Specification of a distribution file
It is possible to combine multiple packages into one artifact called a distribution file. This is a file with the extension .sdn that can be deployed to a Spotfire Server.
Distribution metadata
The input to building an
.sdn file is an XML file called "distribution
description file", with the file extension
.xml.
For command line parameters that you specify in the .xml file, you do not need to specify the parameter on the command line. Any parameters specified in the .xml file are appended to the command line arguments. If you specify a parameter in both the .xml file and on the command line, then the command line specification takes precedence.
The distribution metadata is defined as attributes in the XML element "<DistributionDescription>". The attributes that can be set are listed in the table below.
| XML attribute name | Optional or Required | Default value | Can be overridden on the command line | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
SchemaVersion
|
Required | N/A | No | Should always have the value "1.0". |
Id
|
Required | N/A | No | This must be a GUID that uniquely identifies the distribution. |
Name
|
Required | N/A | No | |
Version
|
Optional | Empty | Yes
"/distributionversion" |
Can be in any format and is not validated.
Note: If a version is set, this will replace the current
version number shown in the administration UI when deployed to a Spotfire
Server, which might be undesired.
|
Distribution content
The package content is defined by the child XML elements
<PackageDescriptionFile>,
<DistributionFile> and
<ObsoletePackage>.
Attributes for
<PackageDescriptionFile> and
<DistributionFile> are listed in the table
below.
| XML attribute name | Optional or Required | Default value | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filename | Required | N/A | The name of the package file or the distribution file to include. |
<ObsoletePackage> is a way to specify a
package that was included in earlier versions of the distribution but has been
removed in later versions of the distribution. By specifying an obsolete
package the Spotfire Server will remove this module from the deployment area
when a new version of the distribution is deployed.
Attributes for
<ObsoletePackage> are listed in the table below.
| XML attribute name | Optional or Required | Default value | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
Id
|
Required | N/A | The
SeriesId that the obsoleted package had.
|
Name
|
Required | N/A | A name for the obsoleted package. It is
recommended to use the old package name with the suffix
_OBSOLETE.
|
Version
|
Required | N/A | Must be set to a version number that is higher than the highest version number that exists for the package. |
IntendedClient
|
Required | N/A | Must be the same intended client that the old package had. |
There is an example distribution description .xml file included in the Templates folder of the SDK .