What Is the Commerce Templates Tour?

BEA WebLogic Portal includes a set of commerce templates, included as long as the sample is selected during installation, that you can use to set up your e-commerce Web site quickly. This tour leads you through many of the templates to demonstrate their scope and design. It uses sample data that simulates an e-commerce Web site. An easy way to get started is to follow along with this tour document, working through the suggested steps to get familiar with the templates.

The templates consist of JavaServer Pages (JSP) and image files. You can modify the template layout and the order in which the product presents pages without requiring Java programming skills. Other lower-level modifications, such as changing the default business logic, require Java programming skills.

If you are not familiar with JSP or the basic product concepts, we recommend that you read the remaining topics in this section:

• About JSP

• About the Database Schemas

 

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About JSP

JavaServer Pages (JSP) are text files that contain well-formed HTML and special tags (JSP tags) that, when served by a Java-enabled Web server, extend the capabilities of HTML. With Campaign services and Commerce services, you use JSP tags to provide dynamic content in specific areas of a Web page and to create an interface for exchanging data with your customers.

For more information about JSPs, refer to http://java.sun.com/products/jsp/index.html.

 

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About the Database Schemas

Commerce services include schemas for both PointBase and Oracle databases. The schemas support all transactions that are available from the Commerce services JSP templates.

Note: When you install WebLogic Server, it sets up an evaluation copy of the PointBase database. If you want to use a PointBase database for your production Web site, you must purchase your own copy of the PointBase database. If you want to use an Oracle database, you must purchase and install an Oracle platform that WebLogic Portal supports.

About the Sample Database

By default, WebLogic Portal is configured to use the PointBase database. When you install WebLogic Portal, it creates and populates a sample PointBase database. The sample data simulates an e-commerce Web site that sells tools and miscellaneous hardware.

 

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About Tax Calculation

To calculate the amount of sales tax due, WebLogic Portal provides an API that lets you integrate with a tax service vendor. If you want to use the tax API for your production Web site, you must also set up your own account with a tax service vendor. With the account you can download updated data files, which contain information about tax requirements for all tax jurisdictions in the United States and selected other countries.

 

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About Payment Processing

To verify and post credit card transactions, WebLogic Portal provides a payment API that lets you integrate with a payment vendor. If you want to use the payment API for your production Web site, you must also set up your own account with a payment vendor. By default, the integration with a payment vendor is disabled. You can complete purchases with the integration disabled, but WebLogic Portal does not send data to a payment vendor.