Connector Developer's Guide: About This Guide

Google Search Appliance software versions 5.04, 5.2, and 6.0
Connector manager version 2.0
Posted June 2009

This guide helps you write a Java application that enables a Google Search Appliance to index the documents in a content management system. Use this guide with the Javadoc reference, which describes the Java interfaces for coding a connector.

This guide provides the Getting Started tutorial after the concepts in the Introduction. This approach lets you create a connector using an integrated development environment (IDE) and then test the connector with a Google Search Appliance. The rest of the guide helps you to build on your knowledge.

For connector terminology definitions, see the Google Enterprise Glossary.

Contents

1. Audience
2. Guide Overview
3. User Conventions
4. More Information
   1. Connector Manager Information
   2. Sample Connector Code
   3. Connector Open Source Sites
   4. Connector Help
   5. Tool Information
5. Open Source Contributions

Audience

This guide is for Java programmers who are developing connectors for a content management system.

This guide assumes knowledge of:

• A content management system and its API.
• Java programming using JDK 1.5 or later.
• The Spring Framework and Inversion of Control (IoC).
• The Admin Console for the Google Search Appliance.

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Guide Overview

This guide contains the following sections:

• Introduction

  Conveying how a connector works with development concepts.

• Getting Started

  Creating a simple connector using Java and the Eclipse integrated development environment (IDE).

• SPI Overview

  Describing the calling sequence of the service provider interface (SPI).

• Traversing Documents

  Starting and resuming document acquisition.

• Authentication

  Authenticating users to view controlled-access documents.

• Authorization

  Authorizing users to view controlled-access documents.

• Configuration

  Creating a configuration form for the Admin Console, XML parameter files, and understanding the connector.properties file.

• Appendix A: Building a Debug Connector Manager

  Building a debug connector manager and Javadoc, and testing the debug connectors.

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User Conventions

The audience user conventions in this document are as follows.

• Administrator

  Configures a search appliance using the Admin Console.

• User

  Initiates a search request.

• You (the developer)

  Programs or maintains the code for a connector and its associated software.

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More Information

The following topics are in this section:

• Connector Manager Information
• Sample Connector Code
• Connector Open Source Sites
• Connector Help
• Tool Information

Connector Manager Information

Connector manager resources:

• google-enterprise-connector-manager open source site.
  
  
• Supported platforms

  See the Supported Platforms section in the Administering Connectors guide.

• Source code

  Download the source code or browse the source code online.

• Enterprise Connector Framework project wiki

  Get the latest information from project members.

• Javadoc SPI Reference

  Descriptions of the service provider interfaces and methods that the connector framework provides. You can build the latest version of the Javadoc as described in Building Javadoc.

Sample Connector Code

Code samples referenced in this document:

• Connector - A simplified connector with classes and methods - HelloWorldConnector.java.txt
• ConnectorType - The configuration form for the Admin Console - HelloWorldConnectorType.java.txt
• connectorType.xml - Parameter file for the ConnectorType - connectorType.xml.txt
• connectorInstance.xml - Parameter file creating a connector instance - connectorInstance.xml.txt

Connector Open Source Sites

Connector documentation is available at http://code.google.com/apis/searchappliance/documentation/connectors/index.html

Connector open source sites:

• Documentum: http://code.google.com/p/google-enterprise-connector-dctm/
  
• Filenet: http://code.google.com/p/google-enterprise-connector-file/
  
• Open Text Livelink: http://code.google.com/p/google-enterprise-connector-otex/
  
• SharePoint: http://code.google.com/p/google-enterprise-connector-sharepoint/

Connector Help

To ask questions interactively:

• Enterprise developer community

  Forums, documentation, downloads, and other resources of interest to developers of applications based on search appliances.

• Google Search Appliance/Google Mini Group

  Google Groups for search appliance developers and administrators.

Tool Information

Additional information on tools:

• Subversion. http://subversion.tigris.org

  An open source version control system. For help with Subversion, see Version Control with Subversion, a free book by Ben Collins-Sussman, Brian W. Fitzpatrick, and C. Michael Pilato.

• Eclipse. http://eclipse.org

  An open source integrated development environment (IDE). Eclipse.org provides downloads, a discussion site, and resources.

• Spring. See Understanding Spring Framework's Relation to a Connector. Google supports the use of Spring Framework 2.5.6. Spring downloads are available at http://www.springsource.org/download.
  
  
• Apache Tomcat. Apache Tomcat is available from http://tomcat.apache.org/. Google supports the use of Apache Tomcat 6.0.18. Apache archives are available at http://archive.apache.org/dist/tomcat/tomcat-6/.

  Apache Tomcat provides a servlet container that provides network access to the connector manager and a connector. In this document, "Tomcat" describes any servlet container software. Google Enterprise supports the use of Apache Tomcat for connector manager implementation. However, you can use any servlet container software as required by your project requirements.

Open Source Contributions

Google facilitates your development effort by providing an open source connector manager. We encourage you to make your connector open source and help build a community of developers who create connectors.

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