This chapter describes how to create and manage resource catalogs in WebCenter Portal.
This chapter includes the following topics:
Permissions:
To perform the tasks in this chapter on shared resource catalogs, you must have the application-level Create, Edit, and Delete Resource Catalogs
permission. Users with the Application Specialist
role have this permission by default. For more information about application-level permissions, see the "Understanding Application Roles and Permissions" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.
To perform the tasks in this chapter on portal-level resource catalogs, you must have the portal-level permission Create, Edit, and Delete Assets
(standard permissions) or Create, Edit, and Delete Resource Catalogs
(advanced permissions). For more information about portal-level permissions, see Section 29.1, "About Roles and Permissions for a Portal."
Resource catalogs expose components and connections that WebCenter Portal users can add to their pages. You can use a resource catalog to populate pages, page templates, and task flows.
A resource catalog is organized into folders and subfolders to categorize components. Folders have an Open link next to them and components have an Add link. When a component has both Open and Add links next to it, it means you can place that component on a page or place a subset of that component on a page. For example, you can place the Personal Documents component on a page to display a list of all personal documents; or you can open the Personal Documents folder in the resource catalog and add a specific file to the page.
Figure 23-1 Open and Add Links in a Resource Catalog
You can navigate back through the resource catalog hierarchy using the Up icon (Figure 23-2).
Use the Search field to locate components by name or description. Click the Refresh icon to update the resource catalog with newly added components.
The resource catalog is displayed inline when you edit a page or page template in the page editor. You can add resources from the catalog to a page, task flow, or page template.
WebCenter Portal is preconfigured with three resource catalogs out of the box:
If these catalogs do not meet your business requirements, you can create your own. For more information, see Section 23.4, "Creating a Resource Catalog."
The Default Home Portal Catalog is used when designing pages and task flows in the Home portal. It contains resources that users may typically want to add to a task flow or business role page, such as page components, portlets, and task flows.
Figure 23-3 The Default Home Portal Resource Catalog
Table 23-1 provides a description of each folder in the Default Home Portal Catalog.
Table 23-1 Resources in the Default Home Portal Resource Catalog
Folder | Description |
---|---|
Alerts and Updates |
Includes the following task flows to track alerts and notifications:
|
Analytics |
Includes task flows to help to track and display different metrics, such as response times and usage behavior, for the application. For more information, see Chapter 42, "Adding Analytics to a Portal." |
Content Management |
Includes task flows to access, add, and manage folders and files, or display content in a predefined template. For more information, see Part VI, "Working with Content in a Portal." |
UI Components |
Includes the following resources:
|
Polls |
Includes task flows to create, edit, and take online polls on your application pages. Polls let you survey your audience, check whether they can recall important information, and gather feedback on the efficacy of presentations. For more information, see Chapter 52, "Adding Polls to a Portal." |
Social and Communication |
Includes the following resources to enable social networking and communication among users:
|
Tagging and Searching |
Includes task flows to enable effective searching of WebCenter Portal and other sources:
|
Web Development |
Includes components that add dynamic content to a page, such as images, HTML, and links, as well as components that end users can modify at runtime, such as language selection and areas to add their own content. For more information about these components, see Chapter 15, "Working with Web Development Components on a Page." |
Integration |
Includes a folder that includes all the data controls created for the application. For more information, see Section 28.2, "Working with Data Controls." |
Note:
WebCenter Portal tools and services task flows added from a resource catalog do not have a fixed height; they take the height of the content in the task flow.
With the default WebCenter Portal configuration, the Default Home Portal Catalog is displayed when you create pages at the application level.
When creating pages in a portal, the Default Portal Catalog is displayed. This catalog is similar to the Default Home Portal Catalog, except that its resources display content specific to the portal, where applicable.
The Default Portal Catalog is displayed when designing pages and task flows within a portal. Its contents are the same as the Default Home Portal Catalog, except for a few resources that display data relevant to the current portal. For example, the Default Portal Catalog includes a Personal Documents folder, which lists documents associated with the current portal.
Table 23-2 describes the resources that are exclusive to the Default Portal Catalog.
Table 23-2 Resources that Are Exclusive to the Default Portal Catalog
Resource or Folder Name | Description |
---|---|
Similar Portals |
This resource in the Social and Communication folder displays all portals that are similar to the one you are currently viewing. For more information, see Section 40.1.2, "Working with the Similar Portals Task Flow." |
Lists folder |
This resource in the Social and Communication folder enables you to add lists to pages in your portal. Lists are useful for many portal activities, such as tracking issues, capturing project milestones, publishing project assignments, and much more. For more information, see Chapter 47, "Adding Lists of Information to a Portal." |
Members |
This resource in the Social and Communication folder lists all members in the portal. For more information, see Chapter 31, "Working with the Portal Members Task Flow." |
Portals documents |
This resource from the Content Management folder exposes a list of folders and files associated with the current portal. For more information, see Section 32.2, "About Content Management Selections in the Resource Catalog." |
This catalog is displayed when designing page templates. In addition to the resources included in the Default Home Portal Catalog, this catalog also includes a Template Development folder, which provides access to resources specifically used in page templates, such as navigation components and portal components.
For more information about page templates, see Chapter 21, "Working with Page Templates."
For more information about navigation components, see Section 21.8, "Adding Navigation to a Page Template."
For more information about portal components, see Section 21.5, "Adding Portal Components to a Page Template."
The Resource Registry is a central repository of all the resources available to WebCenter Portal. It contains all the resources that you can add to resource catalogs in the application. In addition to including the out-of-the-box resources, the Resource Registry is also updated dynamically to include new resources, such as task flows, data controls, portlets, and navigation models, as and when they are created or deployed as shared libraries from Oracle JDeveloper. As a result, a resource that is created and published in WebCenter Portal is available for consumption right away.
The Resource Registry is displayed when you click the Add From Library option (Figure 23-4) in the Edit dialog for a resource catalog.
Figure 23-4 Add From Library Option to Access the Resource Registry
Figure 23-5 Add Resource Catalog Item Dialog (Resource Registry)
Table 23-3 describes the folders in the Resource Registry.
Table 23-3 Folders in the Resource Registry
Resource Folder | Description |
---|---|
Analytics |
Displays all the Analytics task flows. These task flows help to track and display different metrics, such as response times and usage behavior, for WebCenter Portal. For more information, see Chapter 42, "Adding Analytics to a Portal." |
Components |
Lists a selection of components that you can use to design pages, templates, and task flows. For more information, see Chapter 15, "Working with Web Development Components on a Page." |
Connections |
Lists all available repository connections. Many resources, such as portlets, external applications, and some WebCenter Portal tools and services, require a connection to a database schema where relevant information is stored. The chapters describing the various resources provide information about whether a connection is required for that resource. |
Data Controls |
Lists all data controls available in WebCenter Portal. This includes data controls created at runtime and data controls deployed from JDeveloper.
|
Documents |
Lists all documents that you have access to. For more information, see Part VI, "Working with Content in a Portal." |
Lists |
Displays all available lists. For more information, see Chapter 47, "Adding Lists of Information to a Portal." |
Navigations |
Lists all available navigation models. These resources are available out-of-the-box in the Default Page Template Catalog. For more information, see Chapter 22, "Working with Portal Navigation." |
Pagelet Producers |
Lists all registered pagelet producers. For more information, see Chapter 27, "Working with Pagelets." |
Portal Components |
Lists components, such as menus, links, copyright message, and so on, that are typically used in page templates. These resources are available out-of-the-box in the Default Page Template Catalog, in a folder named Template Development. For more information, see Section 21.5, "Adding Portal Components to a Page Template." |
Portlet Producers |
Lists all registered portlet producers. |
Resource Catalogs |
Lists all available resource catalogs. You can embed multiple resource catalogs inside a catalog. |
Saved Searches |
Displays all saved searches. For more information, see Chapter 55, "Adding Search to a Portal." |
Task Flows |
Lists all task flows available in WebCenter Portal. This includes task flows created at runtime and data controls deployed from JDeveloper.
|
When a user creates a new page, business role page, or page template, the default resource catalogs determine what can be added to it.
This section includes the following topics:
Section 23.3.1, "Setting the Default Resource Catalogs for a Portal"
Section 23.3.2, "Setting the Default Resource Catalog for All Portals"
Permissions:
To perform this task, you must be a portal moderator or a portal member with the Manage All
or Manage Configuration
permission in the portal.
For more information about permissions, see Section 29.1, "About Roles and Permissions for a Portal."
Every portal has a set of default assets, including default resource catalogs. When you create a portal, it initially inherits the application-level default resource catalog settings.
If you create a different resource catalog for your portal, you can set that to be one of the default resource catalogs.
Default resource catalogs can be set at the portal level for the following:
Pages in the portal
Page templates in the portal
For more information, see Section 7.3.5, "Changing the Resource Catalogs for Pages and the Page Template for a Portal."
Permissions:
To perform this task, you must be a system administrator (have the Administrator
role, or the Portal Server: Manage All
or Manage Configuration
permission).
Default resource catalogs can be set at the application level for the following:
Pages in all portals
Pages in the Home portal
Business role pages
Page templates in all portals
Page templates in the Home portal
System administrators can change the application-level default resource catalog settings, as described in the "Choosing Default Resource Catalogs" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.
If the built-in resource catalogs do not meet your requirements, you can create your own. When you create a resource catalog, you can build it from scratch or by extending an existing resource catalog.
You can create resource catalogs at the application level or at the portal level. Application-level resource catalogs are available for use in all portals, unless the portal has been specifically excluded. Portal-level resource catalogs are available for use only in the portal in which they are created.
To create a resource catalog:
Navigate to one of the following:
To create an application-level resource catalog, go to the Shared Assets page. For more information, see Section 59.2, "Accessing Shared Assets."
To create a portal-level resource catalog, go to the Assets page for the portal in which you want to create it. For more information, see Section 20.2, "Accessing Portal Assets."
In the left panel, under Structure, click Resource Catalogs.
In the toolbar, click Create (Figure 23-6).
Figure 23-6 The Create Icon for Creating a Resource Catalog
In the Create New Resource Catalog dialog (Figure 23-7), in the Name field, enter a name for the resource catalog.
The name is displayed in the Assets or Shared Assets page and in lists when selecting a resource catalog. You should make the name as descriptive as possible.
Figure 23-7 The Create New Resource Catalog Dialog
In the Description field, enter a description for the resource catalog.
The description is displayed below the name in the Assets or Shared Assets page and as a tool tip when selecting a resource catalog. You should ensure that the description helps users determine if they want to use this particular resource catalog.
From the Copy From list, select an existing resource catalog to use as the starting point for your new resource catalog, if desired. If you leave this blank to create a new empty resource catalog.
Tip:
You can also create a copy of an existing resource catalog as described in Section 20.5.4, "Copying an Asset."
Click Create.
The newly created resource catalog is listed on the Assets or Shared Assets page.
The empty check box in the Available column for the resource catalog indicates that it is not yet published and hence is not available to other users. To publish the resource catalog, click the check box. For information about publishing a resource catalog see Section 20.5.3, "Showing and Hiding Assets."
After initial creation, the new resource catalog is either empty or identical to the resource catalog selected from the Copy From list. The next step in creating a page template is to edit it to meet your requirements. For more information, see Section 23.5, "Editing a Resource Catalog."
To use the new resource catalog to add components to the pages or page templates in your portal, see Section 23.3, "Setting the Default Resource Catalogs."
After creating the basic resource catalog, the next step is to define its structure and content. The resources that you include in the resource catalog determine what users can include in their pages and page templates.
This section includes the following topics:
You can add different types of resources to your resource catalog from the Resource Registry.
To add a resource to a resource catalog:
Navigate to one of the following:
To add a resource to an application-level resource catalog, go to the Shared Assets page. For more information, see Section 59.2, "Accessing Shared Assets."
To add a resource to a portal-level resource catalog, go to the Assets page for the portal that owns it. For more information, see Section 20.2, "Accessing Portal Assets."
In the left panel, under Structure, click Resource Catalogs.
Click the Edit quick link in the row for the resource catalog that you want to edit.
In the Edit dialog, from the Add menu, select Add From Library (Figure 23-4).
Tip:
To add a resource within a folder, select the folder first and then click Add.
In the Add Resource Catalog Item dialog (Figure 23-5), in the left panel, select a type of resource.
In the right panel, select a resource.
Tip:
You can select multiple resources using the shortcut keys appropriate to your operating system.
Optionally, in the Name field, enter a different name to use for the resource in your resource catalog. This does not change the name of the resource in the library.
Note:
If you select multiple resources, you cannot rename them at this point. You can, however, edit them later. For more information, see Section 23.5.4, "Setting Properties on a Resource."
Click Add.
Notes:
Avoid adding a data control more than once in a catalog. The data control is added to the catalog as many times, but when you use the catalog to populate a page or task flow, you will not be able to add accessors, methods, or attributes from such data control instances.
The Design Time data controls folder lists all the WebCenter Portal tools and services data controls. However, adding the ConnectionsNetworkDC
and KudosServiceDC
data controls at runtime is not supported. Avoid adding these data controls to your page or task flow.
When you are done, click Save and Close.
To use the edited resource catalog to add components to the pages or page templates in your portal, see Section 23.3, "Setting the Default Resource Catalogs."
The Resource Registry in WebCenter Portal provides a large repository of resources that you can add to a resource catalog. However, if this is not sufficient and your business requires you to add other resources, such as ADF Faces components, custom JSPX, or raw HTML, you can create a custom component and specify the XML code for the component. Using a custom component is the only way to make such components available to a page in Composer.
You may want to create a custom component to:
Create seeded layouts that can be added to a page. You can add a layout component and include a combination of design and container components inside it. The container components provide empty content areas that can be filled later.
Add external content by including the raw HTML code.
Define seeded layouts in which to consume data controls. You can then bind the data control to the layout.
To create a custom component:
Navigate to one of the following:
To add a custom component to an application-level resource catalog, go to the Shared Assets page. For more information, see Section 59.2, "Accessing Shared Assets."
To add a custom component to a portal-level resource catalog, go to the Assets page for the portal. For more information, see Section 20.2, "Accessing Portal Assets."
In the left panel, under Structure, click Resource Catalogs.
Click the Edit quick link in the row for the resource catalog that you want to edit.
In the Edit dialog, from the Add menu, select Component.
On the Target tab of the Edit Resource Catalog Item - Component dialog, in the Name field, enter a name to display for the component in the resource catalog.
Figure 23-8 The Edit Resource Catalog Item - Component Dialog
In the Description field, enter a brief description of the component.
Select Visible if you want to display the component in the resource catalog.
Alternatively, you can specify an EL expression to determine under which conditions the resource displays in the resource catalog. For example, to specify that the resource should be visible only to users with the Moderator
role, use the following EL expression:
#{WCSecurityContext.userInScopedRole['Moderator']}
If you need EL assistance, an application developer can provide an EL expression; see the "Expression Language Expressions" appendix in Oracle Fusion Middleware Developing Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal and Oracle JDeveloper.
In the XML text area, enter the XML code for the component.
The following are a few examples of custom components:
Output Text
component:
<af:outputText xmlns:af="http://xmlns.oracle.com/adf/faces/rich" value="Weather Foercast for the Day" id="#"/>
Custom navigation:
<af:forEach xmlns:af="http://xmlns.oracle.com/adf/faces/rich" var="level_1_menu" items="#{SiteStructureContext.defaultSiteStructure.listModel['startNode=/, includeStartNode=false']}"> <af:outputText id="#" xmlns:af="http://xmlns.oracle.com/adf/faces/rich" value="#{level_1_menu.title}"/> </af:forEach>
External HTML content:
<f:verbatim xmlns:f="http://java.sun.com/jsf/core"> <![CDATA[ <object width="640" height="385"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KO2ti-B00gw&hl=en_US&fs=1"> </param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> </param> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KO2ti-B00gw&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"> </embed> </object>]]> </f:verbatim>
An alternative to this is to create a new task flow and add an HTML Markup
component inside it.
On the Options tab, set the display options for the component. For more information, see Section 23.5.4, "Setting Properties on a Resource."
On the Parameters tab, enter values for any parameters supported by the component.
You can also add custom parameters.
Click OK.
When you are done, click Save and Close.
To organize your catalog better, you can group similar resources together. For example, group all components together, or all resources from a particular tool or service.
To create a folder:
Navigate to one of the following:
To add a folder to an application-level resource catalog, go to the Shared Assets page. For more information, see Section 59.2, "Accessing Shared Assets."
To add a folder to a portal-level resource catalog, go to the Assets page for the portal. For more information, see Section 20.2, "Accessing Portal Assets."
In the left panel, under Structure, click Resource Catalogs.
Click the Edit quick link in the row for the resource catalog that you want to edit.
In the Edit dialog, from the Add menu, select Folder.
On the Target tab of the Edit Resource Catalog Item - Folder dialog, in the Name field, enter a name to display for the folder in the resource catalog.
In the Description field, enter a brief description of the contents of the folder.
Select Visible if you want to display the folder in the resource catalog.
Alternatively, you can specify an EL expression to determine under which conditions the folder displays in the catalog. For example, to specify that the folder should be visible only to users with the Moderator
role, use the following EL expression:
#{WCSecurityContext.userInScopedRole['Moderator']}
If you need EL assistance, an application developer can provide an EL expression; see the "Expression Language Expressions" appendix in Oracle Fusion Middleware Developing Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal and Oracle JDeveloper.
On the Options tab, set the display options for the folder. For more information, see Section 23.5.4, "Setting Properties on a Resource."
On the Parameters tab, enter values for any parameters supported by the folder.
You can also add custom parameters.
Click OK.
When you are done, click Save and Close.
You can now add resources inside this folder, or move resources inside it by dragging and dropping them from the top level folder.
You can edit properties on a resource to set the resource name and description, the icon to be associated with the resource, and to add new properties.
To set properties on a resource:
Navigate to one of the following:
To edit an application-level resource catalog, go to the WebCenter Portal Shared Assets page. For more information, see Section 59.2, "Accessing Shared Assets."
To edit a portal-level resource catalog, go to the Assets page for the portal. For more information, see Section 20.2, "Accessing Portal Assets."
In the left panel, under Structure, click Resource Catalogs.
Click the Edit quick link in the row for the resource catalog that you want to edit.
Select the resource that you want to edit.
Tip:
If the resource you want to edit is inside a folder in the catalog, expand the folder first.
In the toolbar, click Edit.
On the Target tab of the Edit Resource Catalog Item dialog, in the Name field, edit the name of the resource as it should appear in the resource catalog.
In the Description field, enter a brief description to display below the resource name in the resource catalog.
Select Visible if you want to display the resource in the resource catalog.
Alternatively, you can specify an EL expression to determine under which conditions the resource displays in the catalog. For example, to specify that the resource should be visible only to users with the Moderator
role, use the following EL expression:
#{WCSecurityContext.userInScopedRole['Moderator']}
If you need EL assistance, an application developer can provide an EL expression; see the "Expression Language Expressions" appendix in Oracle Fusion Middleware Developing Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal and Oracle JDeveloper.
The remaining fields on this tab are specific to the resource type. See Table 23-4 for details.
Table 23-4 Fields for Specific Resource Catalog Resources
Field | Applies to | Description |
---|---|---|
Path |
Links |
Enter the URL to access the resource. The URL format is different depending on what you are linking to:
If you do not know the location, click the Select icon to browse for available resources. Note: In the Select dialog, the Select button is active only when you select a resource that can be included in the navigation model. For example, if you expand the Portlets node and select a portlet producer, then the Select button is disabled. If you expand the portlet producer and select a portlet, then the Select button is enabled. |
Repository |
Resources that require a repository connection |
The name of the connection used to lookup the resource. |
Include Catalog |
Nested Resource Catalogs |
Select the resource catalog to nest within the current catalog. |
Hide Top-Level Folder |
Custom folders that are populated dynamically at runtime. |
Select to include contents from the selected folder directly under the parent folder; for example, if you select this option for the Data Controls folder, then any data controls created at runtime are displayed directly under Mash-Ups. The Data Controls folder is not displayed. You can preview the catalog to see this change. |
Factory Class |
Custom folders that are populated dynamically at runtime |
The factory class used to create the folder. The factory classes for the folders available in the default catalog are as follows:
|
Click the Options tab. (Figure 23-9)
Figure 23-9 The Options Tab of the Edit Resource Catalog Item Dialog
Set the various display options, as described in Table 23-5.
Table 23-5 Resource Catalog Item Display Options
Option | Description |
---|---|
attr.ATTRIBUTE_NAME |
For each attribute, enter an initial value for the attribute. These are attributes defined against portlets or task flows at design time. When the task flow or portlet is consumed on a page, the attribute is exposed along with the enclosing chrome's attributes; for example, |
parameter.PARAMETER_NAME |
For each parameter, enter an enter initial value for the parameter. These are parameters defined against portlets or task flows at design time. When the task flow or portlet is consumed on a page, the parameter is exposed along with the enclosing |
Large Icon URI |
Enter the path of an icon to display next to the resource in the catalog. The icon should preferably be 32 x 32 pixels in size. |
Small Icon URI |
Enter the path of an icon to display next to the resource when it appears in the Up menu in the catalog. The icon should preferably be 16 x 16 pixels in size. |
Tool Tip |
Enter the text to display when users hover the mouse over the resource in the catalog. |
In the New Attribute Name field, enter the name of an attribute that has been defined for the resource but is not exposed in the dialog. You can also select an attribute from the drop-down list.
In the New Attribute Value field, enter a value for the attribute specified in the New Attribute Name field, and click Add.
Tip:
You can click Add even without specifying a value for the attribute. You can specify the value once the field is displayed in the dialog along with the other display options.
Click the Parameters tab and define parameter values for resources that support wiring, for example, portlets and task flows. For details about supported parameters for a resource, refer to the documentation for that resource.
Click OK.
When you are done, click Save and Close.
To move a resource within a folder, select the resource and click the Move Up or Move Down icons as many times as necessary until the resource is in the desired location.
To indent a resource under another, move the child resource so that it is immediately below the parent resource and click the Indent icon.
To move an indented resource so that it is no longer indented below another resource, select the indented resource and click the Outdent icon.
You can create a copy of an existing resource by selecting it in the catalog and clicking Copy. A copy of the resource is placed just below it in the resource hierarchy. You can select the copy and alter its attributes and parameters as described in Section 23.5.4, "Setting Properties on a Resource."
You can delete resources from a resource catalog by selecting it in the catalog and clicking Delete. In the Delete dialog, click Delete to confirm that you want to delete the resource from the catalog.
Click the Preview tab in the Edit dialog to see how the resource catalog appears to users. The preview shows the order in which the resources are displayed. It also shows how dynamic folders are executed.
The following options are available on the Assets or Shared Assets page to enable you to manage resource catalogs:
Create—For more information, see Section 23.4, "Creating a Resource Catalog."
Delete—You can delete a resource catalog when it is no longer required.
For more information, see Section 20.5.7, "Deleting an Asset."
Upload—You can upload an archive file that contains a resource catalog that has been developed using JDeveloper.
For more information, see Section 20.6.2, "Uploading an Asset."
Download—You can download a resource catalog into an archive file for further development in JDeveloper.
For more information, see Section 20.6.1, "Downloading an Asset."
Actions
Copy—You can create a copy of a resource catalog.
For more information, see Section 20.5.4, "Copying an Asset."
Security Settings—You can control whether all users or only specific users or groups can access a resource catalog.
For more information, see Section 20.5.6, "Setting Security for an Asset."
Show Properties—Each resource catalog has an associated Show Properties dialog that summarizes useful information about it.
For more information, see Section 20.5.1, "Viewing Information About an Asset."
Edit Source—You can directly edit the source code of a resource catalog.
For more information, see Section 20.4.2, "Editing the Source Code of an Asset."
Edit Properties—Each resource catalog has certain properties associated with it that control how it is displayed in the portal. You can edit these properties through the Edit Properties dialog.
For more information, see Section 20.5.5, "Setting Properties on an Asset."
Available—You can control whether or not a resource catalog is available for use in a portal by selecting or deselecting this check box.
For more information, see Section 20.5.3, "Showing and Hiding Assets."
Tip:
In addition to showing or hiding a page template, you can also control whether a shared page template is available to any, all, or selected portals in WebCenter Portal. For more information, see Section 23.5.4, "Setting Properties on a Resource."
Edit—For more information, see Section 23.5, "Editing a Resource Catalog."