Overview of Content Management

The content you want to show users, whether it is a single line of text, an HTML file, a graphic, or an animation file can be stored in a content repository. BEA's Virtual Content Repository, included with WebLogic Portal, provides a single interface that lets you store content in BEA repositories as well as seamlessly incorporate BEA-compatible third-party content management systems. This overview provides information on the following subjects:

Storing Content
Organizing Content
Managing Content
Creating and Modifying Content
Using Content in Personalized Applications

Storing Content

WebLogic Portal uses the Virtual Content Repository to access content repositories. The Virtual Content Repository can can contain multiple content repositories, whether third-party or BEA repositories. Because the Virtual Content Repository maintains connections with all associated content repositories (according to parameters you set), it can provide services such as a single search (a search that returns a result set from all the relevant content across the plugged in repositories), Delegated Administration and content type management.

Many Portal subsystems interact with the Virtual Content Repository. Content Management tags execute queries to deliver dynamic content to end users. Content Selectors and Campaigns deliver dynamic, personalized content to user based upon personalization rules or conditions.

Before using a third-party repository with WebLogic portal, you must be add it to WebLogic Portal's Virtual Content Repository.

Organizing Content

Within your content management system, you must decide how to logically organize your content to ensure that it is easily managed. You can set up a hierarchy of nodes (folders) and also create content types that offer more granularity when differientiating between different content files.

Creating a Hierarchy

When you first start using your BEA Repository, you need to create content nodes (folders) to help you organize your content items. Although you can create folders and subfolders, there is no inherent relationship between the two, other than an organizational function.

However, parent/child relationships between content items are possible. Parent/child relationships are created implicitly, according to where you create the content.

Defining Content Types

BEA repositories use Content Types to define content items. A content type is a named set of properties that defines a content item or content folder (node). WebLogic Portal provides several out-of-the-box content types that can be used and/or modified. You can also create your own custom content types.

The following content types are included with WebLogic Portal:

ad
ad_shockwave
article
book
image
message

Managing Content

Before starting to use the Virtual Content Repository, you may want to set up the users, roles, and privileges you want to use to dictate who can add, edit, or delete content within the repository. If you are using a BEA Repository for your content management needs, you need to choose whether or not you want to enable library services.

Using Delegated Administration to Control Access

You can control how users and groups interact with the repository by associating Delegated Administration roles that are used to determine whether to grant or deny access to resources, and to determine which capabilities on those resources are available to the administrator.

Before you can assign Content Management resources to a Delegated Administration role, you must make sure the role exists and has Delegated Administration rights assigned to it. If no role exists, you must create it, then you can add users and content resources to it. For detailed information about setting up administrators, see How Do I Set Up a New Administrator?

Note: If you are using a BEA repository with library services-enabled, the capabilites you give to a role determine how a user role participates in the content lifecycle. For example, if a role is not granted Publish capabilities they cannot transition content to the Published or Retired status.

Enabling WebLogic Portal Library Services

When you store your content in BEA Repository, you have the option of enabling library services. Library services provide additional content management tools, including the ability to version content and to use a Content Workspace that automatically tracks content that is in progress. Once you enable library services for a repository, you cannot disable them.

Library Service	What it provides:
Content Workspace	The Content Workspace provides a simplified user-based view of content that is currently in progress. It contains two folders: My Checked Out Items and My Assigned Items. My Checked Out Items contains all content items that the current user has checked out for edit. My Assigned Items contains all items that are assigned to that user and require further action, such as approval.
Content Versioning	Content Versioning allows you to keep track of multiple versions of a content item. Versioning provides a more powerful alternative to keeping backup files. With content versioning, you can easily view previous versions of a content item if needed, as well as keep a detailed record of when and why changes were made.
Content Lifecycle	The Content Lifecycle allows you to move content through a workflow process that can be further managed through WebLogic Portal's Delegated Administration. WebLogic Portal's content management lifecycle includes the following statuses: Draft, Ready for Review, Rejected, Published and Retired.

Creating and Modifying Content

After you connect a BEA-compatible content management system to the Virtual Content Repository you can continue to add and modify content directly in your BEA-compatible content management system. Changes appear automatically in the Virtual Content Repository. You can create and manage content in the Administration Portal, in the My Content Portlet, or with the Bulkloader.

WebLogic Administration Portal
BEA's Virtual Content Repository, available in the WebLogic Administration Portal under "Content Management," lets you add and modify content and assign types (metadata) to content. Through these tools, you can manage content in all repositories plugged into the Virtual Content Repository that support management functions.
Bulkloader
The BulkLoader is a command-line application that is capable of loading content and metadata into a configured virtual content repository. The BulkLoader scans the user defined file system hierarchy and loads all of the folders and files, along with their defined metadata into the specified repository. The BulkLoader supports all content types, such as HTML, .jpg, or .gif.

Using Content in Personalized Applications

WebLogic Workshop extensions support development of personalized applications, while the WebLogic Administration Portal enables portal administrators to adapt site interaction to fit the needs of the audience. The core of the Personalization system is the underlying rules engine that matches users with appropriate content. Content Selectors, Placeholders and Campaigns are the aspects of content management visible to administrators. Also, User Segments contain the criteria that define the target visitor, such as gender or browser type.

If you are using a library services-enabled BEA repository, there are additional considerations when using content selectors.

The Content Management component provides the run-time API by which content is queried and retrieved. The functionality of this component is accessible via tags. The content retrieval functionality is provided using either the provided reference implementation or third-party content retrieval products.