For users who want to create custom integrations that will allow them to view documents via applications other than Laserfiche (such as an ASP.net application), it is often assumed that the best and only way to achieve this goal is to link directly to the image files stored on the Laserfiche volumes.
However, while it is possible to create your own programs that read files directly from your volumes, the practice is highly discouraged for the following reasons:
- Security is rendered meaningless - When a user accesses a file directly from the volumes, any security settings created in Laserfiche to protect those files are completely bypassed. This includes any access rights (specifically entry and volume access rights) that would normally prevent specific users from opening a particular file.
- Auditing and Workflow are bypassed - Similar to the issue with security rights, events that would normally be audited within Laserfiche cannot be tracked when a file is accessed directly on a volume. Moreover, Workflow processes that would normally be triggered from Laserfiche are also bypassed.
- Files will not include any redactions and/or watermarks that have been applied - TIFF files are stored on the volumes in their original format, without redactions or watermarks. The Server applies the appropriate marks to the images only when it prepares to serve the file to the Client. Accessing files directly on the volumes will effectively cut out this communication between the Server and the Client, and you will only receive the original, unmarked TIFFs.
- Your program will need to change if volumes/files are moved - Because your integration will be set up to read files from a specific volume path, if you ever have to relocate volumes or move a file from one volume to another, your program will have to be modified manually in order to reflect these changes.
- The Laserfiche Server is subject to change - The method by which the Laserfiche Server determines file paths is not considered part of its public interface and is subject to change between versions. Therefore, any integration that relies on using this file path naming convention runs the risk of losing its compatibility with the release of subsequent versions.
It is strongly advised to not create programs that read files directly from the volumes, but rather to integrate through the Laserfiche SDK. As stated above, we cannot guarantee that future versions of the Laserfiche Server will continue to use the same file path scheme for storing files on volumes; however, we do make extensive efforts to always maintain backwards compatibility for the SDK.
For coding examples that may be useful for such integrations, please see the following Code Library articles: (Note: You will be required to provide a valid Support Site login to view these articles.)