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Oracle® Application Server Portal User's Guide
10g Release 2 (10.1.4) B13809-04 |
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Oracle® Application Server Portal User's Guide
10g Release 2 (10.1.4) B13809-04 |
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Two types of URL are used for accessing objects in a portal: path-based and durable. This appendix answers the question, "What URLs can I use to access objects in my portal?" and provides additional information on their use. It includes the following sections:
A path-based URL is formed by identifying the path taken through the portal to get to a particular object. This uses object names in the URL and thus, if the name of an object within the path is changed, the URL will no longer be valid. Path-based URLs can be formed for these types of objects:
Pages
Tabs
Items
Portal Templates
Navigation pages
Category pages
Perspective pages
This section parses the format used for path-based URLs and provides examples of how they are formed when targeting portal objects. It includes the following subsections:
The format of a path-based URL that is used to render an item is:
http://<host>:<port>/portal/page/<dad>[/lang-<language>][/ver-<version>]/ <page_path>/<item_name>
Where:
host is the machine on which OracleAS Portal is installed.
port is the port number used to access OracleAS Portal.
portal is a static element of an OracleAS Portal URL.
dad is the Database Access Descriptor (DAD) that is used for your OracleAS Portal installation. The DAD contains information on how to connect to the database.
language is the language in which you will display the object. Language is an optional path element. For examples of the lang parameter in action, see Section C.3.3, "The Language Parameter in Path-Based and Durable URLs".
Should users request a language for which there is no translation, an error message displays:
The language specified in the URL is not currently supported by this Portal. (WWC-57383)
version is the version of the item. Version is optional and is used only with items. The value is a number or STAGE, DRAFT, or REJECTED. For example:
…/ver-2/… …/ver-STAGE/… …/ver-DRAFT/… …/ver-REJECTED/…
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Note: If the URL specifies a version of an item that does not exist, the current version of the item is displayed, except as noted in the following paragraph.When the STAGE, DRAFT, or REJECTED version is specified in a path-based URL, the item is rendered according to the following rules:
For a discussion of which users can view items in what state, see Section 18.9.3, "Item URL Security". |
page_path is the path taken to get to the object.
item_name is the name of the item.
Path-based URLs for pages take the following format:
http://<host>:<port>/portal/page/<dad>[/lang-<language>]/<page_path>
For example, To access the root page of the page group MyPageGroup:
http://mymachine.mycompany.com:5000/portal/page/mydad/lang-en/MyPageGroup
To access a top-level page (sample_page) of the page group MyPageGroup:
http://mymachine.mycompany.com:5000/portal/page/mydad/MyPageGroup/sample_page
To access a sub-page (page1a) of sample_page:
http://mymachine.mycompany.com:5000/portal/page/mydad/MyPageGroup/ sample_page/page1a
To access a category page:
http://mymachine.mycompany.com:5000/portal/page/mydad/MyPageGroup/mycategory
To access a perspective page:
http://mymachine.mycompany.com:5000/portal/page/mydad/MyPageGroup/myperspective
To access a navigation page:
http://mymachine.mycompany.com:5000/portal/page/mydad/MyPageGroup/mynavpage
To access a Portal Template:
http://mymachine.mycompany.com:5000/portal/page/mydad/MyPageGroup/mytemplate
Path-Based URLs for Tabs
The format of path-based URLs for tabs is very similar to that used for pages. The difference is that the active tab list is added to the end of the host page URL. The active tab list indicates the hierarchy of tabs. Tabs are divided from their sub-tabs by colons; tab sets are divided from additional tab sets by commas:
http://<host>:<port>/portal/page/<dad>[/lang-<language>]/ <page_path>/<tab1_name>:<tab1's_sub-tab_name>,<tab2_name>: <tab2's_sub-tab_name>
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Note: When the URL targets a tab, the path uses colons to separate a tab from its sub-tab; when the URL traverses a tab to get to an item on a sub-tab, the path uses a slash (/) in lieu of a comma. See "Path-Based URLs for Items" for an example. |
For example to access tab1 on page1:
http://mymachine.mycompany.com:5000/portal/page/mydad/lang-en/MyPageGroup/page1/ tab1
To access a nested tab (tab1a) on tab1:
http://mymachine.mycompany.com:5000/portal/page/mydad/lang-en/MyPageGroup/page1/ tab1:tab1a
To render page1a with the tabs Sales:Divisions and Manufacturing:Schedules foremost, that is, as the active tabs (note that these tabs do not exist on the same tab set, that is they do not have a parent/child relationship to each other), use the URL:
http://mymachine.mycompany.com:5000/portal/page/mydad/MyPageGroup/ sample_page/page1a/Sales:Divisions,Manufacturing:Schedules
Path-Based URLs for Items
To access an item, use the following format:
http://<host>:<port>/portal/page/<dad>[/lang-<language>][/ver-<version>]/ <page_path>/<item_name>
If the item is placed on a tab:
http://mymachine.mycompany.com:5000/portal/page/mydad/lang-en/MyPageGroup/page1/ tab1/tab1a/myDocument.htm
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Note: When the URL targets tabs, the path uses a colon (:) to separate a tab from its sub-tab; when the URL traverses a tab to get to an item on a sub-tab, the path uses a slash (/) in lieu of a comma. See "Path-Based URLs for Tabs" for examples. |
If a name was not explicitly specified when the item was created, it is defaulted to be the same as the item's file name (for file-based items) or display name.
For example to access the current English version of myDocument.htm on page1a:
http://mymachine.mycompany.com:5000/portal/page/mydad/lang-en/MyPageGroup/ page1/page1a/myDocument.htm
To access the third English version of myDocument.htm:
http://mymachine.mycompany.com:5000/portal/page/mydad/lang-en/ver-3/MyPageGroup/ page1/page1a/myDocument.htm
To access a draft or pending version of myDocument.htm:
http://mymachine.mycompany.com:5000/portal/page/mydad/lang-en/ver-STAGE/ MyPageGroup/page1/page1a/myDocument.htm
A durable URL is formed by using a globally unique identifier (GUID). Because the GUID of an object never changes, the URL will continue to be valid if the object name changes. Durable URLs can be formed for the following types of objects:
Pages
Tabs
Items
Portal Templates
Navigation pages
Category pages
Perspective pages
This section parses the format used for durable URLs and provides examples of how they are formed when targeting portal objects. It includes the following subsections:
The format of an item durable URL is:
http://<host>:<port>/portal/page/<dad>[/lang-<language>][/ver-<version>]/ <guid>
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Note: In URLs, page names, object names, "/portal/page/" and GUIDs are case sensitive. All other parts of the URL are not case sensitive. |
Where:
host is the machine on which OracleAS Portal is installed
port is the port number used to access OracleAS Portal.
portal is a static element of an OracleAS Portal URL.
page is a static element of an OracleAS Portal URL.
dad is the Database Access Descriptor (DAD) used for your OracleAS Portal installation. The DAD contains information on how to connect to the database.
language is the language in which you will display the object. Language is an optional path element. For information about the lang parameter, see Section C.1, "Path-Based URLs" and Section C.3.3, "The Language Parameter in Path-Based and Durable URLs".
version is the version of the item. Version is optional and is used only with items. The value is a number or STAGE, DRAFT, or REJECTED. (see Section C.1, "Path-Based URLs" for additional information about the ver parameter).
guid is the object's globally unique identifier.
Typically, no matter which type of URL format is used to link to an object, when users click the link, the browser address bar displays the path-based URL. OracleAS Portal performs an automatic conversion of durable URLs to path-based for display purposes. When users click links based on durable URLs, they see path-based URLs in their browser address bars.
Durable URLs for pages, and objects that are based on pages, such as category pages, perspective pages, navigation pages, and Portal Templates, take the following format:
http://<host>:<port>/portal/page/<dad>[/lang-<language>]/<page_guid>
For example:
http://mymachine.mycompany.com:5000/portal/page/mydad/lang-en/ A47D41ECA23648A9E030007F0100118A
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Note: Users can view a page's durable URL from the page's property sheet. Click the Page Properties icon next to the page path, which is displayed at the top of the page in all of the Edit mode views. |
For backward compatibility, ID-based URLs are supported in the current release of OracleAS Portal. Following this release, ID-based URLs that follow the following syntax will be obsolete. The obsolete format follows the syntax:
http://<host>:<port>/pls/<DAD>/!<Schema>.wwpob_page.show?_pageid=<siteid,pageid>,...
For backward compatibility, direct access URL formats are supported in the current release of OracleAS Portal. Following this release, direct access URL formats will be obsolete. The obsolete format follows the syntax:
http://<host>:<port>/pls/<DAD>/<path_alias>/<page_path>
For the current release, direct access URL formats invoke a splash screen that redirects users to the correct target. Avoid using ID-based and direct access URL formats going forward, and consider reformatting legacy uses of these formats.
Durable URLs for Tabs
http://<host>:<port>/portal/page/<dad>[/lang-<language>]/<tab_guid>
For example:
http://mymachine.mycompany.com:5000>/portal/page/mydad/lang-en/ A47D41ECA23648A9E036147F0100118A
For backward compatibility, ID-based URLs are supported in the current release of OracleAS Portal. Following this release, ID-based URLs that follow the following syntax will be obsolete:
http://<host>:<port>/pls/<DAD>/!<Schema>.wwpob_page.show?_pageid=<siteid,pageid>, <tab1_id>:<tab1's_sub-tab_id>,<tabA_id>:<tabA's_sub-tab_id>
For backward compatibility, direct access URL formats are supported in the current release of OracleAS Portal. Following this release, direct access URL formats will be obsolete. The obsolete format follows the syntax:
http://<host>:<port>/pls/<DAD>/<path_alias>/PAGE/<page_path>/ <tab1_name>
For the current release, such URL formats invoke a splash screen that redirects users to the correct target. Avoid using ID-based and direct access URL formats going forward, and consider reformatting legacy uses of these formats.
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Note: Only the first tab in direct access URLs are preserved when redirecting to the new URL format. The other tabbed regions on the page default to the first available tab in the region. |
Durable URLs for Items
http://<host>:<port>/portal/page/<dad>[/lang-<language>][/ver-<version>]/ <item_guid>
You can determine an item's GUID by editing the displayed attributes on the region where the item is placed. Display the Property Sheet attribute in the region. Once displayed, click the Property Sheet icon next to the item to view the item's durable URL. For information on displaying region attributes, see Section 11.2.9, "Changing the Attributes Displayed in a Region".
If the GUID of an item is A47D41ECA23648A9E030007F0100118A, the durable link URL to the English version 2 of the item is:
http://mymachine.mycompany.com:5000/portal/page/mydad/lang-en/ver-2/A47D41ECA23648A9E030007F0100118A
For backward compatibility, ID-based, direct-access URLs are supported in the current release of OracleAS Portal. Following this release, ID-based, direct-access URLs that follow the following syntax will be obsolete:
http://<host>:<port>/pls/<DAD>/<path_alias>/<item_guid>
When users click a link in this format, a splash screen displays that redirects users to the path-based URL format.
Additionally, for backward compatibility, path-based URLs for documents are supported in the current release of OracleAS Portal. Following this release, path-based URLs that follow the following syntax will be obsolete:
http://<host>:<port>/pls/<DAD>/docs/<page_path>/<document_name>.<extension>
When users click a link in this format, a splash screen displays that redirects users to the durable URL format. Because there could be a number of documents associated with an item, such as icons or custom attributes, users cannot be redirected to a path-based item URL.
We strongly recommend that users change all legacy bookmarks to point to the new URL format to avoid broken links in the event the legacy format is de-supported.
This section provides additional information about the formation of URLs in OracleAS Portal. It contains the following subsections:
Additional Notes on the Formation of URLs in OracleAS Portal
How Name, Display Name, and File Name Affect a Path-Based URL
In URLs, page names, object names, "/portal/page/" and GUIDs are case sensitive. All other parts of the URL are not case sensitive.
Should users request a language for which there is no translation, an error message displays:
The language specified in the URL is not currently supported by this Portal. (WWC-57383)
When using language codes in URLs, the codes do not stay in the path. The language gets set in the session cookie, and a redirect occurs to a new URL that does not contain the language code.
Users who request URLs for items for which they do not have privileges will get a message informing them that they are not authorized to view the item.
OracleAS Portal includes the capability of providing rewrite rules for URLs. This enables you to, for example, shorten an otherwise lengthy URL or hide specific path information. You can configure this functionality on the Configure tab of page group properties. Once there, you can also access a help topic that explains this feature in more detail. See also, Section 4.5.6, "Defining URL Rewrite Rules for a Page Group".
All files uploaded in support of an item retain the same file name across all versions and translations of that item. When a new document file with a different file name from the other versions is uploaded (for example, for a new version of the item), then all files for all versions and translations of that same attribute (for example, the File Name attribute) will be renamed to match the new file name. This is not only true for documents, it is also true for images, Zip files, or any other file type that is uploaded in support of an item.
Path-based URLs may use an item's Name, Display Name, File Name, or globally-unique identifier (GUID) to access the item. The value it uses depends on the presence and validity of these attributes.
This section sets forth a few scenarios and shows how the presence and validity of the Name, Display Name, and File Name affect how a path-based URL is formed. It contains the following subsections:
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Note: For information on the rules that govern the naming of objects in OracleAS Portal, see Appendix D, "Object Naming Rules in OracleAS Portal".For information on which items are accessible in what states, see Section 18.9.3, "Item URL Security". |
The following scenarios concern a file-based item type that has a Name attribute that is exposed through the Create and Edit Item wizards.
User supplies a valid Name, but no Display Name.
The value for the File Name attribute is displayed in the portal. The value for the Name attribute is used in the formation of the path-based URL. In this case, the value for the Name attribute would be the same as the name of the file.
User supplies a valid Name and a valid Display Name.
The value for the Display Name attribute is displayed in the portal. The value for the Name attribute is used in the formation of the path-based URL.
The File Name contains invalid characters.
The value for the Display Name attribute is displayed in the portal. If no value is supplied for the Display Name attribute, the invalid value for the File Name attribute is displayed in the portal.
The Name attribute automatically populates with the invalid file name. If the user clicks Finish without changing this value, an error is generated, and the item is not added. If the user is editing the item, and just clears the value in the Name field, the original value for the Name attribute is used in the formation of the path-based URL. By original value, we mean the value that existed before the item was edited.
If the user is adding the item, and simply clears the default value from the Name field, the item's GUID is used in the formation of the path-based URL.
The following scenarios concern a file-based item type that has a Name attribute that is exposed in the Create Item wizard but hidden in the Edit Item wizard. One thing to keep in mind is that, absent a user-supplied value, the Name attribute defaults to the name and extension of the file, for example, if the value in the File Name field is C:\foldername\filename.txt, the default value in the Name field is filename.txt. Wherever the Name attribute is exposed, the default value can be changed.
User adds a file-based item with a File Name that uses invalid characters. User modifies the Name to remove the invalid characters. User edits the item, where Name attribute is not exposed, adding a new file with a File Name that uses invalid characters.
The original value for the Name attribute is retained. The original value for the Name attribute is used in the formation of the path-based URL.
User adds a file-based item with a file name that uses valid characters. User edits the item, uploading a new file.
The value for the Name attribute defaults to the new value provided for the File Name attribute. The new value for the Name attribute is used in the formation of the path-based URL.
User supplies a valid Name, but no Display Name.
Where the Name attribute is present and has a value (from the Add Item wizard), it is always used in the formation of the path-based URL.
Where no value is supplied for the Name attribute, the file name is taken from the File Name attribute and used for display in the portal and in the formation of the path-based URL.
User supplies a valid Name and a valid Display Name.
Assuming the Name attribute has a value (from the Add Item wizard), the value of the Display Name attribute is displayed in the portal, and the value of the Name attribute is used in the formation of the path-based URL.
The File Name contains invalid characters.
The value of the Display Name attribute is displayed in the portal. If no value is supplied for the Display Name attribute, the invalid File Name is displayed in the portal. The value of the Name attribute is used in the formation of the path-based URL.
The following scenarios concern a file-based item type that does not have an associated Name attribute. For the default File item type does not have an associated Name attribute, just File Name and Display Name attributes.
User provides a valid value for the Display Name attribute.
The value for the Display Name attribute is displayed in the portal. The file name is taken from the value of the File Name attribute and used in the formation of the path-based URL.
User does not supply a Display Name.
The file name is taken from the value of the File Name attribute and displayed in the portal as well as used in the formation of the path-based URL.
File name has invalid characters.
The value of the Display Name attribute is displayed in the portal if present. If not present, the invalid File Name is displayed in the portal. The invalid characters are stripped from the File Name to form the internal name, which is used in the formation of the path-based URL.
The following list provides the values you can use for the lang parameter in path-based and durable URLs:
Arabic: …/lang-ar/…
Brazilian Portuguese: …/lang-pt-BR/…
Canadian French: …/lang-fr-CA/…
Chinese (Simplified): …/lang-zh-CN/…
Chinese (Traditional): …/lang-zh-TW/…
Czech: …/lang-cs/…
Danish: …/lang-da/…
Dutch: …/lang-nl/…
English: …/lang-en/…
Finnish: …/lang-fi/…
French: …/lang-fr/…
German: …/lang-de/…
Greek: …/lang-el/…
Hebrew: …/lang-iw/…
Hungarian: …/lang-hu/…
Italian: …/lang-it/…
Japanese: …/lang-ja/…
Korean: …/lang-ko/…
Latin American Spanish: …/lang-es/…
Norwegian: …/lang-no/…
Polish: …/lang-pl/…
Portuguese: …/lang-pt/…
Romanian: …/lang-ro/…
Russian: …/lang-ru/…
Slovak: …/lang-sk/…
Spanish: …/lang-es/…
Swedish: …/lang-sv/…
Thai: …/lang-th/…
