Developer’s Quick Start Guide

Portal Web Application Organization

The following topics will help you organize your portal web application:

Directory Structure

The structure described here is suggested to help keep your portal web application stay organized and easy to navigate as it grows larger. The following list demonstrates a structure for portlets. Use a similar organizational technique for portals, skins, look-and-feel files, and so on.

Create a top-level folder, under the WebContent folder named portlets.
Create a folder (or folder structure) for each portlet.
Put the .portlet file, JSPs, and other files associated with the portlet in the portlet folder.

WebContent
   /portlets
      /utility
         /weather
          weather.portlet
          weather_summary.jsp

Match the portlet folder structure for any associated utility classes, backing files, and other files in a package. For example, the backing and utility classes might go in something like org.foo.projectx.portlets.utility.weather package.

Portal Organization

To organize your portals, create .book and .page files separately from the .portal file rather than inline. Although a simple portal can use an inline structure, keeping these files separate is useful for managing and organizing your portal as it grows.

For more information, see “Creating a Standalone Book or Page” and “Extracting an Existing Page or Book to Re-Use” in Developing Portals Using WorkSpace Studio in the Portal Development Guide.

Support Proxy Caching

Create static content under separate top-level folders. This makes them easier to deploy from a front-end like Apache or a caching/edge proxy. For example, using the sample in Directory Structure:

WebContent
   /images
      /weather

   /icons
      /weather

   /content (static content)
     /weather

Plan for Upgrading WebLogic Portal

In WebLogic Portal, certain files work together as a logical unit. This means that a change in one file may affect another. During an upgrade or patch, it’s possible that a file you changed will not be upgraded, while a file that it depends on may be upgraded. As a best practice, especially when using WorkSpace Studio’s Copy to Project feature, do one of the following to avoid problems with the way a logical group of files interact with each other:

Create your own versions of files, with their own names and paths, from the J2EE libraries. Do not override the library modules at all.
If you do override a file, make sure to override a logical unit of files, rather than overriding individual files within that group.

Tip:

This suggestion is valid for any set of files you might override, but it is especially important when tweaking skins, skeletons, and layouts. It is best to create your own look-and-feel files, using the original library modules as a starting point, rather than overriding the default look-and-feel files.

For additional information, see Installing Maintenance Updates, Service Packs, and Maintenance Packs.

Related Information

The following topics provide more detail for organizing your portal application:

User Interface Development with Look And Feel Features in the Portal Development Guide
Using the Merged Projects View in the Portal Development Guide