Rest Api: Creating node with "overwrite" option doesn't update properties...

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Maxx

Hi,

I'm doing some tests with Rest Api in Python.
Following the rest Api Explorer (https://api-explorer.alfresco.com/api-explorer/#!/nodes/createNode) and this link: https://docs.alfresco.com/6.2/concepts/dev-api-by-language-alf-rest-upload-file.html

I found the way to create node, uploading file with correct properties (working also with custom type and custom properties) using multipart/form-data in python with the "requests" library.

Here's a small example:

import os
import requests
from requests.auth import HTTPBasicAuth

USER = "username"
PASSWD = "password"


def upload_file():
    thisfolder = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
    docfile = os.path.join(thisfolder, 'picture.jpg')
    node_id = "4efc2abb-e12c-4995-b2e4-f2ff5ee022ae"  # SAS uuid
    opUrl = 'nodes/%s/children' % node_id
    with open(docfile, 'rb') as file:
        files = {'filedata': file}
        createURL = 'http://127.0.0.1:8080/alfresco/api/-default-/public/alfresco/versions/1/%s' % opUrl
        data = {
            "name": "picture.jpg",
            "nodeType": "cm:content",
            "overwrite": "true",
            "cm:title": "My Picture",
            "cm:description": "This is my picture",
        }
        response = requests.post(createURL, data=data, files=files, auth=HTTPBasicAuth(USER, PASSWD) )
        print(response)
        print(response.json)
        print(response.text)
        print(response.headers)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    upload_file()

My question concerns the "overwrite" option, it's incrementing the version when doing upload with the same "name", so i can change my file and version number is updated.

But "properties" (cm:title, cm:description,...) are never updated... so the overwrite option seems not concerning the "properties" but only the data... Very annoying when using custom properties or if i just want to update title or description. Is this a bug ? Am i missing an option ?
Thanks for help!

janv

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion. Yes, unfortunately, that does seem to be the case at the moment. See for example:

https://github.com/Alfresco/alfresco-remote-api/blob/master/src/main/java/org/alfresco/rest/api/impl/NodesImpl.java#L3014 (and surrounding code).

If I'm undertanding you correctly you would like to use multi-part/form data to not only create a new file node (with content & properties) but also update the same file in a similar way. I think your suggestion would be to use POST with "overwrite" flag.

Alternatively, it could be done with PUT  in the same way if we implemented and extended https://issues.alfresco.com/jira/browse/REPO-146  idea to enable update of content & properties as a single request. The difference would be using "PUT" (with known node id) instead of "POST with overwrite" (with known node name).

I suggest you raise a new enhancement request in JIRA or update REPO-146 with more info if that might help. You could also provide a contribution with tests (and updates to the REST API Explorer).

In the meantime, can you make two calls ?

Thanks,

Jan