Configure the active content filter for Blogs, Wikis, and Forums

IBM Connections provides a set of active content filter (ACF) configuration files that we can apply to the Blogs, Wikis, or Forums applications to limit or widen the types of content that users can add to their blog posts, wiki pages, or forum posts.

This is not a required procedure. Only perform this to change the level of filtering performed by the active content filter.

By default, Blogs, Wikis, and Forums filter active content in the following ways:

• Javascript is stripped from all posts and pages.

• We can change the formatting of content within rich text fields and styles can be added using HTML.

• Flash animations are permitted.

The following configuration files are shipped with Connections, and stored in the LotusConnections-config\extern directory. To change the level of filtering that is performed by the active content filter, we can replace the default configuration file with one of these files.

acf-config.xml

Allow style changes, allows forms, but strips flash. Flash is a format used for videos and animated content.

acf-config-nf.xml

Allow style changes, but strips forms and flash. The types of forms that are not allowed are form HTML elements. Form HTML elements are used to add things like buttons or fields to a web page.

acf-config-ns.xml

Allow forms, but strips style changes and flash. Preventing style changes affects rich text fields. If we configure the active content filter to prevent style changes, then users will not be able to perform the common tasks associated with changing the style of rich text content, such as changing the font color, margins, and so on.

acf-config-nf-ns.xml

Prevents style changes and strips forms and flash.

acf-config-flash.xml

Allow style changes, allows forms, and allows flash.

acf-config-nf-flash.xml

Allow style changes and flash, but strips forms. This file is the default file used by Blogs, Wikis, and Forums.

acf-config-ns-flash.xml

Allow forms and flash, but strips style changes.

acf-config-nf-ns-flash.xml

Allow flash, but strips style changes and forms.

acf-config-nm.xml

Prevents users from changing the margins on images and strips flash.

acf-config-nm-flash.xml

Allow flash, but prevents users from changing the margins on images.

1. Edit LotusConnections-config.xml.

   1. Access the Connections configuration file: execfile("connectionsConfig.py")

      If we are prompted to specify a service to connect to, type 1 to select the first node in the list. Most commands can run on any node. If the command writes or reads information to or from a file by using a local file path, we must select the node where the file is stored. This information is not used by the wsadmin client when we are making configuration changes.

   2. Check out Connections configuration files:

      LCConfigService.checkOutConfig("/tmp","cell_name")

      where:

      • /tmp is the temporary working directory to which configuration files are copied. The files are kept in this working directory while you edit them.

        • With Windows, use a forward slash for the directory. For example: "/tmp".

      • To determine: print AdminControl.getCell()

   3. Edit LotusConnections-config.xml

   4. Find the <sloc:serviceReference> element for the application to which to change filtering levels. The application name is specified in the serviceName attribute.

      Change the active content filter configuration for the applications with the following serviceName attributes:

      • Blogs
      • Wikis
      • Forums

   5. Add the following attribute to the <sloc:serviceReference> element for the application to change:

      For example:

      acf_config_file="file_name"

      where file_name is one of the configuration files described earlier.

      For example, to configure the Blogs application to allow style changes, but strip forms and flash, you would add the acf_config_file element:

      <sloc:serviceReference 
       bootstrapHost="myServer.myco.com" 
       bootstrapPort="2817" 
       clusterName="" 
       enabled="true" 
       serviceName="blogs"  
       ssl_enabled="true" 
       acf_config_file="acf-config-nf.xml"> 
        <sloc:href>
          <sloc:hrefPathPrefix>/blogs</sloc:hrefPathPrefix>
          <sloc:static 
           href="http://enterprise.myco.com:9082" 
           ssl_href="https://enterprise.myco.com:9447"/>
          <sloc:interService href="https://enterprise.myco.com:9447"/>
        </sloc:href>
      </sloc:serviceReference>

   6. Repeat Steps d and e to apply different filtering levels to different applications, and then save and close the configuration file.

   7. After making changes, check the configuration file back in and we must do so during the same wsadmin session in which you checked them out for the changes to take effect. See Applying common configuration property changes for information about how to save and apply the changes.

2. Synchronize the nodes using the WAS console for the network deployment system.

3. Restart the WAS.

Parent topic:
Secure applications from malicious attack

Related:

Apply common configuration property changes

Related reference:

Common configuration properties