I cannot imagine any other solution than synchronous event actions on file and unfile on the folders . The quota you can either configure globally or as an attribute on the folder.
Current size is also a custom attribute and at any file/unfile you add/subtract the content size an update the attribute.
I think that is not hard. Harder is to get a meaningful error message to the ICN user.
Kind reagrds,
Gerold
Kind regards,
Gerold
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Gerold Krommer
Managing Director
The Document Content Profesionals, G.m.bH
Wien
+436602408515
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Original Message:
Sent: Tue December 16, 2025 02:19 AM
From: Wasif Khan
Subject: Enforcing Folder Size Limits in IBM FileNet – Event Action vs Change Preprocessor Limitations
I can't find a feasible solution to achieve my use case. My requirement is simple: to restrict a folder to a limited size. However, I am unable to find any solution to implement this.
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Wasif Khan
Original Message:
Sent: Mon December 15, 2025 05:49 AM
From: Marcus Kalthoff
Subject: Enforcing Folder Size Limits in IBM FileNet – Event Action vs Change Preprocessor Limitations
Whatever you do, do not forget the use cases:
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Marcus Kalthoff
Original Message:
Sent: Fri December 12, 2025 05:41 AM
From: Wasif Khan
Subject: Enforcing Folder Size Limits in IBM FileNet – Event Action vs Change Preprocessor Limitations
We are working in an IBM FileNet P8 (5.5.x) environment and need to enforce a maximum folder size limit within the Object Store.
Business requirement:
A folder should not exceed a defined size threshold (MB/GB).
If a document upload causes the folder to exceed the limit, the operation should be blocked and a meaningful exception or error should be returned to the user.
This behavior should be consistent across ICN, ACCE, and custom integrations.
IBM FileNet does not provide a native folder-quota feature, so we are evaluating custom approaches.
Approaches considered
1. Change Preprocessor
While Change Preprocessors run before the object is committed, we have identified a key limitation:
The actual document content size (ContentElement size) is not reliably accessible at preprocessor time.
This makes it difficult to accurately calculate the projected folder size before the document is saved.
Due to this limitation, Change Preprocessors do not appear to be a feasible option for enforcing folder size limits based on actual content size.
2. Event Action Handler (Java / JavaScript)
Event Actions provide access to:
Although Event Actions execute post-commit, the size calculation is reliable. The enforcement would therefore require:
Calculating the folder's total size
Comparing it against a configurable threshold
Rolling back the operation (delete document / throw exception) if the limit is exceeded
This currently appears to be the most feasible technical approach, despite the post-commit nature.
Additional considerations
Maintaining folder size as a custom metadata property to avoid repeated aggregation
Performance impact on large folders
Error propagation and user experience in ICN
Best practices used in production deployments
Questions to the community
Has anyone implemented a reliable folder size enforcement mechanism in FileNet?
Are there supported or recommended alternatives beyond Event Actions?
Any sample implementations, performance tips, or architectural guidance?
Are there roadmap plans for native folder quota support in FileNet?
Any insights or real-world experience would be highly appreciated.
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Wasif Khan
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