criteria are displayed on the Search Results page.

19.7 Searching with Database Full-Text Search

Database full-text search enables you to find a content item or items based on the actual text in the file. The database full-text search is available if the system administrator configured it.

19.7.1 Performing a Full-Text Search

To perform a full-text search:

  1. Display the Quick Search Field, Home Page Search Fields, Search Tray, or Advanced Search Page.
  2. Enter your search terms in the full-text search field.
  3. Select the Results Options for displaying the results.
  4. Click Search.

The files that match your search criteria are displayed on the Search Results page or in the Results tab in the Search Tray.

19.8 Searching for Expired or Expiring Content

By default, if you have write permission to any security group, you can access the Expired Content page and perform a search for expired content. The search results include only the content for which you have at least read permission.

To search for content that has expired or is set to expire:

  1. Log in to Content Server.
  2. Click Content Manager in the left navigation bar and click Expired Content.
  3. To search for content within a particular date and time range, on the Expired Content page, specify dates and times in the Before and After fields or select a value from the associated list that is a day, a week, or a month before or after the current date and time.

    By default, if you leave the Before and After fields blank, the search effectively returns all content set to expire after the current date and time.

  4. To restrict the search results to expired content only, select Expired Content.

    If you select Expired Content and leave the Before and After fields blank, the search effectively returns all content that expired before the current date and time.

  5. The Expired Content page displays the date range applied and the expired or expiring content items that match the specified criteria.

19.9 Using Additional Search Capabilities

This section covers the following topics:

19.9.1 Metadata Wildcards

A wildcard substitutes for unknown or nonspecific characters in the search term. You can use wildcards in metadata searches, even when using the Quick Search field.

Available wildcard characters and behavior are dependent on the search engine being used and how Content Server is configured. Check with your system administrator for guidance on what wildcards are available and how they behave. Asterisks (*) and question marks (?) are often used as wildcard characters, but not always. When available as wildcard characters, asterisks and question marks typically behave as follows when entered into metadata search fields:

  • An asterisk (*) indicates zero or more alphanumeric characters. For example:

    • form* matches form and formula

    • *orm matches form and reform

    • *form* matches form, formula, reform, and performance

  • A question mark (?) indicates one alphanumeric character. For example:

    • form? matches forms and form1, but not form or formal

    • ??form matches reform but not perform

Note:

Because asterisks and question marks are often used as wildcards, it is not recommended that they be used in metadata fields such as title or Content ID when checking in a document.

19.9.2 Internet-Style Search Syntax

Search techniques common to the popular Internet search engines are supported in Content Server. For example, new product entered in the Quick Search field searches for new <AND> product, while new, product searches for new <OR> product. The following table lists how Content Server interprets common characters.

Character Interpreted As

Space ( )

AND

Comma (,)

OR

Minus (-)

NOT

Phrases enclosed in double-quotes ("any phrase")

Exact match of entered phrase

The following table lists examples of how Content Server interprets Internet-style syntax in a full-text search.

Query Interpreted As

new product

new <AND> product

(new, product) images

(new <OR> product) <AND> images

new product -images

(new <AND> product) <AND> <NOT> images

"new product", "new images"

"new product" <OR> "new images"

The following table lists examples of how Content Server interprets Internet-style syntax when searching title metadata using the substring operator.

Query Interpreted As

new product

dDocTitle <substring> 'new' <AND> dDocTitle <substring> 'product'

new, product

dDocTitle <substring> 'new' <OR> dDocTitle <substring> 'product'

new -product

dDocTitle <substring> 'new' <AND> <NOT> 'product'

"new product"

dDocTitle <substring> 'new product'

Note:

Internet-style search syntax is enabled by default, but your system administrator can disable it. Check with your system administrator if you have questions.

19.9.3 Complex Queries and Alternate Query Formats

Content Server allows for the use of parentheses for complex query construction and field:value and site:value formats when creating a query. By using these alternatives, you can more easily search the metadata field you want across multiple servers, if necessary, and refine your results. For example, to search only the title metadata for new product without having to go to the Advanced Search page, enter dDocTitle:"new product" into the Quick Search field. The search looks only in the field you specified before the colon. You must know the Content Server identifier for the metadata field you want to search.

Note:

When using Oracle Text Search with your Content Server instance, you cannot enter complex search queries into the Full-Text Search field on the Expanded Form of the Advanced Search page. Instead, you must use the advanced options on the Query Builder Form.

The following table lists some examples of complex and alternate query formats.

Query Interpreted As

dDocTitle:New

dDocTitle <contains> `New`

dDocTitle:New product

(dDocTitle <contains> `New`) <AND> <ftx>`product`</ftx>

dDocTitle:New dDocTitle:product

dDocTitle <contains> `New` <AND> dDocTitle <contains> `product`

dDocTitle:New,dDocTitle:product

dDocTitle <contains> `New` <AND> dDocTitle <contains> `product`

dDocTitle:New dDocType:Presentations

dDocTitle <contains> `New` <AND> dDocType <contains> `Presentations`

dDocTitle:New,dDocType:"Test Plan"

dDocTitle <contains> `New` <OR> dDocType <contains> `Test Plan`

19.10 Searching Referenced Links (optional)

If your administrator installed the optional Link Manager component, it evaluates, filters, and parses the URL links of indexed documents and then extracts the links for storage in a database table, making them available for searching. After the Link Manager component populates the table with the extracted URL links, it references this table to generate link search results, lists of link references for the Content Information page, and the resource information for the Link Info page. The Link Manager component shows these items:

  • Lists of links using specific search criteria

  • Detailed information about a specific link

  • The links to other documents for a specific content item, and any documents that reference this item

The search results, link references lists, and Link Info pages are useful to determine what documents are affected by content additions, changes, or revision deletions. For example, before deleting a content item, you can verify that any URL references contained in it are insignificant. Another use might be to monitor how content items are used.

Note:

Because the Link Manager component extracts the URL links during the Content Server indexing cycle, only the URL links of released documents are extracted. For content items with multiple revisions, only the most current released revision is available for searching.

This section covers the following topics:

19.10.1 About Searching Links

Use the Search Links page to search for links, using criteria stored in the repository database. Use this page to validate links, to determine where a resource is used, to determine if deleting a content item affects other documents, and so on.

The Link Search Results page displays items matching your search criteria. Invalid or broken links are listed in bold font. Each item has an Link Item Actions Menu and an Info icon which displays a Link Info page.

19.10.2 Link References on the Content Information Page

Use the References options to see whether the content item references or is referenced by other content items. References provides two options:

  • Show: By default, the links are hidden when the Content Information page opens. Click Show to display all applicable links. If this content item contains one or more references to other documents, then these links are listed in the Links contained in this content item section. If other documents reference this content item, then those references are listed in the Links to this content item section.

    Links that are invalid or broken are listed using bold font. Click the Info link in the Actions column to display the Link Info page for that particular link.

  • Hide: Click Hide to hide the link information.

To access the available link information for content items, click any Content Information icon, which displays the Content Information page and the References options. Or, you can choose either Content Information or Target Content Info from the Link Item Actions Menu, which also displays the Content Information page and the References options.

Note:

You cannot delete a content item revision if other content items reference it unless the system administrator has set the AllowForceDelete configuration variable to true. When you delete a content item revision, the message indicates if another content item references the content item and asks if you are sure you want to delete it. In this case, deleting a content item that is referenced by another content item breaks those links and makes them invalid.

19.10.3 Notification of Expiration

With Link Manager installed, the Notification of Expiration page includes additional information for each content item that is expiring soon. The e-mail notification specifies if the expiring content item is referenced by another content item:

  • Is Referenced: Yes

  • Is Referenced: No

The e-mail does not provide a list of the content items that reference the soon-to-expire document. This information is available in the References section on the Content Information page. For more information, see Checking Content Item Link References.

If the Content Server configuration variable (EnableExpirationNotifier) has been enabled, an e-mail notification is sent to each author when content expires. For more information about setting this configuration variable, see EnableExpirationNotifier in the Configuration Reference for Oracle WebCenter Content.

Note:

When a content item expires, it still exists in the Content Server. Expiration only removes the item from the index. Therefore, all links associated with an expired content item are functional if they involve a valid document.

Figure 19-5 Notification of Expiration E-mail for Author

Graphic is described in surrounding text

19.10.4 Performing a Link Search

To search for links in content items:

  1. Click the Managed Links Search link in the Content Management tray.
  2. On the Search Links page, enter the applicable values in the field(s).
  3. Click Search. The Link Manager component generates and displays the search results, as shown in the Link Search Results page.

19.10.5 Checking Content Item Link References

Use the Content Information page to display, check, and verify all the link references associated with a specific content item. You can access the Content Information page for a content item from either of two pages, as described in these topics:

19.10.5.1 Checking Link References from the Search Results Page

  1. Search for the specific content item using the Content Server Search page.
  2. Select a content item from the Search Results page, and click the corresponding Content Info icon in the Actions column.
  3. On the Content Information page, click References Show.

    References Show is displayed only if the content item contains links or has links that reference it.

    All applicable links are displayed. The Links contained in this content item section lists all the links included in this content item that reference other documents. The Links to this content item section lists all the links in other documents that reference this content item.

19.10.5.2 Checking Link References from the Link Manager's Search Links page

  1. Open the Search Links page and search for links. For more information, see Performing a Link Search.
  2. Select a link from the Search Results section.
  3. Click the Content Info icon in the Actions column.
  4. On the Content Information page, click References Show.

    References Show is displayed only if the content item contains links or has links that reference it.

    All applicable links are displayed. The Links contained in this content item section lists all the links included in this content item that reference other documents. The Links to this content item section lists all the links in other documents that reference this content item.

    Note:

    To display the Link Info page for any link listed in the References sections (either Links contained in this content item or Links to this content item), click the corresponding Info link in the Actions column.

19.10.6 Checking the Link Information About Specific Links

Use the Link Info page to view additional information about a specific link. You can access the Link Info page for any link from either of two pages, as described in these topics:

19.10.6.1 Checking Link Information from the Content Information Page

  1. Open the Content Information page for a specific content item and display the applicable links. For more information, see Checking Content Item Link References.
  2. Select a link from a list in the References sections (either Links contained in this content item or Links to this content item).
  3. Click the corresponding Content Info link in the Actions column.

19.10.6.2 Checking Link Information from the Search Links Page

  1. Open the Search Links page and search for links. For more information, see Performing a Link Search.
  2. Select a link from the Search Results section.
  3. Click the Actions icon in the Actions column.
  4. From the Link Item Actions Menu, choose Link Info.

19.11 Content Data Tracking

Content Tracker is an optional component that provides information about system usage:

19.11.1 About Content Tracker

Content Tracker monitors your system and records information about various activities. Content Tracker collects this information from various sources, then merges and writes the information to a set of tables in your Content Server database. You can customize Content Tracker to change or expand the types of information it collects. Content Tracker monitors activity based on:

  • Content item accesses:

    Content Tracker gathers information about content item usage from Web filter log files, the Content Server database, and other external applications such as portals and websites. Content item access data includes dates, times, content IDs, current metadata, user names, and profile information about users.

  • Content Server services:

    Content Tracker tracks all services that return content and services that handle search requests. And, with a simple configuration change, Content Tracker can monitor literally any Content Server service, even custom services.