Declarative metadata structure (IRPCDeclarativeMetadataStructure)

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Reads and validates the whole metadata structure of a vault as one declarative JSON document. Preview feature, off by default.

Overview

Not available by default. The declarative metadata structure is a preview feature. On a server where it is not enabled, every method fails with "Not implemented." (gRPC status UNKNOWN, error code 0x80004001) before any rights check. SetDeclarativeMetadataStructureBeginSession, SetDeclarativeMetadataStructureEndSession and NewDeclarativeMetadataStructureRevisionAvailable are not implemented even when the feature is on.

The declarative format. A declarative metadata structure document is a JSON text that describes the vault's object types, value lists, classes, class groups, property definitions, workflows and named access control lists, with the users, user groups and value list items they refer to. Elements refer to each other by name, not by vault-specific ID, so the document can be read, compared and edited by people and tools. Property names are camelCase and enumerations are strings. The document also carries schemaVersion, writerInfo, and the structure's revision (positive: a revision from the declarative configuration service; negative: a revision made locally on this server, with revisionBase naming the revision it is based on). GenerateDeclarativeMetadataStructureSchema returns the JSON Schema of the format.

How the two services relate. IRPCDeclarativeMetadataStructureAsProtobuf exchanges the same structure as a typed DeclarativeMetadataStructure message that uses the vault's IDs. This service exchanges the declarative JSON document as a string. The server converts between the two with the declarative configuration converter that is installed with M-Files Server: GetDeclarativeMetadataStructure builds the typed structure and converts it to JSON; SetDeclarativeMetadataStructure validates or converts JSON in the other direction.

• Session and rights. Every method requires a vault session and the vault right change_metadata_structure, reads included.
• Who calls it. Declarative configuration tooling for M-Files. Applications should read the structure with the Vault API (IRPCObjectTypes, IRPCPropertyDefs) and should not call this service.
• Revision generation. When this feature is on, every local structure change makes the server generate a new revision of the declarative structure. PauseDeclarativeMetadataStructureRevisionGeneration lets one session make a batch of changes with one catch-up revision at the end.
• Every method sends the mfiles-metadata-version-bin trailer when it succeeds.

Methods