Mastering AEM Assets UI Search: Configuring DITA Content Search and UUID Integration

Introduction

Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) serves as a powerful platform for managing and delivering digital assets across various channels. However, AEM’s default configuration lacks the ability to search DITA content within its repository, which can pose a challenge for organizations relying on DITA for their documentation and content management. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to enhance the search functionality in AEM Assets UI to include DITA content and UUID-based searches, empowering your team to find and manage content more efficiently.

Problem Statement or Background

By default, AEM doesn’t recognize DITA content, nor does it offer a mechanism to search for it within its repository. This limitation can significantly affect users who rely on DITA for structured content creation and management. Additionally, searching content based on their UUIDs is not supported out of the box, which can make it difficult to locate specific pieces of content, especially in large repositories. To address these challenges, AEM Guides provides the necessary tools and configurations to implement DITA content search and UUID-based search in AEM.

Key Concepts or Terminology

• AEM Assets UI: The user interface in Adobe Experience Manager where digital assets are managed, including the ability to search, organize, and edit these assets.
• DITA (Darwin Information Typing Architecture): An XML-based open standard for structuring and managing technical content, widely used in documentation.
• UUID (Universally Unique Identifier): A unique identifier assigned to content within AEM, which can be used to search and manage specific assets.

Detailed Explanation

Enhancing AEM to search DITA content involves several configurations. First, the search capability for DITA elements must be added to the AEM Assets UI, allowing users to filter search results based on specific DITA elements. Additionally, UUID-based search can be implemented to allow users to locate assets using their unique identifiers. These configurations not only make the search process more efficient but also enable users to filter search results more precisely, leading to better content management.

In addition to enabling these search features, it’s important to provide users with the necessary permissions to access and use the search functionalities. Furthermore, custom elements or attributes can be added to the search configuration to cater to specific organizational needs. Finally, you can exclude certain folders from search results to streamline the search process and avoid cluttering the results with irrelevant files.

Step by Step Guide

Add DITA Element Search Component in AEM Assets UI

To add the capability to search DITA content within AEM, follow these steps:

1. Login to AEM: Begin by logging into Adobe Experience Manager as an administrator.
2. Access Tools: Click on the Adobe Experience Manager link at the top and navigate to the Tools section.
3. Select General Tools: From the list of tools, choose General, and then click on the Search Forms tile.
4. Edit Search Form: In the Search Forms list, select the Assets Admin Search Rail and click Edit.
5. Add DITA Element Predicate: In the Select Predicate tab, scroll to the end of the list and drag-and-drop the DITA Element Predicate into the desired location in the search form.
6. Save Changes: Click Done to save your changes. The DITA Element search filtering option will now be available in the Assets UI.

Add UUID-Based Search Component in AEM Assets UI

To enable UUID-based search in AEM:

1. Login to AEM: Log in as an administrator.
2. Access Tools: Navigate to Tools from the Adobe Experience Manager link at the top.
3. Select General Tools: Click on the Search Forms tile under the General tools section.
4. Edit Search Form: Choose the Assets Admin Search Rail from the list and click Edit.
5. Add Property Predicate: In the Select Predicate tab, drag-and-drop the Property Predicate into the search form.
6. Configure Property Predicate: In the Settings tab, set the Field Label to UUID and the Property Name to jcr:content/fmUuid.
7. Save Changes: Click Done to save your changes. The UUID-based search filtering option will now be available in the Assets UI.

Provide Permissions to Users

Ensure that your users have the necessary permissions to access the DITA content search feature:

1. Access User Permissions: Open the user and group permissions page by navigating to http://<server name>:<port>/useradmin.html.
2. Search for User or Group: Search for the user group or individual user you want to grant permissions to. For example, to give access to all users in the authors group, search for ‘authors’.
3. Select Group or User: Select the authors group or the specific user.
4. Set Permissions: In the Permissions tab, navigate to /conf/global/settings/dam/search and give the Read permission on the search folder.
5. Save Permissions: Click Save to apply the permissions. The selected users will now have access to the DITA content search feature in the Assets UI.

Add Custom Elements or Attributes in Search

To tailor the DITA search to your specific needs, you may need to configure the search to include custom elements or attributes:

1. Access CRXDE Lite: Log into AEM and open the CRXDE Lite mode.
2. Locate Serialization Configuration: Navigate to /libs/fmdita/config/serializationconfig.xml.
3. Create Overlay Node: Create an overlay node of the config folder within the apps node.
4. Edit Configuration File: Go to the configuration file located at /apps/fmdita/config/serializationconfig.xml.
5. Add Custom Rules: Add the necessary element or attribute rule sets to the file.
6. Save Changes: Save the configuration file.
7. Activate Configuration: Open the AEM Web Console Configuration page at http://<server name>:<port>/system/console/configMgr, search for the com.adobe.fmdita.config.ConfigManager bundle, and click Save to activate the new serialization settings.

Extract Metadata from Existing Content

After updating the search configuration, extract metadata from existing DITA files to make them searchable:

1. Enable Metadata Extraction: In the AEM Web Console Configuration page, enable the DITA Metadata Extraction option in the com.adobe.fmdita.config.ConfigManager bundle.
2. Run Metadata Extraction Workflow:
   • Log in as an administrator and navigate to the DITA Metadata Extraction tool under Guides.
   • Select either a single file or multiple folders for metadata extraction.
   • Click Start and confirm the extraction process.

Exclude Temporary Files from Search Results

To prevent temporary or irrelevant files from appearing in search results:

1. Access CRXDE Lite: Log into AEM and open the CRXDE Lite mode.
2. Locate damAssetLucene Node: Navigate to /oak:index/damAssetLucene.
3. Add Exclusion Property: Add the excludedPaths property with the value /content/dam/projects/translation_output.
4. Locate lucene Node: Navigate to /oak:index/lucene.
5. Add Exclusion Property: Add the excludedPaths property with the values /var/dxml and /content/dam/projects/translation_output.

Best Practices or Tips

• Regularly Update Search Configurations: Keep your search configurations up to date with any changes in your DITA content structure to ensure efficient search performance.
• User Training: Ensure that your users are trained on how to use the new search features effectively, especially when custom elements or attributes are involved.
• Backup Configuration Files: Always back up your configuration files before making any changes to avoid losing critical settings.

Case Studies or Examples

Consider a scenario where an organization manages a large repository of DITA content. Initially, the team struggled to find specific DITA topics or assets, resulting in inefficiencies and wasted time. After implementing the DITA content search and UUID-based search in AEM, the team noticed a significant improvement in their ability to locate and manage content quickly. This change not only enhanced productivity but also improved the overall content management process.

Troubleshooting and FAQ

Q: Why can’t I see the DITA search filter in the Assets UI? A: Ensure that the DITA Element Predicate has been correctly added to the Assets Admin Search Rail and that you have saved your changes.

Q: Why are UUID-based searches not returning results? A: Double-check that the Property Predicate for UUID is correctly configured with the appropriate field label and property name.

Q: How can I exclude additional folders from search results? A: You can add more folder paths to the excludedPaths property under both the damAssetLucene and lucene nodes in CRXDE Lite.

Conclusion

Configuring AEM to recognize and search DITA content, along with UUID-based search, greatly enhances the platform’s search capabilities, making it easier for users to find the exact content they need. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can optimize the AEM Assets UI for more efficient content management, ultimately leading to better productivity and organization within your team.