Navigation on Page Skin or Page Template?

Question

1. Should global left navigation be part of a PAGE SKIN or PAGE TEMPLATE?
We want to develop a similar but different design look (top nav, left and right nav) for different departments in our company. I am trying to figure out if we would create multiple SKINS or multiple page templates.
Thank you for your insights!

Answer 1

1. Should global left navigation be part of a PAGE
SKIN or PAGE TEMPLATE?
We want to develop a similar but different design
look (top nav, left and right nav) for different
departments in our company. I am trying to figure
out if we would create multiple SKINS or multiple
page templates.
Thank you for your insights!Choice depends on how you create your global navigation items & how often you change them. Assume as you mention pageskins you're using Portal 10.1.4?
If in comparison with the expected lifetime of your pageskin your global navigation content is static e.g. links to company homepage, how to contact us, about us etc then simply include it as part of the pageskin HTML. 10.1.4's path URLs makes this simple. If they change very quickly then generate them as part of a page template: you then have all the features of Portal to create & change your navigation items as you wish without needing programming help. However we've found this can slow down your page delivery speed if the menus are complex.
Another approach is to call a PL/SQL package/procedure from your pageskin e.g.
<oracle>
my_schema.my_package.my_proc(#PAGE.PAGEGROUPID#,#PAGE.PAGEID#);
</oracle>
would execute Procedure my_proc contained in package my_package and schema my_schema, passing the parameters page group ID (site ID) and page ID. The schema, package & procedure should be executable to portal_public user. You would have to write a package to drive dropdown or expanding sidebar navigation menus etc and this would have to access the Portal metadata repository if you wished the navigation menu to update itself as you change your site.
Hope this helps.