Vault Extension Methods

Overview

If you need to develop new scripts or edit existing, we recommend that you replace VBScript with Vault Application Framework (VAF) development for future compatibility. For more information see the Vault Application Framework section.

From M-Files 11.1.4310.124, Vault Extension Methods can also be executed through the M-Files Web Service.

A Note on Security

Vault Extension Methods - regardless of how they are written or called - can be executed by any user. Additionally, the Vault Extension Method will be executed with administrative permissions, as other processes such as event handlers are. It is up to the developer implementing the Vault Extension Method to ensure that permissions are validated prior to any operation being executed against the vault.

How to define a Vault Extension Method

VBScript

Vault Extension Methods take a single string “Input” and produce a single string “Output”. Vault Extension Methods are created in the same way as Event Handlers. To register a new one, open the M-Files Admin software, expand your server connection, right-click on the vault name and select Event Handlers:

Select Add Event Handler... and choose VaultExtensionMethod from the event dropdown:

A simple extension method may contain code such as :

Option Explicit

' Parrot back the input.
Output = "Input was: " & Input

Passing more complex data objects into and out of Vault Extension Methods is possibly by serializing and deserializing the objects.

Vault Application Framework

An example on defining Vault Extension Methods through the Vault Application Framework can be found here. The Vault Extension Method will automatically register the VBScript proxy at installation.

Calling a Vault Extension Method using the COM and REST APIs

Using the COM API from C#

string output = vault.ExtensionMethodOperations.ExecuteVaultExtensionMethod("MethodName", "InputString");

Using the COM API from VBScript

Dim strOutput
strOutput = Vault.ExtensionMethodOperations.ExecuteVaultExtensionMethod("MethodName", "InputString")

Using the COM API from the User Interface Extensibility Framework

var output = vault.ExtensionMethodOperations.ExecuteVaultExtensionMethod("MethodName", "InputString");

Using the REST API from another language (e.g. JavaScript)

$.ajax({ // Using jQuery for simplicity
	method: "POST",
	url: host + "/vault/extensionmethod/MethodName",
	data: "InputString",
	contentType: "text/plain",
	datatype: "text"
}).done(function(output){
	console.log(output);
});