Step 3: Create Two Desktops for MyPortal

You can now add desktops to your portal to provide views for specific users. The desktops are related to each other because they are part of the same portal, but they can be distinct in terms of their look and feel and the portal resources available to the users. Desktops provide an easy way for administrators to target specific users based on users' identity, group membership, or profile.

In this step, you will create two desktops, Desktop1 and Desktop2, in MyPortal, which you created in the previous step. These desktops will be used in later tasks for setting entitlements that allow them to be used by specific users or groups.

The tasks in this step are:

- Create and preview the first desktop from a template
- Create and preview the second desktop using existing portal resources

Create and Preview the First Desktop from a Template

In this task you will create a new desktop from a template. The template provides a way to create new desktops that are pre-configured with the portal resources that are ready for use. These templates are useful as the starting point for portal applications, allowing you to develop new desktops based on an existing template.

1. In the Portal Resource tree, expand the Portals tree, and select MyPortal.
2. At the bottom of the Editor pane, click Create New Desktop.

3. Fill in the fields of the New Desktop Properties form with the following information:

For This Field: | Enter This Information:
Title | Desktop1
Description | My first desktop
Enter a partial URL for this Desktop | desktop1
Create New Desktop Using (radio button) | Portal Template File
Choose a Template (drop-down menu) | sampleportal/sample.portal

3. Click Create New Desktop. If you have used this template before, you might see the following dialog:

4. Select Keep Portal Resources already in the Library and click OK.
5. Right click Portals in the Portal Resource tree, and select Fully Expand Node.

   All the resources belonging to the new desktop appear in the Resource tree.

6. To preview the new desktop in a browser, right click Desktop1, and click View Desktop.

Note: Depending on the speed of your system, it might take a few minutes for the preview to appear.

Create and Preview the Second Desktop Using Existing Portal Resources

In this task you will create a second desktop using existing portal resources that are available from the library. These resources include the portlets, books, pages, look and feels, and shells that make up a desktop. This is different from using a template in that the resulting desktop can be composed of a unique set of resources. In this tutorial you will select the same resources used by the template, so the resulting desktop is identical.

1. In the Portal Resource tree, select My Portal.
2. Select the Portal Properties tab in the Editor Pane.
3. Click Create New Desktop.

4. Fill in the fields of the New Desktop Properties form with the following information: (Be sure to select Existing Portal Resources in Library when creating the new desktop.)

For This Field: | Enter This Information:
Title | Desktop2
Description | My second desktop
Enter a partial URL for this Desktop | desktop2
Create New Desktop Using (radio button) | Existing Portal Resources in Library
Default Shell | Header-Footer Visitor Shell
Look and Feel | avitek
Primary Book | Main Page Book

5. Click Create New Desktop.
6. Right click Desktop2 in the Portal Resource tree, and select Fully Expand Node. All the resources belonging to the second desktop appear in the Resource tree.
7. To preview the second desktop in a browser, right click Desktop2, and click View Desktop.

You have now successfully created two desktops in MyPortal, both of which will are identical. Although each was created in a different way, they both use the same portal resources. In the following step you will add portal resources to the second desktop, making it distinctly different from the first.