25 Managing Your Favorites

This chapter describes how to create, organize, and manage Favorites, which enable you to keep your own personal list of favorite web sites and pages to access from any browser you choose.

This chapter includes the following topics:

• About Favorites

• Accessing Your Favorites

• Adding Favorites

• Adding Favorites Folders

• Managing Favorites in Preferences

Permissions

The tasks described in this chapter are available to any WebCenter Portal user.

25.1 About Favorites

The great advantage to WebCenter Portal Favorites is their portability. Favorites are not dependent on a particular type of browser, so any browser you use to access WebCenter Portal provides access to your WebCenter Portal Favorites. You can create favorites that link to sites within WebCenter Portal or to external sites. This makes WebCenter Portal the best choice for managing and tracking your favorites list.

Note:

URLs that start with a slash (/) are the only URLs recognized as internal to WebCenter Portal. If you create a favorite to a WebCenter Portal page that does not start with a slash (/), but rather starts with http://, when you navigate to that page through your favorite, it will first show a message warning that you are leaving WebCenter Portal.

Favorites are personal. The favorites you see on the Favorites menu are the favorites you create. No other user sees your favorites, and you do not see any other user's favorites. If you like, though, you can share favorites with other users, by making one or more of them discoverable in a search.

Favorites are created at the application level; consequently, when you move from one portal to another, the favorites on the Favorites menu stay the same.

WebCenter Portal provides a Manage Favorites page in Preferences, which you can use to further customize your favorites. Use the Manage Favorites page to:

• Control the display order of links on the Favorites menu

• Choose a method for opening a favorite target

• Create folders for organizing your favorites

• Create, edit, or delete favorite links and folders

For more information about the Manage Favorites page, see Managing Favorites in Preferences.

25.2 Accessing Your Favorites

The easiest way to access the Favorites user interface is to open the Favorites menu (Figure 25-1). However, the availability of navigational links and menus, such as the Favorites menu, is determined by the people who design and build your portal. This being so, you may not see a Favorites menu.

Figure 25-1 Favorites Menu

Description of "Figure 25-1 Favorites Menu"

25.3 Adding Favorites

Add favorite links for quick access to WebCenter Portal pages and the web sites you find most useful. If you like, you can share favorites with other users by making one or more of them discoverable in a search. This section describes how to add new favorites and how to share them with other users.

Note:

This section describes how to add favorites through the Favorites menu. You can also add favorites through the Manage Favorites page in Preferences. For more information, see Adding a Favorite Using the Manage Favorites Page.

To add a favorite:

1. The way you obtain your favorite's URL differs depending on the circumstances:

   • For pages external to WebCenter Portal, go to a favorite web location and copy its URL.

   • For WebCenter Portal pages, log in and go to the page you want to make a favorite.

   • If you know the URL, enter it manually when prompted.

   Note:

   URLs that start with a slash (/) are the only URLs recognized as internal to WebCenter Portal. If you create a favorite to a WebCenter Portal page that does not start with a slash (/), but rather starts with http://, when you navigate to that page through your favorite, it will first show a message warning that you are leaving WebCenter Portal.

2. Open the Add To Favorites dialog (for more information, see Accessing Your Favorites).
3. In the Name field, enter a display name for the favorite (Figure 25-2).

   Figure 25-2 Add To Favorites Dialog

   
   Description of "Figure 25-2 Add To Favorites Dialog"

   Note:

   The value you enter for Name becomes the favorite's link text. The name of the current page is provided by default. You can change this or leave it as is.

4. In the Web Address field, enter the target URL for the favorite.

   The default entry for this field is the URL of the current WebCenter Portal page; you have three options:

   • Leave the default entry (the path to the current page) as is.

   • Paste the URL you copied in step 1.

   • Enter the URL manually.

5. From the Create In pick list, select the favorites folder in which to create the favorite.

   See Also:

   WebCenter provides one top-level default folder: Favorites. You can also create your own folders by clicking the New Folder button. For more information, see Adding Favorites Folders.

6. To enable this favorite to be discovered by other users during a search, select Shared.

   Deselect Shared if you do not want other users to have any access to this favorite.

7. Click OK to add the favorite to the Favorites menu and the Manage Favorites page.

25.4 Adding Favorites Folders

To keep your list of favorites manageable, you can organize them into folders. The folder hierarchy you create appears on the Favorites menu and on the Manage Favorites page. Because the favorite folders you create are user-level customizations, they display only in your view of WebCenter Portal.

Note:

This section describes one way to create favorites folders. You can also create them in the Manage Favorites page. For more information, see Editing Favorites and Favorites Folders.

To add a favorites folder:

1. Open the Add To Favorites dialog.

   See Also:

   For more information, see Accessing Your Favorites.

2. Click the New Folder button to open the Create Folder dialog (Figure 25-3).

   Figure 25-3 New Folder Button and Create Folder Dialog

   
   Description of "Figure 25-3 New Folder Button and Create Folder Dialog"
3. In the Folder Name field, enter a name for the new folder.
4. Click Create to save the new folder and close the Create Folder dialog.

   The new folder appears as a selection in the Add To Favorites dialog on the Create In list.

5. Click OK to close the Add To Favorites dialog.

25.5 Managing Favorites in Preferences

The WebCenter Portal Manage Favorites page (Figure 25-4) in Preferences provides a convenient, one-stop location for creating, editing, and deleting favorite links and folders and rearranging their display order on the Favorites menu.

Figure 25-4 Manage Favorites Page

Description of "Figure 25-4 Manage Favorites Page"

This section describes how to use the controls available on the Manage Favorites page. It includes the following topics:

• Adding a Favorite Using the Manage Favorites Page

• Adding a Favorites Folder Using the Manage Favorites Page

• Editing Favorites and Favorites Folders

• Rearranging Favorites and Favorites Folders

• Searching for Favorites

• Deleting Favorites and Favorites Folders

25.5.1 Adding a Favorite Using the Manage Favorites Page

When you want to add multiple favorites, the best place to do this is on the Manage Favorites page. This is because the Manage Favorites page remains open until you close it, saving you steps in the creation process.

To add favorites through the Manage Favorites page:

1. Go to the web page of interest, and copy its URL.

   You can skip this step if you plan to enter the URL manually. For information about getting the URL of an application page, see Viewing Information About a Personal Page (viewing information about a portal page works the same as viewing information about a personal page).

2. Open the Manage Favorites page (for more information, see Accessing Your Favorites).
3. Select the folder in which to create the new favorite.

   Tip:

   Select a folder by clicking in its row.

4. Click the Add button in the toolbar at the top of the window (Figure 25-5).

   Figure 25-5 Add Button in Manage Favorites Page

   
   Description of "Figure 25-5 Add Button in Manage Favorites Page"
5. In the resulting Add To Favorites dialog, in the Name field enter a display name for the favorite (Figure 25-6).

   Figure 25-6 Add To Favorites Dialog

   
   Description of "Figure 25-6 Add To Favorites Dialog"
6. In the Web Address field, paste the URL you copied in step 1, or enter a URL manually.
7. To enable the sharing of this favorite in other users' search results, select Shared.
8. Click OK.

   The new favorite appears in the Manage Favorites page and in the Favorites menu.

25.5.2 Adding a Favorites Folder Using the Manage Favorites Page

To keep your list of favorites manageable, you can organize them into folders. The folder hierarchy you create appears in the Favorites menu and on the Manage Favorites page. Because the favorite folders you create are user-level customizations, they display only in your view of WebCenter Portal.

In addition to adding favorites folders through the Add To Favorites dialog (see Adding Favorites Folders) you can add them through the Manage Favorites page.

To add a favorites folder through the Manage Favorites page:

1. Open the Manage Favorites page (for more information, see Accessing Your Favorites).
2. Select the folder in which to create the new folder, and click the New button in the toolbar at the top of the window (Figure 25-7).

   Figure 25-7 New Button in Manage Favorites Page

   
   Description of "Figure 25-7 New Button in Manage Favorites Page"
3. In the resulting Create Folder dialog, in the Folder Name box enter a display name for the favorite folder (Figure 25-8).

   Figure 25-8 Create Folder Dialog

   
   Description of "Figure 25-8 Create Folder Dialog"
4. Click Create.

   The new folder appears on the Manage Favorites page and in the Favorites menu.

25.5.3 Editing Favorites and Favorites Folders

The Manage Favorites page provides controls for editing favorites and favorites folders. Use this feature to revise a folder or favorite name, a favorite target URL, or a open behavior for a favorite.

Open behavior determines how a favorite target URL opens from the Favorites menu or the Manage Favorites page. Choose from opening a favorite target in the current browser window or a new browser window or tab.

To edit a favorite or favorite folder:

1. Open the Manage Favorites page (for more information, see Accessing Your Favorites).
2. If necessary, expand favorites folders to access the favorite or folder you want to edit.

   Tip:

   To expand a folder, click the Expand icon to the left of the folder.

3. Select the favorite or favorite folder you want to edit, and click the Edit button in the toolbar to open the Edit Favorite dialog (Figure 25-9) or Edit Folder dialog.

   Tip:

   To select a favorite or a folder, click in its row.

   Figure 25-9 Edit Favorite Dialog

   
   Description of "Figure 25-9 Edit Favorite Dialog"

   Table 25-1 lists and describes the types of values you can enter for the Edit Favorite and Edit Folder dialogs.

   Table 25-1 Values Taken By Edit Favorite and Edit Folder Dialogs

   Label	Applies To	Value
   Name	Edit Favorite and Folder	The display name of the favorite or folder. This is the name that appears in the Favorites menu and on the Manage Favorites page.
   Location	Edit Favorite	The favorite target URL.
   Shared	Edit Favorite	Specify whether to allow other users to discover this favorite through a search. Selected means yes, deselected means no.
   Open Behavior	Edit Favorite	An option for specifying how a favorite opens Choose from: New Window—The favorite opens in a new browser tab or window. Current Window—The current browser window redraws, displaying the favorite target. Note: The open behavior you specify for a Favorite does not apply to Favorites returned in a search. To control the open behavior of a Favorite returned in a search, right click the search result and select an open behavior from your browser's context menu.
   Type	Edit Favorite	The link type, always URL This field is read-only.
   Icon	Edit Favorite and Folder	An option for providing an icon to display along with the display name shown in the Favorites menu Enter the full URL to the icon.
   Created On	Edit Favorite and Folder	The date the favorite or folder was created This field is read-only.
   Last Visited On	Edit Favorite	The date the favorite was last visited using the favorites link This field is read-only.

4. Make your changes.
5. Click OK to save your changes and close the Edit Favorites or Edit Folder dialog.

25.5.4 Rearranging Favorites and Favorites Folders

The Manage Favorites page provides controls for moving a favorite or a favorite folder higher or lower in the Favorites menu. You can accomplish a move by clicking icons or by dragging and dropping. Use this feature to arrange your view of the Favorites menu exactly to your liking.

To rearrange favorites and favorites folders:

1. Open the Manage Favorites page (for more information, see Accessing Your Favorites).
2. If necessary, expand favorites folders and then select the favorite or folder you want to rearrange.

   Tip:

   To select a favorite or a folder, click in its row.

3. Click the Move Up or Move Down icon in the toolbar to rearrange the selected favorite or folder (Figure 25-10).

   Figure 25-10 Move Icons in Manage Favorites Page

   
   Description of "Figure 25-10 Move Icons in Manage Favorites Page"

   Alternatively, drag the favorite or folder to its target position.

   Caution:

   In WebCenter Portal, you cannot move a favorite into an existing folder using only the keyboard. To work around this issue, create a duplicate favorite within the target folder, then delete the original favorite.

   The favorite or folder is repositioned on the Manage Favorites page and in the Favorites menu.

25.5.5 Searching for Favorites

The Manage Favorites page includes a search feature that enables you to locate favorites. You can use the favorites search feature to search for favorite display names or target URLs. This search feature does not search for favorite folder names. Search results display on the Manage Favorites page.

To search for favorites:

1. Open the Manage Favorites page (for more information, see Accessing Your Favorites).
2. Enter a search term in the Filter box, and click the Filter icon (Figure 25-11).

   Figure 25-11 Filter Feature in Manage Favorites Page

   
   Description of "Figure 25-11 Filter Feature in Manage Favorites Page"

   Results display in the Manage Favorites page.

   Tip:

   To exit search results, you must exit the Manage Favorites page. Alternatively, you can delete the search term from the Filter box and click the Filter icon. A search without a search term returns the Manage Favorites page to its default view.

25.5.6 Deleting Favorites and Favorites Folders

When you delete a favorite or a favorites folder, it is permanently removed from both the Favorites menu and the Manage Favorites page. Additionally, when you delete a favorites folder all the favorites it contains are also deleted.

To delete favorites and favorites folders:

1. Open the Manage Favorites page (for more information, see Accessing Your Favorites).
2. Select the favorite or favorite folder you want to delete.

   Tip:

   To select a favorite or favorite folder, click in its row.

3. Click the Delete button on the toolbar (Figure 25-12).

   Figure 25-12 Delete Button in Manage Favorites

   
   Description of "Figure 25-12 Delete Button in Manage Favorites"
4. In the confirmation dialog, click Delete.

   The selected favorite or favorite folder and any favorites the folder contained are permanently removed from the Manage Favorites page and the Favorites menu.