Displaying Data from External Applications in Siebel Applets

The example in this topic describes how to configure Siebel Open UI to display data from an external application in a Siebel applet. Siebel Open UI can use a symbolic URL open this external application from an applet. For example, to display a Google Map or a Linked In view as an applet in a Siebel application.

Note: When a symbolical URL is displayed in the Siebel Web framework, Siebel Open UI sends it regular ping requests to prevent the session from timing out. This is done because Siebel Open UI can not detect activity, or lack of activity, on the symbolic URL

The example in this topic configure Siebel Open UI to display a Google map as a child applet in the Account detail page. The Map displays a location according to the Zip Code of the account record. If the Zip Code is empty, then it displays the default Google map.

To display data from external applications in Siebel applets

1. Configure the business component:

   1. Open Siebel Tools.

      For more information, see Using Siebel Tools.

   2. In the Object Explorer, click Business Component.

   3. In the Business Components list, query the Name property for Account.

   4. In the Object Explorer, expand the Business Component tree, and then click Field.

   5. In the Fields list, add the following field.

      Property	Value
      Name	You can use any value. For this example, use the following value: SymbolicURLGoogleMap
      Calculated	TRUE
      Type	DTYPE_TEXT
      Calculated Value	Enter the name of any Symbolic URL enclosed in double quotation marks. For this example, enter the following value: SymbolicURLGoogleMap You define this Symbolic URL later in this example.

2. Configure the applet:

   1. In the Object Explorer, click Applet.

   2. In the Applets list, query the Name property for SSO Analytics Administration Applet.

      In a typical configuration, you create an applet that Siebel Open UI can to use to display the external content. This applet must reference the business component that you configured in Step 1.

   3. Copy the applet that you located in Step 2b, and then set the following properties for this copy.

      Property	Value
      Name	GoogleMap
      Business Component	Account
      Title	GoogleMap

   4. In the Object Explorer, expand the Applet tree, expand the List tree, and then click List Column.

   5. In the List Columns list, set the following properties for the single record that the list displays.

      Property	Value
      Name	SymbolicURLGoogleMap
      Field	SymbolicURLGoogleMap
      Field Retrieval Type	Symbolic URL

3. Configure the view:

   1. In the Object Explorer, click View.

   2. In the Views list, query the Name property for the view that must display the Google map.

      For this example, query the Name property for the following value:

      Account Detail - Contacts View

   3. In the Object Explorer, expand the View tree, expand the View Web Template tree, and then click View Web Template Item.

   4. In the View Web Template Items list, add the following view Web template item.

      Property	Value
      Name	GoogleMap
      Applet	GoogleMap
      Field Retrieval Type	Symbolic URL
      Item Identifier	Enter the next highest number in the sequence of numbers that Siebel Tools displays for all records in the View Web Template Items list.

      Note that you cannot move an applet into the Web Layout Editor in Siebel Tools. You must add it manually to the Web page.

4. Compile your modifications.

5. Examine the URL that Siebel Open UI must integrate:

   1. Open the URL that Siebel Open UI must integrate.

      For this example, open http://maps.google.com/ in a browser.

   2. View the source HTML.

      For example, if you use Internet Explorer, then click the View menu, and then click Source. Alternatively, save the file to your computer, and then use an HTML editor to open it.

   3. Identify the input fields.

      It is recommended that you search for the input tag.

      In this example, the source displays the name in the following way:

      name="q"

      You use this value when you define the arguments for the Symbolic URL.

   4. Determine if the method attribute of the page is one of the following:

      • POST. You must define the PostRequest command as an argument of the symbolic URL.

      • GET. you do not need to define a symbolic URL command.

      In this example, the method is GET.

   5. Determine the target of the from action attribute, which is typically specified as action = "some string". In this situation, it is '/maps'. It is appended to the predefined URL.

6. Configure the symbolic URL:

   1. Log in to the Siebel client with administrator privileges.

   2. Navigate to the Administration - Integration screen, and then the WI Symbolic URL List view.

   3. In the Fixup Administration dropdown list, choose Symbolic URL Administration.

   4. In the Symbolic URL Administration list, add the following symbolic URL.

      Field	Value
      Name	SymbolicURLGoogleMap
      URL	http://maps.google.com/maps
      Fixup Name	Default
      SSO Disposition	IFrame

   5. In the Symbolic URL Arguments list, add the following symbolic URL argument.

      Field	Value
      Name	q This value is the input tag in HTML for the Google map.
      Required Argument	N You set this argument to N because the account might not include a zip code.
      Argument Type	Field Siebel Open UI must send the value in the zip code field of the account to the Google map.
      Argument Value	Postal Code You set this argument to the name of the business component field that contains the value that Siebel Open UI must send to the Google map.
      Append as Argument	Y
      Substitute in Text	N
      Sequence#	1

   6. In the Symbolic URL Arguments list, add the following symbolic URL argument. Siebel Open UI uses this argument to embed the Google map in the applet.

      Field	Value
      Name	output
      Required Argument	Y
      Argument Type	Constant
      Argument Value	embed
      Append as Argument	Y
      Substitute in Text	N
      Sequence#	2

7. Test your modifications:

   1. Navigate to the Accounts screen, and then click Accounts List.

   2. In the Accounts List, create a new account and include a value in the Zip Code field.

   3. Drill down on the Account Name field.

   4. Make sure Siebel Open UI displays a Google map and that this map includes a push pin that identifies the zip code that you entered in Step b.