Remove Aspects From a Folder or File - Alfresco Content Services - 23.4 - 23.4 - Ready - Alfresco - external

Removing aspects from a folder or file is a bit more complicated than just updating properties. Here is how to do it.

API Explorer URL: http://localhost:8080/api-explorer/#!/nodes/updateNode

See also:

• Update Metadata for a Folder or File
• Add Aspects to a Folder or File

For example, if you try and remove the sys:hidden aspect from a node, the following error is returned:

{
  “error”: {
    “errorKey”: “framework.exception.ApiDefault”,
    “statusCode”: 400,
    “briefSummary”: “NameSpace cannot be used by API: sys:hidden”,
    “stackTrace”: “For security reasons the stack trace is no longer displayed, but the property is kept for previous versions”,
    “descriptionURL”: “https://api-explorer.alfresco.com”
  }
}

Removing an aspect from a node is similar to how you add a “marker” aspect. You first get the list of aspects currently applied to the node. Then you remove the aspect from the list. And finally you use an update node call with the updated aspect list.

To demonstrate how to remove an aspect and its properties we will assume that we have a node with id d8f561cc-e208-4c63-a316-1ea3d3a4e10e that has the cm:effectivity aspect applied and its properties cm:from and cm:to set. Here are the steps to remove the aspect:

Get the list of aspects for the node, set fields=aspectNames so you only get back aspects:

$ curl -X GET -H 'Accept: application/json' -H 'Authorization: Basic VElDS0VUXzA4ZWI3ZTJlMmMxNzk2NGNhNTFmMGYzMzE4NmNjMmZjOWQ1NmQ1OTM=' 'http://localhost:8080/alfresco/api/-default-/public/alfresco/versions/1/nodes/d8f561cc-e208-4c63-a316-1ea3d3a4e10e?fields=aspectNames' | jq
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
100   144  100   144    0     0   4235      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:--  4235
{
  "entry": {
    "aspectNames": [
      "rn:renditioned",
      "cm:classifiable",
      "cm:versionable",
      "cm:titled",
      "cm:auditable",
      "cm:author",
      "cm:thumbnailModification",
      "cm:effectivity"
    ]
  }
}

We can see that the node has the cm:effectivity aspect applied.

Take the aspect list and remove this aspect so you end up with the following list:

{
    "aspectNames": [
      "rn:renditioned",
      "cm:classifiable",
      "cm:versionable",
      "cm:titled",
      "cm:auditable",
      "cm:author",
      "cm:thumbnailModification"
    ]
}

Use this new updated list in the update node call as follows:

$ curl -X PUT -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -H 'Accept: application/json' -H 'Authorization: Basic VElDS0VUXzA4ZWI3ZTJlMmMxNzk2NGNhNTFmMGYzMzE4NmNjMmZjOWQ1NmQ1OTM=' -d '{
    "aspectNames": [
      "rn:renditioned",
      "cm:classifiable",
      "cm:versionable",
      "cm:titled",
      "cm:auditable",
      "cm:author",
      "cm:thumbnailModification"
    ]
}
' 'http://localhost:8080/alfresco/api/-default-/public/alfresco/versions/1/nodes/d8f561cc-e208-4c63-a316-1ea3d3a4e10e'  | jq
{
  "entry": {
    "isFile": true,
    "createdByUser": {
      "id": "admin",
      "displayName": "Administrator"
    },
    "modifiedAt": "2019-09-16T06:57:54.854+0000",
    "nodeType": "cm:content",
    "content": {
      "mimeType": "text/plain",
      "mimeTypeName": "Plain Text",
      "sizeInBytes": 34,
      "encoding": "ISO-8859-1"
    },
    "parentId": "5a858591-752f-49d0-b686-e2e1a830ea8d",
    "aspectNames": [
      "rn:renditioned",
      "cm:classifiable",
      "cm:versionable",
      "cm:titled",
      "cm:auditable",
      "cm:author",
      "cm:thumbnailModification"
    ],
    "createdAt": "2019-09-05T08:58:24.463+0000",
    "isFolder": false,
    "modifiedByUser": {
      "id": "admin",
      "displayName": "Administrator"
    },
    "name": "somefile.txt",
    "id": "0305fc9c-fc1d-405a-abf0-af482a9239ec",
    "properties": {
      "cm:title": "My text",
      "cm:versionType": "MAJOR",
      "cm:versionLabel": "1.0",
      "cm:lastThumbnailModification": [
        "doclib:1567673959670",
        "pdf:1567673964745"
      ],
      "cm:description": "My text document description"
    }
  }
}

As we can see in the response under aspectNames, the new cm:effectivity aspect is no longer applied to the node. Note also that in the properties list the cm:to and cm:from properties have been removed automatically.