4 Working with Page Groups

This chapter shows you how to create and set up a page group. It includes the following main sections:

Creating a Page Group
Deleting a Page Group
Delegating Page Group Responsibilities
Setting Defaults for the Pages in a Page Group
Sharing Objects Between Page Groups
Creating a Translatable Page Group

Intended Audience

The contents of this chapter are intended for users with at least the Manage All privilege on a page group (that is, page group administrators). If a particular task requires different privileges, the required privileges will be listed before the steps of that task.

4.1 Creating a Page Group

A page group is a collection of related pages. Every page belongs to a page group. A page group also contains any supporting objects required for the pages within it, for example, styles, page templates, categories, and custom types.

Privileges:

Page group administrators cannot create page groups unless they also have the Create privilege on All Page Groups. Portal administrators automatically have these privileges and can create page groups.

To create a page group:

In the Page Groups portlet, click the Create Page Group link.

By default, the Page Groups portlet is located on the Build tab of the Portal Builder page.
In the Name field, enter a name for the page group. The name can be used in a URL to directly access the page group. Direct access URLs take the following format:
```
http://<hostname>:<portnumber>/pls/<dad>/url/page/<pagegroupname>
```
For example:
```
http://mymachine.mycompany.com:5000/pls/portal/url/page/mypagegroup
```
The name is limited to 60 characters and can contain only alphanumeric characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9) and the underscore character (_). Do not use spaces or other special characters.
In the Display Name field, enter a descriptive name for the page group.

The display name is limited to 256 characters.
From the Default Language list, choose the language in which to create the page group.

You can make the page group available in other languages later by creating translations. See Section 4.6, "Creating a Translatable Page Group".
Click Create.

When you create a page group, you are automatically assigned as its administrator (that is, you are granted the Manage All privilege on the page group). You can assign a different page group administrator if desired. See Section 4.3, "Delegating Page Group Responsibilities".

4.2 Deleting a Page Group

Deleting a page group deletes all the objects within the page group, all the content within the page group, and any of its translations.

To delete a page group:

Click the Navigator link, then click the Page Groups tab.

A Navigator link can appear on any page. By default, you can find one on the Portal Builder page.
Click the Page Groups path link to go to the top level of the Page Groups Navigator.
Click the Delete link in the row for the page group that you want to delete.
In the confirmation page, click Yes.

4.3 Delegating Page Group Responsibilities

This section contains the following subsections:

Assigning Page Group Privileges
Controlling Who Can Apply a Different Style to a Page
Specifying a Page Group Contact

4.3.1 Assigning Page Group Privileges

You can determine who has access to a page group and to what extent. Keep in mind, however, that page group access works in tandem with the global privileges that are set for users and groups. For example, you may explicitly grant the View privilege on a particular page group to three users. But there may be many more users who can actually view the contents of the page group, depending on how many users have been granted the View global privilege on All Page Groups. For more information about global privileges, refer to the Oracle Application Server Portal Configuration Guide.

For information about controlling access to the individual pages in a page group, see Section 7.12, "Protecting Your Content".

Granting Access to a Page Group

To grant a user or group access to a page group:

From the Page Group portlet’s Page Group list, choose the page group with which you want to work, then click Edit.

By default the Page Group portlet is located on the Build tab of the Portal Builder page.
Click the Access tab.
In the Grantee field, enter the name of the user or group that you want to allow to access the page group.

If you are not sure of the name of the user or group, click the Browse Users or Browse Groups icon and select from the list provided.

In the list of privileges, choose the level of access to grant to the user or group (see Table 4-1).

Table 4-1 Page Group Privileges

A User or Group with the Following Privilege:	Can:
Manage All	Perform any task within the page group. The Manage All privilege includes all other page group privileges: Manage Classifications, Manage Templates, Manage Styles, and View. A user with this privilege is called the page group administrator.
Manage Classifications	Create, edit, and delete any category, perspective, attribute, custom item type, and custom page type in the page group. A user with this privilege cannot view the pages in this page group unless he or she also has the View privilege.
Manage Templates	Create, edit, and delete any page template in the page group. A user with this privilege cannot view the pages in this page group unless he or she also has the View privilege.
Manage Styles	Create, edit, and delete any style in the page group, and apply a different style to any page in the page group. A user with this privilege can also view any page in the page group.
View	View the content of any page in the page group, and preview any externally published portlet in the page group. A user with this privilege cannot add, remove, show, or hide any content within the pages in the page group.

Click Add.
Click OK.

Changing Access to a Page Group

To change a user or group’s access to a page group:

From the Page Group portlet’s Page Group list, choose the page group with which you want to work, then click Edit.

By default the Page Group portlet is located on the Build tab of the Portal Builder page.
Click the Access tab.
In the Change Access section, find the user or group whose privileges you want to change.

Because OID can include multiple containers that can use the same group names, the distinguished name (DN) is displayed next to any group that does not belong to the local OracleAS Portal instance.
From the Privilege list, choose the new privilege level (see Table 4-1).

Note:
To completely remove a user or group’s privileges on the page group, click the Delete icon.
Because of caching, if you change a user or group’s page group privileges, your changes may not be immediately apparent if the user or a member of the group has already accessed the page group. For example, the user may be able to see icons or links for actions that he or she is no longer authorized to perform. This may cause confusion if the user clicks one of those icons or links and receives an error message.

To make sure that your changes take effect immediately, clear any cache entries for the page group by clicking the Clear Cache link.
Click OK.

4.3.2 Controlling Who Can Apply a Different Style to a Page

OracleAS Portal provides two page group settings that allow you to ensure that users cannot apply different styles to the pages in your page group:

The Allow Privileged Users To Manage Page Style setting is turned on by default, meaning that users with Manage or Manage Style privileges on a page in the page group can apply a different style when editing the page. If you turn this setting off, only portal administrators and users with the Manage All privilege on the page group can apply a different style to the pages in the page group. For information about applying styles to pages, see Section 7.4.1, "Applying a Style to a Page".
The Allow Privileged Users To Customize Page Style setting is turned on by default, meaning that users with the Customization (Style) privilege or above on a page in the page group can apply a different style when customizing the page. If you turn this setting off, nobody (not even users with the Manage privilege on the page or the Manage All privilege on the page group) can apply a different style when customizing a page in the page group. For information about customizing a page to apply a different style, see Section 1.3.8, "Applying a New Style to a Page".

To control who can apply a different style to a page:

From the Page Group portlet’s Page Group list, choose the page group with which you want to work, then click Edit.

By default the Page Group portlet is located on the Build tab of the Portal Builder page.
Clear the Allow Privileged Users To Manage Page Style to prevent all users except portal administrators and users with the Manage All privilege on the page group from applying a different style when editing pages in the page group.
Clear Allow Privileged Users To Customize Page Style to prevent all users from applying a different style when customizing pages in the page group.
Click OK.

4.3.3 Specifying a Page Group Contact

The page group contact is the person for users to contact with questions about the page group, and is typically the page group administrator. You can provide an e-mail address for the page group contact, and display that address on the pages in the page group.

Specifying the Page Group Contact E-mail Address

To specify the page group contact e-mail address:

From the Page Group portlet’s Page Group list, choose the page group with which you want to work, then click Edit.

By default the Page Group portlet is located on the Build tab of the Portal Builder page.
In the Contact E-mail field, enter the e-mail address of the page group contact, for example:
```
webmaster@mycompany.com
scott@mycompany.com
```
Click OK.

Adding the Page Group Contact E-mail Address to a Page

Privileges:

Any user with at least the Manage Items With Approval or Manage Content privilege on the page can add the page group contact e-mail address to a page.

To add the page group contact e-mail address to a page:

In the Page Groups portlet, under Edit a Page, click the Browse Pages icon next to the Name field.
Select the page to which you want to add the page group contact e-mail address, then click Edit.

You can also add the contact e-mail address to page templates or navigation pages.
In the region where you want to add the e-mail address, click the Add Item icon.

If you do not see the Add Item icon, the region may be a portlet region, in which case, you cannot add items to this region.
From the Built-In Navigation Item Types list, choose Portal Smart Link.

If you do not see Portal Smart Link in the list, the item type has not been included in the page group. See Section 5.2.3.3, "Making an Item Type Available to a Page Group".
Click Next.
From the Portal Smart Link list, choose Contact.

For information about the other smart links, refer to Section 6.3.4.6, "Adding a Portal Smart Link Item".
Enter your own Display Name or Use The Default Display Name.

If you provide your own display name, it will not be translated. The exact text that you enter in the Display Name field will be used for all languages. The default display name is translated.
Alternatively, you can specify an Image to display instead and specify the Image Alignment.

Click Finish.

Note:

If you add the Contact smart link to a page that has a designated page contact, the page contact e-mail address is used for the smart link instead of the page group contact e-mail address. For information about how to specify a page contact, refer to Section 7.8.6, "Specifying a Page Contact".

4.4 Setting Defaults for the Pages in a Page Group

This section includes the following sub-sections:

Inheriting Parent Page Properties when Creating Pages
Choosing a Default Style for a Page Group
Choosing a Default Navigation Page for a Page Group
Choosing a Default Page Template for a Page Group
Enabling Parameters and Events
Enabling JavaServer Page Access

For other page group configuration tasks, see:

4.4.1 Inheriting Parent Page Properties when Creating Pages

If many of the pages within your page group are likely to need the same settings (for example, use the same template and access control settings), you can specify that new pages inherit properties from their parent page. If you set up the parent page properties correctly, this will reduce the amount of time page managers need to spend setting up page properties.

If you enable this option, new pages inherit the following properties from their parent page:

Page type
Navigation page used for the banner (this is defaulted to the first created navigation page portlet on the parent page). If the parent page is based on a template, the sub-pages will use the same template, but if the parent page also contains other navigation portlets, those navigation portlets will also be added to the sub-pages
Page caching option
Page template
Style
Access settings, including Display Page To Public Users, Enable Item Level Security, and the access control list.
UI Template
Portlet settings
WebDAV default item types
Item versioning level
Contact e-mail
Category
Keywords
Approval process
Parameters

For information about creating pages, see Section 7.1, "Creating Pages".

To inherit parent page properties when creating pages:

From the Page Groups portlet’s Page Group list, choose the page group with which you want to work, then click Edit.

By default, the Page Groups portlet is located on the Build tab of the Portal Builder page.
Select Copy Parent Page Properties When Creating Page.
Click OK.

4.4.2 Choosing a Default Style for a Page Group

When creating a page, page creators can choose a style to define the colors and fonts to be used in the page. To simplify this choice, and to identify a preferred style for the pages in your page group, you can identify a default style. This style becomes the default selection when a page creator creates a new page. If the page creator does not explicitly choose a style, the default style is used. You can also choose <None> as the default style.

When a style is deleted, all pages and item regions that used it revert to the page group default style. If the page group default style is <None>, all pages and regions revert to the system default style.

For information about creating styles, see Section 6.2, "Working with Styles".

To choose a default style for a page group:

From the Page Groups portlet’s Page Group list, choose the page group with which you want to work, then click Edit.

By default, the Page Groups portlet is located on the Build tab of the Portal Builder page.
Click the Configure tab.
In the Page Types and Template section, click the Edit link.
From the Default Style list, choose a default style for the page group.

This list includes all the public styles in this page group and the Shared Objects page group.
Click OK to return to the Configure tab.
Click Close.

The default style is ignored if the option to inherit page properties for new pages from the parent page is enabled for the page group. See Section 4.4.1, "Inheriting Parent Page Properties when Creating Pages".

4.4.3 Choosing a Default Navigation Page for a Page Group

When creating a page, page creators can choose a navigation page to display as a banner in a region at the top of the page. To simplify this choice, and to identify a preferred navigation page for the pages in your page group, you can identify a default navigation page. This navigation page becomes the default selection when a page creator creates a new page. If the page creator does not explicitly choose a navigation page, the default navigation page is used. You can also choose <None> as the default navigation page.

Because the default navigation page is added to a region that occupies the full width of the page, make sure that the navigation page you choose here is suited to such a region.

For information about creating navigation pages, see Section 6.3, "Working with Navigation Pages".

To choose a default navigation page for a page group:

From the Page Groups portlet’s Page Group list, choose the page group with which you want to work, then click Edit.

By default, the Page Groups portlet is located on the Build tab of the Portal Builder page.
Click the Configure tab.
In the Page Types and Template section, click the Edit link.
From the Default Navigation Page list, select a default navigation page for the page group.

This list includes all the navigation pages in this page group and the Shared Objects page group that have been exposed as portlets and are available for use
Click OK to return to the Configure tab.
Click Close to return to the Navigator.

The default navigation page is ignored if the option to inherit page properties for new pages from the parent page is enabled for the page group. See Section 4.4.1, "Inheriting Parent Page Properties when Creating Pages".

4.4.4 Choosing a Default Page Template for a Page Group

When creating a page, page creators can choose a page template to make the page conform to a standard appearance. To simplify this choice, and to identify a preferred page template for the pages in your page group, you can identify a default page template for a page group. This template becomes the default selection when a page creator creates a new page. If the page creator does not explicitly choose a page template, the default page template is used. You can also choose <None> as the default page template.

For information about creating page templates, see Section 6.1, "Working with Page Templates".

To choose a default template for a page group:

From the Page Groups portlet’s Page Group list, choose the page group with which you want to work, then click Edit.

By default, the Page Groups portlet is located on the Build tab of the Portal Builder page.
Click the Configure tab.
In the Page Types and Template section, click the Edit link.
From the Default Page Template list, choose a default template for the page group.

This list includes all the page templates associated with this page group and the Shared Objects page group.
Click OK to return to the Configure tab.
Click Close.

The default page template is ignored if the option to inherit page properties for new pages from the parent page is enabled for the page group. See Section 4.4.1, "Inheriting Parent Page Properties when Creating Pages".

4.4.5 Enabling Parameters and Events

You can enable page designers to use parameters and events to enhance the behavior of pages.

For more information about parameters and events, see Section 7.11, "Using Parameters and Events".

To enable parameters and events in a page group:

From the Page Groups portlet’s Page Group list, choose the page group with which you want to work, then click Edit.

By default, the Page Groups portlet is located on the Build tab of the Portal Builder page.
Click the Configure tab.
In the Parameters and Events section, click the Edit link.
Select Enable Parameters and Events.
Click OK to return to the Configure tab.
Click Close.

4.4.6 Enabling JavaServer Page Access

OracleAS Portal gives you the ability to create various kinds of Web pages. You can supplement this ability with JavaServer Pages (JSPs).

You can create two types of JSPs for use with OracleAS Portal:

Internal JSPs are created within OracleAS Portal. Internal JSPs are quick and easy to set up and manage. You create them using the standard page wizards. Internal JSPs are then automatically stored in the OracleAS Portal system, and are managed and secured by OracleAS Portal. For more information, see Section 7.1.5, "Creating a JavaServer Page (JSP)".
External JSPs are created outside OracleAS Portal using a text editor or other external tool. You store external JSPs outside of OracleAS Portal. OracleAS Portal does not provide any file management or security. There are additional requirements for having OracleAS Portal accept and display external JSPs in a page group. You must create a configuration file and install it in the OracleAS Portal environment, and modify the server to allow the external JSPs to log in to OracleAS Portal.

You can choose the type of JSP suited to your situation. In general, internal JSPs are much simpler to create and use. External JSPs offer more flexibility, are easier to modify, and usually run faster than internal JSPs.

Whether you are using external or internal JSPs, you need to have a page group with which the JSPs will be associated. Also, that page group needs to have several JSP-related properties.

To enable JavaServer Page access:

From the Page Groups portlet’s Page Group list, choose the page group with which you want to work, then click Edit.

By default, the Page Groups portlet is located on the Build tab of the Portal Builder page.
Click the Configure tab.
In the JSP Access section, click the Edit link.
Select the Allow External Access check box.

This is required even for internal JSPs.
In the Access Key field, enter a text string to provide security between the page group and JSPs. In order for your external JSPs to access the page group, you will need to specify this key in the configuration file you create to support your external JSPs.

Even if the page group will be used only by internal JSPs, you still need to create an access key for the page group.

The access key can contain up to 200 alphanumeric characters. Do not use spaces, the underscore character (_), or other special characters.
Click OK to return to the Configure tab.
Click Close.

4.5 Sharing Objects Between Page Groups

You can share attributes, item types, page types, categories, perspectives, templates, navigation pages, and styles between page groups by creating them in the Shared Objects page group.

Shared objects enable better integration between page groups while permitting customization at the page group level. Thus, any time you want to share an object across multiple page groups, you should create it in the Shared Objects page group.

To create or manage objects in the Shared Objects page group, you must have the appropriate page group privileges on the Shared Objects page group. For example, to create or edit a shared category, you must have the Manage Classifications privilege on the Shared Objects page group.

If you create an attribute, item type, page type, category, or perspective in one page group, and later realize that it would be useful in other page groups as well, you can promote the object to the Shared Objects page group, instead of having to recreate it.

Note:

You cannot promote templates and navigation pages to the Shared Objects page group. If you want to share a template or navigation page between page groups, you must recreate it in the Shared Objects page group.

The Shared Objects page group also contains users’ personal pages.

Promoting an Object to the Shared Objects Page Group

Privileges:

To promote an attribute, page type, item type, category, or perspective you must have the Manage Classifications privilege on the page group to which the object belongs and on the Shared Objects page group. To promote a style you must have the Manage Style privilege on the page group to which the style belongs and on the Shared Objects page group.

To promote an object to the Shared Objects page group:

Use the Navigator to browse to the object that you want to share.
In the row for the object, click the Promote link.
On the confirmation page, click Yes.

Note:

If you promote a non-public style (that is, a style for which the Make Public check box is not selected), the style is moved to the Shared Object page group, but is not made public. If you want other users to be able to use the style, you must explicitly make it public.

Example 4-1 Promoting a Category to the Shared Objects Page Group

Click the Navigator link, then click the Page Groups tab.

A Navigator link can appear on any page. By default you can find one on the Portal Builder page.
In the path, click the Page Groups link to navigate to the top level of the Page Groups Navigator.
Click the link for the page group to which the category currently belongs.
Click the Categories link.
In the row for the category that you want to promote, click the Promote link.
In the confirmation screen, click Yes.

When you are returned to the Navigator, notice that the category is no longer listed under this page group.
In the path, click the Page Groups link to navigate to the top level of the Page Groups Navigator.
Click the Shared Objects link.
Click the Categories link.

Notice that the category you just promoted is now listed under the Shared Objects page group.

4.6 Creating a Translatable Page Group

When creating a page group, the creator chooses the language in which to create it. However, if the page group is used by a multilingual audience, it may need to be available in different languages.

You can make a page group available in a different language by creating a translation of the page group. Once you have created a translation in a particular language, content contributors can add content in that language.

Note:

Before you can create a translation for a particular language, the application messages for that language must be installed. For information about this, refer to the Oracle Application Server Portal Configuration Guide.

When you create a translation, you are simply making it possible for the content of the page group to be translated; the content of the page group is not translated for you. Once a translation is created for a page group, a translator must log on to the page group, set the language accordingly, and edit and translate the content in the page group.

The following list shows which information translators may want to translate:

Category display names and images
Perspective display names and images
Page display names, descriptions, and images
Page parameter display names and descriptions
Item display names, descriptions, keywords, URLs, files, text, and images
Attribute display names
Custom item and page type display names, descriptions, and images
Style names

To view a page group in a particular language, users simply have to set the portal language to the appropriate language, either when logging on, or in the Set Language portlet. Numeric and date information is displayed in the appropriate format, and lists are sorted in the appropriate order for the chosen language. If a user chooses a language for which a translation has not yet been created, the page group is displayed in the default language (that is, the language in which the page group was originally created).

Additional Notes

When editing the information in a page group, any changes that are language-specific (that is, changes to any of the translatable information listed above) are applied only to the translation associated with the user’s portal language setting. Any changes that are not language-specific, for example, object names that are only used internally, are applied to all translations, including the default.
When adding new information to a page group, the information is added to the translation associated with the user’s current portal language setting. If the language is not the page group’s default language, the information is also added for the default language. When users view the page group in the default language, they will see the new information in the language in which it was added, until it is translated into the default language.
Deleting an object from the page group deletes all translations of the object and deletes all documents related to the object. For example, say you have a page group with a default language of English and a French translation. If you delete the French translation of a category, the English category is also deleted, as are all the items assigned to the category, regardless of language.

This section contains the following sub-sections:

Creating a Translation
Changing the Status of a Translation
Deleting a Translation

4.6.1 Creating a Translation

When a page group is created, it is available in a single default language (specified at creation time). You can subsequently create translations of the page group to make it available in other languages. Creating a translation means that content contributors can seamlessly add content to a page group in a particular language, and if users choose to view the portal in that language, they will see the appropriate content. Creating a translation does not translate the content of the page group.

To create a translation:

From the Page Group portlet’s Page Group list, choose the page group with which you want to work, then click Edit.

By default the Page Group portlet is located on the Build tab of the Portal Builder page.
Click the Translations tab.
From the Language list, choose the language for which you want to create the translation.

This list includes only those language for which the application messages have been installed and made available for user data translation, and for which a translation does not already exist.
Click Create.
Click OK.

4.6.2 Changing the Status of a Translation

When you first create a translation, the translation is available only to users with the Manage All privilege on the page group. You can edit a translation to make it available to all users.

To change the status of a translation:

From the Page Group portlet’s Page Group list, choose the page group with which you want to work, then click Edit.

By default the Page Group portlet is located on the Build tab of the Portal Builder page.
Click the Translations tab.
Select Online to make the translation available to all users. If you do not select Online, the translation is available only to users with the Manage All privilege on the page group.

For example, while the content is being translated, you might not want the translation to be available to all users. However, as soon as the translation of the content is complete, you will want all users to be able to see it.

Note:
If the translation is not online, you must give translators the Manage All privilege on the page group so that they can translate its content.
Click OK.

4.6.3 Deleting a Translation

Deleting a translation deletes all the content in the page group for the translation language.

You cannot delete the page group’s default language (that is, the language specified when the page group was created) unless you delete the entire page group (including all its translations).

To delete a translation:

From the Page Group portlet’s Page Group list, choose the page group with which you want to work, then click Edit.

By default the Page Group portlet is located on the Build tab of the Portal Builder page.
Click the Translations tab.
Click the Delete icon next to the translation that you want to delete.
Click OK.