Configure custom formula storage

Use this guide when you need MathType Integration Services to store formulas or rendered formula files outside the local filesystem. Typical use cases include cloud object storage (such as Amazon S3), shared storage, databases, or custom persistence mechanisms.

After completing this guide, MathType Integration Services will use your custom storage implementation instead of the default filesystem-based storage.

Before you begin

Requirements

Make sure you have:

• A working MathType Integration Services deployment.
• Access to the Integration Services configuration.
• A custom storage implementation compatible with your platform.
• Permission to deploy custom server-side components.

Applies to

Self-hosted MathType Integration Services.

Steps

Understand what MathType stores

MathType Integration Services store two different types of information.

* Unless another recovery mechanism exists.

The rendered cache can always be regenerated by re-rendering the formulas. The formula storage is more critical. In deployments that use image save mode, it may contain the only server-side association between rendered formulas and their original MathML. If this information is lost, existing formulas may not be recoverable.

Choose a storage backend

By default, MathType Integration Services stores both formula storage and rendered cache files on the local filesystem. You can replace the default implementation with a custom storage backend, for example:

• Amazon S3 or another cloud object storage service.
• Shared network storage.
• A database.
• A custom persistence mechanism.

Choose a backend that provides the availability, scalability, and backup strategy required by your deployment.

Implement a custom storage provider

Create an implementation of the storage interface for your platform. The implementation is responsible for storing and retrieving both formula storage data and rendered cache files.

Configure the storage implementation

Configure Integration Services to use your custom implementation by setting the wirisstorageclass parameter in configuration.ini.

Deploy the implementation

Deploy the custom storage implementation together with your MathType Integration Services deployment. Depending on your platform, this may involve adding a library, assembly, or custom component to the application.

Restart the application if required.

Verify the configuration

Verify that Integration Services are using the custom storage implementation. Insert a new formula and confirm that:

• Formula storage is written to the custom backend.
• Rendered cache files are stored in the expected location.
• Existing formulas can be retrieved successfully.

Verify it worked

Perform a complete editing cycle:

• Insert a new formula.
• Save the content.
• Reload the page.
• Edit the same formula again.
• Verify that the formula is retrieved correctly from the custom storage backend.
• Verify that rendered formulas continue to display correctly after restarting the application.

Options and variations

Amazon S3

Amazon S3 can be used as a storage backend by implementing the MathType storage interface. When using Amazon S3:

• Use a dedicated bucket or storage path.
• Configure the appropriate bucket name and region.
• Store credentials using your platform's recommended credential management mechanism rather than hardcoding them.
• Ensure the application has permission to read, write, and delete the required objects.

Sample implementations are available in the official WIRIS sample repository.

Other storage providers

The same extension mechanism can be used with other storage systems, including:

• Azure Blob Storage.
• Google Cloud Storage.
• Shared network storage.
• Databases.
• Custom storage implementations.

Common issues

Formulas cannot be recovered

Verify that:

• Formula storage is being persisted correctly.
• The custom implementation stores both formula metadata and rendered cache files where appropriate.
• Formula storage has not been removed during maintenance or migration.

The custom storage implementation is not used

Verify that:

• wirisstorageclass points to the correct implementation.
• The custom component has been deployed correctly.
• The application has been restarted if required.

Performance is lower than expected

Verify that:

• The storage backend provides acceptable latency.
• Frequently accessed rendered formulas are cached efficiently.
• Network connectivity to the storage backend is stable.

Related articles

• Configure formula storage and cache.
• MathType Integration Services parameters.
• Deploy Integration Services with PHP.
• Deploy Integration Services with Java.
• Java API reference.
• .NET API reference.