How to add custom fields to a Display Format and so to Content Explorer Views?

I have an Oracle view which retrieves image content id, image file name, image extension, image size, image site path (like about/od/ocpl), and each image’s owner [where the image is being used] content id, owner site path (about/od/ethics/conflicts/…)

I then created a XML application pointing to the Oracle view. The XML application uses the sys_cxViews/View.dtd. In the application Mapper I mapped the image content id and image content type id to View/Item/@sys_contentid and View/Item/@sys_contenttypeid correspondingly. I copied the sample URL to a browser and it returns items. So I assume the XML application is fine

Now I want to create a Content Explorer Custom View to use the above XML application, so the end user can view image content items and where they get used

The problem is when I tried to create a Display Format for the above custom view, I have NO way to insert custom fields, like image site path, owner content id, owner community, owner site path, and etc.

Does anyone know how to add custom field to the “Field Selection Editor” (when clicking the “Add Columns”)?

Thanks, -Hua

This is a similar question to mine about showing keyword labels in a display format:

http://forum.percussion.com/showthread.php?541

although yours is more general, and asks the better question - can we add custom fields to a display format?

I tried using the XSL in the XML application to assign a value to an XML node with the same name as a field name, in the hopes that the display format would use it - but it still used the actual field value from the item, seeming to ignore what is in the XML node.

The problem is, even if you could add custom fields to the DF (it is not possible to add a field that is not defined in either the system def, a shared def or as a local field on a content type,) if that field is not in the item, nothing will be displayed because the system looks for the field by that name in the item’s data. If it is not present, the value is left blank in the display.

A custom view is just a way to create the set of content item ids that you want displayed in that view - it does not allow you to specify arbitrary data as well.

Thanks, Paul. I also asked this question to tech support and got the answer that it is not possible. I’m going to put it into the feature suggestion forum now…

-Kathleen