Plug-in Development kit - extend eRez functionality

What is an eRez plug-in?

An eRez plug-in extends the eRez Imaging Server functionality by running custom Java code within the eRez Imaging Server. The Plug-in Development kit can be used for developing java based plug-ins.

The Kit includes java interfaces for:
• Managing and handling new file formats, i.e. Quick Time movies
• Event handling such as when files and folders have been added, modified or deleted. Also includes interfaces for setting event handler priority in eRez.
• Interface for user authorization.

About Java - Write Once, Run Anywhere - for real
Java is a platform that allows software designed for an idealized "virtual machine" to run on a variety of real computers, including Windows PCs, Mac's, and Unix computers. The eRez application is developed using Java technology and open standards and is therefore immediately compatible with all platforms that support Java - which is to say all platforms.

For our clients, this means that our development time and costs are reduced enormously and that we are able to support minority platforms just as well as the more common ones.

Who can use the plug-in development kit

The eRez Imaging Server is fully developed in the Java 5 programming language, the same goes for the plug-in development kit. Developing plug-ins requires Java programming skills.

What can you build using the Plug-in development kit?

Plug-in development kit can be used to develop solutions for
1. New file formats
2. Event handling
3. Synchronization with other systems
4. Automated workflow
5. User management

New file formats

eRez supports a range of file formats, but your organization may require eRez to hold, support and view a specific one, which is not supported by eRez. The development kit enables a developer to create plug-ins which supports
new file formats. The development kit includes interfaces for reading and writing image files, as well as adding, extracting and editing meta data such as IPTC information in image files.

Event handling

Event handling is needed, if you want the eRez server to perform a specific
task when some specific event occurs.

This means that eRez can monitor folders and files and can respond to
"change events" when new files are placed on the server, are modified or
deleted. Event handlers may accordingly be used to send response i.e. notifying, querying or updating an external database when changes have been detected by eRez.

Synchronization with external databases, ERP systems, DAM, CRM…

Your organization may need to synchronize information between a database, an ERP system or some other system with information from eRez.

Synchronization examples:

• Developing a plug-in that enable eRez to inform your system that a new image has been uploaded and tell it to send an email to someone.

• If an image is deleted in eRez, it could inform your external system to delete information related to the image.

• You could keep track on how many megabyte or how many images a customer has, i.e. to trigger an event in some other system.

• You could initiate a process when a new image is inserted. If you have a mirrored server setup, a copy of the image will be FTP'ed to a mirrored server.

Automated workflow

In an automated workflow setup, you may require eRez to automatically perform some task immediately after a specific event has occurred.

Examples include:

• eRez includes a JPEG image auto converter. Each time a JPEG image is detected it is converted to TIFF format, the TIFF is moved, and the original JPEG image is deleted. The JPEG image auto converter is developed using the plug-in development kit.

• eRez currently use a plug-in utilizing GhostScript to convert a PDF file to TIFF images. Other external applications can likewise be enabled for specific tasks using the plug-in development kit.

• Creating a variant of the image in some specific format and upload it to an external application or place it in a different folder.

	External user management
	The plug-in development kit can be used to develop support for external user management. User management is useful with large numbers of individual users such as in a school environment where all students and teachers need individual access to eRez. Other examples include: • LDAP plug-ins can be developed to query a central authentication and authorization service – i.e. Microsoft Active Directory – for confirmation of user identity. The Active Directory may also contain information about user roles and policies, information which can be queried and passed back to eRez by the plug-in. • A plug-in for enabling eRez to query a Lotus Domino server for confirmation of user identity. • A plug-in which enables eRez to query a SQL database about confirmation of user identity. • A plug-in which enables the eRez server to query an operation system - i.e. Microsoft Windows – confirming user identity.

What you get when you purchase the plug-in development kit

The eRez Plug-in Development Kit is available to you for an annual fee*.

When you purchase the eRez plug-in development kit, you will receive:
• A unique developer ID key required for running a plug-in on an eRez server.
• A zip-file with the java plug-in program code and documentation.
• E-mail support from YaWah.com for one year.

*Plug-ins developed within the annual fee period will naturally never expire.