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DataSpaces and Records

This chapter describes how to create and display data in Pages through DataSpaces, including creating your own custom data sources and surfacing data from external data sources; it also describes how to work with records in DataSpaces.

 

DataSpaces

A DataSpace defines a set of data, made up of records. You can create a custom DataSpace that stores data in the Pages repository, or you can point to an external system from which you want to surface data.

Each DataSpace is based on a template that defines the configurable properties of the DataSpace (for example, whether the DataSpace relies on the native Pages repository or an external repository). Pages includes the following templates:

DataSpace Security

Only users that are members of the DataSpace Creators portal group can create DataSpaces. DataSpace Creators see the Create a New DataSpace link in the Dashboard. DataSpace creators can also create a new DataSpace when they configure a page component that relies on a DataSpace.

Each DataSpace includes security so you can control which users can view or edit the records in the DataSpace. Users who are allowed to edit the records can add or edit content enabling rapid knowledge transfer.

You set security by assigning roles to portal users and groups. These roles apply to every object associated with the DataSpace (records, documents, and components added to the DataSpace or records in page view). For a description of the available roles and what privileges these roles provide, see Pages Roles.

Custom DataSpaces

Custom DataSpaces enable you to define your own data fields to fit your needs. For example, you might want to create a custom DataSpace to track job postings, marketing campaigns, or facilities requests.

Data collected in a custom DataSpace is stored in the Pages repository and is therefore editable. For information on how users work with records, see Records.

Creating a custom DataSpace is simple because you choose from a list of available field types and then specify the properties for each field.

The following field types are available:

Table 6-1 Field Types
Field Type
Description
Text
Enables users to enter small amounts of text.
Long Text
Enables users to enter longer blocks of text.
Rich Text
Enables users to enter formatted text. For information on the formatting options available in a rich text field, see Rich Text; not all rich text features are available in rich text fields.
Drop-Down
Enables users to select a value from a list. For example, for a support issue priority, you might want to limit values to: Low, Normal, and Urgent.
Dynamic Drop-Down
Enables users to select a value from a list populated by a DataSpace. The list is populated with the values from the title field of the specified DataSpace. For example, you might point to a DataSpace of customer contact info, so users can select from the list of customers.
HyperLink
Enables users to enter text hyperlinks.

For each field, you define the following properties:

Table 6-2 Field Properties
Field Property
Description
Field Title
This value is displayed as the field label in record entry forms and as the column header in the DataSpace, record lists, and tables.
Field Type
Enables you to change the type of field.
Values
Enables you to specify the list of values for a drop-down field.

Note: This property displays only when you select Drop-Down as the field type.
Current DataSpace
Enables you to specify the DataSpace that should be used to populate the list of values for a dynamic drop-down field.

Note: This property displays only when you select Dynamic Drop-Down as the field type.
Use this field value for the record title?
Enables you to specify that the value in this field be used as the title for the record (for example, in search results or dynamic drop-down lists).
Display Order
Enables you to change the order in which the fields are displayed.

Blog DataSpaces

Blog DataSpaces enable you to create a blog. A blog is an online journal or chronological publication of comments and information. Blogs are generally updated frequently and can be an efficient communication tool for small groups or to disseminate knowledge to a group. For example, you might want to create a blog so that your CEO can keep the company appraised of important company news.

Blog DataSpaces, like custom DataSpaces, store data in the Pages repository and are therefore editable. For information on how users work with records, see Records.

To create a blog DataSpace, you need only specify a title (and, optionally, customize the URL and specify a description). The fields are pre-defined to fit a standard blog entry: a text field for the title and a rich text field for the post.

When you view a blog DataSpace in page view, it looks a bit different than the standard DataSpace page view. It is formatted to look like a standard blog, displaying the 10 most recent posts, but it also includes an archive list that displays links to previous blog posts.

A blog DataSpace record (a post) in page view also looks different than the standard record page view. It is also formatted to look like a standard blog post.

RSS DataSpaces

RSS DataSpaces enable you to display content from an external RSS feed. For example, you might want to display recent news articles discussing your product or company.

Because RSS DataSpace data comes from external systems, it is read-only. However, after you create an RSS DataSpace and its records have been fetched at least once (by a user viewing the DataSpace), the records become part of the search collection and users can add components, text, and document attachments to the records. Pages updates the cached records when a record is viewed by a user. For information on how users work with records, see Records.

To create an RSS DataSpace, you need only specify a title (and, optionally, customize the URL and specify a description), the URL for the given feed, and, if the feed is secured, a user name and password. The fields are automatically created based on the data from the RSS feed.

Once this information is supplied, users can navigate to a List view or a Display view. The List view, like with the blog DataSpace type, is custom to RSS. Also, RSS is read-only, so there is no "Entry" view. There is nothing particularly worth noting about the RSS view overrides other than that they are slightly different to allow easier browsing/reading of the RSS data. At any time you view a feed or an item, the RSS feed is requested. This means, it's expected that the feed or a given post should display real-time data. Users can update the RSS URL at any time. If a user changes the URL for an RSS feed, and if an Object as Page exists for a given post item, those Objects as Pages will be left around for posterity.

Web Service DataSpaces

Web service DataSpaces enable you to surface data residing in external systems via SOAP-based web services. For example, you might want to display sales information from a CRM system, or display inventory information from an ERP system, or connect to a free web service on the internet.

Because web service DataSpace data comes from external systems, it is read-only. However, after you create a web service DataSpace and its records have been fetched at least once (by a user viewing the DataSpace), the records become part of the search collection and users can add components, text, and document attachments to the records. Pages updates the cached records when a record is viewed by a user. For information on how users work with records, see Records.

To create a web service DataSpace, you specify a title (and, optionally, customize the URL and specify a description) and the parameters specific to the type of external system (for example, for a Google search, specify the term you want to search for). The fields are automatically created based on the data from the external system.

A sample DataSpace template is installed with Pages. You can use this sample template to help you create new enterprise DataSpace templates to surface data from other SOAP-based web services. For information on creating a custom DataSpace template, see Creating a Web Service DataSpace Template.

Note: For a web service DataSpace to be valid, it must expose a primary key field, which is a unique identifier that represents a given record (like a customer ID field for a list of customers from a CRM system).

Creating a Web Service DataSpace Template

To create a new web service DataSpace template:

  1. On the computer on which you installed Pages, open the \record-set-templates\soap\ folder (for example, c:\bea\alui\pages\1.0\record-set-templates\soap\).
  2. Create a new folder for your new template.
  3. Copy the sample template, record-set-descriptor.xml (for example, c:\bea\alui\pages\1.0\record-set-templates\soap\google-search-template\
    record-set-descriptor.xml), into your new folder.
  4. Open the new copy of the file in a text editor and change the following values:
    1. name: a unique identifier for this DataSpace template
    2. id: a unique identifier for this DataSpace template (use the same value you used for name)
    3. title: the title that users see when interacting with this template
      4. Note: If you want to use display titles based on the user's selected language, use localizedTitles, using the files in the \settings\i18n\ folder as examples.
    4. recordSource: soap; this value must be soap for the system to register the template as one pointing to a SOAP endpoint
    5. recordSetURI: the URL to the WSDL you want to use
      6. Note: Open up the WSDL in a browser to help you with the next few settings.
    6. operationName: the name of the operation you want to invoke on the WSDL whenever an instance of this DataSpace template is instantiated
    7. inputMessageName: the name of the input message; SOAP operations require input messages
    8. portTypeName: the name of the port type for the given WSDL
    9. bindingName: the name of the binding for the given WSDL
    10. serviceName: the name of the service for the given WSDL
    11. recordSetXPath: the XPath expression that returns the collection of items from the web service (Pages will treat these items as records)
    12. inputMessageParts: the list of input parts to include in the SOAP message sent to the WSDL

      13. Create a messagePart entry for each input part. The name must exactly match the name of the input message part defined by the WSDL. If desired, specify a default value for a part. Specify whether the value of the part is configurable by users, and if so, specify the field label for the part.

      Note: A form is automatically generated and displayed in the DataSpace Editor for the message parts you expose to users.
    13. recordTypeDefinition: a description of the data that is returned by the WSDL operation

      14. Create an entry for each piece of data (which Pages will treat as a field in the record), specifying the appropriate field class. Specify a title for the field, whether the field value should be used as the title for the record, whether the field requires a value, whether the field should be displayed, and if so, in what order the field should be displayed.

      Note: If you want to use display field names based on the user's selected language, use localizedTitles, using the files in the \settings\i18n\ folder as examples.

      The record type definition is used any time a record from a DataSpace created from this template is displayed in the user interface.

  5. Save the file.
  6. Restart Pages.
  7. To verify that the template is working properly, navigate to the Dashboard, click Create a New DataSpace, select the new template (listed under Web Service), create a DataSpace, and view the DataSpace.
Note: Changes to a DataSpace template do not apply to DataSpaces created from that template.

Creating a DataSpace

Before you create a DataSpace, think about what type of DataSpace you need to create, and, if you are creating a custom DataSpace, what fields the DataSpace should include. Consider which users and groups should be allowed to view, comment on, create, edit, and delete the DataSpace and all the objects associated with the DataSpace.

To create a DataSpace:

  1. Use one of the following methods to open the DataSpace Editor:
    • Navigate to the Dashboard and click Create a New DataSpace.
    • Create or navigate to the page on which you want to display the DataSpace. Add a record list or table component to the page. Enter a name for the component, then click Configure DataSpace.
  2. On the Template page, select the type of DataSpace you want to create, and click Configure DataSpace.
  3. On the General Settings page, type a name and description for the DataSpace and edit the default URL if desired. Then click Next.
  4. If you are creating a custom DataSpace, on the Data Fields tab, add fields and define the field properties, then click Next.
  5. If you are creating an RSS DataSpace, on the Feed tab, type the URL to the RSS Feed Location, and, if necessary, specify a user name and password, then click Next.
  6. On the Security page, assign roles to portal users and groups based on the security decisions you made before creating the DataSpace.
  7. Click Finish.

For more information on the DataSpace Editor and creating DataSpaces, see the online help.

Viewing a DataSpace

You can navigate to a DataSpace several different ways:

Editing a DataSpace

Use one of the following methods to edit a DataSpace:

Deleting a DataSpace

When you delete a DataSpace, it deletes all objects associated with the DataSpace, including all the records in the DataSpace, any pages that were created for any of the records, and any components and documents added to those pages. There is no way to recover the DataSpace or any associated objects after deleting it.

Use one of the following methods to delete a DataSpace:

 

Records

A record is a group of related fields that store data about a subject or activity (for example, a record can be one row in a table or one entry in a blog). A collection of records is stored in a DataSpace (which stores data in the native repository or points to an external repository of data).

Note: Data stored in an external repository (for example, data from RSS or web service DataSpaces) is read-only; therefore you cannot add, edit, or delete records. Data stored in the native repository (for example, data from custom and blog DataSpaces) is editable.

Creating a Record

Note: You can only add records to custom or blog DataSpaces and only if you have the proper permissions. For information on permissions, see Pages Roles.

You add records different ways depending on the interface that displays the records:

Viewing Record Details

Record details are displayed in the table or record list, but, if there is additional content (for example, images, comments, or documents) associated with a record, you can view those details in page view. To view the record in page view, navigate to the DataSpace, Simple table, or record list that includes the record, and click the record.

Note: Because you cannot open a record in page view from a Master/Detail table or a Spreadsheet table, you cannot view components, comments, or documents associated with a record that you access from one of those tables.

Searching for Records

You can search for records using the search box at the top of any table or record list. As you type, the list is dynamically filtered to display only those records that include your search text in one of the record fields.

Sorting Records in a Table

You can sort the records in any table by clicking the name of the column by which you want to sort. The records will be sorted in ascending order. Click the column name again to sort the records in descending order.

Note: You cannot sort records in a record list.

Adding Components, Comments, or Documents to a Record

You add components, comments, or documents to a record by opening the record in page view and editing the record just like any other page.

Note: For information on editing pages, see Editing a Page.

Editing Record Data

Note: You can only edit records stored in the Pages repository (in custom or blog DataSpaces) and only if you have the proper permissions. For information on permissions, see Pages Roles.

You edit records different ways depending on the interface that displays the records:

Deleting a Record

Note: You can only delete records to custom or blog DataSpaces and only if you have the proper permissions. For information on permissions, see Pages Roles.

You delete records different ways depending on the interface that displays the records:


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