How to programmatically create a new version of a CQ5 page?

Question

Is it possible to programmatically create a new version of a CQ5 page that has a start time some time in the future?

As an example, let's say we have a page that displays tax rates. We have a component that allows the author to upload a new rates table (in the form of a css file) and it creates the rates page content. We would like to allow the author to upload rates that will be effective the first of next month.

I know the jcr supports multiple versions of nodes, but its unclear how (or whether) this relates to cq5 page versioning. And, further, whether a new version can be activated in the future.

Answer 1

Each time a page is modified cq creates a version of the page. This modified page's modification time is set in jcr:lastModified property of the page. Manipulation of this property can be done to save future date and activate page on that date though its not preferred way. You can store the future date as a property in the page. Later as suggested by @David you can create a workflow or a scheduled job which activates pages with a future date.

Answer 2

Given the requirements as you've described them, I would probably accomplish the task in a slightly different way...

Instead of storing my rates table information directly within the page's jcr:content node (or a sub node their of) I'd probably abstract it out to somewhere else in the repository. You could then, if you so desired, create some sort of an admin interface to allow content authors to upload their csv file of new rates, and ingest that into the repository as needed. Alternatively, assuming that data comes from some sort of a database, you could probably just write a job to automatically injest it on some sort of a scheduled basis by using a JDBC connection from CQ. Once the data is in the repository, you could then write the display component to read the data from the repository, instead of it being directly inside the page.

This approach has the advantage of making that data re-useable within CQ to be shown on multiple pages, multiple sites, even many different display formats if need be. In addition, you can design your jcr structure to support whatever requirement you have around updates to the data, including daily, monthly, weekly, yearly etc., obviously this will depend on the specific requirements.

The one downside to this is that since there is a separation b/w the data and the page(s) where it is displayed, you may need to find a way to ensure the cache is properly cleared whenever the data does change.

Update (based on your comment):

The problem I foresee with versioning the page, and granted I've not tried this so maybe it will work, is that there can only ever be one active version at a time. Therefore, once the next months data is uploaded, you need to maintain the old data (active) and the new data (not yet active) at the same time. What happens if you require a separate content change during that window...from a business process perspective that just seems messy to me.

Back to cache clear issues, If you know the affected pages, especially if they are all in one subtree, you could write a custom workflow process that uses the replicator service to clear the cache for the affected pages, then set up a launcher to run the wf on node change for the data.

The other option, and this one is less defined in my head, so some experimentation required, would be to use CQs built in activate later and de-activate later functionality.

Maybe create a specific template for the rates data, with the implicit requirement that only one page using that template is ever active at one time. Your display components could use a query to find the currently active rates data.

Answer 3

You could write a workflow that includes a publish step that is triggered by the arrival of a calendar date. The version of the page with the new tax rates remains in the workflow pipeline in draft form and is only published/activated when the date arrives. (So you'd need some sort of process that wakes up once a day to check the calendar.)

Answer 4

I have not personally tried this, but...

I assume that you can use the PageManager service's createRevision method, and then if that returns without throwing an exception, you may call page.getContentResource.adaptTo(Node.class), and from there take the node that is returned and edit the JCR properties for your tax rates component.

See PageManager