Using the E-Business Control Center Portal Tool

 

The E-Business Control Center enables you to define the design, functionality and visitor attributes of portals and portlets with limited coding knowledge of Java, JavaServer Pages (JSPs) or HTML. Once you have defined the components of a portal or portlet, the definitions are communicated to a server and the new portal is available to visitors or to an administrator who may define its runtime components using the WebLogic Portal Administration Tools.

Components that can be defined via the E-Business Control Center include:

• Design components

  Includes assigning skins and layouts to portals.

• Functionality

  Includes assigning Web applications, Webflow mechanisms, and portlets.

• Visitor information and Guidelines

  Includes defining entitlement definitions and user profiles.

  Note: To use the portal design functionality in the E-Business Control Center, you must purchase the full WebLogic Portal License.

This topic includes the following sections:

• Using the E-Business Control Center

  What you should know in order to make the best use of this application.

  • E-Business Control Center Portal Concepts

    Basic concepts you should be familiar with when using the E-Business Control Center portal functionality.

  • Getting Started

    How to get started using the E-Business Control Center.

  • Portal Web Applications

    How to open a newly created portal Web application in the E-Business Control Center.

  • Portals

    How to associate available Web components, such as skins, layouts, and the portlets and entitlements you have created in earlier sections, for the creation of a new portal.

  • Portlets

    Step by step procedure for creating a new portlet.

  • Entitlement Segments

    How to access the entitlement segment definition tool.

 

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Using the E-Business Control Center

To effectively utilize the portal definition tools in the E-Business Control Center, you should have some knowledge of the fundamentals of building a Web portal, including a high-level understanding of JavaServer Pages (JSPs), page flows, servlets, and portlets. It is also helpful, but not necessary, to be familiar with the Portal framework, Webflow, and the WebLogic Portal Administration Tools.

E-Business Control Center Portal Concepts

The following terms are concepts often used in this document and in the E-Business Control Center.

• Portal Web Applications

  A portal Web application is a group of server-side Web resources that make up an interactive online portal application. The Web resources include Java servlets, JSPs, static documents (such as HTML documents), and applets that can be deployed in a client Web browser.

• Portals

  A Portal is the framework for the Web portal or application. Using the E-Business Control Center, you define what possible layouts, skins, pages, and portlets that will be available for the portals. Once these definitions are synchronized with the server, the new portal can be accessed by a visitor or can be edited by a designated user of the WebLogic Portal Administration Tools.

• Portlets

  A portlet is a Web component, often a small software application, that resides within a portal. It can be something as simple as a JSP include statement containing text, or as robust as a Web application, such as e-mail or a stock ticker. A well-designed portlet can be reused in different portals.

• Defaults

  When you define portal attributes, you set defaults to determine which of your selections will be seen initially at the front end. These defaults can also be set, or the EBCC defaults can be reset, using the WebLogic Portal Administration Tools portal at runtime.

• Entitlement Segments

  An entitlement segment is a visitor group based on common characteristics that allow a member of the group to view certain aspects of a portal. For example, if you create a portal that provides information about upcoming city council elections in Los Angeles, you might want to define an entitlement group for that portlet that consists of visitors who live in Los Angeles county and are of voting age.

  Meeting an entitlement segment's criteria may also give the user certain privileges in a portal. In the above example, any visitor that lives in Los Angeles county and is of voting age might be given the ability to edit the presentation or color scheme of their portal.

  You use the E-Business Control Center to create entitlement segment definitions. These segments are associated with pages and portals in the WebLogic Portal Administration Tools.

• Synchronization

  Once you have defined the portal attributes and defaults, you use the synchronization functionality to post this information to a server. Once you synchronize, the portal is generated or updated and becomes available to visitors and designated users of the WebLogic Portal Administration Tools. While other tools in the E-Business Control Center require a server connection, you can use the Portal tool offline until you are ready to synchronize to the server. See "Synchronizing Application Data" in the Deployment Guide for more information.

• Webflow and Pipeline

  Webflow allows the user to create a flow of actions and pages for a Web application. You use the E-Business Control Center to assign Webflow mechanisms to portals and portlets. For general information about Webflow and Pipeline, see the Guide to Managing Presentation and Business Logic: Using Webflow and Pipeline documentation. For information specific to portal Webflow, see the Webflow topics in "Customizing Portals and Portlets."

• WebLogic Portal Administration Tools

  Once you have determined the desired Web components for the portal, the actual instance of the portal can be configured using the WebLogic Portal Administration Tools. For more information, see the Getting Started with Portals and Portlets documentation.

  Note: You cannot edit or delete the default Administrator and everyone groups in the WebLogic Portal Administration Tools.

Getting Started

To start the E-Business Control Center:

Windows: Selecting Start ->Programs ->BEA WebLogic E-Business Platform -> BEA E-Business Control Center 4.0 -> E-Business Control Center.

UNIX/Linux: Run $ EBCC_HOME/bin/ebcc.sh

If you don't see the Explorer window along the left side of the E-Business Control Center, click the Open Explorer button in the main toolbar, as shown in Figure 13-1.

Figure 13-1 Explorer Window

 

• For information about managing E-Business Control Center files, see "Working With Files" in the Guide to Using the E-Business Control Center documentation.

Portal Web Applications

A portal Web application is a group of Web resources or components that are used in a portal application. The Web resources include Java servlets, JSPs, static documents (such as HTML documents), and applets that can be deployed in a client Web browser. Before you create a new portal, make sure resources exist on the WebLogic Portal server.

For information about creating a new Web application, see the Getting Started with Portals and Portlets documentation.

Importing Data for a New Portal Web Application

Use the following procedure to create a new portal Web application that exists on a server.

1. In the E-Business Control Center toolbar, select File -> New -> Portal Web Application.

   The New Portal Web Application window appears (Figure 13-2).

   Figure 13-2 New Portal Web Application Window

   
    

2. In the Web Application Name field, type the name of the portal Web application. You must type this exactly as it exists on the server.

3. Click OK. The portal Web application is now available for use and editing in the E-Business Control Center.

Portals

When you create a new portal definition, you associate metadata for elements such as skins, portlets, pages, layouts, and Webflow mechanisms. This section covers the following information:

• Designating a New Portal

  • Defining General Portal Elements

  • Creating Portal Pages

  • Setting Portal Defaults

• Editing a Portal

• Deleting a Portal

Designating a New Portal

The first step in creating a new portal is selecting the design elements, including banners, skins, headers, content, layout, as well as user profile information.

Defining General Portal Elements

To define general portal elements, use the following procedure:

1. In the main toolbar, select File -> New -> Presentation -> Portal.

   The Select Web Application window appears.

2. Select the desired Web application from the available list and click OK. For information about adding making new portal Web applications available for use via the E-Business Control Center, see Portal Web Applications.

   The Portal Editor appears (Figure 13-3).

   Figure 13-3 Portal Editor

   
    

3. Click on the General bar to display the General portal pane (Figure 13-4).

   Figure 13-4 General Portal Pane

   
    

4. Provide the following information:

   1. Description (optional): Provide a description for the portal you are creating.

   2. Content URL: Provide a URL for the content that will appear in the portal.

      Note: The URLs should be the file system directory path to the JSPs that are located on the WebLogic Portal server. When you synchronize this data, the appropriate JSP is inserted as an include to the portlet. The location of these directories are determined by your organization.

   3. Header URL (optional): Provide a URL to the JSP that will be used as the portlet's header content.

   4. Footer URL (optional): Provide a URL to the JSP that will be used as the portlet's footer content.

   5. Vertical Navigation Bar URL: Provide a URL if you wish to display a vertical navigation bar for your portal.

   6. Horizontal Navigation Bar URL: Provide a URL if you wish to display a horizontal navigation bar for your portal.

   7. Portal Webflow: When you create a Portal, you must associate the new Portal with a predefined Webflow; in most cases, the portal Webflow. For more information about the Webflow mechanism as it relates to portals and portlets, see "Customizing Portals and Portlets."

5. Click on the Skins tab at the bottom of the panel to select the possible skins for the portal (Figure 13-5).

   Note: When you select skins and layouts for your portal, you select from a library of metadata representing selected portal components. The E-Business Control Center ships with an existing library which can be modified or supplemented. For information about editing or adding skins and layouts, see "Developing Portals and Portlets" in the Getting Started with Portals and Portlets documentation.

   Figure 13-5 Selecting Skins

   
    
    

   Use the Add and Remove buttons to select the desired skins. A thumbnail image will appear when you select a skin. You can select one to many skins.

6. Click on the Layouts tab to select the possible layouts for the portal.

   Use the Add/Remove buttons to select the desired layout(s); The preview thumbnail allows you to view the selected layout. You can select one to many layouts.

7. Click on the Portlets tab to select the portlets that will be included in the new portal.

   Use the Add/Remove buttons to select the desired portlets. If you select multiple portlets for your portal, visitors can select from these layouts when personalizing their portal.

8. Click the User Profiles tab to select the user profile set that will be enabled to view or use the portal.

   Use the Add/Remove buttons to select the desired user profiles.

   A user profile is a collection of information that is gathered, saved, and updated as customers visit your Web site, or is collected from other offline sources. When you select a user profile, you determine which information can be used or collected. These user profiles are defined in the Entitlement section of the E-Business Control Center. For more information, see "Using Customer Segments to Target High Value" in the Guide to Using the E-Business Control Center.

9. Click Save to save your changes. These changes will be available to the visitor or for modification via the WebLogic Portal Administration Tools once you have synchronized your changes to the appropriate server. See "Synchronizing Application Data" in the Deployment Guide for more information.

Creating Portal Pages

When you create portal pages, you create or associate each page that can or will be used in the portal flow.

1. Click the Pages bar of the Portal Editor panel to expand the Pages pane (Figure 13-6).

   Figure 13-6 Creating Portal Pages

   
    

2. Click Add.

   The Page Definition editor displays (Figure 13-7).

   Figure 13-7 Page Definition Editor

   
    
    

3. Provide a portal page name.

4. Supply the path to the graphics files that will be used as the default and selected images. A path to the rollover image is optional.

5. Select at least one page layout: use the Add/Remove buttons to select the desired layout. The page can have one to many associated layouts.

   Pages draw from the portal's layout and portlet lists to get their available lists. This means that the layouts in this window are limited to layouts that have been added to the portal. To make more layouts available for your pages, see Designating a New Portal.

6. Select at least one portlet: Use the Add/Remove buttons to select the desired portlet(s). The Portal page can have one to many portlets.

7. When you are finished, click OK.

   The new page appears in the Portal Pages window.

8. Click Save to save your changes. These changes will be available to the visitor or for modification via the WebLogic Portal Administration Tools once you have synchronized your changes to the appropriate server. See "Synchronizing Application Data" in the Deployment Guide for more information.

Setting Portal Defaults

Before synchronizing your new portal definition to the server, you must set defaults. Setting defaults for your portal ensures that appropriate pages are displayed until an administrator has enabled the applications.

1. Click the Default Bar in the Portal Editor to expand the Defaults pane (Figure 13-8).

   Figure 13-8 Setting Portal Defaults

   
    

2. Set a default display name for your portal.

3. Set a default skin: Use the pull-down menu to select one default from a list of your previously selected skins.

4. Set default pages: Use the pull-down menu to select the desired pages from a list of your previously selected pages.

5. Use the Up/Down buttons to set the order that the selected page tabs will appear in the portal.

6. Select either vertical or horizontal orientation for the Navigation bar.

7. Set portal page defaults (Figure 13-9).

   Figure 13-9 Setting Portal Page Defaults

   
    

   1. Check the appropriate boxes if you wish the page to be Available, Mandatory, and/or Visible.

   2. Select a default layout.

   3. Click the Place Portlets button, the Page Layout window appears.

      To add a portlet to the layout template, highlight the desired portlet, click the radio button in the desired section, then click the Add button. The portlet will be added to the desired section of the layout.

      To remove a portlet from the layout template, click on the desired portlet in the template, then click the Remove button. The portlet will be removed from the template and added back to the portlet list.

      To move a portlet, click on the desired portlet in the template, then click the Up or Down buttons.

      When you have finished arranging your portlets in the template, click OK.

   4. You can also edit a portlet's default settings from the Portal Page Defaults section. Select the desired portlet in the Portlets window, then click the "Edit" button to launch a Portlet Defaults editor. For a detailed description of each default setting, see Editing a Portlet.

8. Click Save to save your changes. These changes will be available to the visitor or for modification via the WebLogic Portal Administration Tools once you have synchronized your changes to the appropriate server. See "Synchronizing Application Data" in the Deployment Guide for more information.

Editing a Portal

1. In the E-Business Control Center Explorer window, click the Presentation tab, then the Portal icon.

   A list of existing portals will appear.

2. Click on the portal you wish to edit.

   The Portal Editor will display the information for that portlet.

3. You may edit any of the fields in Portal Editor. For more information about portal attributes that can be modified in the editor, see the previous section of this topic.

4. Click Save to save your changes. These changes will be available to the visitor or for modification via the WebLogic Portal Administration Tools once you have synchronized your changes to the appropriate server. See "Synchronizing Application Data" in the Deployment Guide for more information.

Deleting a Portal

1. In the E-Business Control Center Explorer window, click the Presentation tab, then the Portal icon.

   A list of existing portals appears.

2. Click on the portal you wish to delete and click the Delete button.

   The portal is removed from the explorer window.

3. When you synchronize to the server, the portal will be deleted from the server. See "Synchronizing Application Data" in the Deployment Guide for more information.

Portlets

Portlets reside within a portal application and can be anything from a robust Web application (such as e-mail) to a simple data view (for example, a link to a weather page). You can define portlets and add them to a portal at any time during or after the portal development process.

When you create a new portlet definition, you associate metadata for elements such as title bars, headers, helpfiles, and Webflow mechanisms. This section covers the following information:

• Defining a New Portlet

• Editing a Portlet

• Deleting a Portlet

Defining a New Portlet

Use the following procedure to create a new portlet definition.

1. In the E-Business Control Center toolbar, select File ->New ->Presentation ->Portlet.

   The Portlet Editor appears (Figure 13-10).

   Figure 13-10 Portlet Editor

   
    
    

2. In the Portlet Editor, provide the following information:

   1. Description (optional): Provide a description for the portlet you are creating.

   2. Content URL: Provide a URL for the main body of content that will appear in the portlet.

      Note: The URLs should be the file system directory path to the JSPs that are located on the WebLogic Portal server. When you synchronize this data, the appropriate JSP is inserted as an include to the portlet. The location of these directories are determined by your organization.

   3. Header URL/Alternate Header URL (optional): Provide a URL for the JSP that will serve as an include for the portlet header; You can also provide an alternative header in the event that the primary header is missing or corrupt at runtime.

   4. Footer URL/Alternate Footer URL (optional): Provide a URL for the footer. If desired, provide an alternate footer.

   5. Titlebar URL: Provide a URL for the titlebar.

   6. Banner URL (optional): Provide a URL for a banner, if you wish one to appear in your portlet.

   7. Icon URL (optional): Provide a path to an icon that will represent the portlet.

   8. Portlet Webflow (optional): Select a defined Webflow if your portlet requires Webflow functionality. Although portlets do not require a Webflow association, it is highly recommended. For more information, see "Customizing Portals and Portlets."

   9. Editable checkbox/Edit URL (optional): If your portlet enables editing by visitors, check the Editable box and provide the URL for the JSP page they will use to personalize the portlet.

   10. Helpable checkbox/Help URL (optional): If the portlet is accompanied by Online Help, check the box and provide a path to the Help files.

   11. Login Required (optional): Check this box if the visitor must login with a password to access the portlet.

   12. Maximize URL (optional): If the portlet is maximizable, provide the URL for the maximized JSP page.

3. Determine the portlet defaults. Default selections determine how the portlet will appear in a browser if it has not been configured using the WebLogic Portal Administration Tools.

   1. Mandatory: Mandates that the visitor will always see this portlet; That is, they cannot delete it from their personalized portal.

   2. Floatable: If this box is checked, the portlet will appear in a popup window.

   3. Minimizable: Allows the visitor to minimize the portlet. If this box is not checked, the portlet cannot be minimized within the portal.

      Note: Portlet defaults can be set differently via the portal editor and override the original defaults for that instance of the portlet. For more information, see Setting Portal Defaults.

4. Click Save to save your changes. These changes will be available to the visitor or for modification via the WebLogic Portal Administration Tools once you have synchronized your changes to the appropriate server. See "Synchronizing Application Data" in the Deployment Guide for more information.

Editing a Portlet

To edit a portlet:

1. In the E-Business Control Center Explorer window, click the Presentation tab, then click the Portlet icon.

   A list of existing portlets appears in the E-Business Control Center Explorer window.

2. Click the portlet you wish to edit.

   The Portlet Editor displays the information for that portlet.

3. You may edit any of the fields in the Portlet Editor.

4. Click Save to save your changes. These changes will be available for use by the WebLogic Portal Administration Tools when you have synchronized your changes to the appropriate server. See "Synchronizing Application Data" in the Deployment Guide for more information.

Deleting a Portlet

1. In the E-Business Control Center Explorer window, click the Presentation tab, then click the Portlet icon.

   A list of existing portlets appears.

2. Select the portlet you wish to delete and click the Delete button.

   The portal is removed from the Explorer window.

3. When you synchronize to the server, the deletion will be updated in the server. See "Synchronizing Application Data" in the Deployment Guide for more information.
    

Entitlement Segments

The E-Business Control Center Portal Tools allow you to create multiple entitlement segment definitions with multiple conditions and values. You use the E-Business Control Center to create entitlement segment definitions. These segments are associated with pages and portals in the WebLogic Portal Administration Tools.

Accessing the Entitlement Segment Definition Tool

In the main toolbar, select File -> New -> Presentation -> Entitlement Segment.

The Entitlement Editor appears (Figure 13-11). Defining entitlement rules involves setting up conditions and queries. See "Building Conditions and Queries in the BEA E-Business Control Center" in the Guide to Using the E-Business Control Center.

Figure 13-11 Entitlement Editor