Getting Started with the Administration Console

 

The following sections explain how to log on to the WebLogic Collaborate Administration Console and get started using it.

This topic includes the following sections:

• Starting the Administration Console

• Using the Notes Tab

 

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Starting the Administration Console

To start the WebLogic Collaborate Administration Console:

1. Run the appropriate command for your environment:

   • If you are using Windows NT or 2000, choose the Start WebLogic Collaborate menu command. Select Start Collaborate, and then select Start Admin Console.

   • If you are using UNIX, execute the shell script StartWebLogic.sh.

2. The system prompts you to select a persistence mode. The default is On. This writes all data to the database and offers you full recovery of the WebLogic Collaborate repository on an ongoing basis. Otherwise, data is written to the memory. For more information, see Configuring Persistence and Recovery in Administering BEA WebLogic Collaborate.

3. When the administration console login window appears, enter your ID and password. These are the same username and password you specified when you installed WebLogic Collaborate. For more information, see Starting, Stopping, and Customizing WebLogic Collaborate in Installing BEA WebLogic Collaborate.

When you log on, the home page for the WebLogic Collaborate Administration Console is displayed.

The WebLogic Collaborate Administration Console is a graphical, Web-based interface to the administrative functions required to maintain and run WebLogic Collaborate. The home page for the WebLogic Collaborate Administration Console is similar to the home page for the WebLogic Server Administration Console: a window containing two vertical panes.

The left pane contains a navigation tree: a hierarchically arranged set of nodes that represent the entities (such as trading partners) that make up a WebLogic Collaborate installation. The right pane contains interactive pages through which you manage and use the entities represented by the nodes in the navigation tree. These pages, which are depicted in the Console as file folders with tabs, are also known as tabs.

Using the Navigation Tree

Note: Displaying a long list of entities in the navigation tree like individual Trading Partners can affect WebLogic Collaborate performance. Displaying entities on the navigation tree is by default disabled.

To display a list of entities in the navigation tree:

1. Click the top-level WLC node in the navigation tree.

2. Select the Configuration tab and then the Preferences tab.

3. Select the Display Items on the Navigation Tree check box to show individual items in the navigation tree.

To access the parameters controlling a particular entity, click the node for that entity in the navigation tree (in the left pane). The configuration page for the selected entity is displayed in the right pane, as shown in the following figure.

 

Figure 1-1 WebLogic Collaborate Navigation Tree and Tabs

Note: For instructions on expanding and collapsing the navigation tree (so that items listed below nodes are displayed and hidden, respectively), see Displaying Items in the Navigation Tree.

Using the Pop-Up Context Menus

Right-click a node in the navigation tree. The WebLogic Collaborate Administration Console displays a context-sensitive pop-up menu that includes the following commands.

Table 1-1 Pop-up Context Menu Commands

Command	Description
Open in New Window	Opens an interactive window for the specified entity. The navigation tree is not displayed.
Create a new. . .	This command displays a page that allows you to create a new instance of the selected node. For example, suppose you right-click the Trading Partner node and then select Create a new . . . from the menu. A window labeled New Trading Partner opens, prompting you to create a new trading partner. You can also create a new trading partner by selecting the Trading Partner node in the navigation bar and, in the right pane, clicking the Create a new Trading Partner link.

 

Selecting and Ordering List Boxes

Some dialog boxes enable you to transfer entities by moving them from one field to another, either left and right or up and down. Use the right and left arrow buttons to move entities between lists. Use the up and down arrow buttons to order entities.

Applying Changes and Removing Entities

When you modify the properties of an entity, click Set to modify properties for an attribute. When you finish modifying all fields and attributes, click Add/Apply to commit the changes.

To remove an entity from any list, select the entity and click Remove. In some circumstance you can also disable an entity.

Instructions for modifying entity properties and for removing and disabling an entity are provided in appropriate sections of this document.

 

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Searching for Entities

You can search for the following entities by name in the WebLogic Collaborate Administration Console.

• Trading partner

• Conversation Definition

• Collaboration Agreement

• Business Protocol Definition

• Logic Plug-in

Query capability should allow the following pattern match on the name of the above objects:

• Full name query

• * matches any character sequence of a name

• ? matches a single character in a name

For example, you can search for the name ABCD by using any one of the following:

ABCD,
AB*
AB?D
A???
*
*CD
??CD

To search for an entity:

1. Click the node of the entity you want to find. A list of existing entities is displayed along with a search field.

2. In the Search field at the top of a list of entities, enter a keyword or partial text string, as described above. Click Search. A list of possible matches is displayed.

3. Select the entity you want.

 

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Using the Notes Tab

The WebLogic Collaborate Administration Console provides a Notes tab for each entity type. You can use these text-entry dialog boxes to record information that helps to describe the related function. Each Notes tab is independent and records information relative to its location. This information persists from one logon session to another.