PeopleTools 8.51 PeopleBook: Feed Publishing Framework

Getting Started With the Feed Publishing Framework

This chapter provides an overview of Feed Publishing Framework and discusses its implementation.

Feed Publishing Framework Overview

The Feed Publishing Framework provides user interfaces and application programming interfaces (APIs) for feed definition creation and maintenance, feed searching and subscription, as well as feed document generation and delivery.

Feeds

A web feed, news feed, or feed is a data format that makes rapidly changing content available to users. A feed contains entries, which might be headlines, full-text articles, excerpts, summaries, digital media, and links to content on a web site, along with various metadata. PeopleSoft applications, like news agencies, external web sites, and other content distributors, publish or syndicate web feeds to which users can subscribe. Examples of feeds in PeopleSoft applications include worklists, queries, discussions, and so on.

Web feeds work by using the pull technology model. Typically, when using web feeds, content providers publish feed links on their site, which you register in an aggregator program (also called a feed reader or a news reader) that runs on your own computer. Feed readers can be independent programs or browser extensions that provide configurable integrated feed reader functionality. Web-based feed readers seldom require additional software installation and make the user's feeds available on any computer with internet access. Microsoft Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird are two commonly used secure feed readers.

When directed, the aggregator polls all the servers in its feed list to ascertain if new content exists; if so, the aggregator retrieves the new content. You can configure feed readers to check for new or updated content at regular intervals. When you no longer want to receive updated content, you remove the feed from the reader.

Atom and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) are the two primary syndication formats. Atom also provides a standardized way to export an entire blog, or parts of it, for backup or for importing into other blogging systems. Some web sites let people choose between RSS- or Atom-formatted web feeds; others offer only RSS or only Atom. In particular, many blog and wiki sites offer their web feeds in the Atom format.

Most web pages, including PeopleSoft application pages, use this feed icon to indicate that a feed is available in either the RSS 1.0, RSS 2.0, or Atom 1.0 format.

Note. PeopleSoft applications offer feeds in Atom 1.0 format only.

Feed Publishing Framework

The Feed Publishing Framework provides:

A set of APIs and code samples to assist application developers in creating new types of feeds and integrating them with existing features.
Unified interfaces for content owners and administrative users to create, configure, and maintain feed definitions of various types.
Interfaces for end users to discover related feeds and search feed definitions.

With the Feed Publishing Framework, you can develop and publish feeds from any PeopleSoft or non-PeopleSoft data. Then, with the delivered user interfaces, users can find and subscribe to your feeds.

Feed Publishing Framework Implementation

This section lists the prerequisites for the Feed Publishing Framework implementation and discusses how to:

Use PeopleTools-delivered feed data types.
Develop new feed data types.

Prerequisites

The Feed Publishing Framework relies on other PeopleTools components, such as Integration Broker, for you to be able to publish and consume feeds.

You must configure your PeopleSoft system as follows:

Step	Reference
1. Configure and activate the Integration Broker gateway and target nodes.	See Configuring the Integration Broker Gateway and Target Nodes.
2. Configure the Integration Broker service target locations.	See Configuring Integration Broker Service Target Locations. Note. If you plan to use secure authentication, then you must also configure Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) on your system. See Implementing WebLogic SSL Keys and Certificates, Setting Up SSL For WebSphere.
3. The default user of the ANONYMOUS mode must be a valid user.	See Configuring the Default User of the ANONYMOUS Node.
4. Set authentication for the default local node to password or certificate. In addition, define the content URI text and portal URI text of the default local node.	See Configuring the Default Local Node.
5. Define the content URI text and portal URI text of each local host node.	See Setting URI Text for Local Host Nodes.
6. For Oracle WebLogic Server, you must configure the server to disable its own authentication.	Note. By default, the delivered config.xml file is set to disable Oracle WebLogic Server's own authentication. No additional configuration is required unless you have changed this authentication setting. Disabling Oracle WebLogic Server's authentication allows authentication to be passed through and handled by the PeopleSoft servlet. See Disabling Authentication on Oracle WebLogic Server.
7. Assign users the roles and permission necessary to use feeds.	Feed administrators require the PTPT1300 - Portal Administrator permission list, which is included in the Portal Administrator role. Users who need to search for and view feeds require the PTPT1000 - PeopleSoft User permission list, which is included in the PeopleSoft User role. Granting Access to Components and Pages Assigning Permissions to Roles Setting Roles
8. Using psadmin, activate the Pub/Sub servers on the application server.	This step is required only when scheduled feed messages are published to Integration Broker queues. See Accessing the Application Server Options.
9. Configure Process Scheduler.	This step is required only when scheduled feed messages are published to Integration Broker queues through an Application Engine program. See Using the Process Scheduler Menu.

Using PeopleTools-Delivered Feed Data Types

PeopleTools delivers predefined feed data types for query feeds, worklist feeds, Integration Broker generic message feeds, and lists of published feeds. Follow these steps to use an existing feed data type:

Step	Reference
1. Publish a list of feeds feed for each feed data type using the Define Feed Data Types page. Also publish a list of feeds feed for the FEED data type to create a master list of feed lists.	See Publishing a List of Feeds Feed.
2. Create query feeds.	Create query feeds from Query Manager pages. See Creating and Using Query Feeds.
3. Create worklist feeds.	Create worklist feeds from the Worklist and Worklist Details pages. See Creating and Using Worklist Feeds.
4. Create feeds for Integration Broker asynchronous, one-way service operations, also known as Integration Broker generic message feeds.	Create Integration Broker generic message feeds from the Define IB Generic Message Feed page. See Creating and Using Integration Broker Generic Message Feeds.

Developing New Feed Data Types

Use these steps to develop new feed data types:

Step	Reference
1. Analyze requirements for the new feed data type.	See Analyzing Requirements for New Feed Data Types.
2. Implement a feed data source application class.	See Creating the Feed Data Source Application Class.
3. Define thefeed data type.	See Defining the Feed Data Type.
4. Update the property maintenance page to include a Publish as Feed link.	See Adding the Publish as Feed Link to a Page in the Component.
5. Add standard Publish as Feed pages to a component as hidden pages.	See Adding the Four Standard Publish as Feed Pages.
6. Update the view content page to include the related feeds hover menu.	See Adding the Related Feeds Hover Menu to Pages.