Jetspeed - Portlet Configuration How To

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Configuration common to most portlets

Description

Common elements

portlet-entry

meta-info

classname

parameter

url

security-ref

media-type

Registry Entry examples

Element: portlet-entry

Definition of a portlet.

Attribute Name Description

name Name of portlet. This name MUST be unique

type Type of portlet-entry

Allowable values

abstract Portlet is one which cannot be created directly. It acts as a portlet template, useful for defining common properties for a group of related portlets.

instance Portlet is the basic entry. It should provide all the necessary information to create the portlet, at least the classname.

ref Portlet is based on an existing <portlet-entry> which can be of any type, including other ref entries. The engine will follow all refs until it finds either an abstract or instance entry, override all parameters found in the these definitions by those in the ref definition's, and then create the portlet using the combined definitions

hidden

Allowable values

false

true

application Portlet will be displayed in a full screen, i.e. the only portlet displayed.

Allowable values

false

true

Element: meta-info

Typically optional information that describe the item (portlet, parameter, ...). Meta-info is used by the Jetspeed customizer. The information is also available to some portlet types.

Element: title

Title of item (portlet, parameter, ...)

Parent Element Default

portlet-entry Value of portlet-entry's name attribute

parameter Value of parameter's name attribute

Element: description

Description of item (portlet, parameter, ...). Their is no default description.

Element: icon

Path and file name of icon relative to <jetspeed_home>

Element: classname

Java class uses to generate content.

Element: parameter

The hidden attribute controls whether the customizer will display the parameter.

This element is optional.

Attribute Name Description

name Name of portlet, parameter,...

value Default/initial value

type Data type of value. When this attribute is not present any character string is accepted

Allowable values

boolean Only true or false are allowed as a value for this parameter

style Designates the parameter as having a custom presentation style. The presentation style name is defined as value of [parameter name].style parameter. For example, if parameter named "symbols" is designated with type="style", then the style name is defined as value of "symbols.style" hidden parameter. Each parameter designated as having a custom style, will be displayed in the default portlet customizer using the defined parameter style. For sample parameter styles and instructions on how to develop your own, see javadoc for org.apache.jetspeed.modules.parameters package. See below for example registry entry.

invisible Parameters with this type are rendered as hidden inputs in the portlet customizer form.

hidden

Allowable values

false

true

Parameter Name Description

_display Initial display state of portlet.

This parameter can only be set in PSML.

If not present, Default: normal

Value Description

closed Portlet is closed and not visible

minimized Portlet is minimized. Only title is displayed

normal Portal and content is displayed

_showtitlebar Should the Portlet's title bar be displayed. The title bar includes the Portlet title and the action buttons (Minimize, Maximize, Customize, and Close). When the title bar is disabled, i.e. value = false, the user will only be able to add or remove, if permissions allow, the portlet the customizer.
This parameter can be set in PSML or in the .xreg files.

This parameter was added in version 1.3a3.

If not present, Default: true

Value Description

true Portlet Title Bar is displayed

false Portlet Title Bar is NOT displayed

_TimeToLive How long, in milliseconds, should the portlet remain idle in cache. This parameter is used to override the default value.
Example: _TimeToLive = 300000 which is 5 minutes (5 * 60 * 1000) and the portlet cached expires every 3 minutes.

Time Activity

1:00 Portlet created

1:00 User Joe displayed the portlet content

1:03 Portlet marked as expired, the portlet's refresh() is called, the portlet is no longer expired

1:05 User Sam displayed the portlet content

1:06 Portlet marked as expired, the portlet's refresh() is called, the portlet is no longer expired

1:09 Portlet marked as expired, the portlet's refresh() is called, the portlet is no longer expired

1:12 Portlet marked as expired. Since the portlet has been idle for 7 minutes, the portlet will be removed from cache.

This parameter can be set in PSML or in the .xreg files.

This parameter was added in version 1.3a3.

_control Overrides default portlet control with control specified.
This parameter can be set in PSML or in the .xreg files.

If not present, default portlet control, as specified by services.PortalToolkit.default.control, is used.

This parameter was added in version 1.4b2.

Element: url

Since the configuration file is an XML file, some character must be represented using XML entities.

Character XML Entity

& &

< <

> >

Allowable Protocols Description

http:// Standard HTTP protocol is used to retrieve file or data

File is local and path is relative to <jetspeed_home>

Good URLs:

<url>http://jakata.apache.org/jetspeed</url>
Basic URL

<url>http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?p=jetspeed</url>
1 Parameter passed

<url>http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=jetspeed&n=100</url>
2 Parameter passed

Bad URLs:

<url>index.html</url>
No protocol, http:// or hostname

<url>http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=jetspeed&n=100</url>
Contains & instead of &.

Remote URL caching:

Portlet types extending the FileWatchPortlet (for example, NewRSSPortlet), read their remote URLs using the JetspeedCache. JetspeedCache uses DiskCacheDaemon to manage refreshing of these URLs upon their change or expiration. See the DiskCache for further details.

Element: security-ref

Used by customizer to limit access to this item (portlet, parameter,...)

Attribute Name Description

parent Reference to an existing security constraint

See the Security for further details.

Element: media-type

Media types that can display and configure portal.

Media types are define in <jetspeed_home>/WEB-INF/conf/media.xreg

Attribute Name Description

ref Media type.

Example of Registry Entry

Abstract Portal Entry

<portlet-entry name="RSS" hidden="false" type="abstract" application="false">
    <meta-info>
        <title></title>
        <description></description>
    </meta-info>
    <classname>org.apache.jetspeed.portal.portlets.NewRSSPortlet</classname>
    <parameter name="stylesheet" value="/WEB-INF/xsl/rss.xsl" hidden="false">
        <meta-info>
            <title></title>
            <description></description>
        </meta-info>
        <security role="admin"/>
    </parameter>
    <media-type ref="html"/>
    <media-type ref="wml"/>
</portlet-entry>

Reference Portal Entry

<portlet-entry name="RSS" hidden="false" type="ref" application="false">
    <meta-info>
        <title></title>
        <description></description>
    </meta-info>
    <parameter name="" value="" hidden="false">
        <meta-info>
            <title></title>
            <description></description>
        </meta-info>
        <security role=""/>
    </parameter>
</portlet-entry>

Portal Entry using Parameter Styles

<portlet-entry name="StockQuotePortlet" hidden="false" type="instance" application="false">
    <meta-info>
        <title></title>
        <description></description>
    </meta-info>
    <parameter name="sort" value="Symbol" type="style"
        hidden="false">
       <meta-info>
            <title>Sort</title>
            <description>Column to sort by</description>
       </meta-info>
    </parameter>
    <parameter name="sort.style" value="ListBox" hidden="true"/>
    <parameter name="sort.style.items" value="Symbol,Volume,PChange" hidden="true"/>
    <parameter name="columns"
        value="Symbol,Quote,Date,Time,Change,PChange,Open,High,Low,Volume"
        type="style" hidden="false">
        <meta-info>
            <title>Columns</title>
            <description>Columns to display</description>
        </meta-info>
    </parameter>
    <parameter name="columns.style.items"
        value="Symbol,Quote,Date,Time,Change,PChange,Open,High,Low,Volume"
        hidden="true"/>
    <parameter name="columns.style.layout" value="$eastwest"
        hidden="true"/>
    <parameter name="columns.style" value="CheckBoxGroup"
        hidden="true"/>
    <parameter name="symbols"
        value="MSFT,EMC,SUNW,ORCL,IBM"
        type="style" hidden="false">
        <meta-info>
            <title>Symbols</title>
            <description>List of comma-separated stock symbols</description>
        </meta-info>
    </parameter>
    <parameter name="symbols.style" value="TextArea" hidden="true"/>
</portlet-entry>

Example of use in Portal