1 Introduction

This chapter introduces Oracle WebLogic Portal portlet concepts and describes the content of this guide.

This chapter includes the following sections:

• Section 1.1, "Portlet Overview"

• Section 1.2, "Portlet Development and the Portal Life Cycle"

1.1 Portlet Overview

Portlets are modular panes within a web browser that surface applications, information, and business processes. Portlets can contain anything from static HTML content to Java controls to complex web services and process-heavy applications. Portlets can communicate with each other using events and other techniques. A single portlet can also have multiple instances—in other words, it can appear on a variety of different pages within a single portal, or even across multiple portals if the portlet is enabled for Web Services for Remote Portlets (WSRP). You can customize portlets to meet the needs of specific users or groups.

Figure shows an example portal desktop with its associated portlets outlined in red.

Figure 1-1 Portal Desktop with Portlets

Description of "Figure 1-1 Portal Desktop with Portlets "

WebLogic Portal supports the development of portlets through Oracle Enterprise Pack for Eclipse, which is a client-based tool. You can develop portals without Oracle Enterprise Pack for Eclipse through coding in any tool of choice such as JBuilder, VI or Emacs; portlets can be written in Java or JSP, and can include JavaScript for client-side operations. However, to realize the full development-time productivity gains afforded to the WebLogic Portal customer, you should use Oracle Enterprise Pack for Eclipse as your portal and portlet development platform.

For a description of each type of portlet that you can build using WebLogic Portal, refer to Chapter 3, "Portlet Types."

1.2 Portlet Development and the Portal Life Cycle

The tasks in this guide are organized according to the portal life cycle, which includes best practices and sequences for creating and updating portals. For more information about the portal life cycle, refer to the Oracle Fusion Middleware Overview for Oracle WebLogic Portal. The portal life cycle contains four phases: architecture, development, staging, and production.

1.2.1 Architecture

During the architecture phase, you plan the configuration of your portal. For example, you can create a detailed specification outlining the requirements for your portal, the specific portlets you require, where those portlets will be hosted, and how they will communicate and interact with one another. You also consider the deployment strategy for your portal. Security architecture is another consideration that you must keep in mind at the portlet level.

The chapters describing tasks within the architecture phase include:

• Chapter 2, "Portlet Planning"

• Chapter 3, "Portlet Types"

1.2.2 Development

Developers use Oracle Enterprise Pack for Eclipse to create portlets, pages, and books. During development, you can implement data transfer and interportlet communication strategies.

In the development stage, careful attention to best practices is crucial. Wherever possible, this guide includes descriptions and instructions for adhering to these best practices.

The chapters describing tasks within the development phase include:

• Chapter 4, "Understanding Portlet Development"

• Chapter 5, "Creating Portlets"

• Chapter 7, "Creating Clipper Portlets"

• Chapter 10, "Optimizing Portlet Performance"

• Chapter 11, "Monitoring and Determining Portlet Performance"

• Chapter 12, "Configuring Local Interportlet Communication"

• Chapter 14, "Adding the Content Presenter Portlet"

• Chapter 15, "Adding a Third-Party Portlet"

1.2.3 Staging

Oracle recommends that you deploy your portal, including portlets, to a staging environment, where it can be assembled and tested before going live. In the staging environment, you use the WebLogic Portal Administration Console to assemble and configure desktops. You also test your portal in a staging environment before propagating it to a live production system. In the testing aspect of the staging phase, there is tight iteration between staging and development until the application is ready to be released.

The chapters describing tasks within the staging phase include:

• Chapter 17, "Assembling Portlets into Desktops"

• Chapter 18, "Deploying Portlets"

1.2.4 Production

A production portal is live and available to end users. A portal in production can be modified by administrators using the WebLogic Portal Administration Console and by users using Visitor Tools. For instance, an administrator might add additional portlets to a portal or reorganize the contents of a portal.

The chapter describing tasks within the production phase is:

• Chapter 19, "Managing Portlets in Production"

1.3 Getting Started

This section describes the basic prerequisites to using this guide and lists guides containing related information and topics.

1.3.1 Prerequisites

In general, this guide assumes that you have performed the following prerequisite tasks before you attempt to use this guide to develop portlets:

• Review the Section 1.3.2, "Related Guides" and become familiar with the basic operation of the tools used to create portals, portlets, and desktops,

• Review the Oracle Enterprise Pack for Eclipse tutorials and documentation to become familiar with the Eclipse-based development environment and the recommended project hierarchy.

• Complete the tutorial Oracle Fusion Middleware Tutorials for Oracle WebLogic Portal.

1.3.2 Related Guides

Oracle recommends that you review the following guides:

• Oracle Fusion Middleware Overview for Oracle WebLogic Portal

• Oracle Fusion Middleware Portal Development Guide for Oracle WebLogic Portal

Whenever possible, this guide includes cross references to material in related guides.