Copying and Moving Entities

Although the Documents and Media API can copy and move entities, these operations have some important caveats and limitations. Keep these things in mind when copying entities:

• There’s no way to copy files—you can only copy folders. However, copying a folder also copies its contents, which can include files.
• Folders can only be copied within their current repository.

The move operation doesn’t have these restrictions. It’s possible to move files and folders between different repositories. In general, however, the move operation is a bit more complicated than the copy operation. For example, the API’s behavior changes depending on whether you move entities to a different repository or within the same one.

Here, you’ll learn about the following:

• Copying Folders
• Moving Folders and Files

Copying Folders

The Documents and Media API can copy folders within a repository. You can’t, however, copy a folder between different repositories. Note that copying a folder also copies its contents.

To copy a folder, use the DLAppService method copyFolder:

copyFolder(long repositoryId, long sourceFolderId, long parentFolderId, String name, 
        String description, ServiceContext serviceContext)

For a full description of the method and its parameters, see its Javadoc.

For step-by-step instructions on using this method, see Copying Folders.

Moving Folders and Files

The move operation is more flexible than the copy operation. Copying only works with folders, and you can’t copy between repositories. The move operation, however, works with files and folders within or between repositories.

Note: Depending on the repository implementation, you may get unexpected behavior when moving folders between repositories. Moving a folder also moves its contents via separate move operations for each item in the folder. In some repository implementations, if any move sub-operation fails, the parent move operation also fails. In other repository implementations, the results of successful sub-operations remain even if others fail, which leaves a partially complete move of the whole folder.

To move a folder, use the DLAppService method moveFolder:

moveFolder(long folderId, long parentFolderId, ServiceContext serviceContext)

For a full description of this method and its parameters, see its Javadoc. This method is similar to copyFolder, but it can’t change the folder’s name or description, and it can move folders between repositories. Folder contents are moved with the folder.

The operation for moving a file is almost identical to moving a folder. To move a file, use the DLAppService method moveFileEntry:

moveFileEntry(long fileEntryId, long newFolderId, ServiceContext serviceContext)

For a full description of this method and its parameters, see its Javadoc.

For step-by-step instructions on using moveFolder and moveFileEntry, see Moving Folders and Files.