OnBase API Overview

Architecture

The OnBase API utilizes a configurable, three-tier client/broker/server architecture. This provides complete flexibility, allowing you to develop both full-scale and thin-client applications with the same interface.

With the OnBase API, you can choose to have OnBase handle the display of result sets and documents, or you can have OnBase pass the documents back to your application so that you can display them. If you want OnBase to handle the display of result sets and documents, you will need to have the OnBase Client installed on the workstation that is calling the API. Otherwise, you can use the OnBase Broker.

The OnBase Broker is essentially a multi-threaded, 32-bit OnBase “Client” that acts as a broker and can handle one to many API Client connections. There are several ways you can set up the OnBase Broker software for use with your application. They are as follows:

1. You can configure each end-user workstation with the OnBase Broker. This arrangement is best for retrieval intensive applications, especially for large documents. Depending on licensing and user rights, this could give each user the full OnBase Client application on their own workstation.
2. You can have one OnBase Client Broker workstation for each work-group. This arrangement is best where you have a very high number of users with less powerful or thin-client style machines.
3. You can execute the OnBase Broker directly, on the OnBase Server and use it for all Client applications. This is an efficient arrangement and works well where the users have less powerful or thin-client style machines. The OnBase Internet Server is usually deployed in this way.
4. You can mix and match any of the above to suit your particular needs.

Fortunately, your application calls the same OnBase API methods regardless of how and where the OnBase Broker is set up. A few of the methods and some of the parameters for other methods require that the OnBase Client software to be running on the workstation and are noted as such. For applications that wish to use those methods, you will need to use configuration “1” above.


Methods
The following collection of OLE Methods provides a flexible interface to the OnBase Information Management System for both retrieval and storage of documents. The OLE Methods are broken into groups based on functionality. They are:

• Connection Methods - Used to connect (logon), disconnect (logoff) and get lists of Document Types, Keyword Types, and File Formats from the OnBase System. (Some of the Connection Methods are BI-DIRECTIONAL, see explanation on page below.)
• WorkFlow Methods (3.52+) – Used to access information and execute actions within the OnBase WorkFlow module
• Query Methods - Used to initialize, set additional parameters for, execute, and close queries. (Some of the Query Methods are BI-DIRECTIONAL, see explanation below.)
• Archive Methods - Used to initialize, set additional parameters for, execute, and close the archival process.
• Application Control Methods - Used to control the OnBase Client Application.

To use OLE Automation, the OnBase Broker services must be registered on the workstation.