Dynamically adding pages to a desktop

Question

I am trying to create a portal application that will allow me to dynamically add
pages to my desktop. Right now I have a portlet set up that can take the name
of the page I want and pass that to a pageflow. From there I have tried using
classes such as PortalCustomizationManager, BookPresentationContext, BookDefinition,
BookInstance, PageDefinition, PageInstance, etc. to add the page, but have not
had much luck. I know that WebLogic has the built-in VisitorTools, but I can't
use those for what I am really trying to accomplish. I also tried looking at how
the VisitorTools work, but it just appears that BEA uses javascript to populate
a hidden form with values, and then submit the form. What happens after that I
have not been able to figure out and my experiments to do the same in my portal
have all failed. The documentation on how to use all of these VisitorTools classes
without taking the whole thing is very, very poor. Please help if you can! Thanks!
Nathan

Answer 1

more like this
private String webAppName = "myWebApp";
public void doit() throws Exception
// Note you can do this from a backing file or a JSP (if from a backinf file
use
// "BackingContent" instead of "PresentationContext"
// Also: you will need to redirect back to the portal or your changes won't
be seen until the next request.
// as you have already started rendering.
DesktopDefinitionId desktopDefinitionId = new DesktopDefinitionId(webAppName,
new PortalPath(portalPath), new DesktopPath(desktopPath));
DesktopPresentationContext desktopPC = DesktopPresentationContext.getDesktopPresentationContext(request);
// This will return you the main book
BookPresentationContext bookPC = desktopPC.getBookPresentationContext();
String primaryBookInstanceId = bookPC.getInstanceId();
if (primaryBookInstanceId != null) {
PortalCustomizationManager portalCustomizationManager = null;
PageDefinitionManager pageDefinitionManager = null;
// Get a reference to the EJBs we are going to need.
InitialContext initialContext = new InitialContext();
PortalCustomizationManagerHome portalCustomizationManagerHome = (PortalCustomizationManagerHome)
initialContext.lookup("SRF_beta_portal.BEA_netuix.PortalCustomizationManager");
PageDefinitionManagerHome pageDefinitionManagerHome = (PageDefinitionManagerHome)
initialContext.lookup("SRF_beta_portal.BEA_netuix.PageDefinitionManager");
pageDefinitionManager = pageDefinitionManagerHome.create();
portalCustomizationManager = portalCustomizationManagerHome.create();
// Set up the customization context
Locale locale = desktopPC.getResolvedLocale();
CustomizationContext customizationContext = new CustomizationContext(locale,
request);
customizationContext.setVisitorMode(true);
// If you want to add an existing page from the library to a page then
do the following
// a) get an existing page definition
PageDefinition existingPageDefinition = pageDefinitionManager.getPageDefinition(customizationContext,
"<the pages definition label>", webAppName);
// c) add the page ot the book
portalCustomizationManager.addNavigable(customizationContext,
desktopDefinitionId,
BookInstanceId.createBookInstanceId(Integer.parseInt(primaryBookInstanceId)),
existingPageDefinition.getPageDefinitionId(),
0, // position
0);
// If you want to create an empty page and add it the book
// a) find a alyout for this page
LayoutDefinition layoutDefinition = pageDefinitionManager.getLayoutDefinitionFromFile(customizationContext,
"/framework/markup/layout/twocolumn.layout", webAppName);
PageDefinition pageDefinition = new PageDefinition(new LocalizationResource(locale,
"My New Page, null"),
MarkupDefinition.MARKUP_PAGE_ID,
"someuniquepagelabel",
false,
false, // do we want
this page to appear in the loibrary?
webAppName,
layoutDefinition.getLayoutDefinitionId(),
null);
// b) create the page
PageDefinition fullyPopulatedPageDefinition =
pageDefinitionManager.createPageDefinition(customizationContext,
pageDefinition);
// c) add the page ot the book
portalCustomizationManager.addNavigable(customizationContext,
desktopDefinitionId,
BookInstanceId.createBookInstanceId(Integer.parseInt(primaryBookInstanceId)),
fullyPopulatedPageDefinition.getPageDefinitionId(),
0, // position
0);
"Nathan Redding" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
Thanks again, Chris.
So here is the code I have now. I resides in a JSP within a portlet.
is that a
problem for some reason? All I am trying to do with this code is to add
another
page to my main book called START. Any hints would be most appreciated!
DesktopDefinitionId deskID = new DesktopDefinitionId(webAppName,
new PortalPath
(portalPath), new DesktopPath(desktopPath));
DesktopPresentationContext desktopPC =
DesktopPresentationContext.getDesktopPresentationContext(request);
BookPresentationContext bookPC = desktopPC.getBookPresentationContext();
String primaryBookInstanceId = bookPC.getInstanceId();
if (primaryBookInstanceId != null)
BookInstance mainBook = PortalVisitorManager.getBookInstance
(primaryBookInstanceId, request.getLocale(), request);
BookDefinition mainBookDef = mainBook.getBookDefinition();
PageInstance newPageInst = new PageInstance(null, new LayoutDefinitionId(0),
"START");
InitialContext initialContext = new InitialContext();
PortalCustomizationManagerHome pcmh = (PortalCustomizationManagerHome)
initialContext.lookup("SRF_beta_portal.BEA_netuix.PortalCustomizationManager");
PortalCustomizationManager pcm = pcmh.create();
try
pcm.addNavigable(new CustomizationContext(desktopPC.getResolvedLocale(),
request), deskID, mainBookDef.getPrimaryInstanceId(),
newPageInst.getNavigableDefinitionId(), 0, 0);
catch (Exception e)
System.out.println(e.getMessage());
Thanks,
Nathan Redding
P.S. Is there ever going to be a set of solid documentation for all the
Java classes
that Portal uses? It is quite difficult to know what you are supposed
to do to
get things done!
"Chris Jolley" <[email protected]> wrote:
portalCustomizationManagerHome =
(PortalCustomizationManagerHome) initialContext.lookup("qaApp.BEA_netuix.PortalCustomizationManager");
portalCustomizationManager = portalCustomizationManagerHome.create();
"Nathan Redding" <[email protected]> wrote:
Thanks Chris, this does lead me to further questions, however.
I assume I need to get the PortalCustomizationManager object from aPortalCustomizationManagerHome
object, but I need to know where I get one of these home objects. Once
I have
that, I am hoping that what I am trying will work. Thanks!
Nathan Redding
"chris jolley" <[email protected]> wrote:
This is certainly possible
PortalCustomizationManager.addNavigable() is the method you want.
if you want to affect all users for the desktop
a) you must br in the Admin or PortalSystemAdministrator and
b) set Visitor mode to false on the customization context.
if you only want to affect the current user
b) setVisitorMode = true on the customization context.
below is tha java doc for addNavigable
* <p>Add a <code>NavigableDefinition</code> (BookDefinition or
PageDefinition)
to the supplied
* Book Instance. This is the method you want to call if you want
to add a
page to a book for
* a particular user or if you are an admin effect all user.</p>
* @param desktopDefinitionId the desktop context to which thisupdate
applies.
* @param bookInstanceId the book instance to add the navigableto.
* @param navigableDefinitionId the navigable defintion id fromwhich
to create
the instance.
* @param position the position in the book (or menu) to insertthis
navigable
(starts with 0)
* @param align position the page from the left (top) or right
(bottom)
* @return the NavigableView instance which was created.
* @throws ObjectNotFoundException BookDefinitionId or the NavigableDefinition
are bogus.
* @throws IllegalDependencyException adding the Navigable to the
BookInstance
would cause a recursive dependancy
* @throws MissingDataException missing vital data in the NavigableDefinition.
* @throws NotEntitledException if the caller does not have therequired
permissions
to delete this object.
* @see com.bea.netuix.application.manager.CustomizationContext#setVisitorMode
public NavigableInstance addNavigable(CustomizationContext customizationContext,
DesktopDefinitionId desktopDefinitionId,
BookInstanceId bookInstanceId,
NavigableDefinitionId navigableDefinitionId,
int position,
int align)
throws RemoteException, ObjectNotFoundException, MissingDataException,
NotEntitledException, IllegalDependencyException;
"Nathan Redding" <[email protected]> wrote:
I am trying to create a portal application that will allow me to
dynamically
add
pages to my desktop. Right now I have a portlet set up that can take
the name
of the page I want and pass that to a pageflow. From there I havetried
using
classes such as PortalCustomizationManager, BookPresentationContext,
BookDefinition,
BookInstance, PageDefinition, PageInstance, etc. to add the page,but
have not
had much luck. I know that WebLogic has the built-in VisitorTools,but
I can't
use those for what I am really trying to accomplish. I also tried
looking
at how
the VisitorTools work, but it just appears that BEA uses javascriptto
populate
a hidden form with values, and then submit the form. What happens
after
that I
have not been able to figure out and my experiments to do the samein
my portal
have all failed. The documentation on how to use all of these VisitorTools
classes
without taking the whole thing is very, very poor. Please help if
you
can! Thanks!
Nathan