6 Preparing to Add Content

6.2.1.1 Creating an Attribute

To create an attribute:

1. In the Navigator, click the link for the page group in which you want to create the attribute.

   To get to the Navigator click the Navigator link on any page. By default you can find a Navigator link on the Portal Builder page.

2. Click the Attributes link.

   
   

   Tip: If you create an attribute in a particular page group, that attribute is available only in that page group. If you want the attribute to be available in multiple page groups, either create it in the Shared Objects page group, or (if the attribute already exists) promote it to the Shared Objects page group. See Section 4.6, "Sharing Objects Across Page Groups".

   
   

3. Next to Create New, click the Attribute link.

4. In the Display Name field, enter a descriptive name for the attribute. The display name is displayed as a label for the attribute whenever the attribute is used.

   Use up to 256 characters of any kind, including spaces. Although the attribute display name has no enforced uniqueness requirement, consider keeping it unique across your page groups. If you do not, users see duplicate names on attribute pick-lists, and are unable to determine which attribute belongs to which page group. For example, attributes display on a pick-list when a user creates a custom item type or selects custom search criteria.

5. From the Datatype list, choose the type of data that the attribute will store.

   • Boolean stores a value of 1 (for TRUE) or 0 (for FALSE).

   • Date stores a date in the format DD-MON-YYYY HH12:MI PM, for example, 20-SEP-2004 10:57 AM.

   • File stores a file, such as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or an HTML document.

   • Number stores a numeric value, for example, 8479.

   • PL/SQL stores PL/SQL code, for example, htp.print('Hello World');

   • Text stores a text string.

   • URL stores the URL of a Web site or Web page, for example, http://www.oracle.com.

6. Click Create.

7. Click Close.

6.2.1.2 Editing an Attribute

You can specify how an attribute is displayed when users add or edit an item or page of a type that includes the attribute. For example, you can change the label for the attribute by editing the attribute's display name.

To edit an attribute:

1. Use the Navigator to browse to the attribute that you want to edit.

   To get to the Navigator click the Navigator link on any page. By default you can find a Navigator link on the Portal Builder page.

   
   

   Tip: If the attribute is shared, it will be in the Shared Objects page group. See Section 4.6, "Sharing Objects Across Page Groups"

   
   

2. In the row for the attribute, click the Edit link.

   This opens the Edit Attribute page. The options available on this page vary a little from those options available when you first create the attribute. Notably, the page includes a Name attribute.

3. In the Name field, edit the name of the attribute. The name is used internally only.

   The default value in the Name field is taken from the Display Name provided when the attribute was created. Spaces and special characters are discarded.

   For example, if the Display Name is R & D Team Lead, the Name is RDTeamLead.

   The Name is not case sensitive. It must be unique within its page group and the Shared Objects page group. Use up to 256 alphanumeric characters (A to Z, a to z, 0 to 9) and the underscore character (_); spaces and other special characters are not allowed.

4. In the Display Name field, edit the descriptive name of the attribute. The Display Name identifies the attribute to other users. It is used in the Portal Navigator and as the label for the attribute value wherever the attribute is used.

   Use up to 256 characters of any kind, including spaces. Any change you make here does not affect the value in the Name field. Changes to the attribute Display Name are not reflected immediately on cached pages. To make the change display immediately, you must clear the page group's cache. Go to the Access tab of the page group that owns the attribute, and click the Clear Cache link.

   Although the attribute display name has no enforced uniqueness requirement, we recommend that you try to keep it unique across your page groups. If you do not, users will see duplicate names on attribute pick-lists, and will be unable to determine which attribute belongs to which page group. For example, attributes display on a pick-list when a user creates a custom item type or selects custom search criteria.

5. Select Enable Translations if you want users to be able to translate the values stored in the attribute into different languages.

   If you clear this check box, the values stored in the attribute will be the same in all languages.

6. For Date, Number, and URL attributes:

   In the List Of Values field, enter the name of a list of values from which users can choose a value for the attribute. If you are not sure of the name of the list of values, click the List icon and select from the list provided.

   
   

   Note: The list of values must already exist. Multi-valued attributes are not supported for lists of values. That is, users are able to choose only one value from an attribute list of values. This means that attribute values can be displayed in combo boxes and pop-ups, but not as check boxes, drop-down lists, or radio buttons.

   
   

7. For PL/SQL attributes:

   In the PL/SQL Execute Options radio group, select which privileges to use when executing the PL/SQL stored in the attribute:

   • Public executes the PL/SQL with the privileges of the OracleAS Portal PUBLIC schema.

   • Creator executes the PL/SQL with the privileges of the schema associated with the user who created the item or page that includes the PL/SQL attribute.

   • Schema executes the PL/SQL with the privileges of a specific schema. If you select this radio button, enter the name of the schema in the field provided. If you are not sure of the name of the schema, click the Browse Database Schemas icon and select from the list provided.

8. For Text attributes:

   1. In the Length field, enter the number of characters the attribute can store. Values can be provided only when the Display Option is Single-line Field or Multi-line Field.

   2. In the Display Option radio group, select how to display the attribute when users add or edit an item or page of a type that includes the attribute:

      • Single-line Field displays the attribute as a field that contains a single line of text.

      • Multi-line Field displays the attribute as a field that contains multiple lines of text.

      • List Of Values displays the attribute as a list from which users can choose a value.

        If you select this radio button, enter the name of the list of values in the field provided. If you are not sure of the name of the list of values, click the List icon and select from the list provided.

        
        

        Note: The list of values must already exist. Multi-valued attributes are not supported for lists of values. That is, users are able to choose only one value from an attribute list of values. This means that attribute values can be displayed in combo boxes and pop-ups, but not as check boxes, drop-down lists, or radio buttons.

        
        

9. Click OK.

6.2.1.3 Deleting an Attribute

When you delete an attribute, you also remove the attribute and its values from any items and pages that include it.

Take care when deleting an attribute from the Shared Objects page group. Attributes in the Shared Objects page group may be used across page groups. Deleting an attribute from Shared Objects removes it from all page groups that use it.

To delete an attribute:

1. Use the Navigator to browse to the attribute that you want to delete.

2. In the row for the attribute, click the Delete link.

3. In the confirmation page, click Yes.

6.2.2.1 Creating an Item Type

To create an item type:

1. In the Navigator, click the link for the page group in which you want to create the item type.

   To get to the Navigator click the Navigator link on any page. By default you can find a Navigator link on the Portal Builder page.

   
   

   Tip: If you create an item type in a particular page group, that item type is available only in that page group. If you want the item type to be available in multiple page groups, either create it in the Shared Objects page group, or (if the item type already exists) promote it to the Shared Objects page group. See Section 4.6, "Sharing Objects Across Page Groups".

   
   

2. Click the Item Types link.

3. Next to Create New, click the Item Type link.

4. In the Display Name field, enter a descriptive name for the item type. The display name is used in the Portal Navigator and the Add Item Item Type list, so shorter display names are better.

   Use up to 256 characters of any kind, including spaces.

5. From the Base Item Type list, choose the base item type from which you want your item type to inherit attributes. You can choose from None, Base File, Base Image Map, Base Image, Base PL/SQL, Base Page Link, Base Text, and Base URL.

6. Click Create.

7. Click Close.

6.2.2.2 Editing an Item Type

When you first create an item type, it includes exactly the same attributes as the base item type on which you based it. If you chose <None> as the base item type, your new item type includes only the Display Name attribute. To truly customize the item type, you need to edit it to add more attributes, and possibly procedure calls.

6.2.2.2.3 Adding a Procedure Call to an Item Type

For an example of how you might use a procedure call in an item type, see:

• Example 6-1, "Adding an HTTP Procedure Call to an Item Type"

• Example 6-2, "Adding a PL/SQL Procedure Call to an Item Type"

Note: The total length of the procedure call (including any parameters) must not exceed 2000 bytes. If the item procedure has too many parameters or parameter values with a large number of characters, some of the parameters or parameter values will be excluded to ensure that the limit is not reached.

To add a procedure call to an item type:

1. Use the Navigator to browse to the item type that you want to edit.

   To get to the Navigator click the Navigator link on any page. By default you can find a Navigator link on the Portal Builder page.

   
   

   Tip: If the item type is shared (or is one of the built-in item types), it will be in the Shared Objects page group. See Section 4.6, "Sharing Objects Across Page Groups"

   
   

2. In the row for the item type, click the Edit link.

3. Click the Procedures tab.

4. From the Type list, choose whether the call is to an HTTP or PL/SQL procedure.

5. In the Procedure Call field, enter one of the following:

   • The URL of the HTTP procedure, including the protocol used to access it, for example:

     http://www.mycompany.com/search/index.html
     
     

   • The name of the PL/SQL procedure. The procedure must already exist in the database and must be prefixed with its owning schema, for example:

     SCOTT.MY_PROC
     
     

     The PUBLIC user must be granted execute privileges on the procedure.

6. In the Link Text field, enter the text to display as a hypertext link that users can click to execute the procedure call.

   This link is displayed only if the region containing the item displays the Associated Function attribute and you do not select Display Procedure Results With Item, or you have not specified an icon. For information about adding the Associated Function attribute to a region, see Including an Item Type's Procedure Call on a Page.

7. In the Icon field, enter the path and file name of an image to associate with this procedure call. If you specify an icon, it is used instead of the Link Text, however you must still enter a value in the Link Text field to serve as the image's rollover text.

   Click Browse to locate the image if you are not sure of its path or file name.

8. Select Display Procedure Results With Item to display the results of the procedure call directly in the page instead of displaying a link for users to click. This makes the results immediately visible to users, rather than requiring them to click a link to execute the procedure call themselves.

9. If the procedure you are calling has parameters, you can pass values to those parameters using the item type's attributes.

   1. In the Attribute list, choose the attribute whose values you want to pass to a parameter in the procedure.

   2. In the Pass As field, enter the parameter name if it is different from the attribute name.

10. Click Apply to add the procedure call to the item type.

11. Click OK.

To remove a procedure call from the item type, click the Delete Procedure icon next to the procedure call in the Existing Procedure Calls section.

To edit an existing procedure call, for example, to add more parameter/attribute mappings, click the Edit Procedure icon next to the procedure call in the Existing Procedure Calls section. Remember to click Apply to save your changes.

Example 6-1 Adding an HTTP Procedure Call to an Item Type

Imagine that your portal provides movie reviews to subscribers. To customize the hundreds of movie reviews you plan to upload, you create a Movie Review item type to use for each review. Knowing that users will want to find additional information about each movie, you decide to include a link to a search engine within the review.

To include this link, you choose HTTP as the procedure type, and add the following to the Procedure Call field (Figure 6-1):

http://www.google.com/search

You include the Link Text Click here for more..., and you specify an icon to associate with the procedure. You choose not to display the procedure results with the item because you want users to click the icon to access the search.

For the search engine to return information about the appropriate movie, you need to pass it the movie title. Say your Movie Review item type includes an attribute called Movie Title. To pass the value in this attribute to the search engine, you select it in the Attribute list (you could also use the Display Name attribute if it is used to store the title of the movie).

Finally, you need to make sure that the attribute value is sent to the correct search engine parameter. In the case of Google, the search parameter name is q, so you enter this name in the Pass As field (Figure 6-2).

This information is appended to the Procedure Call as follows:

http://www.google.com/search?q=<MovieTitle>

Each movie review will now include a link to a customized search based on the movie title (Figure 6-3).

When users click the specified icon, the customized search content (based on the movie title) displays (Figure 6-4). The movie title, which is the search criteria, displays at the top of the search results page.

Figure 6-1 Adding an HTTP Procedure Call to an Item Type

Description of "Figure 6-1 Adding an HTTP Procedure Call to an Item Type"

Figure 6-2 Passing Attribute Values to HTTP Procedure Parameters

Description of "Figure 6-2 Passing Attribute Values to HTTP Procedure Parameters"

Figure 6-3 Example Movie Review Item

Description of "Figure 6-3 Example Movie Review Item"

Figure 6-4 Example Movie Review Procedure Call Results

Description of "Figure 6-4 Example Movie Review Procedure Call Results"

Example 6-2 Adding a PL/SQL Procedure Call to an Item Type

Imagine that you have written the following procedure that displays the creator and create date of an object in an HTML table:

--
-- procedure display_attributes
-- created Monday 17-JUN-2002 10:35
--
create or replace
procedure display_attributes (
  p_creator in varchar2,
  p_create_date in varchar2)
as
begin
  htp.p('<table><tr><td><b>Creator:</b></td>'
  || '<td>' || p_creator || '</td></tr>'
  || '<tr><td><b>Create Date:</b></td>'
  || '<td>' || p_create_date || '</td></tr>'
  || '</table>');
exception
when others then
  htp.p(sqlerrm);
end;

You can add a call to this procedure to an item type (My Item Type) so that this information is displayed for items of that type.

First you choose PL/SQL as the Procedure Type, and then add the following to the Procedure Call field (Figure 6-5):

<schema>.DISPLAY_ATTRIBUTES

You include the link text Display Attributes, and you specify an icon to associate with the procedure.

For the procedure to return the appropriate attribute values, you need to pass it the attribute names. Your procedure includes two parameters: p_creator and p_create_date. You need to pass these two parameters information from the Creator and Create Date attributes (Figure 6-6).

Each item of type My Item Type will now include a link to run the procedure (Figure 6-7).

When users click the specified icon, the additional attributes are displayed as an HTML table (Figure 6-8).

Figure 6-5 Adding a PL/SQL Procedure Call to an Item Type

Description of "Figure 6-5 Adding a PL/SQL Procedure Call to an Item Type"

Figure 6-6 Passing Attribute Values to PL/SQL Procedure Parameters

Description of "Figure 6-6 Passing Attribute Values to PL/SQL Procedure Parameters"

Figure 6-7 Example My Item Type Item

Description of "Figure 6-7 Example My Item Type Item"

Figure 6-8 Example My Item Procedure Call Results

Description of "Figure 6-8 Example My Item Procedure Call Results"

6.2.2.3 Making an Item Type Available to a Page Group

When you create an item type, it is not immediately available for use by content contributors. This is because you will probably want to edit the item type first to add attributes and procedure calls. When you are happy with the item type, and are ready for content contributors to start adding items of that type, you must make the item type available in the page group.

To make an item type available to a page group:

1. From the Page Groups portlet's Work In drop-down list, choose the page group to be edited.

   By default, the Page Groups portlet is located on the Build tab of the Builder page.

2. Click the Configure tab.

3. In the Types and Classification section, click the Edit link.

   
   

   Note: You can also reach the Configure Types and Classification page by clicking the configure the list of available item types link on the first page of the Add Item Wizard.

   
   

4. From the Hidden Item Types list, select the item type that you want to make available.

   The Hidden and Visible Item Type lists include all the item types owned by this page group and the Shared Objects page group.

5. Click the Move icon to move the selected item type into the Visible Item Types list.

   The order of item types in the Visible Item Types list determines the order when items in a region are grouped by item type. For information about how to group items by item type, see Section 11.2.10, "Grouping Items in a Region".

6. Click OK to return to the Configure tab.

7. Click Close.

You can also exclude an item type from a page group, meaning that content contributors cannot add items of that type to pages in the page group. For example, if you have created your own item types, you might want to exclude some of the built-in item types from the page group. To do this, select the item type in the Visible Item Type list and click the Remove icon.

6.2.2.4 Deleting an Item Type

When you delete an item type, all items of that type are also deleted. You cannot undo this action.

Take care when deleting an item type from the Shared Objects page group. Item types in the Shared Objects page group may be used across page groups. Deleting an item type from Shared Objects removes it from all page groups that use it.

To delete an item type:

1. Use the Navigator to browse to the item type that you want to delete.

   To get to the Navigator click the Navigator link on any page. By default you can find a Navigator link on the Portal Builder page.

   
   

   Tip: If the item type is shared, it will be in the Shared Objects page group. See Section 4.6, "Sharing Objects Across Page Groups"

   
   

2. In the row for the item type, click the Delete link.

3. In the confirmation page, click Yes.

6.2.3.1 Creating a Page Type

To create a page type:

1. In the Navigator, click the link for the page group in which you want to create the page type.

   To get to the Navigator click the Navigator link on any page. By default you can find a Navigator link on the Portal Builder page.

   
   

   Tip: If you create a page type in a particular page group, that page type is available only in that page group. If you want the page type to be available in multiple page groups, either create it in the Shared Objects page group, or (if the page type already exists) promote it to the Shared Objects page group. See Section 4.6, "Sharing Objects Across Page Groups"

   
   

2. Click the Page Types link.

3. Next to Create New, click the Page Type link.

4. In the Display Name field, enter a descriptive name for the page type. The Display Name identifies the page type to other users. It is used in the Portal Navigator and Create Page Page Type list, so shorter display names are better.

   Use up to 256 characters of any kind, including spaces.

5. From the Base Page Type list, choose the base page type from which you want your page type to inherit attributes. You can choose from Standard, PL/SQL, or URL.

6. Click Create.

7. Click Close.

6.2.3.2 Editing a Page Type

When you first create a page type, it is exactly the same as the base page type from which you chose to inherit attributes. To truly customize the page type, you need to edit it to add more attributes, and possibly procedure calls.

6.2.3.3 Making a Page Type Available to a Page Group

When you create a page type, it is not immediately available for use by page creators. This is because you will probably want to edit the page type first to add attributes and procedure calls. When you are happy with the page type, and are ready for page creators to start creating pages of that type, you must make the page type available in the page group.

To make a page type available to a page group:

1. From the Page Groups portlet's Work In drop-down list, choose the page group to be edited.

   By default, the Page Groups portlet is located on the Build tab of the Builder page.

2. Click the Configure tab.

3. In the Page Defaults section, click the Edit link.

   
   

   Note: You can also reach the Configure Types and Classification page by clicking the Configure link on the first page of the Create Page Wizard.

   
   

4. From the Hidden Page Types list, select the page type that you want to make available.

   The Hidden and Visible Page Type lists include all the base page types, and the page types owned by this page group and the Shared Objects page group.

5. Click the Move icon to move the selected page type into the Visible Page Types list.

   The order of page types in the Visible Page Types list determines the order in which the page types are displayed in the Page Type list when creating a page.

6. Click OK to return to the Configure tab.

7. Click Close.

You can also exclude a page type from a page group, meaning that page creators cannot create pages of that type in the page group. For example, if you have created your own page types, you might want to exclude some of the base page types from the page group. To do this, select the page type in the Visible Page Type list and click the Remove icon.

6.2.3.4 Deleting a Page Type

When you delete a page type, all pages of that type and all the items in those pages are also deleted. You cannot undo this action.

Take care when deleting a page type from the Shared Objects page group. Page types in the Shared Objects page group may be used across page groups. Deleting a page type from Shared Objects removes it from all page groups that use it.

To delete a page type:

1. Use the Navigator to browse to the page type that you want to delete.

   To get to the Navigator click the Navigator link on any page. By default you can find a Navigator link on the Portal Builder page.

   
   

   Tip: If the page type is shared, it will be in the Shared Objects page group. See Section 4.6, "Sharing Objects Across Page Groups"

   
   

2. In the row for the page type, click the Delete link.

3. In the confirmation page, click Yes.

6.3.1.1 Creating a Category

To create a category:

1. In the Navigator, click the link for the page group in which you want to create the category.

   To get to the Navigator click the Navigator link on any page. By default you can find a Navigator link on the Portal Builder page.

   
   

   Tip: If you create a category in a particular page group, that category is available only in that page group. If you want the category to be available in multiple page groups, either create it in the Shared Objects page group, or (if the category already exists) promote it to the Shared Objects page group. See Section 4.6, "Sharing Objects Across Page Groups"

   
   

2. Click the Categories link.

3. Next to Create New, click the Category link. Or, if you want to create the category under an existing category, click the Create Sub-Category link next to the category under which you want to create the new category.

4. In the Display Name field, enter a descriptive name for the category.

   The Display Name identifies the category to other users. It is the name that displays on pick lists and in regions where the category attribute is exposed. Use up to 240 characters of any kind, including spaces.

5. Click Create.

6. Click Close.

When you create a category it is not immediately available for page managers and content contributors to apply to the pages and content in that page group. See Section 6.3.1.3, "Making a Category Available to a Page Group".

6.3.1.2 Editing a Category

When you create a category, not all of the available properties are available. You can edit a category after creating it to specify the rest of the available properties.

6.3.1.3 Making a Category Available to a Page Group

When you create a category in a page group it is not immediately available for page managers and content contributors to apply to the pages and content in that page group. To make the category available, you must make it visible within the page group. You can also make shared categories available in your page group. And, if you want, you can hide categories so that page managers and contributors cannot use them.

To make a category available in a page group:

1. From the Page Groups portlet's Work In drop-down list, choose the page group to be edited.

   By default, the Page Groups portlet is located on the Build tab of the Builder page.

2. Click the Configure tab.

3. In the Types and Classification section, click the Edit link.

4. In the Hidden Categories list, select the category that you want to make available.

   The Hidden and Visible Categories lists include all the categories owned by this page group and the Shared Objects page group.

5. Click the Move icon to move the selected category into the Visible Categories list.

   The order of categories in the Visible Categories list determines the order used when items in a region are grouped by category.

   If you want to make a sub-category visible, its parent category must also be included in the Visible Categories list.

6. Click OK to return to the Configure tab.

7. Click Close.

To exclude a category from a page group, select the category in the Visible Categories list and click the Remove icon. Any items that have already been assigned to that category will still be visible when users view the page, however content contributors cannot assign the category to new items.

If you hide a shared category, it is hidden only in the current page group (not in all page groups).

Even if you exclude all categories from a page group, if an item or page type includes the category attribute, the category list will still be displayed when adding or editing items or pages. The General category will be displayed in the list even though it is not included in the page group.

6.3.1.4 Moving a Category to the Shared Objects Page Group

You can move a category to the Shared Objects page group to make it visible across all page groups. If you do this, note that categories are based on the template in their owning page group, so the category page may look different if its original template and the template in the Shared Objects group are not exactly the same.

To move a category to the Shared Objects page group:

1. Use the Navigator to browse to the category that you want to move.

   To get to the Navigator click the Navigator link on any page. By default you can find a Navigator link on the Portal Builder page.

2. In the row for the category, click Move to Shared.

3. In the confirmation page, click Yes.

You cannot move a category to the Shared Objects page group if there is a template or page with the same name at the root level of the Shared Objects page group. Consider keeping category names unique to avoid this possibility.

6.3.1.5 Deleting a Category

When you delete a category, any item or page that is assigned to that category is reassigned to the General category. If the category includes sub-categories, those sub-categories will also be deleted.

Take care when deleting a category from the Shared Objects page group. Categories in the Shared Objects page group may be used across page groups. Deleting a category from Shared Objects removes it from all page groups that use it.

Deleting a Single Category

To delete a single category:

1. Use the Navigator to browse to the category that you want to delete.

   To get to the Navigator click the Navigator link on any page. By default you can find a Navigator link on the Portal Builder page.

   
   

   Tip: If the category is shared, it will be in the Shared Objects page group. See Section 4.6, "Sharing Objects Across Page Groups"

   
   

2. In the row for the category, click the Delete link.

3. In the confirmation page, click Yes.

Deleting Multiple Categories

To delete multiple categories:

1. In the Navigator, click the link for the page group that owns the categories that you want to delete.

   To get to the Navigator click the Navigator link on any page. By default you can find a Navigator link on the Portal Builder page.

   
   

   Tip: If the categories are shared, they will be in the Shared Objects page group. See Section 4.6, "Sharing Objects Across Page Groups"

   
   

2. Click the Categories link.

3. Click the actions link.

4. Select the check boxes next to the categories that you want to delete.

   To delete all the categories in the page group, select the check box in the header row.

5. Click Delete.

6. In the confirmation page, click OK.

6.3.2.1 Creating a Perspective

To create a perspective:

1. In the Navigator, click the link for the page group in which you want to create the perspective.

   To get to the Navigator click the Navigator link on any page. By default you can find a Navigator link on the Portal Builder page.

   
   

   Tip: If you create a perspective in a particular page group, that perspective is available only in that page group. If you want the perspective to be available in multiple page groups, either create it in the Shared Objects page group, or (if the perspective already exists) promote it to the Shared Objects page group. See Section 4.6, "Sharing Objects Across Page Groups"

   
   

2. Click the Perspectives link.

3. Next to Create New, click the Perspective link. Or, if you want to create the perspective under an existing perspective, click the Create Sub-Perspective link next to the perspective under which you want to create the new perspective.

4. In the Display Name field, enter a descriptive name for the perspective.

   The Display Name identifies the perspective to other users. It is the name that displays on pick lists and in regions where the perspective attribute is exposed. Use up to 240 characters of any kind, including spaces.

5. Click Create.

6. Click Close.

When you create a perspective it is not immediately available for page managers and content contributors to apply to the pages and content in that page group. See Section 6.3.2.3, "Making a Perspective Available to a Page Group".

6.3.2.2 Editing a Perspective

When you create a perspective, not all of the available properties are available. You can edit a perspective after creating it to specify the rest of the available properties.

6.3.2.2.1 Edit the Basic Properties of a Perspective

To edit the basic properties of a perspective:

1. Use the Navigator to browse to the perspective that you want to edit.

   To get to the Navigator click the Navigator link on any page. By default you can find a Navigator link on the Portal Builder page.

   
   

   Tip: If the perspective is shared, it will be in the Shared Objects page group. See Section 4.6, "Sharing Objects Across Page Groups"

   
   

2. In the row for the perspective, click the Properties link.

3. In the Name field, edit the name of the perspective.

   This opens the Edit Perspective page, displaying the Main tab. The attributes available on the Main tab vary a little from the attributes available when you first create the perspective. Notably, the Main tab includes a Name attribute.

   The Name attribute differs from the Display Name attribute both in the way OracleAS Portal uses it and in the rules that govern which characters can be used in its formation. OracleAS Portal uses the Name in path-based URLs to directly access the perspective. Path-based URLs take the following format:

   Ihttp://<host>:<port>/portal/page/<dad>[/lang-<language>]/<pagegroupname>/<perspectivename>
   
   

   The default value in the Name field is taken from the Display Name provided when the perspective was created. The value is truncated to 60 characters and any special characters or spaces are discarded. Discarded characters include:

   & # % \ / : * ? < > | , "

   For example, if the Display Name is Research & Development, the Name is ResearchDevelopment.

   The Name is case sensitive. It must be unique within its page group and the Shared Objects page group. Use up to 60 alphanumeric characters (A to Z, a to z, 0 to 9) and the underscore character (_); spaces and other special characters are not allowed.

4. In the Display Name field, edit the descriptive name of the perspective.

   The Display Name identifies the perspective to other users. It is the name that displays on pick lists and in regions where the perspective attribute is exposed.

   Use up to 240 characters of any kind, including spaces. Changes to the perspective Display Name are not reflected immediately on cached pages. To make the change display immediately, you must clear the page group's cache. Go to the Access tab of the page group that owns the category, and click the Clear Cache link.

5. In the Description field, enter information about the perspective that may be useful to other users. The description is displayed only when editing the category.

6. Select the Display Icon With Items check box if you want to display an image rather than the display name when the perspective is displayed next to items in a region (Figure 6-9):

   If you select this check box you should also specify an Icon image for the perspective. If you do not specify an Icon image, the display name is displayed even if this check box is selected.

7. Click OK.

Figure 6-9 Items Displayed with Perspective Icons

Description of "Figure 6-9 Items Displayed with Perspective Icons"

6.3.2.3 Making a Perspective Available to a Page Group

When you create a perspective in a page group it is not immediately available for content contributors to apply to the items in that page group. To make the perspective available, you must make it visible within the page group. You can also make shared perspectives available in your page group. And, if you want, you can hide perspectives so that contributors cannot use them.

To make a perspective available to a page group:

1. From the Page Groups portlet's Work In drop-down list, choose the page group to be edited.

   By default, the Page Groups portlet is located on the Build tab of the Builder page.

2. Click the Configure tab.

3. In the Types and Classification section, click the Edit link.

4. In the Hidden Perspectives list, select the perspective that you want to make available.

   The Hidden and Visible Perspectives lists include all the perspectives owned by this page group and the Shared Objects page group.

5. Click the Move icon to move the selected perspective into the Visible Perspectives list.

   The order of perspectives in the Visible Perspectives list determines the order in which the perspectives are listed when adding or editing a page or item.

   If you want to make a sub perspective visible, its parent perspective must also be included in the Visible Perspectives list.

6. Click OK to return to the Configure tab.

7. Click Close.

To exclude a perspective from a page group, select the perspective in the Visible Perspectives list and click the Remove icon.

If you hide a shared perspective, it is hidden only in the current page group (not in all page groups).

6.3.2.4 Moving a Perspective to the Shared Objects Page Group

You can move a perspective to the Shared Objects page group to make it visible across all page groups. If you do this, note that perspectives are based on the template in their owning page group, so the perspective page may look different if its original template and the template in the Shared Objects group are not exactly the same.

To move a perspective to the Shared Objects page group:

1. Use the Navigator to browse to the perspective that you want to move.

   To get to the Navigator click the Navigator link on any page. By default you can find a Navigator link on the Portal Builder page.

2. In the row for the perspective, click Move to Shared.

3. In the confirmation page, click Yes.

You cannot move a perspective to the Shared Objects page group if there is a template or page with the same name at the root level of the Shared Objects page group. Consider keeping perspective names unique to avoid this possibility.

6.3.2.5 Deleting a Perspective

When you delete a perspective, if the perspective includes sub-perspectives, those sub-perspectives will also be deleted.

Take care when deleting a perspective from the Shared Objects page group. Perspectives in the Shared Objects page group may be used across page groups. Deleting a perspective from Shared Objects removes it from all page groups that use it.

Deleting a Single Perspective:

To delete a single perspective:

1. Use the Navigator to browse to the perspective that you want to delete.

   To get to the Navigator click the Navigator link on any page. By default you can find a Navigator link on the Portal Builder page.

   
   

   Tip: If the perspective is shared, it will be in the Shared Objects page group. See Section 4.6, "Sharing Objects Across Page Groups"

   
   

2. In the row for the perspective, click the Delete link.

3. In the confirmation page, click Yes.

Deleting Multiple Perspectives

To delete multiple perspectives:

1. In the Navigator, click the link for the page group that owns the perspectives that you want to delete.

   To get to the Navigator click the Navigator link on any page. By default you can find a Navigator link on the Portal Builder page.

   
   

   Tip: If the perspectives are shared, they will be in the Shared Objects page group. See Section 4.6, "Sharing Objects Across Page Groups"

   
   

2. Click the Perspectives link.

3. Click the actions link.

4. Select the check boxes next to the perspectives that you want to delete.

   To delete all the perspectives in the page group, select the check box in the header row.

5. Click Delete.

6. In the confirmation page, click OK.

6.4.2.1 Setting Up an Approval Process for a Page Group

To set up an approval process for a page group:

1. From the Page Groups portlet's Work In drop-down list, choose the page group to be edited.

   By default, the Page Group portlet is located on the Build tab of the Builder page.

2. Click the Approval tab.

   The Approval tab is available only if approvals and notifications have been enabled for the page group. See Section 6.4, "Setting Up Approvals".

3. In the Approvers field in the Approval Routing List section, select one or more approvers (users or groups) for the first step of the approval routing list. Click the Browse Users icon to add a user, or the Browse Groups icon to add a group. If you type in user and group names manually, check spellings carefully to avoid invalid entries.

   Each step of the approval process can include both users and groups. Use a semicolon (;) as the separator between multiple users and groups.

   Do not use the same approver in more than one step. Any additional times the approver is listed, he or she will be skipped.

   When you include a group in the approval routing list, any one member of the group can approve or reject an item, even if the step specifies that all of the recipients must respond. If you require responses from all members of a group, list each member individually.

   We recommend that approvers have at least the View privilege on the page that includes the item to be approved (so that they can view the page).

   OracleAS Portal includes the following special approvers:

   • #PAGE_GROUP_MANAGER#: Any user or group with the Manage All privilege on the page group, or the Manage All global privilege on all page groups.

   • #PAGE_MANAGER#: Any user or group with the Manage privilege on the page.

   • #CONTENT_MANAGER#: Any user or group with Manage Content or Manage privilege on the page, or the higher-level Manage privilege, on the page.

     By default, when you enable approvals and notifications for the page group, a single step approval process is defined at the page group level with #CONTENT_MANAGER# as the default approver.

   When you enter these special approvers, use uppercase text only.

4. In the Routing Method for Approvers radio group, choose a routing method for the approval routing list:

   • One at a time, all must approve (Serial, All) —This sends the approval to approvers in the step one at time in the sequence specified. All of the approvers must respond to the approval.

   • All at the same time, all must approve (Parallel, All)—This sends the approval to approvers in the step all at the same time. All of the approvers must respond to the approval.

   • All at the same time, only one must approve (Parallel, Any)—This sends the approval to approvers in the step all at the same time. Only one of the approvers must respond to the approval.

5. Click Add Step to continue adding steps to the approval routing list.

   For each step, select approvers and a routing method. Each step you add is listed in the Approval Process section. You can edit existing steps by clicking the list of users and groups, or the Edit icon. When you edit a step, the step details are displayed in the Approval Routing List section and the Add Step button changes to Update Step.

   Because Oracle Internet Directory can include multiple directory 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.

6. Select Enable Item Drafts to enable users with the Manage Items With Approval privilege to add draft versions of items to pages in the page group, without having to submit them for approval.

   Draft items are visible only to the item owner in the Pending Items Preview and List editing views. Once the draft is finalized, the user can submit the item for approval from the Actions page. Once enabled, this option cannot be disabled until all draft items in this page group are submitted for approval.

   If you do not want to allow content contributors to upload draft items without approval, do not select this option.

7. Select All Users Require Approval if every content contributor requires approval.

   By default, this options is not selected which means that only users with the Manage Items With Approval privilege require approval.

8. Click OK when the approval routing list is complete.

If there is an active approval process pending for an item, the approval routing steps for the item cannot be reordered. Also, you cannot edit active steps (that is, any step which is currently active within an approval process). However, you can still delete and edit any steps which are not currently active.

6.4.2.2 Enabling Page Managers to Specify Their Own Approval Processes

To enable page managers to specify their own approval processes:

1. From the Page Groups portlet's Work In drop-down list, choose the page group to be edited.

   By default, the Page Groups portlet is located on the Build tab of the Builder page.

2. Click the Configure tab.

3. In the Approvals and Notifications section, click the Edit link.

4. Select the Override the Page Group Approval Process check box.

5. Click OK to return to the Configure tab.

6. Click Close.

Enabling this option also allows page managers to ignore the approval process completely by defining an empty approval process at the page level. This means that users with the Manage Items With Approval privilege on the page will be able to add items to the page without requiring approval.

For information about how to set up an approval process for a page, see Section 21.1, "Setting Up an Approval Process for a Page".

6.4.4.1 Setting Up Expiry Notifications

To set up expiry notifications for a page group:

1. From the Page Groups portlet's Work In drop-down list, choose the page group to be edited.

   By default, the Page Group portlet is located on the Build tab of the Builder page.

2. Click the Approval tab.

   The Approval tab is available only if approvals and notifications have been enabled for the page group. See Section 6.4, "Setting Up Approvals".

3. In the Recipients field in the Expiry Notifications section, select one or more recipients (users or groups) to notify when an item in the page group is about to expire. Click the Browse Users icon to notify a user, or the Browse Groups icon to notify a group.

   Use a semicolon (;) as the separator between multiple users and groups. This field can include both users and groups.

   OracleAS Portal includes the following special recipients:

   • #PAGE_GROUP_MANAGER#: Any user or group with the Manage All privilege on the page group, or the Manage All global privilege on all page groups.

   • #PAGE_MANAGER#: Any user or group with the Manage privilege on the page.

   • #CONTENT_MANAGER#: Any user or group with Manage Content or Manage privilege, or the higher-level Manage privilege, on the page.

     By default, when you enable approvals and notifications for the page group, a single step approval process is defined at the page group level with #CONTENT_MANAGER# as the default approver.

   • #ITEM_OWNER#: The owner of the item.

   When you enter these special approvers, use uppercase text only.

   Because Oracle Internet Directory can include multiple directory 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.

4. In the Notification Time for Recipients field, enter how long (in hours) before the item is due to expire to notify the recipients. The default is 48 hours.

5. Click OK.

If a user or group is deleted from the portal, any pending items requiring that user or group's approval will need to be approved or rejected by the page owner or page group administrator. In the approval step, a deleted user is listed as 'User no longer exists.'

6.4.4.2 Displaying Expiry Notifications on a Page

To display expiry notifications on a page:

1. Go to the page where you want to display expiry notifications.

   For information on locating a page, see Section 9.1, "Locating Pages in OracleAS Portal".

2. Switch to Edit mode.

3. In the region where you want to display expiry notifications, click the Add Portlets icon.

   If you do not see the Add Portlets icon, the region may be an item region, in which case, you cannot add portlets to this region.

4. Click the link for the My Notifications portlet.

   By default, the My Notifications portlet is located under the Portal Content Tools page of the Portlet Repository. If you cannot find the My Notifications portlet under this page, use the Search field.

5. Click OK.

6. Next to the portlet, click the Actions icon.

7. Click Edit Defaults.

8. In the Display Name field, enter a different title for the portlet if required. For example, if the portlet will be used only to display expiry notifications, you might change the display name to Items About to Expire.

9. In the Display Limit radio group, select whether to display all notifications or limit the portlet to display only a specified number of notifications.

10. Make sure the Show Expiry Notifications check box is selected.

    The portlet can also display approval and subscription notifications.

11. Select the Display Notification Type Icon in Portlet check box if you want to display an icon to illustrate whether the notification is an approval, expiry, or subscription notification. This is useful if you intend to use the portlet to display other types of notifications.

12. Select the Display Notification Status in Portlet check box if you want to display the status of the notification in the portlet. This informs users whether the item is about to expire or has already expired.

13. In the Page Group Option radio group, select whether to display expiry notifications for all page group or a specified selection of page groups.

    This option is more useful for individual users who can personalize the portlet to filter the list to include only those expiry notifications that they are actually interested in

14. In the User Group Option radio group, select whether to display expiry notifications for all user groups or a specified selection of user groups.

    This option is more useful for individual users who can personalize the portlet to filter the list to include only those expiry notifications that they are actually interested in.

    Use a semicolon (;) as the separator between multiple groups.

    Because Oracle Internet Directory 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 Portal instance.

15. Click OK.

6.5.3.1 Displaying Unpublished Items

To display unpublished items:

1. From the Page Groups portlet's Work In drop-down list, choose the page group to be edited.

   By default, the Page Groups portlet is located on the Build tab of the Portal Builder page.

2. Click the Items tab.

3. Select Display Unpublished Items In Edit Mode.

4. Click OK.

6.5.3.2 Retaining Deleted Items

To be able to continue to display deleted items, you must first choose to retain them in the Oracle Application Server Metadata Repository.

To retain deleted items in the Oracle Application Server Metadata Repository:

1. From the Page Groups portlet's Work In drop-down list, choose the page group to be edited.

   By default, the Page Groups portlet is located on the Build tab of the Portal Builder page.

2. Click the Items tab.

3. Select Retain Deleted Items.

4. Click OK.

6.5.3.3 Permanently Removing Expired and Deleted Items

Periodically, you may want to perform a system purge to permanently remove expired and deleted items from the Oracle Application Server Metadata Repository.

To permanently remove expired and deleted items:

1. From the Page Groups portlet's Work In drop-down list, choose the page group to be edited.

   By default, the Page Groups portlet is located on the Build tab of the Portal Builder page.

2. Click the Items tab.

3. Select Purge Deleted Items to remove deleted items during the system purge.

4. Select Purge Expired Items to remove expired items during the system purge.

5. Click Purge.

6. When the page refreshes, the purge is complete, and you can click OK.

A system purge may take a few minutes if there are a lot of expired or deleted items.