How to set "getmetadata" macro for existing pages using Comala Document Management app

Question

Hello Everyone,

I have recently started using the Comala Document Management app for setting workflow to the pages.

I found we can use the get metadata macro to set version numbers automatically inside the pages. It's a cool feature, but I am not able to find a solution to set that up for existing pages to work. Any leads will be helpful and appreciated.

Here's the link where I learned about the function:

https://appfire.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CDML/pages/650315910/Use+metadata+to+increment+a+content+version.

I have read from the above page that the function doesn't work for existing pages, but I am writing to the community to see if there are any tweaks to get that.

Thank you

Meera_Amanullah · Answer

Hi Prasanna,

Thanks for the response.

I have reached out to the app vendor on the possibility of adding the metadata manually to the existing pages as mentioned in the second bullet.

Will let you know the resolution I receive.

Regards,

Meera.

Prasanna Ravichandran · Answer

Hi,

You’re correct — the metadata auto-increment approach is designed to work when the workflow initializes, so it typically won’t retroactively populate values on existing pages. There isn’t a built-in way to backfill this automatically.

Possible options you can try:

* Reapply or reinitialize the workflow on existing pages so metadata fields are created

* Manually set the initial metadata value once, then let the workflow increment from there

* Use a bulk update tool/script (if available) to add metadata to many pages

* Copy the page content to a new page with the workflow already applied

* Check if Comala’s admin tools offer bulk workflow reset/restart

In practice, most teams seed the starting value manually for legacy pages and rely on automation only going forward. If you need full backfill at scale, Appfire/Comala support may be able to suggest a supported approach.

Hope this helps 👍