Administering Homepages, Dashboard Pages and Pagelets

This chapter provides an overview of homepages and dashboards and discusses how to:

Note. In this chapter, the terms homepage and tabbed homepage are used interchangeably. While PeopleTools regards the term tabbed homepage as the more accurate term, in this document the terms are equivalent.

In this chapter, the terms dashboard page and dashboard are equivalent.

See Also

Working With PeopleSoft Applications

Personalizing Your Homepage

Click to jump to parent topicUnderstanding Homepages and Dashboard Pages

Homepages, or tabbed homepages, and dashboard pages are PeopleSoft pages that aggregate and display pagelets that share some common or similar purpose. Homepages and dashboard pages provide quick access to useful information by presenting concise but feature-rich pagelets to the user. These pagelets can vary in function and complexity. Pagelets can enable you to perform routine tasks or provide you with a high-level overview of aspects of your company that are pertinent to you. Pagelets can interact with each other by exchanging data and then refreshing pagelet content based on any passed values. This exchange process, called interwindow communication, enables you to see not only an overview, but to drill into your data to access more granular and detailed information.

Note. Available homepage and dashboard functionality differs based on the products that you license.

Homepages

Note these points about homepages:

  1. Homepages appear immediately after users sign in to PeopleSoft applications or when the user clicks the Home link.

  2. PeopleSoft applications can display one or more homepages.

  3. If you create multiple homepages, each displays a tab at the top to provide access to the homepage.

  4. If you enable personalization, users can personalize homepages. The application stores each user's homepage personalizations in the PSPRUHDEFN (which is updated when a user personalizes the homepage), PSPRUHTAB, and PSPRUHTABPGLT tables.

You manage homepages from the Portal Objects folder in the portal registry, which you access by using the Structure and Content component. Access to this component gives any user unrestricted access to the entire portal registry. Rarely should anyone other than the portal administrator have access to Structure and Content.

Dashboards

Note these points about dashboard pages:

To create and manage dashboards, you do not need access to the Structure and Content component. You can use the Manage Dashboard Pages component. No access to the structure and content of the portal registry is necessary. By eliminating the need to access the portal registry to manage dashboard pages, your PeopleSoft application offers increased flexibility of administration and decreased chance of down time due to portal registry mismanagement errors.

Note. When you use the Manage Dashboard Pages component to create new dashboard pages, the application automatically registers the dashboard as a homepage in the portal, places the content reference in the Tab folder, and selects the Operational Dashboard check box. No functionality has been removed from the Structure and Content pages; you can use them to create and manage homepages that you specify as operational dashboard pages.

Click to jump to parent topicManaging Homepages

This section discusses how to:

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPages Used to Manage Homepages

Page Name

Definition Name

Navigation

Usage

Content Ref Administration

PORTAL_CREF_ADM

Select PeopleTools, Portal, Structure and Content.

Click these links in the order presented: Portal Objects, Homepage, Tabs.

Click Add Content Reference link.

Registering homepages in the portal registry.

Content Reference Security

PORTAL_CREF_SECURITY

Select the Security tab.

Set homepage permissions.

Tab Content

PORTAL_TAB_CON_ADM

PeopleTools, Portal, Structure and Content, Portal Objects, Homepage, Tabs, Content Ref Administration, Tab Content

Select the pagelets that appear on homepages.

Tab Layout

PORTAL_TAB_LAY_ADM

PeopleTools, Portal, Structure and Content, Portal Objects, Homepage, Tabs, Content Ref Administration, Tab Layout

Arrange pagelets on homepages.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicRegistering Homepages in the Portal Registry

Access the Content Ref Administration page. (Select PeopleTools, Portal, Structure and Content. Click the Portal Objects link. Click the Homepage link. Click the Tabs link. Click the Add Content Reference link).

To create a homepage entry in the portal registry:

Note. You must create the homepage or dashboard in the Tabs folder.

  1. Enter a name and label for the homepage or dashboard.

    Note. The label value appears as the homepage tab, dashboard name and content reference link label.

  2. In the Usage Type field, select Homepage tab.

    After you select Homepage tab, the page refreshes and two additional pages, the Tab Content and Tab Layout appear.

  3. In the Valid from date field, enter the date that you want the tab to first appear for your users. Optionally, enter a valid to date to remove the tab from use.

  4. If you want the homepage to be a dashboard page, select the Operational Dashboard check box in the Homepage tab attributes group box.

  5. Set the homepage permissions.

    See Setting Homepage Permissions.

  6. Define the homepage content and layout.

    See Selecting the Pagelets That Appear on Homepages.

    See Arranging Pagelets on Homepages.

  7. Click the Save button.

  8. If you selected the Operational Dashboard check box, create a content reference link to the dashboard in the navigational hierarchy.

    See Defining Content Reference Links.

This table describes the fields that appear on the Content Ref Administration page.

Label

Enter the label that the user sees on the homepage tab, as the dashboard page title, and as the content reference link in the navigation.

Name

Enter a unique name for the tab.

The value that you specify in the Name field can consist of up to 50 letters, digits, and underscores ( _ ). It cannot contain any spaces and cannot begin with a digit.

Sequence number

Enter a value to designate the absolute position of the homepage when multiple homepages exist for users. If you omit the Sequence number, the portal registry entry for the homepage is added to the top of the content reference list and at runtime, the portal displays the homepage tabs in alphabetical order. You can change the sequence only one item at a time, and each time you do so, you must save your changes to see the result.

Usage Type

Select Homepage tab to create a tabbed homepage or dashboard.

When you select Homepage tab, two additional pages appear in the component: the Tab Content and Tab Layout pages.

Valid from date

Enter the date that the tab becomes visible to the end user. You can enter a date to remove the tab from display.

Homepage Tab Attributes

Use the Homepage tab attributes group box of the Content Ref Administration page to enable users to rename the homepage tab label, as well as associate a help topic with the homepage tab, hide the pagelet action bar, and designate a homepage as an operational dashboard.

Allow rename

Select to enable the application user to change the homepage tab label.

Help ID

Enter the help ID for the pagelet. When users click the Help button on the pagelet, the system displays help information that is specific to the pagelet.

This feature works only if you specify a help URL on the Web Profile Configuration - General page, and the pagelet documentation is part of the HTML PeopleBooks identified by the help URL.

You must also ensure that the documentation HTML includes a properly formatted anchor element that uses the value that you specify in this field. For example, if you specify a help ID of MY_PAGELET_CONTENT, the pagelet documentation in the PeopleBook must contain the following element:

<a NAME="F1ID_MY_PAGELET_CONTENT"></a>

Hide pagelet action bar

Select to hide the pagelet headers on all pagelets on the homepage tab. This option overrides all properties for pagelets used on this tab.

Operational Dashboard

Select to use the homepage as a dashboard page, which hides the homepage so that it does not appear when the users signs in.

If you select this check box, you must create a content reference link to the dashboard, which you position in the menu navigation as your business rules require.

If you use the Dashboard Administration pages to create dashboards, then the system creates the homepage content reference, selects this check box, and creates the link automatically.

See Also

Setting Content Reference Permissions

Managing Dashboard Pages

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicSetting Homepage Permissions

Access the Content Reference Security page (Select PeopleTools, Portal, Structure and Content. Then click the Portal Objects link, the Homepage link, and the Tab link in that order. Click the Edit link for the homepage tab, then click the Security tab).

Public

Select to make the homepage or dashboard available to all users. When this check box is selected, all other fields except Label are hidden.

Author Access

Select to indicate that you (the currently signed-in user and the author of the homepage) can access the folder in the future, regardless of how other permissions are set.

Security Authorizations

You can base homepage security on roles or permission lists. You can specify any combination of roles and permission lists that allow homepage access.

Type

Select from these types:

Permission List: Enables access for users based on permission list membership. You then specify the permission lists that should have access to this folder.

Role: Enables access for users based on role membership. You then specify the roles that should have access to this folder.

Name

Select the permission list or role that you want have access to this homepage.

View Definition

Click to access the security administration component for the permission list or role specified on the current row.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicSelecting the Pagelets That Appear on Homepages

Access the Tab Content page. (Select the Tab Content tab.)

To select pagelets for homepages and dashboards:

  1. Select the check box for the pagelet to appear on the homepage or dashboard.

    Select the Include All? check box to select all pagelets in the category.

    Note. The user must have security access to the pagelet component for the pagelet to be properly displayed on the homepage.

  2. Use the drop-down list box to select the pagelet behavior. Values are:

    Optional

    The pagelet does not appear automatically on the homepage. However, it is available for users when they are personalize their homepages.

    Opt-Dflt (option-default)

    The pagelet appears on all user homepages if the users can access the pagelet. The pagelet can be removed when users personalize the homepage.

    Req-Fix (required-fixed)

    The pagelet appears on all user homepages if users can access the pagelet. The placement of the pagelet cannot be changed, and it also cannot be removed.

    Required

    The pagelet appears on all user homepages if users can access the pagelet. The placement of the pagelet can be changed, but it cannot be removed.

  3. Click the Save button.

Note. Content outside of PeopleSoft applications is available only with PeopleSoft Application Portal.

Important! When you select content for inclusion on any PeopleSoft homepage, only one pagelet or portlet should use the calendar prompt. If more than one pagelet or portlet per homepage uses the calendar prompt, unexpected results might occur.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicArranging Pagelets on Homepages

Access the Tab Layout page. (Select the Tab Layout tab.)

Label

Displays the label information from the Content Ref Administration page.

Basic Layout

Select to display the pagelets in either two or three columns on the homepage.

To specify the three-column layout, be sure that at least one pagelet does not have the Req-Fix behavior option selected on the Tab Content page.

Columns

Displays the pagelets selected on the Tab Content page in the column sections.

If the basic layout is two columns, the pagelets are divided into left and right columns. If the basic layout is three columns, the pagelets are divided into left, center, and right columns.

Note. A pound sign (#) indicates a pagelet with the Req-Fix behavior option selected on the Tab Content page. An asterisk (*) indicates a pagelet with the Required behavior option selected on the Tab Content page.

For example, #Signon indicates that the Signon pagelet cannot be moved to a different location on the homepage.

Use the Move icons to position the pagelets. Highlight a pagelet, and then click the directional arrow buttons to move the selected pagelet above a pagelet, below a pagelet, to the next column to the right, or the next column to the left.

Delete Pagelet

Highlight a pagelet and then click to delete it from the homepage.

To arrange the tab layout:

  1. Select a basic layout option.

  2. Select the pagelet name.

  3. Click the directional arrow buttons to position the pagelets in the columns.

  4. Click the Save button.

Note. As the portal administrator, you determine the amount of flexibility that you give users to change the layout of the pagelets. The settings that you select on both the Tab Content and Tab Layout pages determine the degree of flexibility. Grant the end user as much or as little flexibility as your organization demands.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicSpecifying Homepage Tab Sequence

The sequence number determines the order in which the homepage tabs appear. The tabs appear with the lowest sequence number first. If any numbers are identical, then the order is alphanumeric. If no sequence numbers exist, the default is considered to be zero. For example, if no sequence numbers are entered, the default is zero, and the order is alphanumeric.

To rearrange the tab order:

  1. Select PeopleTools, Portal, Structure and Content.

  2. Click the Portal Objects link.

  3. Click the Homepage link.

  4. Click the Tabs link.

  5. Click the Edit link for each tab that you want to reorder.

  6. Enter a number in the Sequence field.

If caching is turned on for the portal, the tab order change does not take effect until the caching recycles or the web server is restarted.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicTroubleshooting Homepages

Under most circumstances, PeopleTools portal technology assembles homepages by simultaneously retrieving content for all the pagelets referenced on the homepage. As a result, the portal renders the homepage as soon as the user signs in and immediately begins loading individual pagelets. Under certain circumstances, pagelets are not loaded simultaneously, but sequentially.

Pagelet Loading

Portal homepages load each pagelet individually when you sign in. The pagelet appears as you see in this example, indicating that it's currently loading its data.

Sequential Pagelet Loading

When document.write or document.writeln scripts are detected inside a pagelet, the homepage loads all pagelets sequentially. This is required to properly assemble the content of the pagelet. For example, consider a homepage with the following pagelets, each of which is loaded in the time indicated:

Note. These pagelets can all have relatively quick average load times, but any pagelet might be excessively slow on occasion.

The total time required to retrieve all the pagelets is 37.5 seconds, which is disproportionately skewed by pagelet C. Some reasons for this could be the URL for pagelet C is incorrect or has changed, the domain name server can't resolve the URL, the content server is down or unreachable, the content server is behind a firewall, or the content server is temporarily unavailable. As a result of such high retrieval times, the total time to render the homepage is unacceptable to the user, and for practical purposes the pagelet is unavailable.

You can respond to unavailable pagelets by specifying a time-out period during which each pagelet must be loaded. This improves portal homepage performance by enabling the system to present the homepage quickly in spite of an individual pagelet's unavailability. To specify a pagelet time-out, add the TIME-OUT attribute to the content reference for the pagelet in the portal registry.

See Configuring Pagelet Time-out Settings.

Click to jump to parent topicManaging Dashboard Pages

This section discusses how to:

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPages Used to Manage Dashboard Pages

Page Name

Definition Name

Navigation

Usage

Manage Dashboard Pages

PTAL_DASHBD_PAGES

PeopleTools, Portal, Dashboard, Manage Dashboard Pages

Create and manage dashboard pages.

Dashboard Page Administration

PTAL_DASHBD_ADMIN

For new dashboard pages, click the Create new dashboard page link.

For existing dashboard pages, click the Properties button.

  • Specify dashboard page properties.

  • Specify dashboard security details.

Select the Dashboard Link Parent Folder

PTAL_SELECT_FREF

Click the look up icon for the Parent Folder field.

Specify the location of the dashboard page.

Content

PTSYSTABCONTENT

Click the Pagelets button.

Specify the pagelets that appear on dashboard pages.

Layout

PTSYSTABLAYOUT

Click the Pagelets button.

Then, click the Layout tab.

Arrange the pagelets on dashboard pages.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicCreating and Managing Dashboard Pages

Access the Manage Dashboard Pages page (Select PeopleTools, Portal, Dashboard, Manage Dashboard Pages.)

Create new dashboard page

Click to access the Dashboard Page Administration page and configure the properties of new dashboard pages.

Dashboard Page

Displays an active link to the dashboard page. Click the link to access the dashboard page.

Pagelets

Click to configure the content and layout of the dashboard.

Properties

Click to access the Dashboard Page Administration page and specify dashboard navigation and security details.

Delete

Click to remove the dashboard content reference definition from the portal registry.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicSpecifying Dashboard Page Properties

Access the Dashboard Page Administration page (Click the Create new dashboard page link. Alternatively, click the Properties button).

Enter the following dashboard page properties:

Dashboard Name

Enter a unique identifier for the dashboard. This field is required.

Dashboard Label

Enter the label that appears in the navigation. This field is required.

Long Description

Enter a description that appears as the tool tip text.

Owner ID

Select the organization that owns the object.

Dashboard Page Link

Use these fields to specify the location of the dashboard page link in the menu navigation.

Parent Folder

Enter the name of the navigation folder in which you want to place the dashboard page link. Click the look up button to access the Select the Dashboard Link Parent Folder page.

Sequence number

Enter a number to specify the order of the dashboard link within the parent folder. The application sorts the items alphabetically if you omit a sequence number.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicSpecifying Dashboard Page Security Properties

Use the fields in the Security group box to specify whether access to the dashboard page is restricted by permission list and role or unrestricted and available to all users.

Security

Security Type

Select from these values:

  • Public Access: Select to allow all users to view and access the dashboard.

  • Select Security Access: Select to specify PeopleTools Security access, which is based on permission lists and roles. When you select this option, the Selected Security grid appears.

Selected Security

Insert rows into the Selected Security grid to specify the permission lists and roles that provide access to the dashboard page. You can combine permission lists and roles by inserting multiple rows in the grid.

Click the Insert Row button (+) to add another permission list or role name.

Click the Delete Row button (-) to remove the permission list or role name.

Type

For each row, select from these values:

  • Permission List: Select to secure the dashboard link by permission list.

  • Role: Select to secure the dashboard link by role.

Name

Specify the permission list or role name that provides access to the dashboard page. Click the look up button to see a list of available names.

Save

Click to save the configuration and return to the Manage Dashboard Pages page.

Cancel

Click to discard any changes and return to the Manage Dashboard Pages page.

See Also

Setting Up Permission Lists

Setting Up Roles

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicSpecifying the Location of Dashboard Page Link

Access the Select the Dashboard Link Parent Folder page (Click the look up button for the Parent Folder field).

To select the parent folder of the dashboard page you must navigate the tree until you see the destination folder.

(collapsed folder)

Click to expand the folder and view the subordinate menu items.

(expanded folder)

Click to collapse the folder and hide the subordinate menu items.

(folder name)

Click to select the folder as the parent of the dashboard page.

Cancel

Click to return to the previous page.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicSpecifying the Pagelets That Appear on Dashboard Pages

The page that you use to specify which pagelets can appear on dashboard pages is similar to the page that you use for the same purpose on homepages. The process is also the same.

Access the Tab Content page (Select PeopleTools, Portal, Dashboard, Manage Dashboard Pages. Click the Pagelets button.)

To select pagelets for that appear on dashboards:

  1. Expand any collapsed group boxes and then select the check box for the pagelet that you want to appear on the dashboard page.

    Select the Include All? check box to select all pagelets in the category.

    Note. The user must have security access to the pagelet component for the pagelet to be properly displayed on the homepage.

  2. Use the drop-down list box to select the pagelet behavior. Values are:

    Optional

    The pagelet does not appear automatically on the homepage. However, it is available for users when they are personalize their dashboard pages.

    Opt-Dflt (option-default)

    The pagelet appears on all user homepages if the users can access the pagelet. The pagelet can be removed when users personalize the dashboard page.

    Req-Fix (required-fixed)

    The pagelet appears on all user homepages if users can access the pagelet. The placement of the pagelet cannot be changed, and it also cannot be removed.

    Required

    The pagelet appears on all user homepages if users can access the pagelet. The placement of the pagelet can be changed, but it cannot be removed.

  3. Click the Save button.

Note. Content outside of PeopleSoft applications is available only with PeopleSoft Application Portal.

Important! When you select content for inclusion on any PeopleSoft dashboard page, only one pagelet or portlet should use the calendar prompt. If more than one pagelet or portlet per dashboard page uses the calendar prompt, unexpected results might occur.

See Arranging Pagelets on Homepages.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicArranging the Pagelets on Dashboard Pages

The page that you use to arrange the layout of the pagelets that appear on dashboard pages is similar to the page that you use for the same purpose on homepages. The process is also the same.

Access the Layout page (Select PeopleTools, Portal, Dashboard, Manage Dashboard Pages. Click the Pagelets button.)

Label

Displays the label information from the Content Ref Administration page.

Basic Layout

Select to display the pagelets in either two or three columns on the dashboard page.

To specify the three-column layout, be sure that at least one pagelet does not have the Req-Fix behavior option selected on the Content page.

Columns

Displays the pagelets selected on the Content page in the column sections.

If the basic layout is two columns, the pagelets are divided into left and right columns. If the basic layout is three columns, the pagelets are divided into left, center, and right columns.

Note. A pound sign (#) indicates a pagelet with the Req-Fix behavior option selected on the Content page. An asterisk (*) indicates a pagelet with the Required behavior option selected on the Content page.

For example, #Signon indicates that the Signon pagelet cannot be moved to a different location on the homepage.

Use the Move icons to position the pagelets. Highlight a pagelet, and then click the directional arrow buttons to move the selected pagelet above a pagelet, below a pagelet, to the next column to the right, or the next column to the left.

Delete Pagelet

Highlight a pagelet and then click to delete it from the homepage.

To arrange the dashboard page layout:

  1. Select a basic layout option.

  2. Select the pagelet name.

  3. Click the directional arrow buttons to position the pagelets in the columns.

  4. Click the Save button.

Note. As the portal administrator, you determine the amount of flexibility that you give users to change the layout of the pagelets. The settings that you select on both the Tab Content and Tab Layout pages determine the degree of flexibility. Grant the end user as much or as little flexibility as your organization demands.

See Selecting the Pagelets That Appear on Homepages.