Custom filters

This page explains how to create and configure a custom Filter.

Please read about Filters and request processing which explains some filters used by Magnolia.

Implementation

To ensure your filter is properly registered using Magnolia configuration, your filter should implement info.magnolia.cms.filters.MgnlFilter or extend another Magnolia filter that implements MgnlFilter. Extending info.magnolia.cms.filters.AbstractMgnlFilter is usually a good starting point.

Example:

public class KlackerFilter extends AbstractMgnlFilter{
    @Override
    public void doFilter(HttpServletRequest httpServletRequest, HttpServletResponse httpServletResponse,
          FilterChain filterChain) throws IOException, ServletException {
        httpServletResponse.setHeader("X-Clacks-Overhead", "GNU Terry Pratchett" );
        filterChain.doFilter(httpServletRequest, httpServletResponse);
    }
}

The example above is a dummy example inspired by GNU Terry Pratchett HTTP-Header.

Configuration and Registration of filters

Filters in a Java webapp using servlets 2.5 must be registered in the web.xml. However:

When adding a filter to Magnolia - you should not register it in web.xml but on Magnolia configuration. If the configuration is done properly - filters are registered dynamically by Magnolia.

You can configure filters implementing info.magnolia.cms.filters.MgnlFilter as well as other filters with Magnolia configuration by using the Configuration app. Unlike web.xml configuration, you can change the configuration on the running instance. This also includes enabling and disabling a filter.

As with any other configuration data - bootstrap the configuration within your module with a bootstrap file or create an installation task to ensure configuration is set correctly when your project must be reinstalled or deployed.

Add a node to /server/filters

To configure a filter add a node to /server/filters:

Custom filters node

Property Description

class

required

The fully qualified class name of your custom filter. Must implement info.magnolia.cms.filters.MgnlFilter.

enabled

optional, default is true

Setting to false disables the filter.

mappings

optional

Add mappings.

Configuring and registering filters not implementing MgnlFilter

If you have a filter that cannot implement info.magnolia.cms.filters.MgnlFilter for some reason but that should be registered in the Magnolia filter chain, your configuration should look like this:

Custom filter not implementing MgnlFilter

Property Description

class

required

In this case class must be info.magnolia.cms.filters.FilterDecorator.

decoratedFilter

required

     class

required

The fully qualified class name of your custom filter (which does not implement info.magnolia.cms.filters.AbstractMgnlFilter).

config

optional

A map to add filter init parameters. You may add as many parameters as required. The init parameters can be read in the init method of the filter (see below).

Adding filter init parameters

javax.servlet.Filter has an #init method which is called once when the filter is initialized.

Init parameters for filters implementing MgnlFilter

When using filters implementing info.magnolia.cms.filters.MgnlFilter, you can use a normal Node2Bean mechanism and add bean properties to the filter class.

public class KlackerFilter extends AbstractMgnlFilter {
    // bean properties
    private String klackerMessage;
    private int maximumKlackerNumber;

    @Override
    public void init(FilterConfig filterConfig) throws ServletException {
        super.init(filterConfig);
        // use bean properties - here klackerMessage, maximumKlackerNumber -
        // to do something usefull
    }

    @Override
    public void doFilter(HttpServletRequest httpServletRequest, HttpServletResponse httpServletResponse,
                         FilterChain filterChain) throws IOException, ServletException {
        // do something usefull here
        filterChain.doFilter(httpServletRequest, httpServletResponse);
    }

    // getter and setter methods for the bean properties
    public String getKlackerMessage() {
        return klackerMessage;
    }
    public void setKlackerMessage(String klackerMessage) {
        this.klackerMessage = klackerMessage;
    }
    public int getMaximumKlackerNumber() {
        return maximumKlackerNumber;
    }
    public void setMaximumKlackerNumber(int maximumKlackerNumber) {
        this.maximumKlackerNumber = maximumKlackerNumber;
    }
}

Implementing MgnlFilter with init parameters

Init parameters for filters not implementing MgnlFilter

If you are using FilterDecorator for custom filters not implementing info.magnolia.cms.filters.MgnlFilter, use the config node to add init parameters (see above). The parameters are set to javax.servlet.FilterConfig and can be used in the init method:

public class AnotherFilter implements Filter {
    @Override
    public void init(FilterConfig filterConfig) throws ServletException {
        String initParam = filterConfig.get("myInitParam");
        // do something usefull here with the initParam
    }
    @Override
    public void doFilter(ServletRequest servletRequest, ServletResponse servletResponse, FilterChain filterChain)
      throws IOException, ServletException {
        // do something usefull here
        filterChain.doFilter(servletRequest, servletResponse);
    }
    @Override
    public void destroy() {
    }
}

Ensure position in filter chain

Filters are executed in the order they are in the chain, from top to bottom. If you do not care about execution order, you can skip this section, otherwise make sure the filter is in the right position in the chain.

Magnolia provides task classes to adapt the order of the filter via module version handler. Use info.magnolia.module.delta.FilterOrderingTask or info.magnolia.module.delta.OrderFilterBeforeTask. The code example below is using the FilterOrderingTask.

Filter chain in FilterOrderingTask

 When installing a
module, you can define the position with
`ModuleVersionHandler#getExtraInstallTasks`.
public class MyModuleVersionHandler extends DefaultModuleVersionHandler {
    @Override
    protected List<Task> getExtraInstallTasks(InstallContext installContext) {
        List<Task> extraInstallTasks = new ArrayList<Task>(super.getExtraInstallTasks(installContext));
        extraInstallTasks.add(new FilterOrderingTask("klacker", new String[]{"contentType"}));
        return extraInstallTasks;
    }
}
The code above would ensure to have the filter klacker right after the filter contentType.
Feedback

DX Core

×

Location

This widget lets you know where you are on the docs site.

You are currently perusing through the DX Core docs.

Main doc sections

DX Core Headless PaaS Legacy Cloud Incubator modules