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  1. Overview of documentation
    All the official documentation relating to Goobi has been produced by intranda GmbH. It is divided into three main areas, each with a different focus on the same application, and aimed respectively at...
  2. What is Goobi?
    Goobi is the most popular open-source workflow management software for use in digitisation projects. It covers the entire spectrum of tasks involved in the digitisation process – from book to online p...
  3. Overview
    ...
  4. Goobi for Users
    Basically, Goobi is a web-based application. To a very large extent, the way it is used and operated will be familiar to you from numerous websites. On the user side, all you need to be able to use Go...
  5. Logging in
    To work with Goobi you will need a valid user name and password. You will usually receive these from your system administrator. In most case, they will be the same as those you were given for access t...
  6. Menu
    As is usually the case for web applications, you will find a navigation menu. After logging in, users can select from a number of options depending on their level of authorisation. The diagrams below ...
  7. Logging out
    For security reasons, you should always log out of Goobi whenever you leave your work station. Depending on the configuration, Goobi will automatically log you out after a period of inactivity. To log...
  8. Switch between available languages
    In the top right corner you can switch between several available languages. Goobi is supplied and installed by intranda in German, English and Spanish. Adding other languages is straightforward, and t...
  9. Help function
    Towards the right-hand edge of the menu bar there is an option to call the integrated Help function. This can be used for many of the input boxes in Goobi and shows you which information is required a...
  10. Personal settings
    Once you have logged in, you can choose a number of settings to create your own user profile. To do this, click on your user name in the menu bar and then on the sub-menu item User configuration. Goob...
  11. Changing your password
    As with any other technical system, you should change your password from time to time for security reasons. To do so, click on your user name in the menu bar and then select the Change password option...
  12. My tasks
    After logging in, most users continue with the menu option My tasks in the menu bar. This will display a screen similar to the one shown below: In the My tasks list, you will only find those process t...
  13. Processes
    All the processes that you or other users create will remain in Goobi’s database. To display an overview of these processes, select the option Workflow - Processes in the menu bar. Goobi will display ...
  14. How to find a process
    If you want to search for a particular process, you can use Goobi’s straightforward search box. To do so, select the Workflow - Search for volume option from the menu bar. The input box used to search...
  15. How to create a new process
    There is a specific screen for adding new processes to Goobi’s store of data. Select the option Workflow - Production templates from the menu bar. You will be shown a list containing all the productio...
  16. Edit task details
    On the page shown here, the details and plugins for tasks can be configured. The page does not differ significantly between tasks of process templates and those of existing processes. Differences are ...
  17. The basics
    Before we look in detail at the methodology of specific user groups, let us take a look at some basics. Any of the terms used in this section that may not be familiar to you can be found together with...
  18. Scanning
    The methods used by scan operators working with Goobi on a daily basis do not vary substantially from those of other users with different qualifications or responsibilities. All users must first log i...
  19. Quality control
    At many sites that work with Goobi, a manual check is made on the quality of the scanning work performed in earlier steps of the workflow. The methods used by the staff who conduct these quality check...
  20. Manual script steps and plugin steps
    In addition to the tasks we have already described, it is possible to configure Goobi so that users can call up any external programs, scripts or plugins for specific purposes from within Goobi. To th...
  21. Automatic script-run steps
    As well as the manual scripts described in the last section, Goobi can also be configured to execute individual workflow steps automatically if they have been configured to call up scripts. To do this...
  22. Metadata processing
    One of the main areas of work for those users with library training in the field of digitisation projects involves the comprehensive indexing of digitised objects. Basically, this covers pagination, s...
  23. Export to the DMS
    One of the workflow steps frequently included in a wide range of digitisation projects at numerous establishments involves making the digitised material available to the public together with the corre...
  24. How different user groups work with Goobi
    The next section examines some typical user groups in order to illustrate their structure as part of digitisation projects at numerous establishments and the way they work with Goobi on a daily basis....
  25. Structure tree
    The grey-shaded area on the left of the screen contains the structure tree, where you can see in hierarchical form all the structure elements that have already been obtained from the source material. ...
  26. Page display
    The right-hand side of the Metadata Editor gives you an overview of the individual digital images that form part of the current process together with the number of pages, the current magnification lev...
  27. Menu options
    Goobi offers a wide range of functions that simplify the task of working with structure data and metadata. These options can be found in the top menu bar and at the right-hand edge of the structure tr...
  28. User interface
    Once you have opened the Metadata Editor, you have full access to all the editing options relating to the pagination, structure data and metadata of the digitised material. The Metadata Editor is divi...
  29. Pagination
    Pagination is a key element of digitisation projects. It involves matching page labels (printed page numbers in the source material) to the scanned images. In older works, the page numbering often cha...
  30. Create new structure element
    The list of elements from which you can select in the New structure element box will vary depending on which structure element has been activated. You can choose the position where you want to insert ...
  31. Moving structure elements
    There are several ways in which you can subsequently modify the structure of a document. One of these involves moving structure elements to a different position. To do this, first select the structure...
  32. Copying structure elements from other processes
    Within Goobi, it is also possible to copy structural elements from the METS file of a process to another process. To do this, click on the Import structural element from another process function in th...
  33. Structuring
    When you have completed the task of pagination, the next step in the workflow involves structuring. Working again in the Metadata Editor, the aim is to identify and record all the relevant structure e...
  34. Metadata indexing
    The main area of the Metadata Editor also contains a navigation bar to perform a range of steps during metadata indexing. Selecting Pagination, Structure data, Metadata and File replacement allows you...
  35. Subsequent changes to pagination
    If you wish, you can modify previously created pagination sequences. Goobi allows you to move or delete individual pages or several pages at the same time. To do this, you first need to select the req...
  36. Uploading files
    This function can be used to upload a file from the user’s computer to a selected process folder. The user will need to specify a file and choose the position within the pagination sequence where the ...
  37. Downloading files
    This function can be used to download a file from the current process folder to the user’s own computer. The user can select the file to be stored locally using the computer’s file browser....
  38. Server-based exports
    A subfolder entitled fileupload is automatically generated on the Goobi server in the configured folder named tempfolder. This subfolder is used to exchange files between processes on the server. In t...
  39. Server-based imports
    Provided that the server-based target folder is not empty, you can use the Server-based import box to select a folder from which previously exported images can now be imported into the current process...
  40. Modifying and verifying data
    This section explains a number of additional functions in the METS Editor that involve directly modifying the file system for the images. For this reason you should take great care when using the func...
  41. Edit OCR results
    The metadata editor has an editor for OCR results with which the ALTO XML files in the process can be edited. This editor can be accessed via a button in the upper menu bar: The ALTO editor overlays t...
  42. Overview of the keyboard combinations
    There are various keyboard combinations available in the metadata editor. These are summarised here once again: | Keyboard combination | Description of function | | :--- | :--- | | Ctrl + Shift + Curs...
  43. Metadata Editor
    Goobi’s Metadata Editor is one of the core elements of digitisation projects. Most work involving the Metadata Editor is performed by trained librarians. There are two ways to open the Metadata Editor...
  44. Users
    ...
  45. Structure of the extended user interface
    Goobi users with a higher level of authorisation will find a number of additional options in the menu bar. These allow you to amend data that may relate to an entire project or to different users and ...
  46. Rulesets
    One of the fundamental aspects of Goobi is that all structure data and metadata to be recorded as part of a digitisation project can be specified on the basis of a flexible system of rulesets. Before ...
  47. LDAP groups
    One of Goobi’s key features is the integration of both Goobi and the additional services linked to it to a central authentication system. In most cases, the authentication process is conducted via a c...
  48. Users
    In order to specify and manage the users that you want to be able to work with your Goobi installation, first select the menu item Administration - Users from the menu. This will display a list of all...
  49. User groups
    In order to ensure flexibility in the handling of freely configurable workflows and the corresponding users, you will need to define a number of user groups. These user groups can be understood as the...
  50. Searching processes
    If you want to search for specific processes, you can use Goobi’s extended search function. To do this, select the menu bar option Workflow – Search for volume. In order to conduct a finely tuned sear...
  51. Activity
    If you need even more detailed information about a process, click on the first symbol in the Actions column for that process. This will open the detailed view window for that process with a number of ...
  52. Activities for hit lists
    As well as the options described above allowing users to edit or amend each volume independently of the current status of the workflow and to process its structure data or metadata or re-export the da...
  53. GoobiScript
    When you apply an action to a group of processes, you also have an option to run Goobi scripts within that action. To do so, click on the button Execute GoobiScript in the Possible actions box. Goobi ...
  54. Processes
    All objects that are processed in Goobi as part of the whole range of digitisation workflows, and that as such have their own individual progress status, can be viewed in the Processes area. First, cl...
  55. Variables
    Goobi can also use variables when performing certain actions. Some of these variables can be used only in specific contexts, e.g. the variables {login} and {user full name} when configuring the LDAP. ...
  56. Harvester
    The harvester can be used to automatically import data from external repositories. Overview To be able to access the harvester, the user must have the Edit harvester repositories right. The Harvester ...
  57. Config Editor
    This editor allows direct editing of the Goobi workflow configuration files from within the user interface in the web browser. Overview The editor can be found as a separate entry in the Administratio...
  58. Ruleset editor
    This editor is used to directly edit the ruleset files of Goobi workflow directly from the user interface within the web browser. Übersicht The editor can be found in its own entry in the Administrati...
  59. Management
    ...
  60. ‘config’ sub-directory
    The config directory contains all the Goobi configuration files that do not have to be located within the application itself. These are listed below: bash=configcontentServer.xml goobiactivemq.xml goo...
  61. ‘import’ sub-directory
    Depending on the way Goobi has been installed, the import directory will contain a range of data, mostly on a temporary basis. By way of example, import plug-ins use this directory to enter metadata a...
  62. ‘metadata’ sub-directory
    The metadata directory is the central directory for storing Goobi metadata and digital content. Within this directory there is a directory with the name of the Goobi process ID for each Goobi process....
  63. ‘plugins’ sub-directory
    Depending on the way Goobi has been installed, the plugins directory may contain a number of plug-ins that perform imports or call Web API commands. Depending on the task, the compiled plug-ins are lo...
  64. ‘rulesets’ sub-directory
    Within Goobi, the UGH class library is used to process metadata, map PICA imports and generate METS files. In order to manage the huge variety of configuration options, UGH uses a mechanism known as r...
  65. ‘scripts’ sub-directory
    A range of scripts can be made available centrally in the scripts directory. These scripts can be used within the workflow to automate certain tasks....
  66. ‘xslt’ sub-directory
    Goobi uses a mechanism called XSLT transformation to generate dockets as PDF files. This involves generating PDF documents from existing xml files. This is done on the basis of xslt files located cent...
  67. Global directory structure
    As a web-based application, Goobi has its own structure and is located on a defined path in the file system independently of the servlet container being used. This section explains how to organise the...
  68. Directory structure of the application
    The Goobi installation path may vary depending on your installation. Typically, the base path for web applications on an Ubuntu Linux system within an Apache Tomcat servlet container is shown below: b...
  69. Integrating external storage
    General Most digitisation projects involve handling very large volumes of data. In most cases, this makes it necessary to link external storage capacity to the server. This can be done in a number of ...
  70. Integration of S3 as storage
    Goobi workflow allows operation with S3-compatible storage. It should be noted that a local file system is still required to store the metadata. This means that the files meta.xml, metaanchor.xml and ...
  71. File system
    As a workflow management application for the library environment, Goobi has to be able to deal with a wide range of specific configurations and project-specific requirements. To this end, it has been ...
  72. MySQL database
    General Goobi saves information using a database. As a rule, the preferred option is MySQL. Ideally, the latest stable version of this database engine is installed from the operating system’s standard...
  73. Apache Tomcat servlet container
    General Goobi is a web-based Java application. The Java code needs to be translated to ensure that Goobi can be called from your web browser. This job is done by a servlet container. Some examples are...
  74. User authentication using LDAP
    General Goobi usually uses an LDAP server to authenticate users. This makes it possible to connect to the provided network drive with the same user name and password as in Goobi. In the configuration ...
  75. File system access using Samba
    General Goobi uses Samba to provide users with directory authorisations to read and write image data. The latest stable version of Samba should be installed from the operating system’s standard reposi...
  76. Services
    To let Goobi run several services are required as dependency. These services get explained on the following pages....
  77. Technical data
    The following screenshot shows the Technical data tab from Goobi’s project settings: The configuration settings are explained below: List of project configuration parameters used to generate METS file...
  78. Mets parameters
    The following screenshot shows the Mets parameters tab from Goobi’s project settings: The configuration settings are explained below: List of METS parameters for use when configuring the project | Nam...
  79. Mets file groups
    In addition to the configuration parameters listed above, the METS file groups can also be specified. The screenshot shows five defined file groups: Min Max Thumbs Default Presentation The file groups...
  80. Export configuration in the Goobi configuration file
    A further export setting can be configured in goobiconfig.properties. The corresponding parameter is shown below: ini=goobiconfig.properties exportWithoutTimeLimit=true|false If this value is set to t...
  81. Exporting to digital libraries
    Goobi allows users to export processes (together with all their digitised objects) to digital libraries. As a rule, the XML file (METS) is exported last. It is generally preceded by any images, OCR re...
  82. Working with the intranda Task Manager
    Goobi communicates with the intranda Task Manager via the TaskClient. In Goobi, this command line program is configured as part of a workflow step. It can accept and process a number of parameters. Th...
  83. Example combination for an automatic script task
    In most cases, an automatic task is combined with a script task. Goobi then responds to the script output. Goobi will treat any messages issued on the default output console as simple status reports a...
  84. Migration of technical data to METS files
    Goobi automatically exports METS files to a pre-defined folder. This is usually the directory shown below: bash /opt/digiverso/viewer/hotfolder/ A sub-folder is created in this directory for each proc...
  85. Automatic image deletion
    Since version 1.9.2, Goobi has allowed users to fully automate workflow tasks using plug-ins, e.g. to delete images that are no longer required. This ImageDeletion plug-in should be the last step in t...
  86. Automatic workflow steps
    Goobi allows you to mark individual tasks as automatic. These tasks are opened and performed automatically once the preceding workflow task has been completed. Whenever an error occurs in such an auto...
  87. goobi_activemq.xml
    The goobiactivemq.xml configuration file specifies the settings for the org.apache.activemq Java library used by Goobi Workflow. Goobi Workflow does not use the file itself, but passes it directly to ...
  88. goobi_config.properties
    In the configuration file goobiconfig.properties, some fundamental settings are done for Goobi Workflow. The file is usually located at the following file system path: bash /opt/digiverso/goobi/config...
  89. goobi_digitalCollections.xml
    The configuration file goobidigitalCollections.xml is responsible for controlling the selection list of digital collections. It is usually located at the following path in the file system: bash /opt/d...
  90. goobi_exportXml.xml
    The goobiexportXml.xml file specifies technical details about the properties and associated XML namespaces used when generating docket files. The file is usually located at the following location: bas...
  91. goobi_mail.xml
    The configuration file goobimail.xml is used to configure mail dispatch for Goobi. The file is usually located here: bash /opt/digiverso/goobi/config/goobimail.xml For example, this configuration file...
  92. goobi_metadataDisplayRules.xml
    The goobimetadataDisplayRules.xml configuration file specifies how the metadata is to be displayed within Goobi's metadata editor. It is usually located at the following path in the file system. bash ...
  93. goobi_normdata.xml
    In the configuration file goobinormdata.xml links to databases are specified, which can be used for universal purposes. A main application is to obtain metadata to digitized objects. The file is usual...
  94. goobi_opac.xml
    The configuration file goobiopac.xml defines the communication between Goobi workflow and external data sources. This usually applies to systems such as library catalogs. The file is usually located a...
  95. goobi_opacUmlaut.txt
    In the configuration file goobiopacUmlaut.txt umlauts are specified which should be replaced when automatically generating process titles. The file is usually located at the following location: bash /...
  96. goobi_processProperties.xml
    In the configuration file goobiprocessProperties.xml further properties for projects, processes and steps can be specified. The file is usually located at the following memory path: bash /opt/digivers...
  97. goobi_projects.xml
    The file goobiprojects.xml configures the mask for creating processes. Here it is defined per project which metadata and properties are allowed for certain publication types. The file is usually locat...
  98. goobi_rest.xml
    In the goobirest.xml configuration file, the REST API endpoints used by Goobi Workflow are shared based on the respective path (as part of the URL). For each endpoint, the allowed HTTP methods and var...
  99. goobi_webapi.xml
    The goobiwebapi.xml configuration file is used to enable certain API endpoints of the Goobi Workflow Server for other servers or clients. The file is usually located at the following location: bash /o...
  100. messages_xx.properties
    In the translation files messagesxx.properties translations for texts in the user interface are specified. The xx mentioned here must be replaced by the corresponding language abbreviation depending o...
  101. config_contentServer.xml
    In the file configcontentServer.xml, technical details about the content server used in Goobi are provided. The configuration file can be used for Goobi Workflow and Goobi Viewer in the same way. The ...
  102. goobi_configeditor.xml
    The file goobiruleseteditor.xml specifies technical details for the config file editor. The file is usually located at the following location: bash /opt/digiverso/goobi/config/goobiconfigeditor.xml Fo...
  103. goobi_ruleseteditor.xml
    The file goobiruleseteditor.xml specifies technical details for the Ruleset editor. The file is usually located at the following location: bash /opt/digiverso/goobi/config/goobiruleseteditor.xml For e...
  104. Configuration files
    At various points, Goobi workflow is controlled via several configuration files. At this point, the most important configuration files are listed and explained in detail....
  105. Installation guide - Ubuntu 20.04
    Introduction The following installation guide for Goobi workflow refers to Ubuntu Linux 20.04. It is written as a step-by-step guide from top to bottom, meaning that settings and configurations build ...
  106. Installation guide - Ubuntu 24.04
    Introduction The following installation guide for Goobi workflow refers to Ubuntu Linux 24.04. It is written as a step-by-step guide from top to bottom, meaning that settings and configurations build ...
  107. Installation guide
    Installation instructions for Goobi workflow are provided here. The following installation instructions are already available: [Ubuntu 20.04 (deprecated)](/en/workflow/manual/admin/installationguide/u...
  108. Preparation of an update
    General information When you update Goobi workflow, all plug-ins should also be updated. You should also check the page Installed plug-ins in Goobi workflow. If this page does not yet exist, the relev...
  109. 2020
    2020-09-17 In the ImageQA plugin, the configuration of the rotation and deletion commands has changed. These have to be adapted. This is the old configuration: xml /opt/digiverso/goobi/scripts/deleteI...
  110. 2021
    2021-12-16 The statistics plugin now exports XLSX instead of XLS, therefore the template file was changed. /opt/digiverso/goobi/plugins/statistics/statisticstemplate.xls needs to be replaced with http...
  111. 2022
    22.12 Config file change for the plugin Generic XML Import This point can be ignored if the plugin is not in use and thus the output of this command is empty: bash xmlstarlet sel -t -c '//catalogue/co...
  112. 2023
    23.10 Änderung der Konfigurationsdatei des Plugins goobipluginworkflowfileuploadprocesscreation The naming scheme has changed with the update. In the config file pluginintrandaworkflowfileUploadProces...
  113. 2024
    24.11 Artist Dictionary If the following plugins are used, manual steps must be carried out after the update: bash plugin-dashboard-entity plugin-export-luxembourg-artist-dictionary plugin-workflow-en...
  114. 2025
    25.08 Config update for the plugin goobi-plugin-step-mixed-ocr The callback URL for the Mixed OCR plugin changes from goobi/plugins to goobi/api/plugins. Example for the adjustment in pluginintrandast...
  115. 2026
    26.02 Archive Management: Icon migration Font Awesome → Tabler The icon attributes in elements of the Archive Management plugin configuration must be updated from Font Awesome class names to Tabler ic...
  116. Update steps
    The individual update steps that must be carried out to update a Goobi workflow installation to the required version are explained below. Please note that before carrying out the work documented here,...
  117. Update guide
    This section contains detailed documentation on how to carry out updates to Goobi workflow. An update should always be carried out in such a way that a backup of the important data is made beforehand....
  118. Authentication via the database
    With database authentication, users are managed entirely by Goobi workflow itself. The user name and password are stored in the Goobi database. Within the database, only a hash (sha256 & salt) of the ...
  119. Authentication via HTTP header
    HTTP header authentication reads an HTTP header in the request and checks if there is a user whose SSO-ID matches the content of the header. If there is a user, he will be logged in. As HTTP headers c...
  120. Authentication via OpenID Connect
    OpenID Connect 1.0 is an authentication layer based on the OAuth 2.0 protocol. It enables clients to obtain the end user's identity from an authentication provider in a REST-like manner. Goobi workflo...
  121. Authentication
    Some of the typical authentication options offered by Goobi workflow are documented below. In addition to authentication using the user passwords stored in the database, you can also use LDAP, Active ...
  122. Create thumbnails for accelerated image display
    For some time now, it has been possible to create a thumbs/ folder in Goobi workflow process folders. In this folder, thumbnails for the images in the folders in the images/ folder can be stored. When...
  123. Handling of 3D Objects
    Instead of two-dimensional images, 3D objects can also be saved in the images folder and displayed in the Goobi interface. Goobi can display the following 3D formats: bash=.obj .ply .stl .fbx .gltf .g...
  124. Use cases
    In the following sections, some concrete application scenarios are explained in detail. Some of the configurations are customer-specific and may therefore not be transferable to all Goobi workflow ins...
  125. Administration
    ...
  126. Preparatory work
    Installing the database server and other requirements Goobi workflow uses the database MariaDB to manage data. This must be installed on the system accordingly. Installation on Linux Installation on U...
  127. Download source code and demo data
    Initial setup A script has been created to check out the source code and download it, which performs the following tasks: - Create a database if one does not already exist - Download the demo data - C...
  128. Setting up the development environment
    The setup of a development environment is described here for Eclipse and Visual Studio Code: Eclipse Installation - Eclipse can be downloaded from [here](https://www.eclipse.org/downloads/packages/rel...
  129. Best practice for developing Goobi and working with Eclipse
    1.4.1 Useful software packages In order to work with the repositories and source code in a meaningful way, additional packages should be installed. These have proven to be useful: Linux bash sudo apt ...
  130. Development environment
    For the development of Goobi workflow, we usually work with the Eclipse development environment or with Visual Studio Code. The following pages explain how to set up a development environment and impo...
  131. Using the REST API
    Goobi workflow has a very comprehensive REST API that can be used to connect external applications and services to Goobi workflow. Configuring the REST API This configuration of the REST API is alread...
  132. Development
    ...
  133. Manual
    About this manual Welcome to the Goobi Manual. This is the official documentation produced by intranda GmbH as the core developer of the open-source workflow management application known as Goobi. The...