GroupSpace is a Community template that lets you quickly create a project management-type Community. This chapter will help you create and start using a GroupSpace Community. The remaining chapters in this guide explain how to work with a GroupSpace Community.
Before you create a GroupSpace Community, follow the instructions in the Getting Started with WebLogic Portal tutorial to create a WebLogic Portaldomain and application (portal EAR project, portal web project, and datasync project) that are GroupSpace enabled.
Note:
When creating the domain and applications, select the WebLogic Portal Collaboration Repository check box in the domain configuration wizard and all the GroupSpace facet check boxes in the application creation wizards. You must select them to be able to create a GroupSpace Community.
Creating a GroupSpace Community Template
Before you create a GroupSpace Community, you must create a GroupSpace community template. A Community template is a packaged set of resources you can use to build a project management or collaboration application. You can use the GroupSpace Community template you create to make a new GroupSpace Community without writing additional code.
Perform the following steps to create a community template:
Make sure the server is running for your WebLogic Portal domain. In Workshop for WebLogic, open the WebLogic Portal Administration Console by selecting your portal EAR project in the Navigator view and choosing Run > Open Portal Administration Console.
Log into the Administration Console with the username and password you defined for the domain.
In the Administration Console, choose Portal > Portal Management.
In the Resource tree, select Portals and create a portal if necessary.
Expand the folders for the portal you created, expand the Templates folder, and select Community Templates.
In the Community Templates section, click Create Community Template as shown in Figure 1-1.
Figure 1-1 Create a New GroupSpace Community Template
In the Create Community Template: Step 1 window, pick one of the following options:
From a community template metadata file – Quickly set all the properties for your template by selecting a Community template metadata file in the current web application. This is the recommended method and is the most common method to create a Community template. The .ctmeta file defines the GroupSpace Community settings.
Select resources in the Library – Do not select this option for a GroupSpace Community; select this for a non-GroupSpace Community.
Select a .portal file – Do not select this option for a GroupSpace Community; select this for a non-GroupSpace Community.
After you select an option, click Next. The first option, From a community template metadata file, is shown in Figure 1-2 through Figure 1-6.
Figure 1-2 Select the Method to Use to Create a Community Template
In the Create Community Template: Step 2 window, you chose From a community template metadata file in the previous page, so click Show All and select the pre-configured groupspace.ctmeta database file. Figure 1-3 shows the next step after selecting From a community metadata file selection. Select groupspace.ctmeta and click Next.
Figure 1-3 Selecting the Pre-Configured groupspace.ctmeta File
In the Create Community Template: Step 3 window, enter the following information:
Community Template Title – Enter the name of the GroupSpace Community. For example, GroupSpace Template. This field is required.
Description – Enter text describing the Community template.
Default Shell – You must select Community Header-Footer Shell from the drop-down menu.
Look And Feel – Select a Look And Feel for this Community from the drop-down menu.
Add this template to the Library – Select this check box to add this template to the Community template library. You can use the template to create communities in other GroupSpace portals in the current portal web project. See Figure 1-4.
Figure 1-4 Enter a Name for the Community Template
In the Create Community Template: Step 4 window, review the following fields that are pre-populated by the template. Each template can have different defaults. After you enter the following information, click Review Properties or click Create Template:
Allow non-members to access the community – This check box is disabled, because non-members cannot join a GroupSpace Community.
Allow anyone to register for community membership – Select this check box to allow public registration and not require an invitation to join a Community.
Allow people to customize their view and add personal pages– Select this check box to add personal pages and data. If you choose to not select this check box, Community members cannot customize the GroupSpace Community to add pages and books to the Community.
Track member visits to the community – If you are using the default Community, you cannot select this check box to monitor how many times a member logs into the GroupSpace Community.
Registration page – Review the name of the URI that displays for users to register. For example, /portlets/access/registration.portal.
Error page – Review the name of the URI that displays for the error page. For example, /groupspace.jsp.
Callback Class for Community Delete – Review the callback class (for example, com.bea.apps.groupspace.security.GroupSpace). When a Community is deleted, for example, you might want to use a callback class to archive its content and send a note to the former members of that Community to advise them that the Community no longer exists.
Expiration Date – Set the date and time zone when the Community expires. The default is to never expire.
If another template exists, you are prompted to resolve the conflict.
Other Community information is also copied from the template, such as the portal path, access tracking status, and other generic properties. See Figure 1-5.
Figure 1-5 Enter a Name for the Community Template
If you clicked Review Properties in
step 10, click Create Template.
In the Create Community Template: Step 6 window, click Finish, as shown in Figure 1-6.
Figure 1-6 Click Finish to Create the New Community Template
Creating a GroupSpace Community
After you create a GroupSpace Community template, you can create your GroupSpace Community.
Perform the following steps to create a GroupSpace Community:
In the Administration Console, choose Portal > Portal Management.
Select the Communities folder and click Create Community in the Community Contents section.
In the Create Community Instance: Step 1 window, select Use a Community Template to choose a template that defines the Community's shell, Look and Feel, and contents. The recommended method for creating a GroupSpace Community is to choose the GroupSpace Community template you created in Creating a GroupSpace Community Template. If you did not create or do not need a Community Template, you can also choose Select a .community or .portal file to select the groupspace.community file directly. Some Communities, such as GroupSpace, require additional information located in a Community template metadata file (for example, groupspace.ctmeta file). Do not choose Select resources in the Library because this required GroupSpace Community metadata will not be applied and the GroupSpace Community will not work. See the Portal Guide for more information on library resources and .portal files.
Click Next.
In the Create Community Instance: Step 2 window, click Show All and select a template, resource, or .portal file. Select the item and click Next.
In the Create Community Instance: Step 3 window, enter the following details:
Title – Enter the name of the new Community. For example, Project Management GroupSpace.
Description – Enter text describing the Community.
Partial URL – Enter a short URL for the new Community. For example, project.
Allow non-members to access this community – Do not select this check box, since non-members cannot join a GroupSpace Community.
Allow anyone to register for community membership – Select this check box to allow public registration and not require an invitation to join a Community.
Allow people to customize their view and add personal pages– Select this check box to let users customize their personal pages and persist those changes.
Registration URI – Review the name of the URI that displays for users to register. For example, /portlets/access/registration.portal.
Error URI – Review the name of the URI that displays for the error page. For example, /portlets/access/err.jsp.
Click Create Community, as shown in Figure 1-7 or click Review Properties.
Figure 1-7 You Can Edit Community Properties
If you clicked Review Properties in
step 6, you can change the Expiration Date for the Community if you want in the Create Community Instance: Step 4 window. Verify that the Make this community active now check box is selected. If you deselect the Make this community active now check box, you cannot access the Community. Click Create Community.
In the Create Community Instance: Step 5 window, click Finish. You can also click Go to Community to go directly to the GroupSpace Community. An Invitation to join the new GroupSpace Community was created. You must log into your new GroupSpace application to accept the Invitation. Your role is owner/creator, so that you can then invite other users to join and you can perform other administrative tasks.
Log into your new GroupSpace Community and accept your invitation. Perform the following steps:
Access the URL for the new Community you created.
Enter the username and password of weblogic/weblogic and click Login.
In the GroupSpace Invitations section, click the Community name that you created.
In the Community Registration page, enter the username and password of weblogic/weblogic and click Login.
In the GroupSpace Home page, click the Community name.
After you accept your invitation to join the GroupSpace Community, you can invite others to join the Community and entitle users to control what they can do. See Managing GroupSpace for more information on managing your new GroupSpace Community.
Note:
All types of users (including a user with view-only rights in a GroupSpace Community) can create a Community. To restrict a view-only user from creating a new Community, follow these steps to define a visitor entitlement policy:
Create a visitor entitlement role using the Administration Console.
Add the users who need to have the right to create Communities to the visitor entitlement role.
Add the entitlement role to the portal you want, and enable the Create Community capability. The Create Community capability is available only for the portal resource type.
Note:
This visitor entitlement policy disables the Create Community option in the GroupSpace Community for users who do not belong to the visitor entitlement role. For more information on Visitor Entitlements, see Restricting Portal Visitor Access USing Entitlements in the the Security Guide.
After your users join the GroupSpace Community, they can use the portlets to collaborate with others and share information. See Using the GroupSpace Portlets.
