Collections with customized data entry wizards

Every collection has a data entry wizard that you can use to create and edit items in that collection.  The wizard has a fair amount of control over how the item is displayed, and how the item is presented when in create / edit mode.  The wizard also provides placeholders for scripts to test data and drive the data input flow, as well as scripts that are run when the item is saved or a new version is created.

Flexible XML-based metadata schemas

openEQUELLA uses the concept of a schema to define the structure of a collection.  In turn a collection is a template for an item.  An item is the object that stores metadata and attachments (files, links, etc) together to create a logical grouping.  The schema is XML based, and highly configurable.  Nested XML nodes are allowed to enable repeaters / groups of metadata / attachments, and each node has the option to be indexable for Advanced Searching and Freetext searching.  The schema can be associated to import and export transformations to migrate data from various sources to fit the needs of the institution.

Basic or complex scripted workflows

openEQUELLA enables the concept of a moderated workflow against items.  Workflow is highly customizable, and includes decision points, parallel steps, sequential steps, and of course, workflow tasks which can be assigned to one or more moderators.  Workflow provides script handles as an item moves through the workflow, static or dynamic association of moderators, and reminder notifications if an item is aging in a workflow task. 

Full document versioning

openEQUELLA supports creating new versions of items, and management of the version lifecycle.

Simple to full metadata-based searching

openEQUELLA utilizes the Lucene search engine and customizable indexed metadata fields for the basis of search.  Any custom xml schema node can be searched, either as a freetext/keyword or targeted metadata nodes.  Targeted metadata node searches can be presented to the user as a form to fill out or directly searched via the REST API.

Storage of resources in a personal area

openEQUELLA provides a specialized collection that is presented as a personal sandbox to place a user's documents and authored web pages that are not yet ready for the openEQUELLA user base.

On-the-fly creation of web pages

openEQUELLA provides a rich text editor (TinyMCE) for users to author web pages directly in openEQUELLA and then place them into openEQUELLA items as attachments.

Copyright management of activated items

openEQUELLA can manage CLA (UK) and CAL (AU) copyright items, including 'activating' portions of an item's attachments for the end user to use/view, and then track the activation history.

Attribution of digital rights to content

openEQUELLA offers a collection of items to be covered by a configurable DRM scheme.  Configurations includes type (basic usage, use and adapt, custom permissions), acceptance of custom terms, access restriction to a particular set of users / groups / roles, and selecting the number of accepted licenses.

Active user-based notifications

Users can be notified of various events inside of openEQUELLA including Items in workflow ready for to be moderated, items becoming live, and bad URLs.

Attachment MIME type definition

Based on the MIME type of attachments; openEQUELLA can be configured to change the display, attachment viewer type, and HTML editor embedded templates.

Automatic creation of thumbnails for uploaded images, PDFs, and videos

openEQUELLA utilizes the 3rd party tools of ImageMagick, Ghostscript, and LibAV to automatically generate thumbnails from a variety of image formats, PDFs, and video formats.

Selection of taxonomy terms from openEQUELLA or an SQL data source

openEQUELLA item metadata can be configured to consist of term(s) from a taxonomy.   Taxonomies can be either locally defined in openEQUELLA or pulled from an SQL database.  Locally defined taxonomies can be configured to add new terms via on the fly.

Searching of external data remote repositories

openEQUELLA enables users to search remote repositories from the native search UX.  The search results can then be imported into the openEQUELLA institution based on a configured collection and transform.

Flexible editing of permissions for all facets of the application

Multi-language configuration and display customization

Besides the wizards that customize how the data is displayed, openEQUELLA also enables multi-language support for the broader web application, and customization of the Cascading Style Sheets / JavaScript theme files to allow a variety of different Look and Feels to the application.

Extensive support for many well-known standards

Supported standards include CLA, CAL, METS, IMS, OAI, LORAX, OAuth, and LTI.

Seamless integration with a variety of third-party systems

openEQUELLA has LMS integration via shared secrets, OAuth, and LTI.  openEQUELLA content and search / selection can be integrated into Moodle and Blackboard with custom blocks.  openEQUELLA supports a general LTI provider endpoint for other LMS / tools.  openEQUELLA has configurable integration with CAS, Echo360, Google Analytics, and others.

Harvesting of collections, individual items, third-party source, and Learning Federation content

Admin consoles for configuration and management of the openEQUELLA instance.

openEQUELLA offers three primary points of configurations - the Server Admin pages for global openEQUELLA settings, the Settings page for institution settings via a web page, and the Admin Console for institution settings via a Java Web Start application.  The Admin Console provides a great deal of configuration and customization - from collection wizards and taxonomies, to reports and workflows.

Flexible server configuration

openEQUELLA can run in a number of different server configurations.  The application runs on an embedded Tomcat server, and can cluster with other openEQUELLA server nodes via Zookeeper.  While not specifically openEQUELLA, Zookeeper can be run either in standalone or 'quorum' (clustered) mode to increase it's recovery abilities.  openEQUELLA server configuration includes configuration handles for Tomcat to listen on AJP, HTTP, or HTTPS ports, the ability to run behind a reverse or forward proxy, and the ability to customize the names of openEQUELLA nodes in a cluster. 

APIs

openEQUELLA has a set of REST APIs to enable more customized control of openEQUELLA facets such as Collections, Files, Browse Hierarchies, Items, Search, Taxonomies, and User Management.