--- a/flys-artifacts/src/main/java/de/intevation/flys/collections/FLYSArtifactCollection.java	Tue Dec 13 13:37:18 2011 +0000
+++ b/flys-artifacts/src/main/java/de/intevation/flys/collections/FLYSArtifactCollection.java	Wed Dec 14 10:20:56 2011 +0000
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
 
 import javax.xml.xpath.XPathConstants;
 
@@ -30,6 +31,8 @@
 import de.intevation.artifactdatabase.Backend.PersistentArtifact;
 import de.intevation.artifactdatabase.DefaultArtifactCollection;
 import de.intevation.artifactdatabase.state.ArtifactAndFacet;
+import de.intevation.artifactdatabase.state.Output;
+import de.intevation.artifactdatabase.state.Settings;
 import de.intevation.artifactdatabase.state.StateEngine;
 
 import de.intevation.flys.artifacts.context.FLYSContext;
@@ -92,6 +95,10 @@
             CollectionAttribute newAttr = mergeAttributes(
                 db, context, parser, aUUIDs);
 
+            if (checkOutputSettings(newAttr, context)) {
+                saveCollectionAttribute(db, context, newAttr);
+            }
+
             helper.setAttribute(newAttr);
 
             // Make it an empty array if null.
@@ -131,17 +138,42 @@
         cAttribute.setLoadedRecommendations(
             getLoadedRecommendations(oldParser.getAttributeDocument()));
 
-        Document doc = cAttribute.toXML();
+        saveCollectionAttribute(db, context, cAttribute);
+
+        return cAttribute;
+    }
+
+
+    /**
+     * @param db The ArtifactDatabase which is required to save the attribute
+     * into.
+     * @param attribute The CollectionAttribute that should be stored in the
+     * database.
+     *
+     * @return true, if the transaction was successful, otherwise false.
+     */
+    protected boolean saveCollectionAttribute(
+        ArtifactDatabase    db,
+        CallContext         context,
+        CollectionAttribute attribute
+    ) {
+        log.info("Save new CollectionAttribute into database.");
+
+        Document doc = attribute.toXML();
 
         try {
             // Save the merged document into database.
             db.setCollectionAttribute(identifier(), context.getMeta(), doc);
+
+            log.info("Saving CollectionAttribute was successful.");
+
+            return true;
         }
         catch (ArtifactDatabaseException adb) {
             log.error(adb, adb);
         }
 
-        return cAttribute;
+        return false;
     }
 
 
@@ -162,6 +194,64 @@
     }
 
 
+    /**
+     * Evaluates the Output settings. If an Output has no Settings set, the
+     * relevant OutGenerator is used to initialize a default Settings object.
+     *
+     * @param attribute The CollectionAttribute.
+     * @param cc The CallContext.
+     *
+     * @return true, if the CollectionAttribute was modified, otherwise false.
+     */
+    protected boolean checkOutputSettings(
+        CollectionAttribute attribute,
+        CallContext         cc
+    ) {
+        boolean modified = false;
+
+        Map<String, Output> outputMap = attribute != null
+            ? attribute.getOutputs()
+            : null;
+
+        if (outputMap == null || outputMap.size() == 0) {
+            log.debug("No Output Settings check necessary.");
+            return modified;
+        }
+
+        Set<Map.Entry<String, Output>> entries = outputMap.entrySet();
+
+        for (Map.Entry<String, Output> entry: entries) {
+            String outName = entry.getKey();
+            Output output  = entry.getValue();
+
+            Settings settings = output.getSettings();
+
+            if (settings == null) {
+                log.debug("No Settings set for Output '" + outName + "'.");
+                output.setSettings(createInitialOutputSettings(cc, outName));
+
+                modified = true;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return modified;
+    }
+
+
+    /**
+     * This method uses the the OutGenerator for the specified Output
+     * <i>out</i> to create an initial Settings object.
+     */
+    protected Settings createInitialOutputSettings(CallContext cc, String out) {
+        OutGenerator outGen = getOutGenerator(cc, out, null);
+
+        // TODO simulate a real out() process and return finally the Settings
+        // object retrieved by the OutGenerator.
+
+        return outGen.getSettings();
+    }
+
+
     @Override
     public void out(
         String       type,