Oracle® Fusion Middleware

Using Oracle WebCenter Portal

11g Release 1 (11.1.1.8.0)

E27785-02

January 2014

Documentation for knowledge workers that describes how to explore and interact with WebCenter Portal.

Oracle Fusion Middleware Using Oracle WebCenter Portal, 11g Release 1 (11.1.1.8.0)

E27785-02

Copyright © 2009, 2014, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Primary Author:  Sarah Bernau

Contributing Author:  Will Harris, Sue Highmoor, Peter Jacobsen, Shahana Mitra, Ingrid Snedecor

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Contents

Preface

- Audience

- Documentation Accessibility

- Related Documents

- Conventions

What's New?

- New and Changed Features for 11g Release 1 (11.1.1.8.0)

Who's Who

- Knowledge Worker

- Application Specialist

- Web Developer

- Developer

- System Administrator

Part I Getting Started

1 Introduction to WebCenter Portal

- 1.1 About This Guide

- 1.2 WebCenter Portal Concepts

- 1.2.1 What is a Portal?

- 1.2.2 What is the Home Portal?

- 1.2.3 What Are Pages?

- 1.2.4 What Are Portal Components?

- 1.2.5 What Are Portal Tools and Services?

- 1.3 Basic WebCenter Portal Tasks

- 1.3.1 Getting Started

- 1.3.2 Connecting and Collaborating with Other Users

- 1.3.3 Working with Documents

- 1.3.4 Staying Informed

- 1.3.5 Staying Organized

2 Exploring WebCenter Portal

- 2.1 Registering Yourself with WebCenter Portal

- 2.2 Working in the Home Portal

- 2.2.1 Accessing the Home Portal

- 2.2.2 Pages in the Home Portal

- 2.2.3 What You Can Do In the Home Portal

- 2.3 Searching WebCenter Portal

- 2.4 Saving Favorite Web Pages

- 2.5 Setting Preferences

- 2.6 Accessing WebCenter Portal Online Help

3 Setting Your Personal Preferences

- 3.1 Accessing the Preferences Page

- 3.2 Choosing Your Preferred Display Language

- 3.3 Setting Date and Time Preferences

- 3.4 Setting Your Accessibility Options

- 3.4.1 About Application Accessibility Options

- 3.4.2 Applying Accessibility Options

- 3.5 Changing the Look and Feel of Your View

- 3.6 Changing Your Application Password

- 3.7 Providing Login Information for External Applications

4 Managing Your Profile

- 4.1 About Profiles

- 4.2 Viewing a Profile

- 4.2.1 Profile Popup

- 4.2.2 Profile Page

- 4.2.3 Organization View

- 4.2.4 Profile

- 4.2.5 Profile Gallery

- 4.2.6 Profile Snapshot

- 4.3 Editing Your Profile

- 4.3.1 Uploading and Updating a Personal Profile Picture

- 4.4 Setting Profile Preferences

5 Creating and Managing Personal Pages

- 5.1 About Creating and Managing Personal Pages

- 5.2 Showing or Hiding Pages in Your View of the Home Portal

- 5.3 Rearranging Page Order in the Home Portal

- 5.4 Opening a Page in the Home Portal

- 5.5 Customizing Your View of a Page in the Home Portal

- 5.5.1 About User Customizations on a Page

- 5.5.2 Performing User Customizations on Your Page View

- 5.6 Removing All of Your User Customizations from a Personal Page

- 5.7 Creating a Personal Page in the Home Portal

- 5.7.1 Setting Page Creation Defaults for Personal Pages

- 5.7.2 Creating a Personal Page

- 5.8 Managing Your Personal Pages

- 5.9 Editing a Personal Page

- 5.10 Copying a Personal Page

- 5.11 Renaming a Personal Page

- 5.12 Controlling User Access to Your Personal Pages

- 5.12.1 Granting User Access to Your Personal Pages

- 5.12.2 Revoking User Access to Your Personal Pages

- 5.13 Deleting a Personal Page

- 5.14 Sending Mail with a Link to a Personal Page

- 5.15 Viewing Information About a Personal Page

6 Searching for Information

- 6.1 About Searching in WebCenter Portal

- 6.1.1 Running Various Search Environments

- 6.2 Searching with Oracle SES 11.2.2.2

- 6.2.1 Running a Global Search

- 6.2.2 Running Faceted Searches to Narrow Results

- 6.2.3 Running Filtered Searches to Narrow Results

- 6.2.4 Running Sorted Searches to Narrow Results

- 6.3 Searching with Oracle SES 11.1.2.*

- 6.3.1 Running a Global Search

- 6.3.2 Using Refiners to Narrow Search Results

- 6.3.3 Saving Searches

- 6.3.4 Setting Individual Preferences for Search Results

- 6.4 Limitations with Search

7 Exploring Portals

- 7.1 About Portals

- 7.2 What Does a Portal Look Like?

- 7.3 Interacting with Portals Before Logging In (Public User)

- 7.4 Viewing and Accessing Available Portals

- 7.5 Sending Mail to Portal Members or Moderators

- 7.6 Viewing Information About a Portal

- 7.7 Viewing Portals Similar to the Current Portal

- 7.8 Publishing the Link to a Portal

- 7.9 Searching for a Portal

- 7.10 Joining a Portal

- 7.10.1 Joining a Portal (Registered WebCenter Portal User)

- 7.10.2 Joining a Portal (Unregistered WebCenter Portal User)

- 7.11 Searching in a Portal

- 7.12 Working with Pages in a Portal

- 7.12.1 Showing or Hiding Pages in Your View of a Portal

- 7.12.2 Opening a Page in a Portal

- 7.12.3 Customizing Your View of a Page in a Portal

- 7.12.4 Removing All of Your User Customizations from a Page in a Portal

- 7.12.5 Exposing a Portal Page in Your View of the Home Portal

- 7.12.6 Sending Mail with a Link to a Page in a Portal

- 7.12.7 Creating, Editing, and Managing a Page in a Portal

- 7.13 Changing Your Role in a Portal

- 7.14 Cancelling Your Portal Membership

8 Using WebCenter Portal Impersonation

- 8.1 About WebCenter Portal Impersonation

- 8.2 Allowing an Impersonation Session

- 8.3 Initiating an Impersonation Session

- 8.3.1 Initiating an Impersonation Session Using the Impersonation Preferences Screen

- 8.3.2 Initiating an Impersonation Session Using a Hot Key

- 8.4 Troubleshooting

- 8.4.1 Clicking Switch User Produces an Error

- 8.4.2 Clicking Stop Impersonation Produces an Error

Part II Connecting and Collaborating with Other Users

9 Managing Your Contacts

- 9.1 About Connections

- 9.2 Setting Connections Preferences

- 9.3 Viewing Another User's Profile

- 9.4 Viewing Connections

- 9.4.1 Viewing Your Connections

- 9.4.2 Searching Through Your Connections

- 9.5 Adding Contacts

- 9.5.1 Inviting Others to Connect

- 9.5.2 Viewing Invitations to Connect

- 9.5.3 Responding to Invitations to Be a Connection

- 9.6 Removing Contacts

- 9.7 Creating and Managing Groups of Contacts

- 9.7.1 Creating a Connections List

- 9.7.2 Adding a Connection to a List

- 9.7.3 Removing a Connection from a List

- 9.7.4 Deleting a Connections List

10 Using Instant Messaging and Presence Viewer

- 10.1 About Instant Messaging and Presence

- 10.2 Identifying Your Preferred Instant Messaging Provider

- 10.3 Configuring Network Presence

- 10.4 Working with IMP Features

- 10.4.1 Viewing the Status of Other Users

- 10.4.2 Sending a Mail Message from the Presence Icon Menu

- 10.4.3 Sending an Instant Message from the Presence Icon Menu

11 Sending and Viewing Mail

- 11.1 About the Send Mail Feature

- 11.1.1 Configuring the Send Mail Feature

- 11.2 About Mail in WebCenter Portal

- 11.3 Selecting Your Preferred Mail Connection

- 11.4 Working with Mail

- 11.4.1 Logging in to Mail

- 11.4.2 Personalizing Your View of Mail

- 11.4.3 Opening Mail Messages

- 11.4.4 Downloading Mail Attachments

- 11.4.5 Composing and Sending Mail Messages

- 11.4.6 Sending Mail with Attachments

- 11.4.7 Removing Attachments from the Add Attachment Window

- 11.4.8 Replying To and Forwarding Mail

- 11.4.9 Refreshing Mail

- 11.4.10 Deleting Mail

12 Working with Feedback and the Message Board

- 12.1 About Feedback

- 12.2 Setting Feedback Preferences

- 12.3 Viewing Feedback

- 12.3.1 Viewing Feedback You Have Posted or Received

- 12.3.2 Sorting and Filtering Feedback Posts

- 12.3.3 Hiding Feedback in Your Own View

- 12.3.4 Showing Hidden Feedback

- 12.3.5 Marking Feedback Received as Private

- 12.4 Posting Feedback

- 12.5 Deleting Feedback

- 12.6 About Messages

- 12.7 Setting Message Preferences

- 12.8 Viewing Messages

- 12.8.1 Viewing Messages Others Have Left for You

- 12.8.2 Viewing Messages Others Have Received

- 12.8.3 Viewing Messages Sent to a Selected Portal

- 12.8.4 Sorting and Filtering Message Board Messages

- 12.8.5 Hiding Messages in Your View of Message Board

- 12.8.6 Showing Hidden Messages

- 12.9 Posting Messages

- 12.9.1 Posting a Message Through Message Board

- 12.9.2 Posting a Private Message

- 12.9.3 Sharing a Private Message

- 12.10 Editing Messages

- 12.11 Deleting Messages

- 12.12 Enabling Other Users to Post Feedback and Messages for You

13 Liking, Commenting On, and Sharing Items in WebCenter Portal

- 13.1 About Liking Items in WebCenter Portal

- 13.2 Liking Items

- 13.3 About Commenting on Items in WebCenter Portal

- 13.4 Commenting on Items

- 13.5 About Sharing Items in WebCenter Portal

- 13.6 Sharing Streamed Items with a Wider Audience

- 13.6.1 Reposting Streamed Items

- 13.6.2 Emailing Streamed Items

- 13.7 Sharing Messages, Files, and URLs

- 13.7.1 About Publisher

- 13.7.2 Publishing a Message

- 13.7.3 Sharing Files Through Publisher

- 13.7.4 Sharing Links Through Publisher

- 13.7.5 Deleting a Published Message

14 Viewing and Participating in Discussions

- 14.1 About Discussions

- 14.2 Working with Discussions

- 14.2.1 Creating and Managing Forum Topics and Replies

- 14.2.2 Watching Forums and Topics

- 14.2.3 Showing and Hiding Additional Discussion Forum Information

- 14.2.4 Sending Mail from Discussion Topics

15 Working with Wikis

- 15.1 About Wikis

- 15.2 Creating a Wiki

- 15.2.1 Creating a Wiki Document Using the New Wiki Document Action

- 15.2.2 Creating a Wiki Using the Wiki Page Style

- 15.2.3 Creating a Wiki Document Within a Wiki Page

- 15.3 Editing a Wiki

- 15.4 Exposing an Existing Wiki Document in the Portal Navigation

- 15.4.1 Exposing an Existing Wiki Document as a Wiki Page

- 15.4.2 Exposing an Existing Wiki Document Using Content Presenter

- 15.5 Managing Wiki Documents

16 Working with Blogs

- 16.1 About Blogs

- 16.2 Understanding the Blog Page Style

- 16.3 Creating a Blog Using the Blog Page Style

- 16.4 Subscribing to a Blog

- 16.5 Working with Blog Posts

- 16.5.1 About Blog Posts

- 16.5.2 Creating a Blog Post

- 16.5.3 Viewing a Blog Post

- 16.5.4 Editing a Blog Post

- 16.5.5 Deleting a Blog Post

- 16.5.6 Managing Blog Posts

Part III Working with Documents

17 Creating and Managing Documents

- 17.1 About Creating and Managing Documents in WebCenter Portal

- 17.1.1 About the Document Explorer

- 17.1.2 About the Document Manager

- 17.1.3 About the Folder Viewer

- 17.1.4 About the Document Viewer

- 17.2 Actions for Working with Folders and Files

- 17.2.1 Folder and File Actions in List Viewers

- 17.2.2 Folder and File Actions in the Document Viewer

- 17.3 Personalizing Your View of Documents

- 17.3.1 Hiding and Showing Columns

- 17.3.2 Reordering Columns

- 17.3.3 Sorting Files and Folders

- 17.4 Creating a Folder

- 17.5 Creating a File

- 17.5.1 Uploading Files

- 17.5.2 Creating a Wiki Document

- 17.6 Opening a Folder or File

- 17.6.1 Opening a Folder

- 17.6.2 Opening a File

- 17.6.3 Opening or Saving PDF Files

- 17.7 Using the Rich Text Editor (RTE)

- 17.7.1 About the Rich Text Editor Tabbed Panes

- 17.7.2 About the Rich Text Editor Toolbar

- 17.7.3 Working with Tables in the Rich Text Editor

- 17.7.4 Using the Keyboard in the Rich Text Editor

- 17.8 Editing or Updating a File

- 17.8.1 Checking a File Out

- 17.8.2 Cancelling a Checked Out Status

- 17.8.3 Downloading a File

- 17.8.4 Editing Files In-Place

- 17.8.5 Uploading a New Version of an Existing File

- 17.9 Renaming a Folder or File

- 17.9.1 Renaming a Folder or File Using a Menu

- 17.9.2 Renaming a File and Revising Its Description Through Properties

- 17.10 Copying and Pasting Folders and Files

- 17.11 Moving Folders and Files

- 17.12 Deleting Folders and Files

- 17.13 Refreshing Folder Contents

- 17.14 Hiding and Showing Folders

- 17.15 Managing Tags on Files

- 17.16 Viewing and Deleting File Version History

- 17.17 Working with Folder and File Properties

- 17.17.1 Working with Folder Properties

- 17.17.2 Working with File Properties

- 17.18 Managing Document Links

- 17.19 Viewing Document Recommendations

- 17.20 Opening or Saving PDF Files

- 17.21 Sharing the URL for a Folder or File

- 17.21.1 Retrieving the URL for a Folder or File

- 17.21.2 Mailing the URL for a Folder or File

- 17.21.3 Publishing the URL for a File to Activity Streams

- 17.22 Setting Security Options on a Folder or File

- 17.23 Subscribing to a File

- 17.24 Liking a File

- 17.25 Adding a Folder or File to Your Favorites

- 17.26 Searching for Documents

- 17.26.1 Running a Basic Document Search

- 17.26.2 Running an Advanced Document Search

- 17.27 Working with Workflow-Enabled Content

18 Collaborating on Documents

- 18.1 Collaborating on Documents Using the Documents Page and Documents Viewers

- 18.2 Collaborating on Documents through Workflows

- 18.3 Collaborating on Documents Using Oracle AutoVue

19 Working with Microsoft Office and Explorer Integration

- 19.1 About Microsoft Office and Explorer Integration

- 19.1.1 Understanding Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint, and Excel Integration

- 19.1.2 Understanding Microsoft Windows Explorer Integration

- 19.2 Configuring Microsoft Office Integration with WebCenter Portal

- 19.3 Working with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel Integration

- 19.3.1 Creating a Portal from a Microsoft Office Document

- 19.3.2 Opening and Editing a File

- 19.3.3 Displaying and Hiding the Microsoft Office Task Pane

- 19.3.4 Working with the Microsoft Office Task Pane

- 19.3.5 Closing a File

- 19.4 Working with Microsoft Windows Explorer Integration

- 19.4.1 Adding a Portal as a Network Place

- 19.4.2 Working with Files Using Windows Explorer

Part IV Staying Informed

20 Getting Notified When Things Change

- 20.1 About Subscriptions and Notifications

- 20.2 Establishing and Managing Your Messaging Channels and Filters

- 20.2.1 Accessing Messaging Configuration Settings

- 20.2.2 Establishing a Messaging Channel

- 20.2.3 Editing a Messaging Channel

- 20.2.4 Deleting a Messaging Channel

- 20.2.5 Creating and Applying Messaging Filters

- 20.2.6 Editing Messaging Filters

- 20.2.7 Deleting Messaging Filters

- 20.3 Subscribing to the Application, to Portals, and to Objects

- 20.3.1 Setting Application-Level Subscriptions

- 20.3.2 Setting Portal-Level Subscriptions

- 20.3.3 Setting Object-Level Subscriptions

- 20.4 Viewing and Cancelling Your Subscriptions

- 20.4.1 Viewing and Cancelling Application-Level Subscriptions

- 20.4.2 Viewing and Cancelling Portal- and Object-Level Subscriptions

21 Exploring Recommendations and Content

- 21.1 About Recommendations and Content

- 21.2 Working with Connection Recommendations

- 21.2.1 Learning More About a Recommended Connection

- 21.2.2 Inviting a Recommended Connection to Connect with You

- 21.2.3 Removing a User from Your Recommended Connections

- 21.2.4 Setting the Number of Users to Display in Recommended Connections

- 21.2.5 Controlling Which Users to Include in Recommended Connections

- 21.3 Working with Similar Portals

- 21.3.1 Learning More About a Suggested Portal

- 21.3.2 Joining a Suggested Portal

- 21.3.3 Removing a Portal from the Suggested Portals

- 21.3.4 Setting the Number of Portals to Display in the Similar Portals

- 21.3.5 Controlling Which Portals to Include in the Similar Portals

- 21.4 Working with Similar Items

- 21.4.1 Populating the Similar Items

- 21.4.2 Viewing a Suggested Item

- 21.4.3 Removing an Item from Similar Items

- 21.4.4 Setting the Number of Items to Display in the Similar Items

- 21.4.5 Controlling Which Items to Include in Similar Items

- 21.5 Working with Top Items

- 21.5.1 Setting the Number of Items to Display in the Top Items

- 21.5.2 Controlling Which Items to Include in Top Items

- 21.6 Working with Top Contributions

- 21.6.1 Setting the Number of Users to Display in Top Contributions

- 21.6.2 Controlling Which Items to Include in Top Contributions

22 Tracking Portal Activities

- 22.1 Comparison of Activity Stream and Recent Activities

- 22.2 About the Activity Stream

- 22.3 Setting Activity Stream Preferences

- 22.4 Working with the Activity Stream

- 22.4.1 Selecting the People to Stream in an Activity Stream Instance

- 22.4.2 Selecting the Portals to Stream in an Activity Stream Viewer

- 22.4.3 Selecting the Categories to Stream in an Activity Stream Viewer

- 22.4.4 Hiding and Showing the Activities of a Selected User

- 22.4.5 Hiding and Showing the Activities of a Selected Portal

- 22.4.6 Liking and Commenting On Activity Stream Items

- 22.4.7 Sharing Files and other Objects Through an Activity Stream Item

- 22.5 About Recent Activities

- 22.6 Working with Recent Activities

- 22.6.1 Personalizing the Recent Activities Viewer

- 22.6.2 Accessing Recently Acted-On Items

- 22.6.3 Refreshing the Recent Activities Viewer

23 Working with Announcements

- 23.1 About Announcements

- 23.2 Working with Announcements

- 23.2.1 Working with Announcements

- 23.2.2 Working with the Announcements - Quick View

- 23.2.3 Sending Mail from an Announcement

- 23.2.4 Linking Announcements

- 23.2.5 Subscribing to Announcements Using RSS

24 Working with Polls

- 24.1 Taking Polls

- 24.2 Viewing Poll Results

25 Monitoring RSS Feeds

- 25.1 About RSS

- 25.1.1 RSS Icon

- 25.1.2 RSS Manager

- 25.1.3 RSS View

- 25.2 Obtaining Tool News Feeds

- 25.2.1 Obtaining the Recent Activities News Feed

- 25.2.2 Obtaining the Discussion Forums News Feed

- 25.2.3 Obtaining List News Feeds

- 25.2.4 Obtaining the Announcements News Feed

- 25.3 Refreshing RSS

- 25.4 Removing RSS Feeds

26 Exploring Your Worklists

- 26.1 About Worklists

- 26.2 Working with Worklists

- 26.2.1 Viewing and Responding to Worklist Items

- 26.2.2 Arranging Your Display of Worklist Items

- 26.2.3 Refreshing Worklists

Part V Staying Organized

27 Managing Your Favorites

- 27.1 About Favorites

- 27.2 Accessing Your Favorites

- 27.3 Adding Favorites

- 27.4 Adding Favorites Folders

- 27.5 Managing Favorites in Preferences

- 27.5.1 Adding a Favorite Using the Manage Favorites Page

- 27.5.2 Adding a Favorites Folder Using the Manage Favorites Page

- 27.5.3 Editing Favorites and Favorites Folders

- 27.5.4 Rearranging Favorites and Favorites Folders

- 27.5.5 Searching for Favorites

- 27.5.6 Deleting Favorites and Favorites Folders

28 Working with Calendars and Events

- 28.1 About Events

- 28.1.1 Calendar Overlaying

- 28.1.2 Where to View Events

- 28.1.3 Integration with Other Features

- 28.2 Working with Events

- 28.2.1 Accessing Your Personal Events

- 28.2.2 Viewing Events

- 28.2.3 Scheduling Events

- 28.2.4 Revising Scheduled Events

- 28.2.5 Cancelling Scheduled Events

- 28.2.6 Displaying Multiple Calendars Together

- 28.2.7 Subscribing to Events

29 Managing Your Notes

- 29.1 About Notes

- 29.2 Working with Notes

- 29.2.1 Creating a Note

- 29.2.2 Filtering and Clearing Filters Notes

- 29.2.3 Editing Note Details

- 29.2.4 Refreshing Your View of Notes

- 29.2.5 Deleting Notes

- 29.2.6 Linking Notes

30 Working with Lists

- 30.1 About Lists

- 30.2 Working with Lists Features

- 30.2.1 Viewing Lists

- 30.2.2 Creating and Managing Lists

- 30.2.3 Adding and Managing List Data

- 30.2.4 Customizing Lists

- 30.2.5 Sending a Link to a List to Other Users

- 30.2.6 Exporting a List and Importing a List from an Excel Spreadsheet

31 Linking Information in WebCenter Portal

- 31.1 About Links

- 31.2 Working with Links Features

- 31.2.1 Linking to Existing Assets

- 31.2.2 Linking to New Assets

- 31.2.3 Accessing Link Targets

- 31.2.4 Deleting a Link

- 31.2.5 Linking in the Rich Text Editor

32 Using Tags and Bookmarks

- 32.1 About Tags

- 32.1.1 Understanding Tags

- 32.1.2 Understanding the Tag Center

- 32.2 Working with Tags

- 32.2.1 Tagging Application Pages

- 32.2.2 Tagging Application Documents

- 32.2.3 Working with Tags and Tagged Items in the Tags View

- 32.2.4 Viewing Tags and Tagged Items in Search Results

- 32.2.5 Working with Tags and Tagged Items in the Tag Center

- 32.2.6 Understanding the Tag Cloud and the Tag Selection Views

- 32.2.7 Understanding the Similarly Tagged Items View

Glossary

Preface

This guide describes how to interact with information and users through WebCenter Portal. It provides instructions for tasks such as working in a personal environment in the Home portal; working in a portal as a portal member; finding and updating content; creating new content; collaborating with other business users to create, edit, and share documents; and sending and receiving instant messages with peers.

Note:

This guide depicts the application user interface (UI) in screenshots. Portal designers can apply different templates to change the look and feel of a portal; therefore, your view of a portal may differ from the views depicted in screenshots.

Audience

This document is intended for knowledge workers who consume or update information presented by Oracle WebCenter Portal. For a complete description of this role, and other WebCenter Portal personas, refer to "Who's Who."

Documentation Accessibility

For information about Oracle's commitment to accessibility, visit the Oracle Accessibility Program website at http://www.oracle.com/pls/topic/lookup?ctx=acc&id=docacc.

Access to Oracle Support

Oracle customers have access to electronic support through My Oracle Support. For information, visit http://www.oracle.com/pls/topic/lookup?ctx=acc&id=info or visit http://www.oracle.com/pls/topic/lookup?ctx=acc&id=trs if you are hearing impaired.

Related Documents

For more information, see the following documents in the Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 (11.1.1.8.0) documentation set:

- Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal

- Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal

- Oracle Fusion Middleware Developing Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal and Oracle JDeveloper

Conventions

The following text conventions are used in this document:

Convention

Meaning

boldface

Boldface type indicates graphical user interface elements associated with an action, or terms defined in text or the glossary.

italic

Italic type indicates book titles, emphasis, or placeholder variables for which you supply particular values.

monospace

Monospace type indicates commands within a paragraph, URLs, code in examples, text that appears on the screen, or text that you enter.

What's New?

The following topics introduce the new and changed features of WebCenter Portal and other significant changes that are described in this guide, and provides pointers to additional information. This book is the new edition of the formerly titled User's Guide for Oracle WebCenter Portal: Spaces.

New and Changed Features for 11g Release 1 (11.1.1.8.0)

WebCenter Portal 11g Release 1 (11.1.1.8.0) includes the following new and changed features:

- Terminology changes:

Prior Releases

11g Release 1 (11.1.1.8.0)

WebCenter Portal: Spaces

WebCenter Portal

space

portal

space template

portal template

resource

asset

- End-User Experience

- Updated profile user interface that includes improved organization of profile information, click to edit, and clear profile photo functionality. See Chapter 4, "Managing Your Profile." Additional documentation for the rich user profile is referenced under Portal Builder, Administration, and Development Environment.

- Improved search experience (supported with Oracle SES 11.2.2.2) that includes faceted search and document thumbnails. See Chapter 6, "Searching for Information."

- Portal Builder

- Simplified portal creation that includes in-place page creation. See the "Creating and Building a New Portal" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- Redesigned portal edit and administration user interface (Portal Builder) that consolidates tasks into fewer steps. See the "Editing a Portal" and "Administering a Portal" chapters in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- Simplified page creation and editing: Web (for editing) and Data (for managing) views, inline resource catalog (with support for component drag-and-drop onto a page), and Select view. See the "Working with Portal Pages" part in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- Automatic update of portal navigation as new pages are created. See the "Creating a Page or Subpage in an Existing Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- "Lazy provisioning" of tools—WebCenter Portal configures the back-end server at first use of a tool rather than at portal creation to speed the successful creation of a new portal. See the "About Creating a New Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- Hierarchical page support (subpages). See the "Creating Pages or Subpages in a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- Updated profile user interface that includes improved organization of profile information, click to edit, and clear profile photo functionality; new component properties for improved control of people connections and activity graph components. See the "Adding Activity Graphs and Recommendations to a Portal," "Adding Connections to a Portal," and "Adding Profiles to aPortal" chapters in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal. Additional documentation for the rich user profile is referenced under End-User Experience, Administration, and Development Environment.

- Device Settings that control how your portal pages render on different devices, such smart phones, tablets, and desktop browsers. Page variants can be created to target and optimally render a portal on specific groups of devices like iOS phones, iOS tablets, and others. See the "Administering Device Settings in a Portal" section, the "Managing Device Groups for a Portal" chapter, and the "Creating a Page Variant for a Device Group" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal. Additional documentation for mobile support is referenced under Administration and Development Environment.

- Responsive Content Presenter templates that provide an example of how you can use Content Presenter and CSS3 media queries to produce a responsive layout that adjusts to the width of the browser (for example, on smart phones, tablets, and desktop browsers). See the "Using Responsive Templates" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal. Additional documentation for mobile support is referenced under Development Environment.

- Administration

- Simplified WebCenter Portal administration that includes a power user oriented experience with familiar concepts for legacy WebCenter Portal customers. See the "Managing Portals in Portal Builder Administration" part in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- New profile configuration settings that include properties to specify whether to show the new or legacy profile user interface and to specify profile synchronization settings. See the "Managing People Connections" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal. Additional documentation for the rich user profile is referenced under End-User Experience, Portal Builder, and Development Environment.

- Device Settings that control how your portal pages render on different devices, such as smart phones, tablets, and desktop browsers. Page variants can be created to target and optimally render a portal on specific groups of devices like iOS phones, iOS tablets, and others. See the "Deploying Devices and Device Groups" section, the "Creating a Page Variant of a System Page for Device Groups" section, and the "Administering Device Settings" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal. Additional documentation for mobile support is referenced under Portal Builder and Development Environment.

- Impersonation, which allows a privileged user to impersonate another user for the purposes of verifying the other user's experience in WebCenter Portal and troubleshooting unexpected results. See the "Managing Impersonation" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- Improved portal lifecycle tools that enable export/import and backup/recovery of one or more portals with minimal downtime. See the "Deploying Portals, Templates, Assets, and Extensions" and "Managing WebCenter Portal Backup, Recovery, and Cloning" chapters in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- Integrated Oracle WebCenter Portal's Pagelet Producer user interface within WebCenter Portal's administrative user interface to make system administrators aware of the existence of Pagelet Producer pagelets and to allow them to make these pagelets available to end users. Integrating the UIs also provides Pagelet Producer developers to easily navigate from WebCenter Portal where they see the pagelets to the Pagelet Producer Admin UI so they can create new or edit existing pagelets. See the "Managing the Pagelet Producer" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- New page performance analyzer that shows you how long individual components take to display on a portal page, as well as the overall time taken to display a page. This new tool is useful to developers who are performing first level performance analysis, customers who build their own pages, and any user who customizes pages in WebCenter Portal. See the "How to Identify Slow Page Components" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- Development Environment

- Updated profile user interface that includes improved organization of profile information, click to edit, and clear profile photo functionality; new component properties for improved control of people connections and activity graph components. See the "Introducing the People Connections Service," "People Connections Task Flow Binding Parameters," and "Integrating the Activity Graph" chapters in Oracle Fusion Middleware Developing Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal and Oracle JDeveloper. Additional documentation for the rich user profile is referenced under End-User Experience, Portal Builder, and Administration.

- Developers can use Expression Language (EL) to retrieve information about Device Settings. Device Settings control how your portal pages render on different devices including smart phones, tablets, and desktop browsers. See the "EL Expressions Related to Device Settings" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Developing Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal and Oracle JDeveloper. Additional documentation for mobile support is referenced under Portal Builder and Administration.

- Responsive Content Presenter templates that provide an example of how you can use Content Presenter and CSS3 media queries to produce a responsive layout that adjusts to the width of the browser (for example, on phones, tablets, or personal computers). See the "Using Responsive Templates" section and the "Extending Responsive Templates" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Developing Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal and Oracle JDeveloper. Additional documentation for mobile support is referenced under Portal Builder.

- Simplified custom shared library development and deployment. WebCenter Portal provides a new JDeveloper template that enables you to build custom components, such as task flows, data controls, and managed beans and deploy them in shared libraries directly to the WebCenter Portal server. See the "Developing Components for WebCenter Portal Using JDeveloper" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Developing Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal and Oracle JDeveloper.

- Restructured documentation library according to personas and their roles in WebCenter Portal:

- Oracle Fusion Middleware Using Oracle WebCenter Portal (this guide) covers information needed by a knowledge worker who typically uses WebCenter Portal to contribute and review content, participate in social interactions, and leverage the Home portal to manage her own documents and profile.

- Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal covers information needed by an application specialist who works in Portal Builder to create and administer portals, their structure (hierarchy of pages, navigation, security), and their content (components on a page, layout, behavior, and so on).

- Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal covers information needed by a system administrator who fields requests from IT employees and business users to set up new machines; clone or back up existing applications systems and databases; install patches, packages, and applications; and perform other administration-related tasks.

- Oracle Fusion Middleware Developing Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal and Oracle JDeveloper covers information needed by a developer who primarily works with JDeveloper to provide support for both portals and WebCenter Portal Framework applications.

For more information, see "Who's Who."

Who's Who

Throughout this guide, we provide examples that illustrate some of the ways you can use WebCenter Portal. The tasks in the guide are targeted to one or more personas, assigned specific portal roles. This chapter introduces you to these personas and describes the ways in which they might interact with WebCenter Portal. These example personas are for illustrative purposes to help you identify the different skill sets required to use the range of tools offered by WebCenter Portal.

The personas described here have the default roles provided out-of-the-box with WebCenter Portal. These roles are each given a unique set of permissions appropriate for the work that each persona will typically do. Note that you can modify these default roles or configure new roles to meet the unique needs of your organization.

The people who interact with WebCenter Portal typically work together as a team to coordinate their tasks in one of the following user roles:

- Knowledge Worker

- Application Specialist

- Web Developer

- Developer

- System Administrator

Knowledge Worker

Karen is a knowledge worker who typically uses WebCenter Portal to contribute and review content, participate in social interactions, and leverage the Home portal to manage her own documents and profile.

At the application level, Karen has permissions such as those granted to the default Authenticated-User role, which may be customized for the specific needs of the organization. At the portal level, the portal Moderator will likely assign Karen the Viewer or Participant role, or a custom role that offers a similar set of permissions.

For more information about roles and permissions, see the "About Roles and Permissions for a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Knowledge Worker Tasks in WebCenter Portal

Tasks that are typical of a knowledge worker like Karen include:

- Connecting to and collaborating with other WebCenter Portal users by sharing information, files, and links; and by interacting through instant messaging, mail, message boards, discussions, wikis, and blogs

- Uploading, sharing, and managing documents stored in Content Server

- Joining a team or project portal

- Keeping up with changes in WebCenter Portal by receiving notifications when content is updated, exploring recommendations from other users, viewing the activities of the portals she is a member of and users she's connected to, viewing announcements, taking polls, and monitoring WebCenter Portal RSS feeds

- Staying organized through the use of favorites, notes, calendars, lists, links to portal objects, and tags

- Viewing and responding to worklist items

As Karen becomes more familiar with the functionality available in WebCenter Portal, she may begin to perform more advanced tasks, such as creating portals. As a more advanced knowledge worker, her role may evolve to overlap with application specialist tasks.

Information targeted for knowledge workers like Karen is in Oracle Fusion Middleware Using Oracle WebCenter Portal. Advanced tasks that overlap with those of an application specialist are covered in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Application Specialist

Ari is an application specialist who works in Portal Builder to create and administer portals, their structure (hierarchy of pages, navigation, security), and their content (components on a page, layout, behavior, and so on). In a typical project, Ari coordinates the efforts of Karen (knowledge worker), Wendy (web developer), and Dave (developer).

At the application level, Ari has permissions such as those granted to the default Application Specialist role, which may be customized for the specific needs of the organization. In a portal that Ari creates, he performs actions available to the Moderator role to manage the portal.

For more information about roles and permissions, see the "About Roles and Permissions for a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Application Specialist Tasks in WebCenter Portal

Tasks that are typical of an application specialist like Ari include:

- Planning and creating new portals

- Editing and administering the portals he owns

- Creating and building portal pages using the page editor (Composer) and the resource catalog to add and configure page components

- Creating and managing portal assets, tools, and services

- Managing shared assets and portal templates across all portals

Information targeted for application specialists like Ari is in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal. To work with his personal view of the Home portal, Ari will also refer to Oracle Fusion Middleware Using Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Web Developer

Wendy is a web developer who focuses on delivering a consistent, branded look and feel to all portals. Wendy provides graphics designs and HTML markup from which Ari (application specialist in Portal Builder) or Dave (developer in JDeveloper) can create content or page style templates, skins, and so on. Once these assets are created, Ari can leverage them to create portal pages. Wendy typically does not interact with WebCenter Portal directly.

Web Developer Tasks in WebCenter Portal

Tasks that are typical of a web developer like Wendy include:

- Developing a corporate portal look and feel

- Designing new portal page templates

Information targeted for web developers like Wendy is in the "Creating a Look and Feel for Portals" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Developer

Dave is a developer who provides support for both portals and WebCenter Portal Framework applications:

- Portals (Portal Builder)
Dave is primarily responsible for developing components (such as task flows, page templates, and content templates), which are published and leveraged by Ari (the application specialist). Dave primarily works with JDeveloper and leverages the WebCenter Spaces Extension/WebCenter Portal Service Extension projects.

- Framework Applications
Dave primarily works with JDeveloper to develop WebCenter Portal Framework applications. Once he has developed the application, he can package it as an EAR file and deploy it on the application server. In a typical environment, Dave would have JDeveloper configured with a SCM system and be working within a team with automated build and deploy processes.

Developer Tasks

Tasks that are typical of a developer like Dave include:

- Building and maintaining WebCenter Portal Framework applications

- Developing custom assets, like page templates and navigation components for portals in WebCenter Portal

- Developing Java portlets

- Developing and deploying task flows, managed beans, and other custom components

- Developing custom personalization components

- Maintaining the source control system

- Maintaining a build system

Information targeted for developers like Dave is in Oracle Fusion Middleware Developing Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal and Oracle JDeveloper.

System Administrator

Syed is a system administrator who fields requests from IT employees and business users to set up new machines; clone or back up existing applications systems and databases; install patches, packages, and applications; and perform other administration-related tasks. As the system administrator, Syed works with other tools such as Fusion Middleware Control and command line tools. He leverages Enterprise Manager to configure portal settings, and also configures integrations such as WebCenter Content and other Fusion Middleware products and Oracle applications.

In WebCenter Portal's Portal Builder, he has permissions such as those granted to the default Administrator role, which provides exclusive access to administer and set global options for all portals (including the Home portal).

For more information about application level roles and permissions, see the "About Application Roles and Permissions" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

System Administrator Tasks

Tasks that are typical of a system administrator like Syed include:

- Uses Portal Builder administration to administer all portals (including import and export of portals) and security site-wide

- Uses Portal Builder administration to manage site-wide system pages, business role pages, and personal pages

- Uses Portal Framework application administration console to manage application-wide preferences, manage users and roles, manage assets, configure the content repository, create polls, register producers and external applications

- Leads security, taxonomy, metadata, workflow, governance

- Uses the management console for administrative functions

- Executes command line utilities for administrative functions

- Installs and configures production versions of developers' efforts

- Performs patching of the production versions and the operating system

- Creates clones and backups of the production versions

- Performs restores of production versions

- Monitors the operating system for issues with the production version

- Deploys and redeploys applications

Information targeted for system administrators like Syed is in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal and Oracle Fusion Middleware WebLogic Scripting Tool Command Reference.

Part I

Getting Started

Part I contains the following chapters:

- Chapter 1, "Introduction to WebCenter Portal"

- Chapter 2, "Exploring WebCenter Portal"

- Chapter 3, "Setting Your Personal Preferences"

- Chapter 4, "Managing Your Profile"

- Chapter 5, "Creating and Managing Personal Pages"

- Chapter 6, "Searching for Information"

- Chapter 7, "Exploring Portals"

- Chapter 8, "Using WebCenter Portal Impersonation"

1 Introduction to WebCenter Portal

This chapter provides a general introduction to WebCenter Portal, including defining useful terms and providing an overview of this guide.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 1.1, "About This Guide"

- Section 1.2, "WebCenter Portal Concepts"

- Section 1.3, "Basic WebCenter Portal Tasks"

1.1 About This Guide

WebCenter Portal provides the tools to quickly and easily create portals, communities, and social networking sites, enabling users to consume information and interact with other users more effectively and efficiently. This guide is aimed at the knowledge worker, who is tasked with interacting with information and users through WebCenter Portal.

1.2 WebCenter Portal Concepts

This section contains the following topics:

- Section 1.2.1, "What is a Portal?"

- Section 1.2.2, "What is the Home Portal?"

- Section 1.2.3, "What Are Pages?"

- Section 1.2.4, "What Are Portal Components?"

- Section 1.2.5, "What Are Portal Tools and Services?"

1.2.1 What is a Portal?

A portal is an online gateway to a wide variety of purposes. A portal can provide tools to connect employees within an organization, actively sharing both profile and project information across teams; another portal may be directed towards customers, allowing them to explore and purchase products. Some portals are focus areas for small teams, others are loaded with functionality for use by thousands of members.

A portal presents information and resources that are diverse in location, technology, and derivation, through a single point of entry. Content and technology that originate from widespread sources appear as a cohesive set of information and services that are easily available from one location.

For example, in a portal, a user can look at all the Worklist items coming from their organization's eBusiness Suite, the detailed customer information coming from a CRM suite, and the latest sales figure charts coming from a Business Intelligence tool. Despite these multiple sources, all of this content is available in one place and appears to be coming from a single source.

Portals also deliver personalization capabilities. Personalization provides a means of leveraging the information in a user's Profile to tailor the user's experience of the portal. For example, Mary the manager logs in and sees department-wide results information and links to reporting applications, while Sal the salesman logs in and sees his reports on his own results and links to leads.

1.2.2 What is the Home Portal?

The Home portal is the area where you have access to your profile, preferences, available portals, and can customize certain elements of your own view of the Home portal. You can create your own personal pages in the Home portal, and system administrators can expose system pages and business role pages to selected audiences.

For more information, see Chapter 2, "Exploring WebCenter Portal."

1.2.3 What Are Pages?

You will encounter several types of pages in WebCenter Portal. Pages in WebCenter Portal may be out-of-the-box or user-created.

The out-of-the-box pages in WebCenter Portal are:

- System pages, such as the Login page and the Documents page are prepopulated with relevant input fields and boilerplate text. System pages are managed by portal moderators and system administrators.

- Business role pages, which can be populated with information of relevance to a particular business role, such as salesperson, accountant, or marketing associate, can be pushed into the Home portal views of all users who are assigned that role. Business role pages are managed by the system administrator.

No matter how your portal is structured, there is always a need for new pages in addition to those that are available out-of-the-box. You and other WebCenter Portal users can create new pages to meet your needs:

- Personal pages, which you can create for your own exclusive use in the Home portal. By default, personal pages can be seen in the Home portal only by you (the user who created them), but you can also allow other users to see your personal pages. For more information about personal pages, see Chapter 5, "Creating and Managing Personal Pages." While you are primarily responsible for managing the content of your personal pages, a system administrator has the authority to administer all personal pages in WebCenter Portal administration.

- Portal pages, which can be created by anyone with permissions to create pages in a portal, and may serve different purposes:

- Pages created by the portal moderator, designed to contribute to the knowledge base of the portal, and typically made available to all members of the portal.

- Pages created by a portal member, selectively exposed in the portal either for their own use, or shared with other selected portal members. While such portal pages may not be exposed to all portal members, a portal moderator has the authority to administer all portal pages.

You can customize a page for your own personal view by rearranging items, expanding or collapsing viewers, and resizing areas, visible only to you.

Portal pages can have any number of subpages, as well as page variants, which are optimized for display on other devices, such as tablets or mobile phones.

1.2.4 What Are Portal Components?

As you use WebCenter Portal, you will work with elements on the pages. These elements are many and varied, and are collectively referred to as portal components, Portal components include views/viewers, portlets, content containers, and other types of resources such as images and links.

1.2.5 What Are Portal Tools and Services?

WebCenter Portal offers many tools and services that allow you to collaborate and communicate with other WebCenter Portal users. If WebCenter Portal is installed and configured correctly and your system administrator has set up valid connections to the required external back-end servers, tools and services are available for use in WebCenter Portal.

Tools and services can be exposed on their own page in a portal with a separately addressable URL, or as one of many components on a page. Tools and services include: announcements, discussions, documents, events, lists, search, tags, instant messaging and presence, links, mail, polls, activity graph, notes, and notifications.

1.3 Basic WebCenter Portal Tasks

This section provides an overview of the tasks involved in using WebCenter Portal. These tasks are described step-by-step in the chapters of this guide:

- Section 1.3.1, "Getting Started"

- Section 1.3.2, "Connecting and Collaborating with Other Users"

- Section 1.3.3, "Working with Documents"

- Section 1.3.4, "Staying Informed"

- Section 1.3.5, "Staying Organized"

1.3.1 Getting Started

For more information, see Part I, "Getting Started," which includes the following chapters:

- Chapter 3, "Setting Your Personal Preferences"

- Chapter 4, "Managing Your Profile"

- Chapter 5, "Creating and Managing Personal Pages"

- Chapter 6, "Searching for Information"

- Chapter 7, "Exploring Portals"

- Chapter 8, "Using WebCenter Portal Impersonation"

1.3.2 Connecting and Collaborating with Other Users

For more information, see Part II, "Connecting and Collaborating with Other Users," which includes the following chapters:

- Chapter 9, "Managing Your Contacts"

- Chapter 10, "Using Instant Messaging and Presence Viewer"

- Chapter 11, "Sending and Viewing Mail"

- Chapter 12, "Working with Feedback and the Message Board"

- Chapter 13, "Liking, Commenting On, and Sharing Items in WebCenter Portal"

- Chapter 14, "Viewing and Participating in Discussions"

- Chapter 15, "Working with Wikis"

- Chapter 16, "Working with Blogs"

1.3.3 Working with Documents

For more information, see Part III, "Working with Documents," which includes the following chapters:

- Chapter 17, "Creating and Managing Documents"

- Chapter 18, "Collaborating on Documents"

- Chapter 19, "Working with Microsoft Office and Explorer Integration"

1.3.4 Staying Informed

For more information, see Part IV, "Staying Informed," which includes the following chapters:

- Chapter 20, "Getting Notified When Things Change"

- Chapter 21, "Exploring Recommendations and Content"

- Chapter 22, "Tracking Portal Activities"

- Chapter 23, "Working with Announcements"

- Chapter 24, "Working with Polls"

- Chapter 25, "Monitoring RSS Feeds"

- Chapter 26, "Exploring Your Worklists"

1.3.5 Staying Organized

For more information, see Part V, "Staying Organized," which includes the following chapters:

- Chapter 27, "Managing Your Favorites"

- Chapter 28, "Working with Calendars and Events"

- Chapter 29, "Managing Your Notes"

- Chapter 30, "Working with Lists"

- Chapter 31, "Linking Information in WebCenter Portal"

- Chapter 32, "Using Tags and Bookmarks"

2 Exploring WebCenter Portal

This chapter describes how to get started in WebCenter Portal, including how to register yourself (if necessary), working in the Home portal, searching, saving favorites, setting preferences, and accessing help.

This chapter includes the following sections:

- Section 2.1, "Registering Yourself with WebCenter Portal"

- Section 2.2, "Working in the Home Portal"

- Section 2.3, "Searching WebCenter Portal"

- Section 2.4, "Saving Favorite Web Pages"

- Section 2.5, "Setting Preferences"

- Section 2.6, "Accessing WebCenter Portal Online Help"

Permissions:

The tasks described in this chapter are available to any WebCenter Portal user minimally assigned the role Authenticated-User; that is, any user who is logged in.

Notes:

- If you are using Internet Explorer, turn off Compatibility Mode before trying to access WebCenter Portal. In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, select Compatibility View Settings. In the Compatibility View Settings dialog, deselect all the options, and click Close.

- WebCenter Portal supports only single browser tab or window viewing. It will not function properly if you try to view WebCenter Portal in multiple browser tabs or windows simultaneously.

2.1 Registering Yourself with WebCenter Portal

Your system administrator may provide the opportunity to self-register to the WebCenter Portal. Self-registration enables you to create your own login credentials and enter the WebCenter Portal from there forward as an authenticated user. The privileges of authentication are many: your own view of the Home portal, access to other features based on your assigned user role, a broader range of available interactive features, to name a few.

Note:

Whether self-registration is available depends on how your system administrator configures the application.

To register yourself as a WebCenter Portal user:

1. Open WebCenter Portal.
For example:

http://host:port/webcenter

Where <host>:<port> refers to the host name and port number of the system where WebCenter Portal is installed. By default, WebCenter Portal is installed on port 8888.

2. Click the Register link on the application Welcome page (Figure 2-1).

Note:

Your system administrator can customize the look and feel of the Login page, but the information depicted in Figure 2-1 is essentially the same whatever the customization.

Figure 2-1 The Register Link on the Welcome Page

3. On the resulting Self-Registration page (Figure 2-2), enter your user information:
Fields marked with an asterisk require a value.

Tip:

Your system administrator can customize the Self-Registration page, so it may not appear as depicted in Figure 2-2.

Figure 2-2 WebCenter Portal Self-Registration Page

Before you begin, you should know that the user name and password policy is set by the underlying identity store. Your system administrator may customize the Self-Registration page to include information that explains your organization's user name and password policy.

1. Enter your preferred user name in the Choose User Name field.

Note:

'If your company uses email addresses as user names, enter your email address.

2. Click the Check User Name Availability button to ensure the uniqueness of your chosen user name.
If the name you entered is in use, provide another user name and test that. Continue this cycle until the check assures you that your entry is unique.

3. Provide a password in the Choose Password field.

4. Reenter the password in the Re-enter Password field.

5. Enter your first name in the First Name field.

6. Enter your last name (that is, your surname) in the Last Name field.

7. Enter your company email address in the Email Address field.

Note:

You can create only one user account per email address.

4. Click the Register button.
If the data you entered is accepted, a log-in dialog opens, enabling you to log in to WebCenter Portal.

Note:

By default, if a user name with the same mail ID exists, when you click Register, a dialog opens informing you that the mail ID exists. The dialog includes a button for sending a message to the mail ID associated with the existing user name.

Because you are not yet authenticated, your message is sent to a public mail box, provided your system administrator has configured public mail credentials.

Note that this default behavior may be overridden by customizations provided by your portal developers.

2.2 Working in the Home Portal

The Home portal (Figure 2-3) is the area where you have access to WebCenter Portal activities, your personal documents, available portals, and your profile. You can also create your own personal pages in the Home portal, and system administrators can expose system pages and business role pages to selected audiences.

Note:

Your system administrator may choose to prohibit the creation of personal pages.

Figure 2-3 The Home Portal

This section includes the following topics:

- Section 2.2.1, "Accessing the Home Portal"

- Section 2.2.2, "Pages in the Home Portal"

- Section 2.2.3, "What You Can Do In the Home Portal"

2.2.1 Accessing the Home Portal

Depending on the navigation model, you may have a number of ways to access the Home portal. The following are examples of some of these ways:

- Use the following URL:

http://host:port/webcenter/portal/home

- Click your user name where it appears as a link in the application, as shown in Figure 2-4.

Figure 2-4 Example of a User Name as a Link

This takes you to the My Profile page in the Home portal.

- Click the Portals menu, and select Home Portal (Figure 2-5).

Figure 2-5 Home Portal Option on the Portals Switcher Menu

2.2.2 Pages in the Home Portal

By default, the Home portal includes the following pages:

- Activities: Includes Publisher, which you can use to make statements about your personal status and provide links to external or internal objects; and Recent Activities, which streams information about activities WebCenter Portal. For more information, see Section 13.7, "Sharing Messages, Files, and URLs" and Chapter 22, "Tracking Portal Activities."

- Documents: Provides a view of your personal document library, where you can create, view, and manage your documents. For more information, see Part III, "Working with Documents.".

- Portals: Provides access to available portals, including managing your portal memberships. For information, see Chapter 7, "Exploring Portals."

- Profile: Displays information about you, such as contact information, a photo, your location within the company hierarchy, and so on. It also provides access to your connections, other WebCenter Portal users with whom you communicate or collaborate. For information on your profile, see Chapter 4, "Managing Your Profile." For information on your connections, see Chapter 9, "Managing Your Contacts."

Some pages are hidden by default:

- Portal Templates: This page is intended for advanced users who build portals and custom portal templates. For more information, see the "Working with Portal Templates" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- Tag Center: Allows you to view and manage tags on WebCenter Portal objects. Tags provide a means of applying your own meaningful terms to and bookmarker application objects, making them easy to locate the next time you go looking for them. For more information, see Chapter 32, "Using Tags and Bookmarks."

- WebCenter Portal Impersonation: Lets you assign the right for someone else to impersonate you and lets you impersonate a user for whom you have been given impersonation rights. For example, impersonation might be useful if a customer support representative needs to perform actions on your behalf to understand issues you are experiencing, a system administrator might need to perform operations on your behalf, or you might be delegated someone else's responsibilities while they are away. For more information, see Chapter 8, "Using WebCenter Portal Impersonation."

For instructions on how to show these pages in the Home portal, see Section 5.2, "Showing or Hiding Pages in Your View of the Home Portal."

2.2.3 What You Can Do In the Home Portal

You can perform the following actions in the Home portal:

- Create personal pages. For information, see Chapter 5, "Creating and Managing Personal Pages."

- Receive messages and feedback from other WebCenter Portal users. The Message Board provides a means of receiving messages directly from another user (rather than seeing messages posted for everyone to see). Feedback provides a means of receiving feedback from other users and responding to it. For information, see Chapter 12, "Working with Feedback and the Message Board."

- Expose a portal page in your view of the Home portal. For example, if you would like to keep close track of a portal page named Sales Results, you can specify that this page should be available in your view of the Home portal. See Section 7.12.5, "Exposing a Portal Page in Your View of the Home Portal."

Depending on the pages and portal components available to you through the Home portal, you have access to the tools and services described in the following chapters:

- Chapter 10, "Using Instant Messaging and Presence Viewer"

- Chapter 11, "Sending and Viewing Mail"

- Chapter 13, "Liking, Commenting On, and Sharing Items in WebCenter Portal"

- Chapter 14, "Viewing and Participating in Discussions"

- Chapter 15, "Working with Wikis"

- Chapter 16, "Working with Blogs"

- Chapter 20, "Getting Notified When Things Change"

- Chapter 21, "Exploring Recommendations and Content"

- Chapter 23, "Working with Announcements"

- Chapter 24, "Working with Polls"

- Chapter 25, "Monitoring RSS Feeds"

- Chapter 26, "Exploring Your Worklists"

- Chapter 28, "Working with Calendars and Events"

- Chapter 29, "Managing Your Notes"

- Chapter 30, "Working with Lists"

- Chapter 31, "Linking Information in WebCenter Portal"

- Chapter 32, "Using Tags and Bookmarks"

Tip:

Some tools and services are active only in portals other than the Home portal, such as discussions, events, announcements, and lists.

2.3 Searching WebCenter Portal

WebCenter Portal provides global (application-wide) search (Figure 2-6). For information, see Chapter 6, "Searching for Information."

Figure 2-6 Search Box

2.4 Saving Favorite Web Pages

Use Favorites (Figure 2-7) to keep your own personal list of favorite web sites and pages to access from any browser you choose. For information, see Chapter 27, "Managing Your Favorites."

Figure 2-7 Favorites Menu

2.5 Setting Preferences

Your personal preferences, accessed through the Preferences link (Figure 2-8), provide easy configuration settings for tailoring the application to your particular working style. These include settings for your preferred application display language; your preferred application look and feel; your WebCenter Portal password; and the like. Additionally, WebCenter Portal preferences provide an accessibility setting to optimize the application user interface for use with a screen reader, such as JAWS. For information, see Chapter 3, "Setting Your Personal Preferences."

Figure 2-8 Preferences Link

2.6 Accessing WebCenter Portal Online Help

Wherever you see a Help link or a help icon, click it to access help.

The Help link (Figure 2-9) opens the application's main help page. From there, you can navigate to topics of interest.

Figure 2-9 Help Link

Help icons (), located throughout the application, open help topics that provide context-sensitive help (describing the user interface from which you launched help).

3 Setting Your Personal Preferences

This chapter describes your personal preferences, which provide easy configuration settings for tailoring the application to your particular working style. These include settings for your preferred application display language; your preferred application look and feel; your WebCenter Portal password; and the like. Additionally, WebCenter Portal preferences provide an accessibility setting to optimize the application user interface for use with a screen reader, such as JAWS. Preferences settings are a user-level customization that affect only your view of WebCenter Portal.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 3.1, "Accessing the Preferences Page"

- Section 3.2, "Choosing Your Preferred Display Language"

- Section 3.3, "Setting Date and Time Preferences"

- Section 3.4, "Setting Your Accessibility Options"

- Section 3.5, "Changing the Look and Feel of Your View"

- Section 3.6, "Changing Your Application Password"

- Section 3.7, "Providing Login Information for External Applications"

Permissions:

The tasks described in this chapter are available to any WebCenter Portal user.

See Also:

Preferences associated with specific areas of WebCenter Portal are discussed in the chapters that cover each area.

For information about Messaging, Subscription, and Notifications preferences, see:

- Section 20.2, "Establishing and Managing Your Messaging Channels and Filters"

- Section 20.3, "Subscribing to the Application, to Portals, and to Objects"

- Section 20.4, "Viewing and Cancelling Your Subscriptions"

For information about People Connections preferences, see:

- Section 4.4, "Setting Profile Preferences"

- Section 9.2, "Setting Connections Preferences"

- Section 22.3, "Setting Activity Stream Preferences"

- Section 12.7, "Setting Message Preferences"

- Section 12.2, "Setting Feedback Preferences"

For information about Instant Messaging and Presence preferences, see Section 10.2, "Identifying Your Preferred Instant Messaging Provider."

For information about Search preferences, see Section 6.3.4, "Setting Individual Preferences for Search Results."

For information about Mail preferences, see Section 11.3, "Selecting Your Preferred Mail Connection."

3.1 Accessing the Preferences Page

Click the Preferences link (Figure 3-1) to open the Preferences page (Figure 3-2).

Figure 3-1 Preferences Link

Note:

The availability of navigational links, such as the Preferences link, is determined by the people who design and build your portal. This being so, you may not see a Preferences link. In such a case, ask your system administrator to make the Preferences link available.

Figure 3-2 Preferences Page

3.2 Choosing Your Preferred Display Language

The display language controls the language in which user interface (UI) elements are rendered in your browser. UI elements include button and field labels, application links, screen text, and so on. The display language also provides options for reflecting the current locale. Locale controls the appearance of symbols, such as monetary symbols, and the reading direction in which UI text is rendered.

To set your display language:

1. Open the Preferences page (as described in Section 3.1, "Accessing the Preferences Page").

2. Click General in the left navigation pane to access general preferences (Figure 3-2).

3. From the Language drop-down list, select your preferred display language-local.
Alternatively, select No Preference to accept the application-level default set by your system administrator.

Your change is applied immediately, and the page refreshes in the selected language.

Note:

You can alternatively set your display language before you log in on the Welcome page by selecting a language in the language switcher (Figure 3-3).

Figure 3-3 Language Switcher on Welcome Page

3.3 Setting Date and Time Preferences

Use date and time preferences to specify your preferred date and time formats and your current locale's time zone:

Note:

Some content may be developed with an intrinsic time display format. In such cases, this content is not influenced by your date and time format selections.

To set your preferred time format, date format, and time zone:

1. Open the Preferences page (as described in Section 3.1, "Accessing the Preferences Page").

2. Click General in the left navigation pane to access general preferences (Figure 3-2).

3. Set your date and time preferences.
Table 3-1 describes the available date and time options.

Table 3-1 Date and Time Preference Settings

Preference

Description

Time Format

Select your preferred time format. The formats in the list show the current time.

Note: The available time formats depend on the locale selected in the Language list or by your browser locale. For example, if you select English-United Kingdom [en-GB], the AM/PM is not included in the time format.

- No Preference—To display the default Time Format established by your system administrator

- H:M AM/PM—To display hour, minutes, and AM or PM, such as 4:47 PM

- H:M:S AM/PM—To display hour, minutes, seconds, and AM or PM, such as 4:47:52 PM

- H:M:S AM/PM Time Zone—To display hour, minutes, seconds, AM or PM, and the abbreviation of the specified time zone, such as 4:47:52 PM PDT

- H:M:S o'clock Time Zone—(Not available for all locales.) To display hour, minutes, seconds, "o'clock", and the abbreviation of the specified time zone, such as 4:47:52 o'clock PDT

Date Format

Select your preferred date format. The formats in the list show the current date.

Note: The available date formats depend on the locale selected in the Language list or by your browser locale. For example, if you select English-United Kingdom [en-GB], the dates are listed in day, month, year order.

- No Preference—To use the default date format set by your system administrator

- M/D/YY—To use a number format, such as 4/21/09

- MON D, YYYY—To use an abbreviation format and the full year, such as Apr 21, 2009

- MONTH D, YYYY—To display the full month name and the full year, such as Apr 21, 2009

- DAY, MONTH D, YYYY—To display the full month name, the full year, and include the day of the week, such as Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Time Zone

Select your preferred time zone. Alternatively select No Preference to accept the application-level default set by your system administrator.

Your change is applied immediately.

3.4 Setting Your Accessibility Options

Use accessibility options to optimize the application user interface (UI) for use with a screen reader, such as JAWS; to enable support of high-contrast colors; and to enable support for large fonts.

This section includes the following subsections:

- Section 3.4.1, "About Application Accessibility Options"

- Section 3.4.2, "Applying Accessibility Options"

3.4.1 About Application Accessibility Options

Although WebCenter Portal provides accessibility options to enable visually and non-visually impaired users to navigate successfully through the application user interface, there are some tips that can assist you in using them successfully.

Submenu Items

If you use a screen reader such as JAWS, JAWS normally announces the links associated with a menu selection. With the Actions menu, JAWS does not announce the submenu items. For example, JAWS does not read the submenu items under Manage on the Actions menu. The workaround is to select the menu items using direct keyboard navigation. That is, instead of using JAWS Links Chooser, navigate to the Manage submenu of the Actions menu using the Tab key on your keyboard.

Unlabeled UI Objects

Not all drop-down menus, fields, and radio buttons on WebCenter Portal administration pages are labeled. As a result, the JAWS screen reader renders a pound sign (#) instead of a label when the JAWS command Insert-F7 is invoked. The problem occurs in the following areas:

- Drop-down menus in portal administration pages

- Radio buttons on portal administration pages

- Fields on the Documents page

The workaround is to use the Tab and arrow keys to navigate to each individual form field in order to hear each form field read.

Add Resources

When you add resources from the resource catalog, JAWS announces all resource catalog items as Add. This makes it difficult to identify the selected resource. To work around this issue, press the Tab key to get to the Add link for the resource, then press the Down Arrow key. JAWS then reads the description of the resource.

3.4.2 Applying Accessibility Options

To apply accessibility options to the application UI:

1. Open the Preferences page (as described in Section 3.1, "Accessing the Preferences Page").

2. Click General in the left navigation pane to access general preferences (Figure 3-2).

3. Next to Accessibility Settings, select your preferred accessibility settings:

- I use a screen reader—Specifically for the visually impaired, enables the use of JAWS, the screen reader software.

Tip:

If you use a screen reader and want to set preference options on other preferences pages: Password, My Accounts, Messaging, People Connections, Presence, Subscriptions, Search, and Mail, enable the screen reader option, exit the Preferences page, then re-open the Preferences page. The other preferences panels are redrawn as radio buttons, enabling the screen reader to detect and access them.

- I use high contrast colors—Makes the WebCenter Portal user interface compatible with operating systems or browsers that have high-contrast features enabled. For example, WebCenter Portal changes its use of background images and CSS styles in high-contrast mode to prevent the loss of visual information.

Note:

High-contrast mode is more beneficial if used in conjunction with your browser's or operating system's high-contrast mode. Also, some users might find it beneficial to use large-font mode along with high-contrast mode.

- I use large fonts—Provides browser-zoom-friendly content. In default mode, most text and many containers have a fixed font size to provide a consistent and defined look. In large-font mode, text and containers are more scalable. This allows WebCenter Portal to be compatible with browsers that are set to larger font sizes and to work with browser-zoom capabilities.

Note:

If you are not using large-font mode or browser-zoom capabilities, you should disable large-font mode. Also, some users might find it beneficial to use high-contrast mode along with the large-font mode.

Your changes are applied immediately.

3.5 Changing the Look and Feel of Your View

Use application skins to change the look and feel of your view of the Home portal. Application skins specify the application background color, screen fonts, and, with some skins, the shapes and images used for application buttons and icons. The skin you select through the Preferences page affects only the look and feel of your view of the Home portal. No other users' views and no other areas of the application are affected.

To change the Home portal skin in your view:

1. Open the Preferences page (as described in Section 3.1, "Accessing the Preferences Page").

2. Click General in the left navigation pane to access general preferences (Figure 3-2).

3. In the Application Skin list, select your preferred application skin:

- No Preference—To defer to the application's configured skin setting

- Skin_Name—To select a predefined application skin from the list of skins available to you

Note:

The available skins are determined by your system administrator.

Your change is applied immediately. Go to the Home portal to see the selected skin.

3.6 Changing Your Application Password

Provided your system administrator has enabled you to do so, you can change your WebCenter Portal password. Changing your password on a regular basis is one way you can participate directly in securing your application software.

To change your WebCenter Portal password:

1. Open the Preferences page (as described in Section 3.1, "Accessing the Preferences Page").

2. Click Password in the left navigation pane to open the Password page (Figure 3-4).

Figure 3-4 Preferences - Password Page

3. In the Old Password field, enter your current password.

4. In the New Password field, enter your new password.

Note:

The requirements for this password are driven by the identity store that manages WebCenter Portal application users. Every ID store has its own password policy that enforces rules such as password length, password history, and so on. If you have issues setting a new password, contact your system administrator for the password requirements and restrictions of your ID store.

5. In the Confirm New Password field, enter your new password again.

6. Click Save to save your change.

3.7 Providing Login Information for External Applications

The My Accounts page enables you to provide login credentials for all external applications that are configured to be accessed through WebCenter Portal. After you have provided your credentials, every time you access an external application within WebCenter Portal, the login credentials are provided automatically. This gives you a single-sign-on type of experience where one login (to WebCenter Portal) provides access to multiple applications.

Note:

If you change the login credentials for an application, you must enter them again into the My Accounts page as described in this section.

To provide login credentials for external applications:

1. Open the Preferences page (as described in Section 3.1, "Accessing the Preferences Page").

2. Click My Accounts in the left navigation pane to open the My Accounts page (Figure 3-5).

Figure 3-5 Preferences My Accounts Panel

3. Select an application from the list.
Log-in credential fields and check boxes for the selected application are shown in the right pane.

Tip:

The applications you see on the My Accounts page are the ones that were configured by your system administrator. Contact your system administrator to request additional applications.

4. Enter log-in credentials as required for the selected application.
Fields requiring values are marked with an asterisk (*).

Note:

Login credentials vary from one application to another. For example, some applications may require user name and password, while others may require those values along with additional values, such as your mail address.

5. Select Remember My Login Information to enable automatic authentication to the selected application every time you log in to WebCenter Portal.

Note:

If you do not select Remember My Login Information, the login information that you enter is used only for the current user session. This means the next time you log in to WebCenter Portal, you must also log in to this application.

6. Click Apply to save your change.

4 Managing Your Profile

This chapter describes how to view and manage your profile. In WebCenter Portal, your profile is a collection of useful data about you. It can include contact information, a photo, your location within the company hierarchy, and so on. The social networking capabilities in WebCenter Portal enable you to view and manage your own profile and to view the profiles of others if they have made them available to you.

Note:

For information on viewing other users' profiles, see Section 9.3, "Viewing Another User's Profile."

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 4.1, "About Profiles"

- Section 4.2, "Viewing a Profile"

- Section 4.3, "Editing Your Profile"

- Section 4.4, "Setting Profile Preferences"

Permissions:

To perform the tasks in this chapter, you need the application-level permission People Connections: Update People Connections Data.

4.1 About Profiles

When you connect with other users, you give them access to your profile, and gain access to theirs. Your profile can include contact information, portal activity for your connections, a list of your connections, a view of your personal document library, a view of your location in your organization's hierarchy, recommended connections, and a list of your top contributions.

You can control how much of your profile a connection can view through profile preferences. For information about setting your profile preferences, see Section 4.4, "Setting Profile Preferences."

Your system administrator can set global defaults that affect what all users may see and do with their own and other users' profiles. Some information included in your profile is pulled from the user database used by WebCenter Portal. Depending on the settings configured by your system administrator, you might not see all the information discussed in this chapter and you might not be able to edit some of the information when editing your profile. Because your system administrator can customize the available profile information, the screenshots might not match what you see in your organization's version of WebCenter Portal.

Notes:

- The Profile user interface was updated in 11g Release 1 (11.1.1.8.0). Depending on how your system administrator configured your installation of WebCenter Portal, you might see the legacy Profile user interface. For information on the legacy Profile user interface, see the "Managing Your Profile" chapter in the User's Guide for Oracle WebCenter Portal: Spaces for 11g Release 1 (11.1.1.7.0).

- Empty fields (fields without any content) do not appear in some profile views.

4.2 Viewing a Profile

You can view a profile, including your own, by clicking a user name wherever you see it in WebCenter Portal. Depending on where you click in the portal, you either see a brief, popup view of the user profile or you see a full profile view on the WebCenter Portal Profile page.

In some application contexts, such as in a Document Library or on an announcement, a context menu opens in lieu of a profile popup. Click the user name and select View Profile from the resulting context menu (Figure 4-1) to view the user's profile on the Profile page.

Figure 4-1 View Profile Option on the Documents Page

For more information, see one of the following sections:

- Section 4.2.1, "Profile Popup"

- Section 4.2.2, "Profile Page"

You can also view profile information in one of the following profile views that can be added to a page in a portal:

- Organization View

- Profile

- Profile Gallery

- Profile Snapshot

4.2.1 Profile Popup

You can view a brief, popup profile view (Figure 4-2) for yourself, one of your connections, or a member of a portal to which you have access by clicking a user name wherever it appears in the application context.

Figure 4-2 Profile Popup

In the popup, click Go to Profile to view the user's full profile on the WebCenter Portal Profile page (described next).

4.2.2 Profile Page

You can view the full details of a user's profile on the WebCenter Portal Profile page (Figure 4-3) by clicking Go to Profile in the profile popup or, if your user name appears in the application chrome at the top of the application (highlighted in Figure 4-3), you can click your user name.

Figure 4-3 Profile Page

Note:

The Profile page is a business role page included in the Home portal of all authenticated users (users who are logged in to WebCenter Portal).

By default, the Profile page presents the following information:

- Your contact information, such as photo, email address, position, business phone number and address, and so on.

- A view of your activities and those of your connections on the Activities tab. For more information, see Chapter 22, "Tracking Portal Activities."

- A brief list of your connections on the main Profile page, and a detailed view of your connections on the Connections tab. For more information, see Chapter 9, "Managing Your Contacts."

- A view of the documents and folders in the Public folder of your personal document library on the Documents tab. For more information, see Part III, "Working with Documents".

Note:

You must access the Documents tab in your Home portal at least once before accessing the Documents tab in your profile. Accessing the Documents tab in your Home portal initializes the Documents feature. If you do not first access the Documents tab in your Home portal, you will receive the following message: "The user does not currently have any public documents."

- A chart view of your location within the organization on the Organization tab.

- A view of additional profile details on the About tab (Figure 4-4).

Figure 4-4 About Tab on Profile Page

- A list of recommended connections.

- A list of your top contributions (your personal documents that you access most).

Note:

The type of information and number of items displayed in under Top Contributions can be customized by selecting the Edit (pencil) icon.

Your system administrator can revise the default Profile business role pages to include additional components, remove existing components, and revise the page look and feel. Consequently, the page described in this guide may be different than the Profile page that you see. However, the basic profile functionality should remain about the same.

Note:

Empty fields (fields without any content) do not appear on the Profile page.

4.2.3 Organization View

The Organization View (Figure 4-5) can be added to a portal page to present a graphical depiction of the user's position within the company—that is, a detail of the overall organization chart. In Organization View, you can click through three views of the user's profile information, including contact information; the user's address and current time in the user's locale; and a summary About Me statement. You can also expand the Organization View to show the user's reports or managers.

Figure 4-5 Organization View

4.2.4 Profile

The Profile viewer (Figure 4-6) can be added to a portal page to display a user's profile details. If you are viewing your own profile, the Profile viewer allows you to upload a profile photo and (if enabled) allows you to edit your profile details.

Figure 4-6 Profile

Note:

Empty fields (fields without any content) do not appear in the Profile view.

4.2.5 Profile Gallery

The Profile Gallery (Figure 4-7) can be added to a portal page to provide access to all of your social networking information.

Figure 4-7 Profile Gallery

Note:

Empty fields (fields without any content) do not appear in the Profile Gallery views.

4.2.6 Profile Snapshot

The Profile - Snapshot viewer (Figure 4-8) can be added to a portal page to display a user's photo and status message.

Figure 4-8 Profile - Snapshot

4.3 Editing Your Profile

Your system administrator determines how much of your personal profile you may revise. When you have permission to revise your profile, an Edit Profile button is shown on the Profile page (Figure 4-9). In addition, when you place your cursor over information that is editable, a gray box appears around the information.

Figure 4-9 Edit Profile Button and Editable Information on a Profile

Click the Edit Profile button or one of the editable pieces of information to open an edit view of your personal profile.

Notes:

- Even if your system administrator has enabled the editing of a particular profile section, it is possible that some fields in that section are read-only. For example, you should generally not be able to change the value for your manager.

- Some web browsers lack the support to show text box labels. However, if you click a text box a tooltip appears that describes the text box.

To edit your personal profile:

1. Open your Profile page (as described in Section 4.2.2, "Profile Page").

2. Click Edit Profile or one of the editable pieces of information to open your profile in edit mode (Figure 4-10).

Figure 4-10 Profile in Edit Mode

3. Make your changes, and click Save.

4.3.1 Uploading and Updating a Personal Profile Picture

Provided the profile viewer is configured to allow it, users with a personal profile can upload or update their profile image.

Note:

The file must have the mime-type image, and cannot have the extension *.ico. For best results, your photo should be 150x150 pixels.

To upload or update your profile image:

1. Open your Profile page (as described in Section 4.2.2, "Profile Page").

2. Click Edit Profile.

3. Upload, change, or remove your photo:
To upload or change your photo:

1. Click Change to open the Upload Photo dialog (Figure 4-11).

Figure 4-11 Change Photo Link and Upload Photo Dialog

2. Click Browse to locate and select a photo.

3. Click OK to complete the upload.

To remove your photo, click Clear.

Note:

You do not need to click Save on the Profile page to save your photo.

4.4 Setting Profile Preferences

The profile details that are affected by your preferences settings appear in your full profile view, for example, in the Profile viewer and on the About tab of the default Profile business role page (Figure 4-12).

Figure 4-12 About Tab on Profile Page

Full profiles are presented in four sections: Summary, Employee, Business Contact, Personal Information. Each section provides information related to the section heading. For example, Summary includes a collection of basic details, such as your user name, mail address, and office location.

Note:

Your system administrator can control every user's access to the user's own profile information. For example, the system administrator can control whether a profile section is shown, whether a given section is editable, and who can see what profile information. Consequently, the control you can exercise over your own profile preferences is determined by the actions of your system administrator.

Use profile preferences to specify who can view different types of information associated with your personal profile.

To set profile preferences:

1. Click Preferences.

2. Click People to display People Connections preferences.

3. Click the Profile tab (Figure 4-13).

Figure 4-13 Profile Preferences

For each section of your personal profile, specify the users who can view it:

- Everyone—All users, including users who are not logged in, can view the associated section of your profile.

- Authenticated Users—Only users who are logged in can view the associated section of your profile.

- User's Connections—Only you and your connections can view the associated section of your profile.

- User Only—Only you can view the associated section of your profile.

4. When you are done, click Save.

5 Creating and Managing Personal Pages

This chapter describes how to create, secure, edit, copy, and delete your own personal pages, which are available in the Home portal to you and to other users to whom you grant access.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 5.1, "About Creating and Managing Personal Pages"

- Section 5.2, "Showing or Hiding Pages in Your View of the Home Portal"

- Section 5.3, "Rearranging Page Order in the Home Portal"

- Section 5.4, "Opening a Page in the Home Portal"

- Section 5.5, "Customizing Your View of a Page in the Home Portal"

- Section 5.6, "Removing All of Your User Customizations from a Personal Page"

- Section 5.7, "Creating a Personal Page in the Home Portal"

- Section 5.8, "Managing Your Personal Pages"

- Section 5.9, "Editing a Personal Page"

- Section 5.10, "Copying a Personal Page"

- Section 5.11, "Renaming a Personal Page"

- Section 5.12, "Controlling User Access to Your Personal Pages"

- Section 5.13, "Deleting a Personal Page"

- Section 5.14, "Sending Mail with a Link to a Personal Page"

- Section 5.15, "Viewing Information About a Personal Page"

Permissions:

To perform the tasks in this chapter, you need the application-level permission Pages: Create, Edit, and Delete Pages. Users with this permission can create and manage their personal pages in the Home portal.

5.1 About Creating and Managing Personal Pages

Note:

The system administrator may choose to prohibit the creation of personal pages in the Home portal, allowing only the display of business role pages and system pages, over which you have less control.

With appropriate permissions, you can create, secure, edit, copy, and delete your own personal pages, and populate them with components and content such as Message Board, Events, Discussions, portlets, and documents.

The personal pages you create are available in your view of the Home portal, and can be viewed by you and anyone to whom you grant access (see Section 5.12, "Controlling User Access to Your Personal Pages").

5.2 Showing or Hiding Pages in Your View of the Home Portal

By default, the Home portal exposes your personal pages and selected system pages as tabs. You may want to hide some pages, or expose system pages that are hidden by default, such as the Portal Templates page.

To show or hide pages in your view of the Home portal:

1. Open the Personalize Pages page.

Tip:

The way you access this page depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.

2. On the Personalize Pages page, select or deselect the Show Page check box for the pages you want to show or hide (Figure 5-1).

Note:

If you deselect the Show Page check box for the current page, the Personalize Pages page closes and the current page is hidden.

Within the Home portal, one page must always be shown; therefore, you cannot hide all pages.

Figure 5-1 Personalize Pages: Show Page

5.3 Rearranging Page Order in the Home Portal

On the Personalize Pages page, you can change the order in which pages are listed or arranged in your view the Home portal. This affects the order of the tabs exposed in the Home portal.

To rearrange page order in the Home portal:

1. Open the Personalize Pages page.

Tip:

The way you access this page depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.

2. Use the icons in the Reorder column to rearrange page order (Figure 5-2).

Note:

You can also reorder pages by dragging and dropping the page names

Figure 5-2 Personalize Pages: Reorder

5.4 Opening a Page in the Home Portal

In the Home portal, you have access to your personal pages, system pages, and other pages to which you have been granted access.

The way that you access pages in the Home portal depends on the page template that is defined for the Home portal, the controls that the application specialist has made available, and the navigation model in use. In all configurations, however, you can open pages using a pretty URL.

To open a page in the Home portal:

- Click the page name in the Home portal navigation, such as tabs along the top.

- Enter the following URL in your browser:

http://host:port/webcenter/portal/profile/userName/page/pageName

See Also:

"WebCenter Portal Pretty URLs" appendix in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- Open the Personalize Pages page, and click the name of the page you want to open (Figure 5-3).

Tip:

The way you access this page depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.

Figure 5-3 Personalize Pages: Opening a Page

5.5 Customizing Your View of a Page in the Home Portal

You can change your view of a given page in the Home portal in many ways, including rearranging your view of page content, hiding components, changing your page layout, and so on. All of these options are user customizations, that is, they affect only your view. The views of all other users who have access to the page remain unchanged.

This section describes the user customizations you can perform on a page:

- Section 5.5.1, "About User Customizations on a Page"

- Section 5.5.2, "Performing User Customizations on Your Page View"

5.5.1 About User Customizations on a Page

You can customize the way pages appear in many ways without opening the page editor (Composer). For example, you can reposition, remove, resize, and collapse components, all within just your view of a page.

User customizations are yours and yours alone. That is, the changes you make through the procedures described in the following sections affect only your view of the page. No other users are affected by your changes.

For example, when you reposition page components in page view mode, that change applies only to your view of the page. Other users may reorganize their own views of pages, and their changes do not affect your view—only their own.

Note:

When you revise a component in page view mode while another user deletes the same component in page edit mode, an error page opens. Simply navigate back to the original page. The deleted component does not appear, and you can continue working on other components.

5.5.2 Performing User Customizations on Your Page View

Whether you can customize a page depends on permissions granted to you or your application role and on how user customizations are configured. You can tell if you have such permission by the presence or absence of the controls discussed in this section. If you do not see these controls, contact your system administrator to ask for a higher-level of access or for a configuration change.

This section describes how to perform the user customizations rearrange, resize, minimize, and maximize. It includes the following subsections:

- Section 5.5.2.1, "Rearranging Page Content"

- Section 5.5.2.2, "Removing Components from Your View of a Page"

- Section 5.5.2.3, "Resizing Components"

- Section 5.5.2.4, "Collapsing and Expanding Components"

5.5.2.1 Rearranging Page Content

Use drag-and-drop to rearrange the position of a component on a page. Components moved by drag-and-drop can be moved into any open position on a page.

To rearrange components by dragging and dropping on a page:

- Click and hold the header of the component you want rearrange, drag it to its target position, and drop it onto the page.
A shadow indicates where the component is placed when you drop it (Figure 5-4).

Figure 5-4 Dragging an Issues List Above an Events Viewer

5.5.2.2 Removing Components from Your View of a Page

If you find that a component, such as a document viewer or portlet, is not useful to you and the component displays a Remove icon, you can remove it from your view of the page.

Keep in mind that you can restore a removed component only by editing the page and adding a new component instance.

To remove a component from your view of a page:

- Click the Remove icon on the component header (see Figure 5-5).

Figure 5-5 Remove Icon on a Component

The component is removed from your view of the page.

5.5.2.3 Resizing Components

The border and header surrounding a component is also known as chrome. Chrome can clarify the boundaries of the component and provide an access point for component actions, such as those on the Actions menu and those embedded in the chrome itself. In the latter case, the chrome may include a Resize handle that you can use to increase or decrease the height of the component (Figure 5-6).

Figure 5-6 Resize Handle on a Component

Note:

The position of the resize handle differs for bidirectionally displayed components. Those components displayed in a right-to-left orientation display the resize handle on the left side.

To use this feature, click and hold the Resize handle and drag it up to decrease the height of the component or down to increase the height of the component.

5.5.2.4 Collapsing and Expanding Components

With one click, you can collapse some components so that they roll up like a window shade, useful for removing the visual noise of an unused component from your application view. Collapse is available when a component shows a header. With another click, you can expand a collapsed component.

To collapse and expand components on a page:

1. Click the Collapse icon on the component header to roll the component up like a window shade (Figure 5-7).

Figure 5-7 Collapse/Expand Icon on a Component

2. Click the Expand icon on the component header to restore the full component to view (Figure 5-8).

Figure 5-8 Collapsed Component

5.6 Removing All of Your User Customizations from a Personal Page

You can change your view of a page in many ways, including rearranging your view of page content, hiding components, and changing your page layout, as described in Section 7.12.3, "Customizing Your View of a Page in a Portal."

To remove all of your user customizations, such as rearrangement, resizing, or collapsing of components in only your view of a page:

1. In the Home portal, open the Personalize Pages page.

Tip:

The way you access this page depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.

2. On the Personalize Pages page, click the Actions icon for the page, and choose Reset Layout (Figure 5-9) to open the Reset Layout dialog.

Figure 5-9 Page Actions: Reset Layout

3. To confirm your intent to remove all of your user customizations from the page, click Reset.

5.7 Creating a Personal Page in the Home Portal

After setting page creation defaults, you can create a personal page in the Home portal:

- Section 5.7.1, "Setting Page Creation Defaults for Personal Pages"

- Section 5.7.2, "Creating a Personal Page"

5.7.1 Setting Page Creation Defaults for Personal Pages

If your system administrator has made the option available, you can set page creation defaults to reduce the number of steps required to create a personal page in the Home portal. That is, you can specify the page style that is selected by default when you open the Create Page dialog. You can also select to bypass the Create Page dialog, which enforces the default page style.

The settings you establish for yourself override any page-creation settings set by the system administrator.

To set personal page creation defaults:

1. In the Home portal, open the Personalize Pages page.

Tip:

The way you access this page depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.

2. On the Personalize Pages page, click Set Page Defaults to open the Set Page Defaults dialog (Figure 5-10).

Figure 5-10 Set Page Defaults Dialog

3. To set page creation defaults:

1. Select a page layout from the Page Style dropdown list.
For detailed information about the seeded page styles, click the Help icon. Note, however, that your system administrator may provide additional custom page styles or restrict page styles to a shorter list.

2. Select an option next to Enable One-Click Page Creation:
Yes—Bypass the Create Page dialog, and create all of your personal pages using the specified Page Style. This enforces a common look and feel across your personal pages.

Tip:

When you bypass the Create Page dialog, your result is a page with a generic name. For information about renaming pages, see Section 5.11, "Renaming a Personal Page."

No—Display the Create Page dialog, with the specified Page Style selected as the default in the Create Page dialog for all of your personal pages. You can select a different style for your new personal pages.

4. Click Save to save your changes and exit the dialog.

5.7.2 Creating a Personal Page

Depending on how your portal navigation is implemented and the page template design in use, there may be several ways to create a personal page in your view on the Home portal.

To create a personal page in the Home portal:

1. In the Home portal, click Create Page.

Tip:

The location of the Create Page link depends on the page template in use. For example, in a side navigation template, you may access it through an Actions menu. You can also find it on the Personalize Pages page.

WebCenter Portal will either:

- Open the Create Page dialog (Figure 5-11).

- Immediately create a new page with a default style, if specified in the Set Page Defaults dialog (see Section 5.7.1, "Setting Page Creation Defaults for Personal Pages").

Figure 5-11 Create Page Dialog

Note:

Your system administrator can control the options that appear in the Create Page dialog. So, your view may differ from that depicted in Figure 5-11. Additionally, the system administrator can set an attribute on a custom page style that determines whether a newly created page that is based on that style opens in page edit mode or page view mode.

2. If the Create Page dialog opens, provide a name for the page.

Note:

While there are restrictions on naming wiki documents, there are no naming restrictions for page names. Thus, while any of the following characters can be used to name a wiki page, the page title will include the character(s) but the associated wiki document will replace the illegal character with "_".

\ / : < > * " | ?

For example, if you create a wiki page named "What's In a Name?", the page will have this title, but the associated wiki document will be named "What's In a Name_".

3. Select a page style to define the page structure.
For detailed information about the seeded page styles, click the Help icon. Note, however, that your system administrator may provide additional custom page styles or restrict page styles to a shorter list.

4. Click Create.
The new page opens in page edit mode (Composer), where you can add content.

See Also:

For information about editing personal pages in the Home portal, see Section 5.9, "Editing a Personal Page."

5.8 Managing Your Personal Pages

To manage a personal page, or a page you have permission to manage:

1. In the Home portal, open the Personalize Pages page (Figure 5-12).

Tip:

The way you access this page depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.

Figure 5-12 Personalize Pages Page

2. On the Personalize Pages page, select a page, then choose any of the actions available to you on the Actions menu for the page (Figure 5-13):

Figure 5-13 Personalize Pages: Page Actions Menu

- Edit Page. Open a page that you own or have privileges to edit in the page editor, Composer. See Section 5.9, "Editing a Personal Page."

- Reset Layout. Remove all of your user customizations from a selected page. This action removes such personal changes as rearrangement, resizing, or collapsing of components in only your view of the page. See Section 5.6, "Removing All of Your User Customizations from a Personal Page."

- Copy Page. Make a personal copy of a page. See Section 5.10, "Copying a Personal Page."

- Rename Page. Rename a page that you own or have privileges to manage. See Section 5.11, "Renaming a Personal Page."

- Set Page Access. Add or remove access to a page by user name or role. See Section 5.12, "Controlling User Access to Your Personal Pages."

- Delete Page. Delete a page that you own or have privileges to manage. See Section 5.13, "Deleting a Personal Page."

- Send Mail. Send a link to a page that you own or have privileges to manage. See Section 5.14, "Sending Mail with a Link to a Personal Page."

- About This Page. View information about a page. See Section 5.15, "Viewing Information About a Personal Page."

5.9 Editing a Personal Page

When you edit a personal page, you can add or remove content, set properties on content and on the page itself, and perform additional customizations that affect the view of everyone who has access to the page.

To edit a personal page:

1. Open the page in edit mode.

Note:

Depending on how the Home portal is designed, you can enter page edit mode from a page Actions menu or an Actions menu next to a page on the Personalize Pages page. Or, the page template used for the page may provide an Edit Page link.

2. Edit the page as desired.

See Also:

Editing a personal page is no different than editing a page in a portal. This is an advanced task, described in the "Editing a Page" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

3. Click the Save icon to save your changes.

5.10 Copying a Personal Page

When you copy a page, all content from the original page is also copied. The copy opens in page edit mode (Composer) so that you can start immediately making adjustments to the copy.

Note that a copy does not also include the original page's access settings. You must set access on the copy as a new page (see Section 5.12, "Controlling User Access to Your Personal Pages").

To copy a personal page:

1. In the Home portal, open the Personalize Pages page.

Tip:

The way you access this page depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.

2. On the Personalize Pages page, click the Actions icon for the page, and choose Copy Page to open the Copy Page dialog.

3. Enter a name for the page copy in the Page Name field, and click OK.
The copied page opens in page edit mode (Composer).

4. Edit the copy as desired than click the Save icon to exit Composer.

5.11 Renaming a Personal Page

When you rename a page, any pretty URLs that use the old name will be broken. Also note that system pages, such as the Announcements, Lists, and Events pages, cannot be renamed.

To copy a personal page, or a page you have permission to manage:

1. In the Home portal, open the Personalize Pages page.

Tip:

The way you access this page depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.

2. On the Personalize Pages page, click the Actions icon for the page, and choose Rename Page to open the Rename Page dialog.

3. Enter a new name for the page, and click the Save icon.

5.12 Controlling User Access to Your Personal Pages

By default, the personal pages you create in the Home portal are accessible only to you and the system administrator. You can set page access settings to allow other users to view and work with your personal pages and to remove that access.

When you grant access to one of your personal pages to another user, the other user must deliberately show the page in their view of the Home portal. The user must take this step for each session because shared pages are not automatically shown on login.

See Also:

For information about how to show a hidden page, see Section 5.2, "Showing or Hiding Pages in Your View of the Home Portal."

You may want to open a personal page to many users, but limit the exposure of a particular page component to a specific user, a user group, or to users who are assigned a specific application role. This is an advanced task requiring the use of EL expressions, described in the "Setting Security on a Page Component" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

You can control user access to your personal pages by:

- Section 5.12.1, "Granting User Access to Your Personal Pages"

- Section 5.12.2, "Revoking User Access to Your Personal Pages"

5.12.1 Granting User Access to Your Personal Pages

You can grant access to your personal pages in two ways:

- Section 5.12.1.1, "Accessing Personal Page Security Using the Page Properties Dialog"

- Section 5.12.1.2, "Accessing Personal Page Security Using the Set Page Access Dialog"

- Section 5.12.1.3, "Setting Personal Page Security"

5.12.1.1 Accessing Personal Page Security Using the Page Properties Dialog

To access security settings for a personal page using the Page Properties dialog:

1. In the Home portal, open the page in edit mode.

Note:

Depending on how the Home portal is designed, you can enter page edit mode from a page Actions menu or an Actions menu next to a page on the Personalize Pages page. Or, the page template used for the page may provide an Edit Page link.

2. Click the Page Properties icon (Figure 5-14).

Figure 5-14 Page Properties Button in Page Edit Mode

3. In the Page Properties dialog, click the Security tab (Figure 5-15).

Figure 5-15 Personal Page: Security Tab in Page Properties Dialog

4. Follow the general steps for setting page access in Section 5.12.1.3, "Setting Personal Page Security."

5.12.1.2 Accessing Personal Page Security Using the Set Page Access Dialog

To access security settings for a personal page using the Set Page Access dialog:

1. In the Home portal, open the Personalize Pages page.

Tip:

The way you access this page depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.

2. On the Personalize Pages page, click the Actions icon for the page, and choose Set Page Access to open the Set Page Access dialog (Figure 5-16).

Figure 5-16 Set Page Access Dialog: Personal Page

3. Follow the general steps for setting page access in Section 5.12.1.3, "Setting Personal Page Security."

5.12.1.3 Setting Personal Page Security

To set security on your personal page in either the Page Properties dialog or the Set Page Access dialog:

1. To grant page access permissions to all authenticated users (that is, to users who are logged in to WebCenter Portal), click Add Authenticated Access.
The role authenticated-role is added under Role or User with default View access to the page.

2. To grant page access permissions to all public users (that is, users who have not logged in to WebCenter Portal) click Add Public Access.
The role anonymous-role is added under Role or User with default View access to the page (Figure 5-17).

Figure 5-17 Authenticated and Public User Read Access to a Page

3. To grant page access permissions to selected users and roles, click Add Access to open the Add Access dialog (Figure 5-18).

Figure 5-18 The Add Access Dialog

4. In the Search field, enter a search term or the name of the user or role for whom you want to enable access, and click the Search icon. For tips on searching for a user in the identity store, see the "Searching for a User or Group in the Identity Store" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

5. Select a user or role by clicking in its row.

Note:

When you select a user name, the permissions you set are granted to that specific user. When you select a group or application role, the permissions you set are granted to all users who are members of that group or who are assigned that role.

To make multiple selections:

- Ctrl+click to select multiple rows.

- Shift+click to select a range of rows.

6. Click Select to close the Add Access dialog, and populate the Role or User list with the selected users, group, or roles (Figure 5-19).

Figure 5-19 Set Page Access Dialog

7. In the Set Page Access dialog, set the Page Access permissions as desired for each user or role (Table 5-1).

Table 5-1 Page Access Privileges in the Set Page Access Dialog

Page Access

Role or User Permissions

View Page

Access the page for viewing, but cannot perform any other actions on the page. Other permissions do not implicitly include this privilege

Edit Page

Edit the page using the page editor, Composer. This includes adding, rearranging, and deleting content; renaming the page; and changing page properties. This permission additionally requires the View Page permission.

Delete Page

Delete the page. This permission additionally requires the View Page permission.

Perform All Page Actions

Perform all actions on the page.

Personalize Page

Adjust a user's own view of a page. This includes rearranging page content, collapsing and restoring page content, and removing page content. This permission additionally requires the View Page permission.

Tip:

By default, all authenticated users and user roles that you add are granted page view access. The other access privileges must be explicitly granted.

8. Click OK to save your changes.

5.12.2 Revoking User Access to Your Personal Pages

To revoke user access to a personal page:

1. In the Home portal, open the Personalize Pages page.

Tip:

The way you access this page depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.

2. On the Personalize Pages page, click the Actions icon for the page, and choose Set Page Access to open the Set Page Access dialog (Figure 5-20).

Figure 5-20 Set Page Access Dialog: Personal Page

3. Select the user or role from which to revoke page access, and click Delete Access.

4. Click Delete in the resulting confirmation dialog.

5.13 Deleting a Personal Page

To delete a personal page:

1. In the Home portal, open the Personalize Pages page.

Tip:

The way you access this page depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.

2. On the Personalize Pages page, click the Actions icon for the page, and choose Delete Page to display the Delete Page dialog.

3. In the Delete Page confirmation dialog, click Delete.

5.14 Sending Mail with a Link to a Personal Page

If you own or have manage permissions on a page in the Home portal, you can send other users a link to the page.

To send mail to other users populated with a link to a personal page:

1. In the Home portal, open the Personalize Pages page.

Tip:

The way you access this page depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.

2. On the Personalize Pages page, click the Actions icon for the page, and choose Send Mail to open your mail application compose window, showing a URL link to the page.

5.15 Viewing Information About a Personal Page

To view information about a personal page:

1. In the Home portal, open the Personalize Pages page.

Tip:

The way you access this page depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.

2. On the Personalize Pages page, click the Actions icon for the page, and choose About This Page to open the Page Information dialog, which shows Name, Created By, Date Created, Last Modified, and Direct URL.

6 Searching for Information

This chapter describes how to use the search features in WebCenter Portal.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 6.1, "About Searching in WebCenter Portal"

- Section 6.2, "Searching with Oracle SES 11.2.2.2"

- Section 6.3, "Searching with Oracle SES 11.1.2.*"

- Section 6.4, "Limitations with Search"

Permissions:

The tasks described in this chapter are available to any WebCenter Portal user with access to a page that contains search.

6.1 About Searching in WebCenter Portal

WebCenter Portal provides global (application-wide) search. By default, the search field is at the top-right of the application. Information is searched by name and content. A search looks for your search terms in every searchable object enabled in the application, returning only the results you are authorized to view. For example, if you are not a member of the Finance portal, then any search results from that portal do not display.

In addition to WebCenter Portal's search, the Documents tool provides its own search engine for file searches. This saves time and increases the relevancy of results by narrowing the scope of a search to files. The Documents tool searches within a specific portal's document library. For more information, see Section 17.26, "Searching for Documents."

Notes:

System administrators and portal moderators can customize the search user interface, so your screen shots may look different. They can configure the scope of searches to specific portals, tools/services, and document types; they can add or hide attributes provided with search results; and they can change the size of the search box.

Global search does not search portal assets, such as portal templates, page templates, resource catalogs, and navigation models. If you need to search portal assets (as opposed to user-specific data, such as documents and portals), use the Filter field on their respective application pages.

6.1.1 Running Various Search Environments

WebCenter Portal provides two ways of searching your application:

- Oracle Secure Enterprise Search (SES) adapter

- Oracle WebCenter Portal live (delegated) search

For best performance and scalability, most system administrators configure large-scale implementations to use Oracle SES.

Oracle SES provides unified ranking results for the following assets:

- Documents, including wikis and blogs

- Announcements and discussions

- Portals, lists, page metadata, and people

For example, when you run a search for a user name, most likely, you are looking for that persons's contact information (that is, the exact user name in your organization), not necessarily documents that the user wrote. The unified ranking in Oracle SES enables you to see the most relevant results.

Additionally, with Oracle SES as the search engine, you can use the wildcard character [*] in the middle or end of a term for wildcard matching. For example, when you search for keywords like wiki or page, Oracle SES does not return the wiki page MyWikiPage in search results. However, My* or My*Page does return MyWikiPage.

6.2 Searching with Oracle SES 11.2.2.2

This section describes your search experience if your application has been configured with Oracle SES 11.2.2.2.

Notes:

Your search environment varies depending on how your system administrator configured search. For example:

- Oracle SES 11.2.2.2 supports faceted search, filtered search in the search box, and document thumbnails, while earlier releases of Oracle SES and implementations with live (delegated) search do not. See Section 6.2, "Searching with Oracle SES 11.2.2.2."

- Oracle SES 11.1.2.* supports saving searches and setting user preferences with search, while the 11.2.2.2 adapter and implementations with live (delegated) search do not. See Section 6.3, "Searching with Oracle SES 11.1.2.*."

Your system administrator can tell you which search environment you have running. The way you access search depends on how the portal is designed. The application specialist might also provide you with a pretty URL to access the page.

This section contains the following topics:

- Section 6.2.1, "Running a Global Search"

- Section 6.2.2, "Running Faceted Searches to Narrow Results"

- Section 6.2.3, "Running Filtered Searches to Narrow Results"

- Section 6.2.4, "Running Sorted Searches to Narrow Results"

6.2.1 Running a Global Search

To perform a global search:

1. Locate the global search field, and enter a search term. For example, Figure 6-1 shows the search field at the top right of the application.

Figure 6-1 Search Field

2. Press Enter or click the Search icon (Figure 6-2) next to the global search field.

Figure 6-2 Search Icon

Results display in the search results page. Figure 6-3 is a result list showing all (Everything) results.

Figure 6-3 Search Results

Note:

Thumbnails for documents appear in place of icons when thumbnail creation is enabled in WebCenter Content and when single sign-on is configured on both WebCenter Portal and WebCenter Content.

3. Click a link to open a result.
You can click the Preview button, as hightlighted in Figure 6-4, to see a preview of the result before opening it.

Figure 6-4 Search Preview

Figure 6-5 shows an example of a result preview.

Figure 6-5 Search Results Preview

6.2.2 Running Faceted Searches to Narrow Results

You can use facets to navigate indexed data without running a new search. Some search terms can provide massive results, but faceted navigation within search lets you clarify exactly what you are looking for, or even discover something new.

Note:

Oracle SES 11.2.2.2 supports facets. Earlier releases of Oracle SES supported refiners. Facets and refiners are similar in that you use them to narrow down search results. A system configured with Oracle SES 11.2.2.2 (using facets) looks similar to a system configured with Oracle SES 11.1.2.* (using refiners). However, facets count the full corpus and have better response time than refiners.

For example, Figure 6-6 shows a search filtered to show only announcements created by the weblogic user. You can add more facets, for example clicking This Year under the Last Modified Date facet, to continue narrowing this search.

Figure 6-6 Faceted Result List

The following facets are included by default, although your system administrator may configure different facets:

- Author

- Last Modified Date

- Mimetype

- Tags

- Portal

Click the Remove Filter icon (highlighted in Figure 6-6) to remove each facet and return to a complete result list.

6.2.3 Running Filtered Searches to Narrow Results

You can narrow your results using the filter list in the global search box (Figure 6-7).

Figure 6-7 Filtered Search

Or, you can filter results the same way using the facets on the left side of search results. For example, Figure 6-8 shows only announcements in the result list.

Figure 6-8 Search Results Filtered to Show Only Announcements

6.2.4 Running Sorted Searches to Narrow Results

You can narrow your results using the Sort by drop-down list to the right of page (Figure 6-9).

Figure 6-9 Sorting in Search

By default, searches are sorted with the most relevant results first, with the following sorting options available:

- Date: Newest First

- Date: Oldest First

- Author: Ascending

- Author: Descending

- Title: Ascending

- Title: Descending

6.3 Searching with Oracle SES 11.1.2.*

This section describes your search experience if your application has been configured with Oracle SES 11.1.2.*.

Notes:

Your search environment varies depending on how your system administrator configured search. For example:

- Oracle SES 11.2.2.2 supports faceted search, filtered search in the search box, and document thumbnails, while earlier releases of Oracle SES and implementations with live (delegated) search do not. See Section 6.2, "Searching with Oracle SES 11.2.2.2."

- Oracle SES 11.1.2.* supports saving searches and setting user preferences with search, while the 11.2.2.2 adapter and implementations with live (delegated) search do not. See Section 6.3, "Searching with Oracle SES 11.1.2.*."

Your system administrator can tell you which search environment you have running.

If your organization customized the search user interface, your screen shots may look different.

This section contains the following topics:

- Section 6.3.1, "Running a Global Search"

- Section 6.3.2, "Using Refiners to Narrow Search Results"

- Section 6.3.3, "Saving Searches"

- Section 6.3.4, "Setting Individual Preferences for Search Results"

6.3.1 Running a Global Search

To perform a global search:

1. Locate the global search field and enter a search term.
For example, Figure 6-10 shows the search field at the top right of the application.

Figure 6-10 Global Search Field

2. Press Enter or click the Search icon next to the global search field (Figure 6-11).

Figure 6-11 Search Icon

Results display in the search results page (Figure 6-12).

Figure 6-12 Global Search Results

3. Click a link to open a result.

When Oracle SES 11.1.2.* is configured, users can individually configure how their search results are displayed. Specifically, each user can control which tools and services are included in their search and the order in which they are listed in the results. Set this in the Preferences dialog (for information see Section 6.3.4, "Setting Individual Preferences for Search Results").

6.3.2 Using Refiners to Narrow Search Results

You can narrow your results in the Refine Search section to produce a smaller set of results. For example, to see all documents that one particular person posted, rather than scrolling through pages of results to find them, you can simply click that person's name or profile picture, and the results are filtered to show only results from that person.

- With the Oracle SES 11.1.2.2 adapter, you can narrow the search by Author (uploader/modifier), Last Modified date, Content Type, Portal, and Tags.

- With WebCenter Portal's live search adapters, you can narrow the search only by Author (uploader/last modifier) or Last Modified date.

Notes:

Oracle SES results for Author include all user names that have modified a document/wiki/blog, while live results for Author include only the name of the person who last modified a document/wiki/blog.

Some WebCenter Portal components, like tagged items and favorites, do not supply refiners for search, and do not appear in refined searches.

To refine the display of search results:

1. Perform a global search as described in Section 6.3.1, "Running a Global Search."
The search results display on the search results page.

2. To refine the display of search results by date, choose a time-range limitation from the Last Modified box.
For example, click Since Yesterday to view results posted since the previous day, or click Past 7 Days to view results posted in the past week. The number next to each time range indicates the search's best guess at how many search results fall within the specified range.

Some date selections, such as years or months, provide additional refinement options when you choose them. For example, when you refine a search by all results occurring within 2007, your refined results display and additional refinements appear in the Last Modified box.

Click Custom Date Range and enter a date in the field provided (optionally, with an end date also), or click the Select Date icon and choose a date from a date picker (Figure 6-13).

Figure 6-13 Date Picker for Custom Date Range

3. To refine the display of search results to a person who authored/uploaded/modified it, choose someone listed under Author (Figure 6-14).

Figure 6-14 Authors on the Search Results Page

For example, click pat to view all results contributed by the user Pat.

The number next to each user name indicates the search's best guess at how many search results are associated with the specified user.

Click More... or Less... to see more or less authors listed in the Author area.

4. When a refinement is selected, it appears above the Results list with a Delete icon, enabling you to remove the refinements you have applied to search results (Figure 6-15).

Figure 6-15 Delete Icon to Remove Refinement of Search Results

Click the Delete icon to remove that particular search results refinement and broaden the list of displayed results.

6.3.3 Saving Searches

After you have performed a search, you can save it so that you can run it again later without having to reenter the search terms. You can also share the saved search with portals.

Note:

You can save searches only if you are logged in to an application connected to Oracle SES 11.1.2.* (not Oracle SES 11.2.2.2).

This section includes the following topics:

- Section 6.3.3.1, "Saving a Search"

- Section 6.3.3.2, "Running a Saved Search"

- Section 6.3.3.3, "Sharing a Saved Search"

- Section 6.3.3.4, "Customizing a Saved Search"

- Section 6.3.3.5, "Deleting a Saved Search"

6.3.3.1 Saving a Search

Saved searches are useful for the searches you run frequently. They assist in keeping you current as new information is added to the search pool.

To save a search:

1. Perform a global search as described in Section 6.3.1, "Running a Global Search."
The search results display on the Search results page.

2. Click Save below the search field (Figure 6-16).

Figure 6-16 Save and Manage Buttons

The Create Saved Search dialog opens (Figure 6-17).

Figure 6-17 The Create Saved Search Dialog

3. In the Name field, enter a meaningful name for the search.
The value you enter in the Name field is the value that appears on the dropdown list of saved searches.

The search that was in the Search field is saved, no matter what name you give it. For example, if the search term was admin, but you enter jcr in the Name field. The saved search searches for the term admin and not jcr.

4. Optionally, in the Description field, enter a description of the search.

5. Select the Share in portal check box to enable other members of the portal to see this search on the portal's dropdown list of saved searches. Only one portal can be specified.

6. Click the Select Portal icon to select the portal in which to share the saved search.

7. Click OK to save the search.

6.3.3.2 Running a Saved Search

You can save searches for a quick and easy way to do repeat searches. The saved searches to which you have access depends on the location.

- Go to the Home portal. After you have saved searches, there is a dropdown list for Saved Searches in the Home portal.

- Go to any page containing the All Saved Searches component (Figure 6-18).
In a portal, All Saved Searches lists all your saved searches for the portal and all shared saved searches for the portal (made both by yourself and other users). It does not list your global saved searches or saved searches made against other portals.

In a Home portal, All Saved Searches lists all your global saved searches.

Figure 6-18 All Saved Searches

- Go to any page where the saved search was placed.
The Saved Search list shows the results of the particular search.

To run a saved search:

1. Log in and find the saved search:

- Locate the page containing the All Saved Searches component.

- Locate the page containing the saved search. In this case, the search results are immediately visible.

2. From the All Saved Searches component or the Saved Search panel in the Home portal, click the link for the saved search you want to run.

Tip:

The description is rendered as a tooltip when you move your cursor over the name of the saved search.

3. View the results on the dynamically-generated Search Results page.

6.3.3.3 Sharing a Saved Search

You can share a saved search if you think the results of a search might be useful for other portal members.

To share a saved search:

1. Go to the portal where the search was performed and saved.

2. Click Manage (Figure 6-19).

Figure 6-19 Save and Manage Buttons

3. The Manage Saved Searches window opens. In the Saved Searches drop-down list, select the saved search you want to share.

4. Select the Share in portal check box, and click the Select portal icon to select the portals in which you want to share this saved search.
The saved search is now available for other members of the portal to run. The search is listed in the Saved Searches list for all portal members and in the All Saved Searches list, if one exists.

5. Click Apply, then OK.

6.3.3.4 Customizing a Saved Search

After you have added a saved search to a page, you can customize it.

Click the Personalize icon (Figure 6-20) to make changes to the saved search.

Figure 6-20 Personalize Icon

In the Customizing Saved Searches dialog, you can to change the search terms, add refiners, or choose the tools and services to search (Figure 6-21).

Figure 6-21 Customizing Saved Searches Dialog

6.3.3.5 Deleting a Saved Search

To delete a saved search:

1. Click Manage (Figure 6-22).

Figure 6-22 Save and Manage Buttons

2. The Manage Saved Searches window opens. In the Saved Searches drop-down list, select the saved search you want to delete.

3. Click the Delete button, then Apply and OK.

6.3.4 Setting Individual Preferences for Search Results

In addition to the customizations the system administrator can make to the way search results are displayed, individual users also can customize the way they see their results. Specifically, each user can control which tools and services are included in their search and the order in which they are listed in the results.

Note:

When Oracle SES 11.2.2.2 is configured, these search preferences are not reflected in search results. Oracle SES 11.2.2.2 settings are configured by the system administrator on the Search administration page only.

When you search content, you may find that the results from one tool or service are more relevant to you than results from other tools. You may find it useful to be able to exclude some tools from a search and specify the order in which the results from selected tools are listed.

Use search preferences to choose the tools to search and specify the display order for search results. This section contains the following topics:

- Section 6.3.4.1, "Selecting the Tools and Services to Search"

- Section 6.3.4.2, "Specifying a Display Order for Search Results"

See Also:

Section 17.26, "Searching for Documents"

6.3.4.1 Selecting the Tools and Services to Search

Your WebCenter Portal application specialist makes tools and services available to the application. By default, all enabled services are selected to be searched. You can disable any service from which you do not want to see search results. For example, if you frequently search for a particular type of technology, including your personal contacts in the search is probably not useful.

To specify which tools and services should be searched:

1. Click the Preferences link at the top of the application.

2. Click Search to open the Search Preferences pane (Figure 6-23).

Figure 6-23 The Search Preferences Pane

3. To add a tool or service to a search, choose one or more services on the Available Services list and click the Move selected items to list icon to move them to the Selected Services list.
To remove a tool or services from search, choose one or more services on the Selected Services list and click the Remove selected items from list icon to move them to the Available Services list.

Note:

When Oracle SES is configured in the application, Oracle SES cannot be deselected, and components that do not support searching with Oracle SES (such as Notes) are not listed.

4. Click OK to save your changes and exit the Preferences dialog.
Alternatively, click Apply to save your changes without exiting.

The selections you make in the Selected Services list are included in future searches. The services on the Available Services list are not searched.

6.3.4.2 Specifying a Display Order for Search Results

You may find that some tools and services provide more relevant search results than others. For example, you may find that search results from Documents prove more useful than Lists. Preferences provide controls for specifying the order in which tools and services are listed in search results.

To specify a display order for search results:

1. Click the Preferences link at the top of the application.

2. Click Search to open the Search Preferences panel (Figure 6-24).

Figure 6-24 Search Preferences

3. Choose one or more tool or service on the Selected Services list and click the Move icons to the right of the list to move your selections higher or lower on the list.
The order you specify here determines the order they are listed in search results.

4. Click OK to save your changes and exit the Preferences dialog.
Alternatively, click Apply to save your changes without exiting.

6.4 Limitations with Search

Note the following limitations with searching in WebCenter Portal:

- The user profile fields searched depend on the security settings configured on the Preferences - People - Profile page. A user who has not logged in can search by values in the fields set to Everyone. An authenticated user can search by values in the fields set to Authenticated Users and Everyone. A user who has a connection to the user of the profile can search by values in the fields set to User's Connections, Authenticated Users, and Everyone. The user of the profile can search by values in the fields of all sections.

- WebCenter Portal's live search adapter does not support wildcard searching.

- WebCenter Portal's live search adapter does not recognize the following special characters:
! # $ % î & ( ) + = [ ] { } | ; ' \ " , < > / ? ` ~ - *

For example, when you search for the keyword Q2&Total, WebCenter Portal returns search results for Q2Total. A wiki page named Q2&Total is not found. If you require exact term searches (such as United Arab Emirates as opposed to United + Arab + Emirates), then you must use Oracle SES (since quotation marks are not recognized).

- When searching lists, WebCenter Portal live search only searches list names and descriptions. Use Oracle SES for more thorough search: It also searches list column names and contents.

- Users can the Previous and Next links to view any additional results (Figure 6-25). Oracle SES results show an estimated number of search results. However, live search results do not include an estimated number of results. Links may appear even if no additional results are available (Figure 6-25).

Figure 6-25 Estimated Number of Search Results

7 Exploring Portals

This chapter describes what a portal is and how to perform the tasks available to any knowledge worker in an existing portal.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 7.1, "About Portals"

- Section 7.2, "What Does a Portal Look Like?"

- Section 7.3, "Interacting with Portals Before Logging In (Public User)"

- Section 7.4, "Viewing and Accessing Available Portals"

- Section 7.5, "Sending Mail to Portal Members or Moderators"

- Section 7.6, "Viewing Information About a Portal"

- Section 7.7, "Viewing Portals Similar to the Current Portal"

- Section 7.8, "Publishing the Link to a Portal"

- Section 7.9, "Searching for a Portal"

- Section 7.10, "Joining a Portal"

- Section 7.11, "Searching in a Portal"

- Section 7.12, "Working with Pages in a Portal"

- Section 7.13, "Changing Your Role in a Portal"

- Section 7.14, "Cancelling Your Portal Membership"

Permissions:

To perform the tasks in this chapter, you need the application-level permissions granted by default to the application Authenticated-User role, and the portal-level permissions granted by default to the portal Participant role.

7.1 About Portals

A portal provides a dedicated and readily accessible area for relevant tools, pages, and content and supports the inclusion of specified members, each of whom have defined roles associated with permissions in the portal. As you explore, you will learn more about the portals available to you, their purpose, and how to manage your role in a portal. Your experience in a particular portal depends on the purpose of the portal and your membership role.

Many features and tools to facilitate teamwork are built into the portal framework, instantly allowing portal members to share documents, discuss issues, schedule meetings, exchange messages, create lists, and much more.

7.2 What Does a Portal Look Like?

A newly created portal may look similar to Figure 7-1 (side navigation) or Figure 7-2 (top tabbed navigation). It is important to realize, however, that your system administrator or the portal moderator has most likely created and applied a custom page template to expose or hide tabs, features, and display a unique look and feel for your organization. A new portal that you create may look nothing like these examples.

Figure 7-1 Home Page of a New Portal Using a Side Navigation Page Template

Figure 7-2 Home Page of a New Portal Using a Top Navigation Page Template

Each page in a portal provides access to related information. In the example portal under development above, the Home page welcome potential new member to the Philatelists club, the Documents page lists folders and files associated with the Philatelists club, the Discussions page provides a view of ongoing discussions with discussion forum management features, and so on. The portal moderator (or any portal member with the Portals-Manage Configuration permission) uses the pages available through the portal administration settings to build and manage the portal, expanding and customizing it as needs change and grow.

7.3 Interacting with Portals Before Logging In (Public User)

Public portals are available to anyone with Internet access, without logging in to WebCenter Portal, allowing a portal to be shared with non-members and people outside of the WebCenter Portal community.

Public users who are not registered WebCenter Portal users can access public portals in two ways:

- Directly, using the portal URL provided to them.

- From the WebCenter Portal Welcome page, if their installation is configured to display this page, exposing a link to public portals (Figure 7-3).

Figure 7-3 Public Portals Link on Welcome Page

When a portal is made public, public users can view pages, lists, events, links and notes. To view announcements, discussions, and documents, the portal moderator must explicitly grant these permissions. The public permissions granted by the portal moderator override the public permissions set by the system administrator at the application level.

7.4 Viewing and Accessing Available Portals

You can participate in multiple portals and manage your portal memberships on the Portals page in the Home portal.

To view and access the portals that are available to you:

1. Open the Portals page (Figure 7-4) in either of the following ways:

- In the Home portal, click the Portals tab.

- From the Portals menu, select Browse Portals.

Figure 7-4 Portal Browser

2. On the Portals page, from the Show list, select:

- All Portals (Figure 7-5) to show all portals that are available to you, both public and private. Portals defined as hidden when created are not shown.

Figure 7-5 Showing All Portals

- Joined to display portals of which you are a member.

- Moderated to display portals for which you have moderator privileges.

- Closed to display portals available to you that have been closed by the portal moderator. The content of a closed portal remains accessible and searchable to those who still want to reference it and portal members can continue working in the portal either by selecting Closed Portals as described here, or by direct URL (http://host:port/webcenter/portal/portalName).

3. To list one or more specific portals, enter a full or partial search term in the Filter field, then click the Filter icon to refresh the list with all portals for which a match is found in the Display Name, Description, or Search Keywords (specified when the portal was created or on the Overview page in the administration settings for the portal).

4. To clear the current search string and display all portals, click the Clear Filter icon.

5. To refresh the list of portals, first ensure that any prior search is cleared (click the Clear Filter icon), then click the Refresh icon.

6. To go to the Home page of a portal, click the portal name or icon.

7. To display a menu of actions available on the portal, right-click a portal icon or name to explore the actions that are available to you, depending on your permissions in the portal (Figure 7-6, Figure 7-7, and Figure 7-8):

Figure 7-6 Portal Actions Menu for Non-Member

Figure 7-7 Portal Actions Menu for Portal Viewer or Participant

Figure 7-8 Portal Actions Menu for Portal Moderator or Member with Manage Configuration Permission

Note:

Portal administration selections (Administer and Delete) are shown only if you are the portal moderator or have Manage Configuration permission in the portal.

Select the available actions, depending on your permissions in the portal:

- Administer to open the portal administration settings pages, available only if you are the portal moderator or have Manage Configuration permission in the portal. See the "Administering a Portal" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- Contact menu:

- Subscribe to open the Subscribe dialog, where you can select notification messages that you want to receive whenever the listed actions occur within the scope of the portal. See Section 20.3.2, "Setting Portal-Level Subscriptions."

- Send Mail to Members and Send Mail to Moderators. See Section 7.5, "Sending Mail to Portal Members or Moderators."

- Membership menu:

- Change Role to change your role in the portal. See Section 7.13, "Changing Your Role in a Portal."

- Cancel Membership to cancel your membership in the portal. See Section 7.14, "Cancelling Your Portal Membership."

- About menu:

- Portal to view information about the portal. See Section 7.6, "Viewing Information About a Portal."

- Similar Portals to view other portals similar to the current portal. A portal is considered similar to another portal if the same people perform similar actions in it, especially if they edit the content. For more information, see Section 7.7, "Viewing Portals Similar to the Current Portal."

- Share Link to share the URL link to the portal with others. See Section 7.8, "Publishing the Link to a Portal."

- Delete to delete the portal, available only if you are the portal moderator or have Manage Configuration permission in the portal.

7.5 Sending Mail to Portal Members or Moderators

You can send mail to the members or the moderators of a portal using the default mail distribution list for the portal. Advanced users can customize the mail distribution lists for a portal, as described in the "Configuring the Mail Distribution List for a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Note:

To use the task pane available through the Microsoft Office shared document management functionality (while editing a Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file in a portal) to send mail to members of a portal, see Section 19.3.4.12, "Sending a Message."

You can send mail to portal members or moderators in either of the following ways:

Note:

The Send Mail menu actions are available only if the profiles of one or more portal members or moderators specify a mail address, and you are a portal member.

- From the Portals menu, select Browse Portals to display the Portals page in the Home portal. Locate the portal to which the members or moderators belong, then right-click the portal icon or name, and select Contact, then Send Mail to Members or Send Mail to Moderators (Figure 7-9).

Figure 7-9 Portal Actions Menu for Portal Viewer or Participant

- When viewing a portal, click the Actions menu, and select Contact, then Send Mail to Members or Send Mail to Moderators.

Note:

The location of the Actions menu is dependent on the page template in use. For example, it may be an icon in the menu bar in a top navigation template.

Figure 7-10 Portal Actions Menu: Viewing Portal

Your mail application opens, where you can compose and send mail to all members or moderators of the portal.

7.6 Viewing Information About a Portal

To view information about a portal:

1. Open the About Portal dialog in any of the following ways:

- From the Portals menu, select Browse Portals to display the Portals page in the Home portal. Locate the portal for which you want to view information, then right-click the portal icon or name, and select About, then Portal (Figure 7-11).

Figure 7-11 Portal Actions Menu for Portal Viewer or Participant

- From the Portals menu, select Portal Builder to display the Portals page in Portal Builder. Select the portal for which you want to view information, then click the Actions icon in the toolbar and select About Portal.

Figure 7-12 Portal Actions Menu: Portal Builder

- When viewing a portal, click the Actions menu, and select About, then Portal.

Note:

The location of the Actions menu is dependent on the page template in use. For example, it may be an icon in the menu bar in a top navigation template.

Figure 7-13 Portal Actions Menu: Viewing Portal

2. Explore the information in the About Portal dialog (Figure 7-14):

Figure 7-14 About Portal Dialog

- Name: Internal name of the portal displayed in the portal URL.

- Display Name: Display name of the portal. This name displays at the top of the portal and other places where portals are available for selection, such as the Portals page.

- Internal ID: ID of the portal, which other applications may use to reference this portal.

- Description: A description of the portal, specified when creating the portal or in the portal administration settings.

- Membership: Your role in the portal. If you are not a member of this portal and the portal allows self-service membership, a Join Portal button displays here. See Section 7.10, "Joining a Portal."

- Created By: User name of the portal creator.

- Date Created: Date and time that the portal was created.

- Direct URL: URL that provides direct access to the portal.

7.7 Viewing Portals Similar to the Current Portal

A portal is considered similar to another portal if the same people perform similar actions in it, especially if they edit the content.

See Also:

Section 21.3, "Working with Similar Portals"

To view a list of portals similar to the current portal:

1. Open the Similar Portals dialog in any of the following ways:

- From the Portals menu, select Browse Portals to display the Portals page in the Home portal. Locate the portal for which you want to view information, then right-click the portal icon or name, and select About, then Similar Portals (Figure 7-15).

Figure 7-15 Portal Actions Menu for Portal Viewer or Participant

- From the Portals menu, select Portal Builder to display the Portals page in Portal Builder. Select the portal for which you want to view information, then click the Actions icon in the toolbar and select Similar Portals.

Figure 7-16 Portal Actions Menu: Portal Builder

- When viewing a portal, click the Actions menu, and select About, then Similar Portals.

Note:

The location of the Actions menu is dependent on the page template in use. For example, it may be an icon in the menu bar in a top navigation template.

Figure 7-17 Portal Actions Menu: Viewing Portal

2. In the Similar Portals dialog, select a portal to open, or click the Display Options (pencil) icon (Figure 7-18) to modify the criteria for similar portals.

Figure 7-18 Similar Portals Display Options Dialog

3. In the Display Options dialog (Figure 7-18), enter the number of portals to display and the display criteria, then click OK.

7.8 Publishing the Link to a Portal

If you want to share a portal with others, you can publish a link to the portal that will appear in activity streams of other users. With appropriate permissions, users can directly access a portal by clicking the link that specifies the portal display name.

To publish the direct link to a portal:

1. Open the Share Link dialog in any of the following ways:

- From the Portals menu, select Browse Portals to display the Portals page in the Home portal. Locate the portal for which you want to publish the link, then right-click the portal icon or name, and select About, then Share Link (Figure 7-19).

Figure 7-19 Portal Actions Menu for Portal Viewer or Participant

- From the Portals menu, select Portal Builder to display the Portals page in Portal Builder. Select the portal for which you want to view information, then click the Actions icon in the toolbar and select Share Link.

Figure 7-20 Portal Actions Menu: Portal Builder

- When viewing a portal, click the Actions menu, and select About, then Share Link.

Note:

The location of the Actions menu is dependent on the page template in use. For example, it may be an icon in the menu bar in a top navigation template.

Figure 7-21 Portal Actions Menu: Viewing Portal

2. In the Share dialog (Figure 7-22), optionally enter a comment to appear with the link.

Figure 7-22 Share Dialog for a Portal

3. In the Share with list, select who you want to share the link with:

- Everyone to share the link with all members of the current portal in their activity streams. This is useful to notify members of updates to the portal.

- Portals to open the Select a Portal dialog, where you can select a portal to share the link in the activity streams of all members of the selected portal. This is useful for sharing information with members of other portals who may be interested in your portal.

4. Click Publish.

7.9 Searching for a Portal

To search for a portal by a string in the portal name, description, or keywords:

1. On the Portals page (see Section 7.4, "Viewing and Accessing Available Portals"), enter a search string in the Filter field.

2. Click the Filter icon (Figure 7-23).

Figure 7-23 Filter Icon

The Portals page displays portals where the search string is found in the portal name, description, or keywords.

3. To clear the current search string and display all portals, click the Clear Filter icon (Figure 7-24).

Figure 7-24 Clear Filter Icon

7.10 Joining a Portal

To become a member of a portal, you may be registered with WebCenter Portal, or you may be a public user. If a portal allows self-service membership, you can request membership to the portal. Or, you may receive an invitation to join a portal.

This section includes the following subsections:

- Section 7.10.1, "Joining a Portal (Registered WebCenter Portal User)"

- Section 7.10.2, "Joining a Portal (Unregistered WebCenter Portal User)"

7.10.1 Joining a Portal (Registered WebCenter Portal User)

To become a member of a portal, you can join the portal. If a portal is configured to allow self-service membership, you can request membership to the portal. Or, you may receive an invitation to join a portal.

Some membership requests require approval from the portal moderator so you may not gain access immediately. You will receive a Worklist notification when your membership is approved.

To join a portal:

1. On the Portals page (see Section 7.4, "Viewing and Accessing Available Portals"), from the Show menu, select All Portals.

2. To join a portal, you may have several options available to you, depending on the page template in use. For example, you may be able to simply click a portal to open the Request Membership dialog.
A generally available method to join a portal is through the About Portal dialog (see Section 7.6, "Viewing Information About a Portal").

3. In the About Portal dialog, next to Membership, click Join Portal (Figure 7-25).

Figure 7-25 About Portal Dialog (for non-member)

Note:

Join Portal is shown only if the portal allows self-service membership, as described in the "Managing Self-Service Membership for a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal. If Join Portal is not shown, contact the portal moderator directly to request membership.

A portal membership request page similar to Figure 7-26 opens, showing the default Request Membership page. Because the portal moderator may customize this page, the page and roles you see may be different to the example shown here.

Figure 7-26 Requesting Portal Membership

4. Select the type of Role you want to play in this portal.

Note:

Out-of-the-box portal roles include Viewer, Participant, and Moderator, but a subset of these or other custom roles names may display, depending on what roles the portal moderator has defined for the portal.

5. (Optional) In the Purpose field, enter an explanation of why you need access to the portal with the role you have requested.

6. Click Request Membership.
You may see a confirmation message similar to Figure 7-27, depending on whether or not the selected role requires moderator approval.

Figure 7-27 Confirmation Message (No Approval Required)

7. Click OK.

8. On the Portals page, click the Refresh icon to confirm your new membership status.

Note:

If membership requests require approval, you do not gain access immediately. Check back later or monitor your Worklist—you will receive notification as soon as your membership is approved.

7.10.2 Joining a Portal (Unregistered WebCenter Portal User)

If you are not a registered WebCenter Portal user, you can still view public portals, but you cannot join a portal unless you receive a mail message from the portal moderator inviting you to join a portal. If you want to join a portal, you must become a registered WebCenter Portal user.

Some membership requests require approval from the portal moderator so you may not gain access immediately. You will receive a Worklist notification when your membership is approved.

1. In the mail message you receive inviting you to join a portal, click the Register Yourself link included in the invitation mail to open the Self-Registration page, similar to Figure 7-28. Because the portal moderator may customize this page, the page you see may be different to the example shown here.

Note:

The Self-Registration page displays only if the portal allows self-service membership, as described in the "Managing Self-Service Membership for a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Figure 7-28 Registering with WebCenter Portal

2. Choose a suitable User Name. The user name restrictions depend on the underlying identity store that is configured with WebCenter Portal.
Click Check User Name Available to determine whether a WebCenter Portal user is registered with that name. Click OK to dismiss the confirmation message and, if necessary, enter a different name.

3. Enter a suitable Password, and then Re-enter Password for verification. The password restrictions depend on the underlying identity store that is configured with WebCenter Portal.

4. Enter your First Name and Last Name, and an Email Address.

5. Click Register.

Once your User Name and Password are registered with WebCenter Portal, the portal to which you were invited opens.

7.11 Searching in a Portal

WebCenter Portal includes the Search field at the top of the application for global (application-wide) searches. To perform searches limited to a single portal, an application specialist or portal moderator must create a new resource catalog, add the Search task flow (component) from the library to the catalog, and then assign this catalog to the portal. The Search task flow is not available in the default resource catalog.

7.12 Working with Pages in a Portal

As a portal member, you will have access to pages in the portal. The portal moderator can grant you permissions to view, create, edit, and rename pages in the portal. Other portal members can grant you permissions to access the pages that they own. Pages that you create are for your own use only, unless you specifically share them with other users.

You can work with pages in a portal as described in the following sections:

- Section 7.12.1, "Showing or Hiding Pages in Your View of a Portal"

- Section 7.12.2, "Opening a Page in a Portal"

- Section 7.12.3, "Customizing Your View of a Page in a Portal"

- Section 7.12.4, "Removing All of Your User Customizations from a Page in a Portal"

- Section 7.12.5, "Exposing a Portal Page in Your View of the Home Portal"

- Section 7.12.6, "Sending Mail with a Link to a Page in a Portal"

- Section 7.12.7, "Creating, Editing, and Managing a Page in a Portal"

7.12.1 Showing or Hiding Pages in Your View of a Portal

By default, a portal exposes the pages that are part of the portal navigation. You may want to personalize your view of the portal to hide some pages, or expose system pages that are hidden by default, such as a page for a tool that is enabled in the portal, such as Announcements or Lists.

To show or hide pages in your view of a portal:

1. Open the Personalize Pages page.

Tip:

The way you access this page depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.

2. On the Personalize Pages page, select or deselect the Show Page check box for the pages you want to show or hide (Figure 7-29).

Note:

If you deselect the Show Page check box for the current page, the Personalize Pages page closes and the current page is hidden.

Within the Home portal, one page must always be shown; therefore, you cannot use this method to hide all pages.

Figure 7-29 Personalize Pages for a Portal: Showing or Hiding a Page

7.12.2 Opening a Page in a Portal

In a portal, members have access to system pages and member-created pages. The content on a portal page is typically targeted to a particular audience or objective.

The way that you access the pages of a portal depends on the page template that is defined for the portal, the controls that the portal moderator has made available, and the navigation model in use. In all configurations, however, you can open pages using a pretty URL.

You can open a page in a portal in any of the following ways:

- Click the page name in the portal navigation.

- Enter the following URL in your browser:
http://host:port/webcenter/portal/portalName/page/pageName

- Open the Personalize Pages page, and click the name of the page you want to open.

Tip:

The way you access this page depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.

7.12.3 Customizing Your View of a Page in a Portal

You can change your view of a given page in a portal in many ways, including rearranging your view of page content, hiding components, changing your page layout, and so on. All of these options are user customizations, that is, they affect only your view. All other portal members' views remain unchanged.

This section describes the user customizations you can perform on a page:

- Section 7.12.3.1, "About User Customizations on a Page"

- Section 7.12.3.2, "Rearranging Page Content"

- Section 7.12.3.3, "Removing Components from Your View of a Page"

- Section 7.12.3.4, "Resizing Components"

- Section 7.12.3.5, "Collapsing and Expanding Components"

7.12.3.1 About User Customizations on a Page

You can customize the way pages appear in many ways without opening the page editor (Composer). For example, you can reposition, remove, resize, and collapse components, all within just your view of a page.

User customizations are yours and yours alone. That is, the changes you make through the procedures described in the following sections affect only your view of the page. No other users are affected by your changes.

Note:

When you revise a component in page view mode while another user deletes the same component in page edit mode, an error page opens. Simply navigate back to the original page. The deleted component does not appear, and you can continue working on other components.

Whether you can customize a page depends on permissions granted to you or your application role and on how user customizations are configured. You can tell if you have such permission by the presence or absence of the controls discussed in this section. If you do not see these controls, contact the portal moderator to ask for a higher-level of access or for a configuration change.

7.12.3.2 Rearranging Page Content

Use drag-and-drop to rearrange the position of a component on a page. Components moved by drag-and-drop can be moved into any open position on a page.

To rearrange components by dragging and dropping on a page:

- Click and hold the header of the component you want rearrange, drag it to its target position, and drop it onto the page.
A shadow indicates where the component is placed when you drop it (Figure 7-30).

Figure 7-30 Dragging an Events Calendar Above a Message Board

7.12.3.3 Removing Components from Your View of a Page

If you find that a component is not useful to you and the component displays a Remove icon, you can remove it from your view of the page.

Keep in mind that you can restore a removed component only by editing the page and adding a new component instance.

To remove a component from your view of a page:

- Click the Remove icon on the component header (see Figure 7-31).

Figure 7-31 Remove Icon on a Component

The component is removed from your view of the page.

7.12.3.4 Resizing Components

The border and header surrounding a component is also known as chrome. Chrome can clarify the boundaries of the component and provide an access point for component actions, such as those on the Actions menu and those embedded in the chrome itself. In the latter case, the chrome may include a Resize handle that you can use to increase or decrease the height of the component (Figure 7-32).

Figure 7-32 Resize Handle on a Component

Note:

The position of the resize handle differs for bidirectionally displayed components. Those components displayed in a right-to-left orientation display the resize handle on the left side.

To use this feature, click and hold the Resize handle and drag it up to decrease the height of the component or down to increase the height of the component.

7.12.3.5 Collapsing and Expanding Components

With one click, you can collapse some components so that they roll up like a window shade, useful for removing the visual noise of an unused component from your application view. Collapse is available when a component shows a header. With another click, you can expand a collapsed component.

Collapsing is useful for removing the visual noise of an unused component from your application view. Collapse is available when a component shows a header.

To collapse and expand components on a page:

1. Click the Collapse icon on the component header to roll the component up like a window shade (Figure 7-33).

Figure 7-33 Collapse/Expand Icon on a Component

2. Click the Expand icon on the component header to restore the full component to view (Figure 7-34).

Figure 7-34 Collapsed Component

7.12.4 Removing All of Your User Customizations from a Page in a Portal

You can change your view of a given page in a portal in many ways, including rearranging your view of page content, hiding components, and changing your page layout, as described in Section 7.12.3, "Customizing Your View of a Page in a Portal."

To remove all of your user customizations, such as rearrangement, resizing, or collapsing of components in only your view of a page:

1. In the portal, display the Personalize Pages page.

Tip:

The way you access this page depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.

2. On the Personalize Pages page, click the Actions icon for the page, and select Reset Layout to open the Reset Layout dialog.

3. To confirm your intent to remove all of your user customization from the page, click Reset.

7.12.5 Exposing a Portal Page in Your View of the Home Portal

You can make a portal page available for viewing and revising from your view of the Home portal according to your permissions on the page. The portal name is prepended to the page name, so the Sales Results page in the portal Finance becomes Finance - Sales Results in your view of the Home portal.

If you delete such a page from your view of the Home portal, it remains in its original portal. In other words, deleting it simply removes it from your view of the Home portal; it does not actually delete the page. If the page is deleted from its parent portal, it is unavailable in your view of the Home portal. To clear it from your view, you must refresh the page list in the Home portal's Personalize Pages page.

To add a portal page to the list of pages in the Home portal, visible only to you in your personalized view of the Home portal:

1. In the portal, display the Personalize Pages page.

Tip:

The way you access this page depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.

2. On the Personalize Pages page, click the Actions icon for the page, and select Add to Home Portal.

When you add a portal page to your view of the Home portal, the page scope remains that of the portal.

7.12.6 Sending Mail with a Link to a Page in a Portal

If you own or have manage permissions on a page, you can send other portal members a link to the page.

To send mail to other portal members populated with a link to a page:

1. In the portal, display the Personalize Pages page.

Tip:

The way you access this page depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.

2. On the Personalize Pages page, click the Actions icon for the page, and select Send Mail to open your mail application compose window, showing a URL link to the page.

7.12.7 Creating, Editing, and Managing a Page in a Portal

Creating, editing, and managing pages in a portal are advanced tasks, described in the "Working with Portal Pages" chapters in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal".

7.13 Changing Your Role in a Portal

If you are unable to perform all the actions that you would like in your portal, you can request a change to your membership role. For example, you might want to participate in an interesting discussion thread or raise a new issue but in your current role you are only allowed to view ongoing discussions.

Role change requests may or may not require approval, depending on how the portal moderator has defined membership changes for a particular role, as described in the "Managing Self-Service Membership for a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal. You will receive a Worklist notification when your new role is approved.

To change your portal role:

1. Open the Change Membership dialog in either of the following ways:

- From the Portals menu, select Browse Portals to display the Portals page in the Home portal. Locate the portal in which you want to change your membership role, then right-click the portal icon or name, and select Membership, then Change Role (Figure 7-35).

Figure 7-35 Portal Actions Menu for Portal Viewer or Participant

- When viewing a portal, click the Actions menu, and select Membership, then Change Role.

Note:

The location of the Actions menu is dependent on the page template in use. For example, it may be an icon in the menu bar in a top navigation template.

Figure 7-36 Portal Actions Menu: Viewing Portal

2. In the Change Membership dialog (Figure 7-37), select your preferred role from the New Role list.

Note:

The New Role list is active only if the portal moderator has allowed self-service membership changes. If New Role selections are disabled, contact the portal moderator directly to request a member role change.

If you wish to cancel your membership in the portal, click Cancel Membership.

Figure 7-37 Change Membership Dialog

The portal moderator controls the list of roles displayed here, as described in the "Managing Self-Service Membership for a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal. Out-of-the-box portal roles include Viewer, Participant, and Moderator but a subset of these or other custom roles may display.

3. Click OK.
A confirmation message displays whether or not the selected role change requires approval.

4. Click OK to acknowledge the confirmation message.

5. On the Portals page, click the Refresh icon to confirm your membership status has changed for the portal.

Note:

Your new role is not effective immediately when membership change requests require approval. Check back later or monitor your Worklist; your new role will be effective as soon as the portal moderator approves it.

7.14 Cancelling Your Portal Membership

When you no longer want or need membership in a portal, you can cancel your membership.

Some cancellation requests require approval from the portal moderator so you may not be removed from the portal immediately. You will receive a Worklist notification when your membership is removed.

Once you have successfully cancelled your membership in a portal, it will no longer be shown on the Portals page when you select Joined from the Show menu.

To cancel your membership in a portal:

1. Open the Cancel Membership dialog in either of the following ways:

- From the Portals menu, select Browse Portals to display the Portals page in the Home portal. Locate the portal in which you want to change your membership role, then right-click the portal icon or name, and select Membership, then Cancel Membership (Figure 7-38).

Figure 7-38 Portal Actions Menu for Portal Viewer or Participant

- When viewing a portal, click the Actions menu, and select Membership, then Change Role.

Note:

The location of the Actions menu is dependent on the page template in use. For example, it may be an icon in the menu bar in a top navigation template.

Figure 7-39 Portal Actions Menu: Viewing Portal

2. Click OK to acknowledge the confirmation message.

3. From the Portals menu, select Browse Portals. In the portal browser, select Joined from the Show menu, then click the Refresh icon to confirm that the portal no longer displays.

Note:

If a cancellation request requires approval, you are not removed from the portal immediately. Check back later or monitor your worklist; you will receive notification when your unsubscribe request is approved or rejected by the portal moderator.

8 Using WebCenter Portal Impersonation

This chapter describes how to use WebCenter Portal Impersonation, which lets designated users impersonate other Portal users and perform operations as those users. It provides instructions for initiating an impersonation session (by the impersonator) and allowing an impersonation session (by the impersonatee). For instructions on how to configure and manage WebCenter Portal Impersonation, see "Managing Impersonation" in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 8.1, "About WebCenter Portal Impersonation"

- Section 8.2, "Allowing an Impersonation Session"

- Section 8.3, "Initiating an Impersonation Session"

- Section 8.4, "Troubleshooting"

Note:

Tasks discussed in this chapter are not available if WebCenter Portal Impersonation is not enabled for the current WebCenter Portal domain. For more information, see the "Preparing WebCenter Portal for Impersonation" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Permissions:

The tasks for granting impersonation rights described in this chapter are available to any WebCenter Portal user. Tasks for initiating impersonation sessions are available only to users that have been configured as "impersonators" by the system administrator. For more information, see the "Configuring Impersonators" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal)

8.1 About WebCenter Portal Impersonation

WebCenter Portal Impersonation lets a WebCenter Portal administrator or system administrator assign impersonation rights to a group of users ("impersonators"), such as support representatives or application administrators, so that they can impersonate another Portal user and perform operations as that user ("impersonatees"). This may be useful in the following instances:

- A customer support representative may want to perform actions as another user in order to understand the issues being faced by that user

- An administrator may want to perform operations on behalf of a user

- A company executive may need to delegate someone to act on his or her behalf while away

How impersonation is used will depend on choices that have been made locally. Note that the user to be impersonated must also first grant rights to the intended impersonator.

8.2 Allowing an Impersonation Session

This section describes how impersonatees can grant impersonation rights to designated impersonators.

You can allow someone to impersonate you during a specified time slot using the My Impersonators screen. Note that impersonators will not be able to access the My Impersonators screen during an impersonation session.

To allow an impersonation session:

1. Log onto WebCenter Portal and click Preferences.

2. From the Preferences screen, click Impersonation.
The Impersonation Preferences screen displays (see Figure 8-1).

Figure 8-1 Impersonation Preferences Screen

3. Enter the User name or use the Search function to find the user to set up with an impersonation session as shown in Figure 8-2, and then click OK.
Note that only those users who have been granted impersonator privileges by the System Administrator will appear.

Figure 8-2 Find Impersonator Screen

4. Select the time slot during which the impersonator can impersonate you (see Figure 8-3), and then click Add to add the user to the list of impersonators that can impersonate you.

Caution:

You are granting rights to the user to impersonate you across all applications to which you have access. Exercise caution when choosing the impersonator and keep the access duration to a minimum duration.

You can select:

- For Next 1 hour to allow an impersonator to initiate an impersonation session during the next hour.

- Today to allow an impersonator to initiate an impersonation session during the current day. Note that "today" means the end of today as defined by your selected time zone and preferences

- For a specific time period to allow an impersonator to conduct an impersonation session during a specific time slot for your time zone and preferences.

Figure 8-3 Impersonation Preferences Screen with Impersonator

The impersonator can now conduct an impersonation session during the allotted time.

5. After adding an impersonator you can change the time slot or revoke impersonation rights.

- To edit the impersonation session time slot, click Edit, change the start and end times, and click OK.

- To revoke an impersonation grant, click Revoke and then click Revoke again when prompted.

Note that impersonation grants that have already expired, or grants for users whose rights as a designated impersonator have been revoked by the administrator will not appear in this list.

8.3 Initiating an Impersonation Session

This section describes how impersonators can initiate an impersonation session using either the Impersonation Preferences screen or using a hot key.

This section contains the following subsections:

- Section 8.3.1, "Initiating an Impersonation Session Using the Impersonation Preferences Screen"

- Section 8.3.2, "Initiating an Impersonation Session Using a Hot Key"

8.3.1 Initiating an Impersonation Session Using the Impersonation Preferences Screen

You can view the impersonatees that have granted you impersonation rights and can initiate impersonation sessions using the Impersonation Preferences screen. Note that you must have been granted impersonation rights to access this screen by the administrator (see the "Configuring Impersonators" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal).

To view or start impersonation sessions:

1. Log into WebCenter Portal and click Preferences.

2. From the Preferences screen, click Impersonation.
The Impersonation Preferences screen displays (see Figure 8-4).

Figure 8-4 Impersonation Preferences Screen (Top)

At the top of the screen is a list of users who can impersonate you (see Figure 8-4), and if you scroll to the bottom you will see a list of the users that have granted you impersonation rights (see Figure 8-5). Note that unless you have been configured as an impersonator, you will not be able to impersonate other users and the list will be empty.

Figure 8-5 Impersonation Preferences Screen (Bottom)

If Switch User appears as an action in the list, it means that you can begin an impersonation for that user; No Action Possible means that the grant has expired or is for a future point in time.

3. To initiate an impersonation session from the Impersonation Preferences screen:

1. Click Switch User to select the user to impersonate.

2. When prompted, confirm your credentials to start the impersonation session.
You will be taken to the impersonatee's home page and all ensuing actions during the session will be done on the impersonatee's system as if they were done by the impersonatee. The only exception to this is that during the session you will not be able to access the impersonatee's Impersonation page.

Figure 8-6 Impersonation Session - Impersonatee's Screen with Impersonation Overlay

3. Click Stop Impersonation on the impersonation overlay (see Figure 8-6), or from your (the impersonator's) Impersonation Preferences screen to end the impersonation session.

8.3.2 Initiating an Impersonation Session Using a Hot Key

You can initiate an impersonation session using a hot key from within WebCenter Portal at any time provided that you have been granted impersonation rights (see the "Configuring Impersonators" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal), and that one or more impersonatees have set up an impersonation session with you as the impersonator.

To initiate an impersonation session using a hot key:

1. After logging into WebCenter Portal, press Ctrl-Shift-I from anywhere within the application.

Note:

Although Ctrl-Shift-I is the default impersonation hot key, it can be reset to some other key sequence by the application administrator. If the default key sequence doesn't work, contact your administrator to check if the key has been reconfigured.

The impersonation overlay displays (see Figure 8-7).

Figure 8-7 Impersonation Overlay

The overlay shows a list of those users who you can impersonate ordered by the impersonation session start time.

2. Click Switch User to select the user to impersonate.
You can also click X to dismiss the overlay if you decide not to start impersonating now, or the user has not yet granted you impersonation rights. Press Ctrl-Shift-I again to invoke the overlay while you still have impersonation rights for one or more users.

3. When prompted, confirm your credentials to start the impersonation session.
You will be taken to the impersonatee's home page and all ensuing actions during the session will be done on the impersonatee's system as if they were done by the impersonatee.

4. Click Stop Impersonation on the impersonation overlay (see Figure 8-6), or from the impersonatee's Impersonation Preferences screen click Stop Impersonation, to end the impersonation session.

8.4 Troubleshooting

This section describes common error conditions and their solutions

- Section 8.4.1, "Clicking Switch User Produces an Error"

- Section 8.4.2, "Clicking Stop Impersonation Produces an Error"

8.4.1 Clicking Switch User Produces an Error

Problem

When you click Switch User you are taken to an error page rather than a screen where you can enter your credentials.

Solution

The access time may not fall within the impersonation session's allotted time slot. Check the duration on the Impersonation Preferences screen and try again. Alternatively, you can ask the impersonatee to revoke your impersonation rights and grant them to you again. If this fails to resolve the problem then contact the system administrator to inspect the OAM logs to determine the problem.Also, if you enter incorrect credentials on the consent page the impersonation session will not begin and you will be taken to an error page. To resolve this error, return to your home page and begin the impersonation session again.

One final reason why initiating impersonation session may fail, even when it looks like you are trying to impersonate within the correct duration, is because the OAM server and WebCenter Portal server clocks are not in sync. If you have checked that you are trying to start a session within the correct time frame, and that your credentials are correct contact your administrator to see if this may be the case. Configuring OAM and WebCenter Portal's server clock settings is described in "Configuring WebCenter Portal for Impersonation" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

8.4.2 Clicking Stop Impersonation Produces an Error

Problem

You are taken to an error page when you click when you click Stop Impersonation.

Solution

If you are taken to an error page when you click Stop Impersonation, go to the home page and check if the impersonation session has ended. If not, click Logout to explicitly end your impersonation session and your own session and then contact the system administrator to inspect the OAM logs to determine the cause.

Part II

Connecting and Collaborating with Other Users

Part II contains the following chapters:

- Chapter 9, "Managing Your Contacts"

- Chapter 10, "Using Instant Messaging and Presence Viewer"

- Chapter 11, "Sending and Viewing Mail"

- Chapter 12, "Working with Feedback and the Message Board"

- Chapter 13, "Liking, Commenting On, and Sharing Items in WebCenter Portal"

- Chapter 14, "Viewing and Participating in Discussions"

- Chapter 15, "Working with Wikis"

- Chapter 16, "Working with Blogs"

9 Managing Your Contacts

This chapter describes connections, which provide a means of establishing a social network that is comprised of your work friends and associates.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 9.1, "About Connections"

- Section 9.2, "Setting Connections Preferences"

- Section 9.3, "Viewing Another User's Profile"

- Section 9.4, "Viewing Connections"

- Section 9.5, "Adding Contacts"

- Section 9.6, "Removing Contacts"

- Section 9.7, "Creating and Managing Groups of Contacts"

Permissions:

To perform the tasks in this chapter, you need the application-level permission People Connections: Connect with People. To work with connections lists, you also need the application-level permission People Connections: Update People Connections Data.

9.1 About Connections

Connections provides a means of collecting your business friends and contacts into a social network, where you can manage your own connections and view the connections of others. Using People Connections preferences, you can grant differing levels of access to those who are and are not your connections. For example, you can enable access to views of your profile, message board, activity stream, and feedback to just your connections, leaving the unconnected without access. For your profile, you can limit view privileges to just your connections or enable your connections to view certain sections of your profile, while hiding those sections from users who are not your connections. For your message board and feedback, you can give everyone view access, but limit post access to just your connections or to a limited set of your connections through a connections list.

See Also:

For information about setting your Connections preferences, see Section 9.2, "Setting Connections Preferences."

When you connect with other users, you give them access to your People Connections views, and gain access to theirs.

Note:

People Connections encompasses Connections, Profile, Activity Stream, Message Board, and Feedback. For more information, see:

- Chapter 4, "Managing Your Profile"

- Chapter 22, "Tracking Portal Activities"

- Chapter 12, "Working with Feedback and the Message Board"

Before you begin to build your social network, your system administrator can set global application defaults that affect what all users may see and do with their own and other users' connections.

WebCenter Portal provides the following Connections views that can be added to a portal page:

- Connections for viewing and managing your connections, creating connections lists, and sending and responding to invitations to connect (Figure 9-1)

Figure 9-1 Connections View

- Connections - Card for photos, status messages, and instant contact options to your connections (Figure 9-2)

Figure 9-2 Connections - Card View

- Connections - Detailed View for photos and quick access to your connections and to features for inviting new connections, managing existing connections, and organizing your connections into lists (Figure 9-3). This is the same view you see when you click the Connections tab on the Profile page.

Figure 9-3 Connections - Detailed View

- Connections - Quick View for photos and quick access to your connections (Figure 9-4). This is the same view you see on the right side of the main Profile page.

Figure 9-4 Connections - Quick View

For information about using Connections features, see Section 9.4, "Viewing Connections," Section 9.5, "Adding Contacts," Section 9.6, "Removing Contacts," and Section 9.7, "Creating and Managing Groups of Contacts."

9.2 Setting Connections Preferences

You use Connections preferences to specify who can view information about the people you have connected with and whether to accept invitations to be others' connections automatically.

To set Connections preferences:

1. Click Preferences.

2. Click People to display People Connections preferences.

3. Click the Connections tab (Figure 9-5).

Figure 9-5 Connections Preferences

4. From the Grant View Access to list, select the users who can view your list of connections:

- Everyone—All users, including users who are not logged in, can see information about your connections.

- Authenticated Users—Only users who are logged in can view your connections.

- User's Connections—Only you and your connections can view your connections.

- User Only—Only you can view your connections.

Note:

If the Grant View Access to list is disabled in your view contact your system administrator.

5. To automatically accept invitations to connect with another user, select Accept Invitations Automatically.
Deselect this check box to leave yourself the option of accepting, refusing, or ignoring an invitation to connect with another user.

6. When you are done, click Save.

9.3 Viewing Another User's Profile

You access other users' profiles the same way you access your profile. For information, see Section 4.2, "Viewing a Profile."

9.4 Viewing Connections

You can view your connections in any Connections view, including on the Connections tab of your Profile page, which you can navigate to by clicking your user name wherever it appears in the application.

This section describes how to access the Connections page and view or search through your connections. It includes the following subsections:

- Section 9.4.1, "Viewing Your Connections"

- Section 9.4.2, "Searching Through Your Connections"

9.4.1 Viewing Your Connections

To view your connections:

1. Go to the Home portal, and open your profile page, for example, by clicking on your user name in the UI.
You can also use the following URL to navigate to a Profile page:

http://host:port/webcenter/portal/profile/userName

Tip:

For userName:

- When userName matches the current user or is not specified, this URL navigates to your view of the Profile page.

- When userName is not the current user's, it navigates to the specified user's view of the Profile page.

2. On the Profile page, click the Connections tab (Figure 9-6).

Figure 9-6 Connections Tab on Profile Page

9.4.2 Searching Through Your Connections

The Connections search feature provides an efficient way to locate a particular connection in an otherwise long list of connections.

To search through your connections:

1. Go to the Connections page (as described in Section 9.4.1, "Viewing Your Connections.")

2. In the Filter field, type the text you want to search for in your connections, and click next to the Filter field.

Tip:

You can search for part or all of a name, email, title, or department.

To exit the search, click next to the Filter field.

9.5 Adding Contacts

This section includes the following subsections:

- Section 9.5.1, "Inviting Others to Connect"

- Section 9.5.2, "Viewing Invitations to Connect"

- Section 9.5.3, "Responding to Invitations to Be a Connection"

9.5.1 Inviting Others to Connect

Connecting to another user potentially provides view access to that user's personal Profile and Activity Stream, and view and post access to the user's Message Board. The level of access you have to a connection is determined by the People Connections defaults set by your system administrator, the individual user's People Connections preference settings, and properties set on the Connections view.

See Also:

For information about Connections Preferences, see Section 9.2, "Setting Connections Preferences."

You can issue invitations from the Connections - Detailed View or from the Connections tab on your Profile page. This section describes the Connections tab method.

To invite another user to connect:

1. Go to the Connections tab (as described in Section 9.4.1, "Viewing Your Connections."

2. On the Connections tab, click the Invite People link to open the Invite People dialog (Figure 9-7).

Figure 9-7 Invite People Dialog

3. In the Find User field, type the user name of the person you want to invite to be your connection, then click .

4. Click the Invite link next to the user of interest to open the Invitation Message dialog (Figure 9-8).

Figure 9-8 Invitation Message Dialog

5. Use the default message, or type a new one.

6. Optionally, from the Select connection lists list, select one or more connections lists to which to add the user once the invitation is accepted.

7. Click Invite.
If the person you have invited set preferences to automatically accept all invitations, you are connected immediately. Otherwise, the invitation becomes available in the recipient's view of the Connections tab of the recipient's Profile page or in the Connections - Detailed View.

9.5.2 Viewing Invitations to Connect

You can view the invitations you have sent and received in the Connections - Detailed View and on the Connections tab of your Profile page. This section describes the Connections tab method. It includes the following subsections:

- Section 9.5.2.1, "Viewing Invitations You Have Sent"

- Section 9.5.2.2, "Viewing Invitations You Have Received"

9.5.2.1 Viewing Invitations You Have Sent

To view invitations you have sent:

1. Go to the Connections tab (as described in Section 9.4.1, "Viewing Your Connections."

2. From the Show menu, select Sent Invitations.
The Connections page refreshes, now showing a list of the pending invitations to connect that you have sent (Figure 9-9).

Figure 9-9 Sent Invitations View

Note:

In the Show menu, the number next to Sent Invitations represents the number of pending invitations you have sent.

9.5.2.2 Viewing Invitations You Have Received

To view invitations you have received:

1. Go to the Connections tab (as described in Section 9.4.1, "Viewing Your Connections."

2. From the Show menu, select Pending Invitations.

Tip:

Alternatively, click .

The Connections page refreshes, now showing a list of the pending invitations to connect that you have received (Figure 9-10).

Figure 9-10 Pending Invitations View

Tip:

In the Show menu, the number next to Pending Invitations represents the number of pending invitations you have received.

9.5.3 Responding to Invitations to Be a Connection

Connections provides two methods for responding to an invitation to connect:

- You can set your Connections preferences to accept such invitations automatically. For information, see Section 9.2, "Setting Connections Preferences."

- You can manually accept, decline, or ignore such invitations through the Connections - Detailed View or on the Connections tab of your Profile page.

This section describes the manual method of responding to invitations to connect from the Connections tab.

To respond to invitations to connect:

1. Go to the Connections tab (as described in Section 9.4.1, "Viewing Your Connections."

2. From the Show menu, select Pending Invitations to display a list of your pending invitations.

Tip:

Alternatively, click .

3. Next to a given invitation, click your desired response (Figure 9-11).

Figure 9-11 Pending Invitations View Showing Accept, Decline, and Ignore Buttons

Choose from:

- Accept—Make the connection.

- Decline—Refuse the connection, with notification. When you decline an invitation to connect, the issuer becomes aware of this by watching his sent invitations.

- Ignore—Remove the connection, without responding. When you ignore an invitation to connect, the issuer does not become aware of this by watching his sent invitations.

Once you respond to an invitation, it is removed from the list of received invitations. The users whose invitations you accept appear in your view of the Connections tab.

4. Optionally, return to your default view of the Connections tab by selecting All Connections from the Show menu.

9.6 Removing Contacts

Included in the process of managing your connections is the occasional necessity of removing connections: they may leave your group or the company, or there may no longer be a compelling reason to stay connected.

Controls for removing a connection are available through the Connections tab of your Profile page and the Connections viewer and Connections - Detailed View. This section describes the Connections tab method.

To remove one of your connections:

1. Go to the Connections tab (as described in Section 9.4.1, "Viewing Your Connections."

2. Click Organize to open the Organize Connections and Lists dialog.

3. Click the Remove button next to the connection to remove (Figure 9-12).

Figure 9-12 Remove Connection

4. In the confirmation dialog, click Yes to remove the selected connection.

5. Click OK to close the Organize Connections and Lists dialog.

9.7 Creating and Managing Groups of Contacts

Connections provides a means of grouping your connections into lists for managing the display of your connections and your connections activities. For example:

- You can select a list and view just its members on the Connections tab or in the Connections viewer or Connections - Detailed View.

- You can configure Activity Stream preferences to show activities only from specified connections lists (for more information, see Section 22.3, "Setting Activity Stream Preferences").

This section describes how to create and manage lists of connections. It includes the following subsections:

- Section 9.7.1, "Creating a Connections List"

- Section 9.7.2, "Adding a Connection to a List"

- Section 9.7.3, "Removing a Connection from a List"

- Section 9.7.4, "Deleting a Connections List"

9.7.1 Creating a Connections List

You can create a connections list using the Connections viewer and Connections - Detailed View and on the Connections tab of your Profile page. This section describes the Connections tab method.

To create a list of connections:

1. Go to the Connections tab (as described in Section 9.4.1, "Viewing Your Connections."

2. Click Organize to open the Organize Connections and Lists dialog.

3. Click New Connection List (Figure 9-13) to open the Create List dialog.

Figure 9-13 New Connection List

4. Enter a name for your list of connections, and click Save and Close to create the list and open it in the Organize Connections and Lists dialog.

Tip:

To view all of your connections, click All connections.

See Also:

For information about adding connections to a list, see Section 9.7.2, "Adding a Connection to a List."

9.7.2 Adding a Connection to a List

You can add connections to a Connections list on the Connections tab of your Profile page and the Connections viewer and Connections - Detailed View. This section describes the Connections tab method.

To add a connection to a Connections list:

1. Go to the Connections tab (as described in Section 9.4.1, "Viewing Your Connections."

2. Click Organize to open the Organize Connections and Lists dialog.

3. Click Add to List (Figure 9-14) next to the user.

Figure 9-14 Add to List

4. In the Add to List dialog (Figure 9-15), select one or more lists, then click Save and Close.

Figure 9-15 Add to List Dialog

Tip:

Click All to add the selected user to all of your Connections lists.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you are done.

6. Click OK to close the Organize Connections and Lists dialog.

9.7.3 Removing a Connection from a List

To remove a connection from a list:

1. Go to the Connections tab (as described in Section 9.4.1, "Viewing Your Connections."

2. Click Organize to open the Organize Connections and Lists dialog.

3. Select the list from which to remove a connection (Figure 9-16) to display the connections list.

Figure 9-16 Organize Connections and Lists Dialog with California Office List Selected

4. Click Remove from List next to the user to open the Remove from List dialog (Figure 9-17).

Figure 9-17 Remove from List Dialog

5. Select to remove the selected user from the current list or from all lists of which the user is a member, or select My Connections and All My Lists to remove the selected user from all lists and remove the user from your connections.

6. Click Save and Close.

7. Repeat steps 3 through 5 until you are done.

8. Click OK to close the Organize Connections and Lists dialog.

9.7.4 Deleting a Connections List

When you delete a Connections list, you are not deleting the connections you added to the list. You are deleting only the selected grouping, that is, the list itself. The connections that were on the deleted list continue to be your connections.

You can delete a Connections list from the Connections tab of your Profile page and from the Connections viewer and Connections - Detailed View. This section describes the Connections tab method.

To delete a connections list:

1. Go to the Connections tab (as described in Section 9.4.1, "Viewing Your Connections."

2. Click Organize to open the Organize Connections and Lists dialog.

3. Click the Actions icon next to the Connections list you want to delete, and select Delete List from the resulting menu (Figure 9-18).

Figure 9-18 Delete List Option on Actions Menu

4. In the resulting confirmation dialog, click Yes to delete the list.

5. Click OK to close the Organize Connections and Lists dialog.

10 Using Instant Messaging and Presence Viewer

This chapter describes how to use WebCenter Portal's instant messaging and presence (IMP) features. You can see the presence status of other authenticated users and interact with them through instant messages and mail. Additionally, if enterprise presence is unavailable, you can connect to a 3rd-party network presence service, such as Yahoo! Messenger.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 10.1, "About Instant Messaging and Presence"

- Section 10.2, "Identifying Your Preferred Instant Messaging Provider"

- Section 10.3, "Configuring Network Presence"

- Section 10.4, "Working with IMP Features"

Permissions:

This chapter is intended for WebCenter Portal users who want to view, create, and manage instant messaging and presence.

Such users must be granted, minimally, the portal-level permission View Pages and Content. They can view the presence of other users only for assets for which they have view permission.

Authenticated users require the portal-level permission Customize Pages and Edit Content. They must have view permission on the asset. These permissions are granted by default to the portal Participant role.

10.1 About Instant Messaging and Presence

Note:

For Instant Messaging and Presence to work in a portal, make sure that:

- The back-end presence server has been installed and configured by the system administrator and the connection between WebCenter Portal and the application is active. For more information, see the "Managing Instant Messaging and Presence" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- The external application has been registered by the system administrator. For more information, see the "Managing External Applications" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Instant messaging and presence (IMP) lets you observe the presence status of other authenticated users (online, offline, busy, or away) and then interact with them through instant messages and mail. Wherever a user is indicated, for example as the author of a document in the document library, you can see an icon (Figure 10-1) depicting the presence state of that user.

Figure 10-1 Presence Icon for Online Users

If you hover your mouse over the Presence icon, a tooltip displays the current status message for that user, if available. If the user has not provided a status message, or the message cannot be retrieved, then the tooltip displays the presence state of the user (online, offline, busy, or away).

Note:

There is no idle status. In the case of extended user inactivity, the status still displays as online.

Additionally, you can click the Presence icon to invoke a list of options:

- When viewing the Presence icon for your self, you can see the following options: View Profile, Send Mail, and Change Credentials (Figure 10-2)

Figure 10-2 Presence Icon Context Menu For the Current User

- When viewing the Presence icon for another user, you can see the following options: Send Instant Message, View Profile, and Send Mail (Figure 10-3)

Figure 10-3 Presence Icon Context Menu For Another User

From the list you can:

- View the user's profile. For more information, see Section 10.4.1, "Viewing the Status of Other Users."

- Send mail to the user. For more information, see Section 10.4.2, "Sending a Mail Message from the Presence Icon Menu."

- Change credentials (appears in the logged in user's context only), where users can update their external application login information. For more information, see Section 3.7, "Providing Login Information for External Applications."

- Send an instant message to the user (appears in the list for another user only). For more information, see Section 10.4.3, "Sending an Instant Message from the Presence Icon Menu."

Note:

The options that display in the list depend on what services are available to WebCenter Portal, how those services are configured, and which services are supported by the back-end presence server. For more information, see the "Managing Instant Messaging and Presence" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

10.2 Identifying Your Preferred Instant Messaging Provider

Instant messaging and presence requires a back-end presence server. WebCenter Portal is certified with Microsoft Office Live Communications Server (LCS) 2005, Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007, and Microsoft Lync 2010. When presence is not available (for example, if your enterprise uses a Jabber/XMPP presence server or has federated presence servers with users distributed across identity management systems), you can connect to a public network presence service. For more information, see the "Managing Instant Messaging and Presence" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Out-of-the-box, WebCenter Portal supports Yahoo! Messenger on network presence. However, the network presence model can be extended to include other providers, such as ICQ. To do so, you must build a presence network agent (PNA) that understands how to process each user's presence from a certain URL.

To enable network presence:

1. Click the Preferences link at the top of WebCenter Portal (Figure 10-4).

Figure 10-4 Preferences Link

2. Click Presence to open the Preferences - Presence pane (Figure 10-5).

Figure 10-5 Presence - Preferences Pane

3. Enter the IM address for the presence status and a display name (Figure 10-5).

Note:

PNAs run on the IM address. The IMP service consults all registered PNAs to see if one can support this IM address. If so, then it delegates to the respective agent. If you register a new PNA where you identify every user presence with the domain mydomain.com, then your PNA handles the presence for user IM addresses like XYZ@mydomain.com.

4. Click Save to save your changes and exit the Preferences dialog.

Note:

If you change your IM address, you must log out of WebCenter Portal and then log in again to view your presence status.

Presence tags for that user shows their network presence, either online (Figure 10-6) or offline (Figure 10-7).

Figure 10-6 Yahoo Presence Icon - Online

Figure 10-7 Yahoo Presence Icon - Offline

10.3 Configuring Network Presence

To set your presence to Yahoo! Messenger:

1. Click the Preferences link at the top of WebCenter Portal (Figure 10-4).

2. Click Presence to open the Preferences - Presence pane.

3. Enter your Yahoo! Messenger ID in the IM Address field and a display name for yourself (Figure 10-8).

Figure 10-8 Presence Preferences Pane

4. Click Save to save your change and exit the Preferences dialog.

To revert to your enterprise presence, when you are back on your network, remove this information from Preferences - Presence.

Note:

To send instant messages to an online user on Yahoo! Messenger, you also must have Yahoo! Messenger installed.

10.4 Working with IMP Features

Many WebCenter Portal features include a presence capability that enables you to make contact with other users from within the context of what you want to contact them about. For example, if you see a post in a discussion topic and want to send an instant message to the author of that post, you can do so directly from the discussion topic.

This section includes the following topics:

- Section 10.4.1, "Viewing the Status of Other Users"

- Section 10.4.2, "Sending a Mail Message from the Presence Icon Menu"

- Section 10.4.3, "Sending an Instant Message from the Presence Icon Menu"

10.4.1 Viewing the Status of Other Users

Wherever a feature includes a Presence icon (Figure 10-1), you can start an instant chat or send a mail to the user associated with the icon.

The way you communicate with another user depends upon their availability. For example, if the user is online, then you could send an instant message to make immediate contact. However, if the user is offline or busy, then sending a mail message is probably a better option.

Additionally, users can provide further information about their status by providing status messages. If such a status message exists for a user, hovering over the Presence icon displays that message as a tooltip. The status message enables you to make an even more informed decision about how to make contact. If there is no status message for the user, then the presence state is displayed in the tooltip instead (online, offline, busy, or away).

To view the current presence status or status message of a user, simply hover the mouse over the Presence icon next to the user's name.

Note:

The presence state of the user is held in a cache with a default expiration time of 60 seconds. As a result, the Presence icon may not reflect the actual status of the user if the status has changed between the initial retrieval and the cache expiry time.

Table 10-1 describes the presence state each Presence icon indicates.

Table 10-1 Presence Icon Presence States

Presence Icon

State

Associated user is online.

Associated user is online, but busy. Please do not disturb.

Associated user is still connected but away from the computer.

Associated user is offline.

10.4.2 Sending a Mail Message from the Presence Icon Menu

Wherever you see a Presence icon, you can send a mail message to its associated user.

To send a mail message:

1. Locate a Presence icon (Figure 10-1) for the person you want to contact.
For example, you can find Presence icons associated with documents and discussion topics—any view that has been configured to support IMP.

2. Click the Presence icon associated with the user you want to contact. The available options appear, as shown in Figure 10-9.

Figure 10-9 Presence Icon For Another User

3. From the list, select Send Mail.
You might be presented with a login window. If so, then enter your user name and password for your mail application. If your preferences are set up to deliver your login credentials automatically, you can start your message right away. For more information about login credentials and preferences, see Chapter 3, "Setting Your Personal Preferences."

4. Compose your message and click Send.

10.4.3 Sending an Instant Message from the Presence Icon Menu

Wherever you see a Presence icon, you can send an instant message to its associated user.

Before you can send an instant message, you must install the appropriate chat client (and only that client) on your local computer. The client must be configured to connect to the back-end presence server. To use Microsoft Live Communications Server (LCS) 2005, Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007, or Microsoft Lync 2010, install the Microsoft Communicator.

Contact your system administrator if you are not sure which client to install or how to connect to the presence server.

To send an instant message:

1. Locate a Presence icon (Figure 10-1) for the person you want to contact.
For example, you can find Presence icons associated with documents and discussion topics—any place that has been configured to support IMP.

2. Click the Presence icon associated with the user you want to contact. The available options appear, as shown in Figure 10-10.

Figure 10-10 Presence Icon Options For Another User

3. From the list, select Send Instant Message.
WebCenter Portal invokes your instant messaging client, and starts a chat session with the selected user.

11 Sending and Viewing Mail

This chapter describes how to use the Send Mail feature and also the features provided through WebCenter Portal Mail or your local mail client. The Send Mail feature does not require the mail service. That is, even if the mail service has not been configured in your WebCenter Portal, you can use the Send Mail feature with the WebCenter Portal's Mail Service option, if that option is selected for WebCenter Portal and for the portal in which you are using mail.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 11.1, "About the Send Mail Feature"

- Section 11.2, "About Mail in WebCenter Portal"

- Section 11.3, "Selecting Your Preferred Mail Connection"

- Section 11.4, "Working with Mail"

Permissions:

This chapter is intended for WebCenter Portal users who want to use the mail feature.

Such users must be granted, minimally, the portal-level permission View Pages and Content to view mail. They can view mail only for assets for which they have view permission.

Authenticated users require the portal-level permission Customize Pages and Edit Content. They must have view permission on the resource. These permissions are granted by default to the portal Participant role.

Note:

Some of the tasks discussed in this chapter are not available if mail is not configured. Portal moderators can add the Mail viewer to a portal, as described in the "Adding Mail to a Portal" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

11.1 About the Send Mail Feature

Throughout WebCenter Portal, you can click the Send Mail icon (Figure 11-1) to mail directly from another feature, such as announcements (Figure 11-2). You need to have the required permissions to work with the other features in order to use the Send Mail feature from the feature.

Figure 11-1 Send Mail Icon

For example, Figure 11-2 shows an announcement topic with the Send Mail icon.

Figure 11-2 Send Mail Icon in an Announcement

Click the Send Mail icon to open a mail compose window prepopulated with information including the announcement topic title, author, date created, topic text, and links to the announcement and the portal. You can edit and add to the mail, as necessary.

Note:

to use WebCenter Portal's Send Mail (not your local mail client), you must change the mail preference (see Section 11.3, "Selecting Your Preferred Mail Connection"). If you are using your local mail client, you are required to log in to mail if you are not logged in (see Section 11.4.1, "Logging in to Mail"). Log out and then log back in to WebCenter Portal after you change your preferences.

Figure 11-3 WebCenter Portal Mail Compose Window From an Announcement

The way the mail window is prepopulated depends on the asset sending it. For example, from a wiki, Send Mail opens a mail window prepopulated with the name of the wiki, the size, who created it and when, who modified it and when, and a URL link to the wiki.

Mail, is by default, addressed to all members of the portal. Portal moderators can configure the distribution list.

Tip:

With the Microsoft Outlook local mail client, you must configure Outlook to support comma-delimited mail addresses.

11.1.1 Configuring the Send Mail Feature

The Send Mail feature does not require the mail service to be configured. That is, even if mail has not been configured in WebCenter Portal, the Send Mail feature is available using WebCenter Portal's Mail service.

Your system administrator determines the mail client that the Send Mail feature uses: either WebCenter Portal's Mail Service or a Local Mail Client. The default value is Local Mail Client. If your system administrator enabled users to override this mail client setting, then you can select a different mail client on the Preferences - Mail page (Figure 11-4).

Figure 11-4 Mail Preferences for Send Mail

See Section 11.3, "Selecting Your Preferred Mail Connection" for more information about setting mail preferences.

11.2 About Mail in WebCenter Portal

WebCenter Portal conveniently exposes familiar mail functionality. Mail is managed on the same mail server that provides your regular business mail, and the mail messages exposed are the same messages you would see in your mail inbox. Many of the same actions are also supported. For example, you can send messages with attachments, forward messages, and so on. The mail feature does not replace your company mail, but rather enhances it by making it accessible within WebCenter Portal.

WebCenter Portal's Mail service enables users to perform simple mail functions, such as view, read, create and create with attachments, reply, forward, and delete. All mail is stored in your inbox and can be accessed from there through a link.

WebCenter Portal fetches mail from the inbox folder only. It does not support fetching mail from other folders or moving messages. It supports any mail server based on IMAP4 and SMTP protocol. A WebCenter Portal application provides access to multiple mail connections. You can use a different mail connection by selecting it in WebCenter Portal's Preferences settings. For more information, see Section 11.3, "Selecting Your Preferred Mail Connection."

The Mail viewer exposes features from your mail server (Figure 11-5).

Figure 11-5 Mail in WebCenter Portal

The Mail viewer presents the following:

- A menu for specifying which messages to display

- A Compose icon for starting the process of creating a new message

- A Refresh icon for updating new messages

Note that the mail viewer does not render embedded images. If an email contains inline images, they are shown as attachments, and not within the message body.

A default distribution list containing all the portal members is created upon portal creation. The portal moderator can also select a different distribution list. As members are added to or deleted from the portal, the mailing list is updated automatically.

You can mail other users or any user recognized by the back-end mail server by adding their mail addresses in the To field.

Mail is integrated with WebCenter Portal's instant messaging and presence to provide additional options for contacting others. Each listed mail message in the viewer includes the sender's user name and status icon, which you can click to open a menu with options for starting a chat session or sending a new mail.

Note:

If instant messaging and presence is not configured in WebCenter Portal, the status icons are grayed out. For more information, see Chapter 10, "Using Instant Messaging and Presence Viewer."

11.3 Selecting Your Preferred Mail Connection

When WebCenter Portal provides access to multiple mail connections, it also provides a way for you to choose which connection to use.

Note:

You can choose your preferred mail connection only if your system administrator enabled users to override this mail client setting. See Section 11.1.1, "Configuring the Send Mail Feature" for more information.

To choose your preferred mail connection:

1. Click the Preferences link at the top of the portal.

2. Click Mail to open the Preferences - Mail panel (Figure 11-6).

Figure 11-6 Mail Preferences

3. From the Connection drop-down list, select the mail connection you want to use for accessing your mail through WebCenter Portal.
The options available in this list depend on the connections your system administrator makes available to WebCenter Portal. The No Preference option uses your system-level active mail connection.

4. Under Default mail client for Send Mail action, select an option to identify the mail application to open when the SendMail command is invoked.
Choose one of the following options:

- Local mail client—Select to specify that the local mail client you normally use, such as Microsoft Outlook, should open a compose message window when the SendMail command is invoked.

- WebCenter Portal's Mail Service—Select to specify to open WebCenter Portal's Mail service compose message window when the SendMail command is invoked.

5. Click OK to save your change and exit the Preferences dialog.

6. Log out of WebCenter Portal.

7. Log in to WebCenter Portal.
If you previously saved your credentials for this mail connection to the WebCenter Portal credential store, then you are logged in to the new mail connection automatically.

If you have not previously saved your credentials, log in to this mail connection using Preferences (see Section 3.7, "Providing Login Information for External Applications") or using the login link where you see mail (see Section 11.4.1, "Logging in to Mail").

11.4 Working with Mail

WebCenter Portal's mail feature exposes your company's mail features within the context of your portal. You can view, respond to, and manage your personal mail.

This section provides information on how to use mail in WebCenter Portal. It contains the following topics:

- Section 11.4.1, "Logging in to Mail"

- Section 11.4.2, "Personalizing Your View of Mail"

- Section 11.4.3, "Opening Mail Messages"

- Section 11.4.4, "Downloading Mail Attachments"

- Section 11.4.5, "Composing and Sending Mail Messages"

- Section 11.4.6, "Sending Mail with Attachments"

- Section 11.4.7, "Removing Attachments from the Add Attachment Window"

- Section 11.4.8, "Replying To and Forwarding Mail"

- Section 11.4.9, "Refreshing Mail"

- Section 11.4.10, "Deleting Mail"

11.4.1 Logging in to Mail

If you are using your local mail client, before you can access your mail in a portal, you must provide your mail login credentials. The first time you access mail, it displays the message depicted in Figure 11-7.

Figure 11-7 Mail Login Message

To log in to mail:

1. Click the Login to Mail link (Figure 11-7) to open an External Application Login dialog (Figure 11-8).

Figure 11-8 External Application Login Dialog

Note:

The External Application Login dialog may include additional fields and information, depending on the requirements of the mail service that provides it. For more information about external applications and storing your login credentials in WebCenter Portal, see Section 3.7, "Providing Login Information for External Applications."

2. Enter your user name and password and any other login credentials that your mail application requires.
Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*).

3. Optionally, deselect or keep selected the Remember My Login Information to store your credentials.
The next time you log in to WebCenter Portal, your mail credentials are retrieved from storage and you are logged in.

4. Click OK, and mail displays from your inbox.

11.4.2 Personalizing Your View of Mail

You can personalize your view of the mail by filtering the number of displayed messages. For example, you can choose to display only the messages that were delivered Today, Since Yesterday, This Week, or This Month. Additionally, you can choose to display All messages in your inbox.

Note:

By default, the 50 most recent mail messages from your mail server inbox folder are displayed.

Personalizations affect only your view of mail. No other user's view is changed because of your selection.

To personalize your view of mail:

1. In the Mail viewer, click the drop-down list (Figure 11-9).

Figure 11-9 Mail Personalization Menu

2. Select a display option from the available options:

- All—to show all messages

- Today—to show all messages received today

- Since Yesterday—to show all messages received yesterday and today

- This Week—to show all messages received in this calendar week

- This Month—to show all messages received in this calendar month

The mail view refreshes, displaying only those messages that match your selection.

11.4.3 Opening Mail Messages

The messages that display in your mail are the same messages that display in your regular mail application inbox. You open them in the same way too. Note that the mail viewer does not render embedded images. If an email contains inline images, they are shown as attachments, and not within the message body.

To open a mail message:

1. Click the link to the message you want to open (Figure 11-10).

2. Figure 11-10 Mail Message Link

The message opens (Figure 11-11).

Figure 11-11 Mail Message

3. After reading the message click Cancel to close the message (Figure 11-12).

Figure 11-12 Cancel a Mail Message

Note:

HTML reports, tables, inline images (copy paste), and fonts viewed in a mail message may not render correctly. The Mail service requires HTML data to be well-formed to display as expected in a mail message.

The mail should show everything that your browser supports. However, some tags, like <script>, are encoded and disabled from execution.

11.4.4 Downloading Mail Attachments

Note that the mail viewer does not render embedded images. If an email contains inline images, they are shown as attachments, and not within the message body. Attachments display in mail messages as links (Figure 11-13).

Figure 11-13 Mail Attachment

Accessing files associated with attachments is the same as accessing a file from any browser window. To view an attachment, click the link. Clicking an attachment link opens a download dialog that gives you the option of viewing the file in its native application or saving the file to a locally. This is browser behavior, so the behavior depends on the browser you use.

11.4.5 Composing and Sending Mail Messages

Whether you are composing and sending messages through WebCenter Portal's Mail or using your local mail client, it is the same as doing so in your regular mail application.

To compose and send a mail message:

1. Click the Compose icon (Figure 11-14).

Figure 11-14 Compose Icon in Mail

2. In the Compose window (Figure 11-15), do one or both of the following:.

- Select All portal members to send mail to the entire distribution list containing all the users who are members of the portal

- Enter recipients in the To field. Separate multiple addresses with a comma (,)

Figure 11-15 Compose Window

3. Optionally, click the Options drop-down list (Figure 11-16):

- Select Show CC field, Show BCC field, Show Reply-to field to include these fields in the message.
The Reply-to field is prepopulated with the user composing the mail (Figure 11-17), but it can be changed to any address.

- Deselect Use rich text editor to compose the message in plain text, instead of the rich text editor. The Use rich text editor option is selected by default.

The selected options persist until they are changed.

Figure 11-16 Options in the Mail Compose Window

Figure 11-17 shows the compose window with the Cc, Bcc, and Reply-to fields added as well as the rich text editor removed.

Figure 11-17 Mail Compose Window with Different Options Selected

4. Optionally, click the Find User icon to find mail addresses (Figure 11-18).
The Compose window is directly connected to your mail server, so you can use the Find User icon to find mail addresses and contacts.

Figure 11-18 Find User Icon in a Compose Window

The Select User window appears. Enter a search term and click the Search icon.

Tip:

For tips on searching with the Find User icon, see the "Searching for a User or Group in the Identity Store" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

5. In the Subject field, enter a subject for your message.
Enter up to 255 characters.

6. Compose your message in the message body.

7. Click Send.

11.4.6 Sending Mail with Attachments

Just like your regular mail, you can send messages with attachments.

To send a mail with attachments:

1. Create a mail message as described in Section 11.4.5, "Composing and Sending Mail Messages."

2. In the Compose window, click the Attach Files link (Figure 11-19).

Figure 11-19 Attach Files Link

The Add Attachment window opens (Figure 11-20).

Figure 11-20 Add Attachment Window

3. Click Browse to locate and choose an attachment.

4. Click Attach to attach the selected file.
The file size must be greater than zero bytes but less than 2 MB. Zero-byte files do not get attached.

Note:

It is recommended that you avoid attaching large files, as this causes the server to slow down or not respond. If you attach large files (greater than 2MB), then because of how the HTTP protocol handles attachments, the system reports an error only after reading all of the 2MB characters.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to add additional attachments.
Attachments are listed under the Attachments heading in the Add Attachment window (Figure 11-21).

Figure 11-21 Attachments in the Add Attachment Window

A Remove Attachment icon appears next to each attachment (Figure 11-21). Click this to remove a selected attachment from the window.

6. Click the Back to Compose link to go back to the Compose window.

7. Click Send.

11.4.7 Removing Attachments from the Add Attachment Window

You can remove attachments from the Add Attachment window and from the Compose window:

- To remove mail attachments from the Add Attachment window, click the Remove Attachment icon next to the attachment you want to remove (Figure 11-22).

Figure 11-22 Remove Attachment Icon in the Add Attachment Window

For information about accessing the Add Attachment window, see Section 11.4.6, "Sending Mail with Attachments."

- To remove mail attachments from the Compose window, click the Remove Attachment icon next to the attachment you want to remove (Figure 11-23).

Figure 11-23 Remove Attachment Icon in the Compose Window

For information about accessing the Compose window, see Section 11.4.5, "Composing and Sending Mail Messages."

11.4.8 Replying To and Forwarding Mail

When you reply to or forward a mail message, the mail content is sent as an attached HTML file instead of being displayed in the mail message window (see Figure 11-27). Replying to and forwarding mail is as straightforward as in your regular mail application.

To reply to or forward a mail message:

1. Click the link to the message you want to reply to or forward (Figure 11-24).

Figure 11-24 Mail Message Link

The message opens (Figure 11-25).

Figure 11-25 Mail Message

2. Select one from the following options:

- Click Reply to reply to the sender. Figure 11-26 shows the Reply Mail window.

Figure 11-26 Reply Mail Message Window

- Click Reply All to reply to all recipients (including users who received a blind copy).

- Click Forward to send the message on to a third party.

Notice that the original mail is an HTML attachment (Figure 11-27).

Figure 11-27 Original Mail Attached to a Mail Reply

3. In the resulting Compose window, select All Portal Members to send mail to the entire distribution list or enter recipients in the To field as you require.
Separate multiple entries with a comma (,).

Click the Options drop-down list to add Cc, Bcc, or Reply-to fields or to remove the rich text editor and use plain text.

The Compose window is directly connected to your mail server, so you can use the Find User icon to find mail addresses and contacts. Click the Find User icon and, in the resulting dialog, enter a search term for a user. For tips on searching for a user in the identity store, see the "Searching for a User or Group in the Identity Store" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

4. Optionally, revise the subject in the Subject field.

5. In the mail's message area, enter your reply or any forwarding message before or after the original message.

6. Optionally, add attachments as described in Section 11.4.6, "Sending Mail with Attachments."

7. Click Send.
The message is sent, and the original message reappears.

8. Click Cancel at the bottom of the original message to close the window (Figure 11-28).

Figure 11-28 Cancel Message

11.4.9 Refreshing Mail

You must refresh to check for new mail messages. Because the refresh operation triggers an event to the server to check for new mail, it may take a while to get new messages. Therefore, you may have to refresh a couple of times to display new mail.

To refresh mail, click the Refresh icon (Figure 11-29).

Note:

Do not click the Reload or Refresh button in your browser. Click the Refresh icon to update your view.

Figure 11-29 Refresh Mail Icon

11.4.10 Deleting Mail

You can easily remove a message from your inbox.

To delete a mail message:

1. Open the message you want to delete (see Section 11.4.3, "Opening Mail Messages")

2. Click Delete at the top of the message (Figure 11-30).

Figure 11-30 Delete Icon in a Message Window

3. Click the Refresh icon in the Mail view to remove the message from the list (see Section 11.4.9, "Refreshing Mail").

12 Working with Feedback and the Message Board

This chapter describes the Feedback viewers and Message Board, which enable you to post, view, and manage feedback and messages to and from your connections.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 12.1, "About Feedback"

- Section 12.2, "Setting Feedback Preferences"

- Section 12.3, "Viewing Feedback"

- Section 12.4, "Posting Feedback"

- Section 12.5, "Deleting Feedback"

- Section 12.6, "About Messages"

- Section 12.7, "Setting Message Preferences"

- Section 12.8, "Viewing Messages"

- Section 12.9, "Posting Messages"

- Section 12.10, "Editing Messages"

- Section 12.11, "Deleting Messages"

- Section 12.12, "Enabling Other Users to Post Feedback and Messages for You"

Permissions:

To perform the tasks in this chapter, you need the application-level permission People Connections: Update People Connections Data.

12.1 About Feedback

Feedback provides a means of viewing, posting, and managing feedback between you and other users. When you connect with other users, you potentially give them access to your Feedback and gain access to theirs. Access to other users' Feedback views must be specifically granted through each user's personal Feedback preferences.

See Also:

You can grant access to your view of Feedback through People Connections preferences. For more information, see Section 12.2, "Setting Feedback Preferences."

A Feedback viewer in your view of the Home portal, enables you to view feedback from users to whom you have granted access. Feedback views in other users' views of the Home portal enable you to view feedback they have received and to post feedback for them, provided they have granted you access.

Feedback posts are also streamed to the Activity Stream, unless your system administrator has configured the Activity Stream not to show Feedback activity. Additionally, you can elect not to show Feedback activity in your own view of the Activity Stream through your personal Feedback preferences.

Note:

The feedback you mark private is shown only to you and the recipient in your views of Feedback. However, private Feedback is shared with all of your connections and with all of the recipient's connections in their views of Activity Stream, unless your system administrator configures Activity Stream to omit showing actions from Feedback or you do so through your personal Activity Stream preferences. For more information, see Section 22.3, "Setting Activity Stream Preferences."

Before you access your view of Feedback or your Feedback preferences, your system administrator can set global application defaults that affect what all users may see and do with their own and other users' Feedback.

WebCenter Portal provides the following Feedback views:

- Feedback for viewing, posting, and managing Feedback (Figure 12-1)

Figure 12-1 Feedback

- Feedback - Quick View for viewing and posting Feedback (Figure 12-2)

Figure 12-2 Feedback - Quick View

12.2 Setting Feedback Preferences

Use Feedback preferences to specify who can view the Feedback you have given and received and who can post Feedback in your Feedback views.

To set Feedback Preferences:

1. Open the Preferences page.

2. Click People Connections to display People Connections Preferences.

3. Click the Feedback tab to bring it forward (Figure 12-3).

Figure 12-3 Feedback Preferences

4. Set your Preferences for Feedback.
Table 12-1 lists and describes each option.

Table 12-1 Feedback Preference Options

Option

Description

Grant View Access to

Select who can view Feedback given to you.

- Everyone—All users, including users who are not logged in, can view the Feedback you have given.

- Authenticated Users—Only users who are logged in can view the Feedback you have given.

- User's Connections—Only you and your Connections can view the Feedback you have given.

- User Only—Only you and the user for whom you have provided Feedback can view the Feedback you have given.

Grant Post Access to

Select who can provide Feedback to you.

- Everyone—All users, including users who are not logged in, can post Feedback messages to you.

- Authenticated Users—Only users who are logged in can post Feedback messages to you.

- User's Connections—Only you and your Connections can post Feedback messages to you.

- User Only—No one can post Feedback messages to you.

Grant View Feedback Given Access to

Select who can view Feedback you have received.

- Everyone—All users, including users who are not logged in, can view Feedback you have received.

- Authenticated Users—Only users who are logged in can view Feedback you have received.

- User's Connections—Only you and your Connections can view Feedback you have received.

- User Only—No one can view Feedback you have received.

5. Click Save.

12.3 Viewing Feedback

This section provides information about accessing the Feedback you have posted or received and hiding and unhiding posted Feedback. It includes the following sections:

- Section 12.3.1, "Viewing Feedback You Have Posted or Received"

- Section 12.3.2, "Sorting and Filtering Feedback Posts"

- Section 12.3.3, "Hiding Feedback in Your Own View"

- Section 12.3.4, "Showing Hidden Feedback"

- Section 12.3.5, "Marking Feedback Received as Private"

12.3.1 Viewing Feedback You Have Posted or Received

A View menu on Feedback viewers provides a means of accessing the Feedback you have posted for others and the Feedback you have received from others.

To view Feedback you have posted or received:

1. Go to the Feedback viewer in your Home portal.

2. Select an option from the View menu (Figure 12-4):

- Given—To view the Feedback you have posted for others

- Received—To view the Feedback others have left for you

Figure 12-4 Feedback View Menu

12.3.2 Sorting and Filtering Feedback Posts

The Feedback viewer includes sorting and filtering features for controlling what is shown in your view. Use the sorting feature to sort your Feedback by date or by person—that is, the user name of the person who left the Feedback. Use the filtering feature to display Feedback posted on a particular date or within a given date range.

To sort and filter your Feedback:

1. Go to the Feedback viewer.

2. Select an option from the Sort By menu (Figure 12-5):

Figure 12-5 Sort By Menu on Feedback Viewer

- Date—To sort Feedback posts from the most recent to the oldest.

- Person Name—To sort Feedback posts by the name of the user who left it for you (View is set to Received) or by the name of the user you left it for (View is set to Given).

3. To specify a date range, enter a start date in the field that follows From and enter an end date in the field that follows To (Figure 12-6).

Figure 12-6 Sort By Date Range Fields on Feedback Viewer

Tip:

You must enter both a start and end date, even when you want to view Feedback posts from a given day. In such a case, enter the same date in both fields.

Instead of entering dates, you can click the Select Date icon next to a field to select a date from a calendar.

Accessibility Note:

In WebCenter Portal, you cannot use the keyboard to select a date from the calendar that pops up when you click the Select Date icon. Instead, manually enter the date into the field.

4. Click the Search icon.
All of the Feedback posts (either received or given) that fall within the specified date range appear in the Feedback viewer.

Tip:

To remove the date filtering criteria from your Feedback view, click the Clear Date icon.

12.3.3 Hiding Feedback in Your Own View

You can hide any Feedback in your own Feedback view. Hiding provides a means of removing Feedback posts from your own view without actually deleting them. Users to whom you have given access to your Feedback can still see the posts you have hidden.

See Also:

For information about undoing this action, see Section 12.3.4, "Showing Hidden Feedback."

To hide Feedback in your own view:

1. Go to the Feedback viewer in your Home portal.

2. Click the Hide link next to the Feedback message you want to hide (Figure 12-7).

Figure 12-7 Hide Link on a Feedback Message

12.3.4 Showing Hidden Feedback

Use the Hidden check box on the Feedback viewer to show all the Feedback you have hidden. The Hidden check box provides a means of showing all hidden Feedback in one operation, making it available to be unhidden or deleted.

To show hidden Feedback posts:

1. Go to the Feedback viewer in your Home portal.

2. Select the Hidden check box (Figure 12-8).

Figure 12-8 Hidden Check Box on a Feedback Viewer

3. All the Feedback posts you have hidden are shown.

4. Click the Unhide link to the right of the Feedback you want to show (Figure 12-9).

Figure 12-9 Unhide Link on a Feedback Viewer

5. To remove hidden Feedback posts from your view, deselect the Hidden check box.

12.3.5 Marking Feedback Received as Private

When you view Feedback you have received, you typically have the option of clicking a Private link to shield the Feedback from other viewers (Figure 12-10).

Figure 12-10 Private Link on a Feedback Message

Your portal moderator can hide the Private link. Also, unless Activity Stream is configured at the application level or the personal level (through Preferences) to omit Feedback activity, your connections and the poster's connections can see even private Feedback in their Activity Streams.

See Also:

For more information, see Section 22.3, "Setting Activity Stream Preferences."

12.4 Posting Feedback

Use Feedback to pass along remarks to your connections about their efforts and results. Keep in mind that a wider audience than just your connections may see your Feedback message.

To post a Feedback message:

1. Go to the page the user has set up to receive Feedback.

See Also:

For more information, see Section 12.12, "Enabling Other Users to Post Feedback and Messages for You."

2. Click Add Feedback (Figure 12-11).

Figure 12-11 Add Feedback Button on a Feedback Viewer

3. In the resulting Add Feedback dialog, enter your Feedback in the text area (Figure 12-12).

Tip:

The Add Feedback dialog provides an integrated rich text editor that enables you to add styles, links, and other HTML encoding to your Feedback.

Figure 12-12 Add Feedback Dialog with Rich Text Editor

4. When you finish entering text, click Save and Close.
Your Feedback appears in the selected user's Feedback view.

12.5 Deleting Feedback

You can delete Feedback you have posted to other users, provided your system administrator has enabled you to do so.

If Activity Stream is configured to show Feedback activity, deleted Feedback posts nonetheless continue to show in the Activity Stream of the recipient and all of your connections.

See Also:

For information about configuring your personal Activity Stream Preferences, see Section 22.3, "Setting Activity Stream Preferences."

To delete Feedback you have posted:

1. Go to the Feedback viewer in your Home portal.

2. From the View menu, select Given.

3. Click the Delete icon next to the post you want to delete (Figure 12-13).

Figure 12-13 Delete Icon on a Feedback Message

4. Click Delete in the resulting confirmation dialog.
The Feedback is deleted from your view and from the view of the user for whom you left it.

12.6 About Messages

Message Board provides a means of viewing and posting messages to and from you and other users. When you connect with other users, you potentially give them access to your Message Board and gain access to theirs. Access to other users' Message Board views must be specifically granted through each user's personal Message Board preferences.

See Also:

You can grant access to your Message Board through People Connections Preferences. For more information, see Section 12.7, "Setting Message Preferences."

A Message Board viewer in your view of the Home portal, enables you to view messages and attachments from users to whom you have granted access. Message Board views in other users' views of the Home portal enable you to view messages and attachments they have received and to post messages and attachments to their Message Boards, provided they have granted you access.

In portals other than the Home portal, a Message Board viewer provides a means of viewing and posting messages within the scope of the portal. In a portal, every instance of a Message Board shows the same content: messages left by authorized users who are members of the portal. If you cannot perform actions in a portal Message Board, contact the portal moderator.

Messages are also streamed to the Activity Stream, unless your system administrator has configured the Activity Stream not to show Feedback activity. Additionally, you can elect not to show Message Board activity in your own view of the Activity Stream through your personal Message Board preferences.

Note:

The messages you mark private are shown only to you and the recipient in your views of Message Board. However, private messages are shared with all of your connections and with all of the recipient's connections in their views of Activity Stream, unless your system administrator configures Activity Stream to omit showing actions from Message Board or you do so through your personal Activity Stream preferences. For more information, see Section 22.3, "Setting Activity Stream Preferences."

Before you access your Message Board or Message Board Preferences, your system administrator can set global application defaults that affect what all users may see and do with their own and other users' Message Boards.

WebCenter Portal provides the following Message Board views:

- Message Board for adding, viewing, updating, hiding, deleting, and managing your view of messages, and for marking messages as private and sharing private messages (Figure 12-14)

Figure 12-14 Message Board

- Message Board - Quick View for adding, viewing, updating, hiding, and deleting messages, and for marking messages as private and sharing private messages (Figure 12-15)

Figure 12-15 Message Board - Quick View

See Also:

Publisher has many qualities in common with Message Board, but is a separate feature. For more information about Publisher, see Chapter 13, "Liking, Commenting On, and Sharing Items in WebCenter Portal."

12.7 Setting Message Preferences

Use Message Board preferences to specify who can view and post to your Message Board.

To set Message Board Preferences:

1. Open the Preferences page.

2. Click People Connections to display People Connections Preferences.

3. Click the Message Board tab to bring it forward (Figure 12-16).

Figure 12-16 Message Board Preferences

4. Set your Preferences for the Message Board.
Table 12-2 lists and describes each option.

Table 12-2 Message Board Preference Options

Option

Description

Grant View Access to

Select who can view your Message Board:

- Everyone—All users, including users who are not logged in, can view your Message Board messages.

- Authenticated Users—Only users who are logged in can view your Message Board messages.

- User's Connections—Only you and the users you your Connections can view your Message Board messages.

- User Only—Only you can view your Message Board messages.

Grant Post Access to

Select who can post messages to your Message Board:

- Everyone—All users, including users who are not logged in, can post messages to your Message Board.

- Authenticated Users—Only users who are logged in can post messages to your Message Board.

- User's Connections—Only you and your Connections can post messages to your Message Board.

- User Only—Only you can post messages to your Message Board.

5. Click Save.

12.8 Viewing Messages

Once you and your connections have set up your own Message Boards, you can see your own and, potentially, each other's messages. This section provides information about how to view each other's messages post-set-up. It includes the following subsections:

- Section 12.8.1, "Viewing Messages Others Have Left for You"

- Section 12.8.2, "Viewing Messages Others Have Received"

- Section 12.8.3, "Viewing Messages Sent to a Selected Portal"

Tip:

For information about setting up your view of Message Board, see Section 12.12, "Enabling Other Users to Post Feedback and Messages for You."

12.8.1 Viewing Messages Others Have Left for You

To view Message Board messages other users have left for you, go to the personal page in the Home portal that you have set up to receive Message Board messages (Figure 12-14).

12.8.2 Viewing Messages Others Have Received

To view Message Board messages other users have received (including those you have left for them), go to the page the user has made available to you in your view of the Home portal. You can access this page through the Personalize Pages page. For more information, see Section 5.4, "Opening a Page in the Home Portal."

12.8.3 Viewing Messages Sent to a Selected Portal

Message Boards placed in a portal provide a means of viewing and posting messages within the portal context. All default Message Board views within a given portal display the same content: messages left by authorized users who are members of the portal. All users with access to the portal can see the posted messages.

12.8.4 Sorting and Filtering Message Board Messages

Your full view of the Message Board includes sorting and filtering features for managing your view of your messages. Use the sorting feature to sort your messages by date or by the person who left the message. Use the filtering feature to show messages posted on a particular date or within a given date range.

To sort and filter your Message Board messages:

1. Go to the Message Board viewer.

2. From the Sort By menu, select a sorting option (Figure 12-17):

Figure 12-17 Options on Sort By Menu

- Date—Sort your messages by the date they were posted, from most recent to oldest.

- Person Name—Sort your messages by the user name of the person who posted them, from A to Z.

3. To show messages between a particular range of dates, enter the beginning and end of the range respectively in the fields after From and To (Figure 12-18).

Figure 12-18 Sort By Date Range Options

Tip:

Instead of entering dates, you can click the Select Date icon next to a field to select a date from a calendar.

Accessibility Note:

In WebCenter Portal, you cannot use the keyboard to select a date from the calendar that pops up when you click the Select Date icon. Instead, manually enter the date into the field.

4. Click the button to the right of the fields to apply the filter.
The Message Board refreshes, showing only those messages that fit your sorting and filtering criteria.

Tip:

To remove the date filtering criteria from your Message Board view, click the Clear Date icon that appears to the right of the date range fields after you filter by date.

Figure 12-19 Clear Date Icon

12.8.5 Hiding Messages in Your View of Message Board

You can hide messages in your Message Board in one of two ways: you can hide a specific message or hide public or private messages. Hiding provides a means of removing messages from your own view without actually deleting them. It is a non-permanent way to reduce the visual clutter of your Message Board view.

Note:

Users to whom you have given access to your messages can still see the messages that you have hidden.

To hide a specific message in your view of the Message Board:

1. Go to the message you want to hide in your view of the Message Board.

2. Click the Hide link next to the message you want to hide (Figure 12-20).

Figure 12-20 Hide Link on a Message

The message is hidden in your view of the Message Board. Other users you have permitted to view your Message Board can see this message when they visit your view.

To hide messages of a particular type (private or public) in your view of the Message Board:

1. Open the page editor (Composer) for the personal page in the Home portal that includes the Message Board.

See Also:

For more information, see Section 5.9, "Editing a Personal Page."

2. In Design view (the default view when you edit a page), click the Edit icon () on the Message Board viewer to open the Component Properties dialog.

See Also:

For more information on editing component properties, see the "Setting Properties on a Component" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal. Editing component properties is an advanced task

3. In the Component Properties dialog, on the Parameters tab, from the Message Type drop-down list, select the type of messages you want to see in your view of the Message Board:

- All - (default) Displays both public and private messages.

- Public - Displays only public messages.

- Private - Displays only private messages.

4. Click Save to save the page.

5. Click Close to exit page edit mode.

Messages of the selected type appear in your view of the Message Board; all other messages are hidden in your view of the Message Board. Other users you have permitted to view your Message Board can see all messages when they visit your view.

12.8.6 Showing Hidden Messages

Use the Hidden check box on the Message Board to show all of the messages you have hidden. The Hidden check box provides a means of showing all hidden messages in one operation, making it available to be unhidden or deleted.

To show hidden Message Board messages:

1. In your view of the Message Board, select the Hidden check box to show the messages you have hidden (Figure 12-21).

Figure 12-21 Hidden Check Box on a Message Board Viewer

2. Click the Unhide link next to the message you want to show (Figure 12-22).

Figure 12-22 Unhide Link on a Message Board Viewer

3. Optionally, deselect the Hidden check box to hide the messages that are still marked as hidden.

12.9 Posting Messages

This section describes the various ways you can post messages and attachments. It includes the following subsections:

- Section 12.9.1, "Posting a Message Through Message Board"

- Section 12.9.2, "Posting a Private Message"

- Section 12.9.3, "Sharing a Private Message"

12.9.1 Posting a Message Through Message Board

This section describes how to post a message to all of your connections through Message Board.

See Also:

For information about Connections, see Chapter 9, "Managing Your Contacts."

To post a Message Board message:

1. Go to a Message Board view.

2. In the text box, enter a message.

3. Click Publish (Figure 12-23).

Figure 12-23 Publish Button on a Message Board View

The message appears in all of your connections' views of Message Board and Activity Stream.

12.9.2 Posting a Private Message

Provided you are authorized to do so, you can post a private message to any of your connections. When you mark a message as private, only you and the recipient can see the message in your views of Message Board; however, all of your connections and all of the recipient's connections can see private messages in Activity Stream, unless the application is configured to omit Message Board activity from the Activity Stream or you have configured your Activity Stream preferences to do so.

See Also:

For more information, see Section 22.3, "Setting Activity Stream Preferences."

To post a private message:

1. Go to your My Profile page and click Connections to bring it forward.

Tip:

If necessary, set the Show menu to All Connections.

2. Click the name of the user to whom you want to send a private message. In the Profile popup, click Add Message (Figure 12-24).

Figure 12-24 Add Message Link in Profile Popup

3. Enter your message in the Add Message dialog (Figure 12-25).

Figure 12-25 Add Message Dialog

4. Select the Private check box to allow only the recipient to see the message.

5. Click Save and Close when you have finished.
The message appears in the recipient's views of Message Board and Activity Stream.

12.9.3 Sharing a Private Message

When you receive a private message, you can opt to share that message with all users who have access to your Message Board by marking it as shared. When someone sends you a message marked private, only you and the sender can see it in the Message Board (though all of your connections and the sender's connections can see the message in their Activity Streams, unless the Activity Stream in configured to omit Message Board activity).

See Also:

For information about omitting certain types of activities from Activity Stream at the application and personal levels, see Section 22.3, "Setting Activity Stream Preferences."

When you mark a private message as shared, you open it up to those permitted to see your view of the Message Board.

To mark a message as shared:

1. Go to the message you want to mark as shared in your view of the Message Board.

2. Click the Share link next to the relevant message (Figure 12-26).

Figure 12-26 Share Link on a Private Message

The message can be viewed by everyone who can access your Message Board.

12.10 Editing Messages

Your system administrator can configure the Message Board feature to enable users to revise the messages they leave. Provided this permission is in place, you can edit any message you post.

To edit a Message Board message:

1. Go to the message you want to edit.

2. Click the Edit link associated with the message (Figure 12-27).

Figure 12-27 Edit Link on a Message

The Edit Message dialog opens with a rich text editor pre-populated with your message text (Figure 12-28).

Figure 12-28 Edit Message Dialog

3. Revise your message, and click Save and Close.

12.11 Deleting Messages

Your system administrator can configure the Message Board to allow users to delete the messages they send. Provided this permission is in place, you can delete any message you send.

To delete a message you sent:

1. Go to your view of the Message Board, and click the Delete icon next to the message you want to delete (Figure 12-29).

Figure 12-29 Delete Icon on a Message

2. In the resulting confirmation dialog, click the Delete button.

12.12 Enabling Other Users to Post Feedback and Messages for You

To set up your Feedback and Message Board viewers so that users can post feedback and messages specifically for you, you must add a Feedback or Message Board viewer to a page in your view of the Home portal, and share that page with your connections. Additionally, you must set a parameter on the Feedback or Message Board viewer to identify yourself as the viewer owner. After this is set up, your connections can access this page and post messages and feedback for you. This section steps you through this process.

To enable other users to post feedback and messages for you:

1. Create a new personal page or edit an existing personal page in the Home portal to which to grant access to your connections.

See Also:

For more information, see Section 5.7, "Creating a Personal Page in the Home Portal" or Section 5.9, "Editing a Personal Page."

2. Set page access to enable your connections to view and personalize the page.

See Also:

For more information, see Section 5.12, "Controlling User Access to Your Personal Pages."

Tip:

When you share one of your personal pages in the Home portal with other users, the shared page appears on their Personalize Pages page. Such users can use controls on the Personalize Pages page to show the page in their own view of the Home portal.

3. In Design view (the default view when you edit a page), find the Feedback or Message Board viewer you want to add to the page, and click Add.

Figure 12-30 Message Board Viewers in Composer

Note:

The Message Board viewers are stored in the Social and Communication folder by default. Your system administrator must add the Feedback viewers to a resource catalog to make them available to you.

See Also:

For more information on adding a viewer, see the "Editing a Page" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal. Editing a personal page is no different than editing a page in a portal, but this is an advanced task.

4. Click the Edit icon () on the viewer to open the Component Properties dialog.

See Also:

For more information on editing component properties, see the "Setting Properties on a Component" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal. Editing component properties is an advanced task

5. In the Component Properties dialog, on the Parameters tab, enter your user name in the required field:

- For Feedback, enter your user name in the Resource Id text box.

- For Feedback - Quick View, enter your user name in the User Id text box.

- For Message Board and Message Board - Quick View, enter your user name in the User Name text box.

6. Click Save to save the page.

7. Click Close to exit page edit mode.

If you want to, you can send a link to this page to your connections, inviting them to leave you feedback or messages whenever they are moved to do so. For more information, see Section 5.14, "Sending Mail with a Link to a Personal Page."

All users who have access to the page see the Feedback or Message Board viewers that you place there, but only the users to whom you have granted access, through preferences, see any content in the components.

See Also:

For information about setting Feedback and Message Board preferences, see Section 12.2, "Setting Feedback Preferences" and Section 12.7, "Setting Message Preferences."

13 Liking, Commenting On, and Sharing Items in WebCenter Portal

This chapter describes how to like, comment on, or share items (like messages, activities, files, links, and so on) in WebCenter Portal.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 13.1, "About Liking Items in WebCenter Portal"

- Section 13.2, "Liking Items"

- Section 13.3, "About Commenting on Items in WebCenter Portal"

- Section 13.4, "Commenting on Items"

- Section 13.5, "About Sharing Items in WebCenter Portal"

- Section 13.6, "Sharing Streamed Items with a Wider Audience"

- Section 13.7, "Sharing Messages, Files, and URLs"

Permissions:

To perform the tasks in this chapter, you need the application-level permission People Connections: Update People Connections Data.

13.1 About Liking Items in WebCenter Portal

Liking is an accumulative rating system that enables you to see at a glance which items are liked and who likes them. A counter keeps track of the number of users who like an item and a link is available for viewing the users who like it. In a group of items, you can determine the most favored by its number of likes.

You can express liking for Message Board messages, Activity Stream entries, files, wikis, and blog entries.

Tip:

Whether you or any user can like a message or activity depends on whether your system administrator has enabled liking for these features.

Note:

Liking an activity associated with an item (for example, an activity entry for adding a document) is not the same as liking the item. The like count is calculated separately for the activity and the item.

13.2 Liking Items

To like an item, click the Like link or icon associated with the item:

- For Message Board messages and Activity Stream entries, click the Like link under the message or entry (Figure 13-1).

Figure 13-1 Like Link in the Activity Stream

- For files in a Document list view (on the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer), click the Like icon (the star) in the file's row (Figure 13-2).

Figure 13-2 Like Icon in Document List View

- For files and wikis in the Document Viewer, click the Like icon (the star) in the menu bar (Figure 13-3).

Figure 13-3 Like Icon in Document Viewer

- For blog posts, click the Like icon (the star) at the bottom of the post (Figure 13-4).

Figure 13-4 Like Icon in Blog Post

The text under the Like link or the number to the right of the Like icon (Figure 13-5) indicates the number of users that like the file. Click the text or number to view a list of other users who have "liked" the item.

Figure 13-5 Like Icon Count

To remove your favorable rating (that is, unlike the object), click the Unlike link or click the star again.

13.3 About Commenting on Items in WebCenter Portal

Commenting provides a means of adding your thoughts, opinions, and questions directly to a given item in WebCenter Portal.

You can comment on Message Board messages, Activity Stream entries, files, wikis, and blog entries.

Notes:

- Commenting on an activity associated with a file (for example, an adding a document activity entry) is not the same as commenting on the file.

- Public users viewing a public document cannot comment on the document.

13.4 Commenting on Items

To enter a comment on an item:

1. Access comments by performing one of the following actions:

- For Message Board messages and Activity Stream entries, click the Comment link under the message or entry (Figure 13-6).

Figure 13-6 Comment Link in the Activity Stream

- For files in a Document list view (on the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer), open the Comments pane in any of the following ways:

- Click the View menu, and select Details.

- Right-click to display the file's context menu and choose Details.

- Click the value in the Comments column (Figure 13-7) for the file. This value indicates the number of comments that have been entered for each file.

Figure 13-7 Comments Column for a File

- For files and wikis in the Document Viewer or Rich Text Editor, scroll to the bottom of the document and click the Comments tab (Figure 13-8).

Figure 13-8 Comments Pane

- For blog posts, click the comments link at the bottom of the post (Figure 13-4).

2. To add a comment, enter it in the input area (Figure 13-9), then click Comment.

Figure 13-9 Write a Comment Text Box

To delete a comment:

1. Click the Delete icon associated with the comment (Figure 13-10).

Figure 13-10 Delete Icon for a Comment in the Activity Stream

2. In the confirmation dialog, click OK.

Note:

You can delete your own comments, or, if you are a portal moderator, you can delete comments in the portal you moderate.

13.5 About Sharing Items in WebCenter Portal

Sharing provides a means of on-the-spot distribution of items, status messages, files, and URLs of particular interest to a selected audience. Sharing is available in a few different forms:

- Share an item you receive in your Activity Stream by posting it to your connections' Activity Streams (for more information, see Section 13.6.1, "Reposting Streamed Items").

- Share an item you receive in your Activity Stream through email (for more information, see Section 13.6.2, "Emailing Streamed Items").

- Share an item, status message, file, or URL through Publisher (for more information, see Section 13.7, "Sharing Messages, Files, and URLs").

To share an item directly from your Activity Stream, the item must contain an object. For example, you can share "Jack has updated doc.xml," but you cannot share "Jack and Jill are now connected." You can share anything you post through Publisher because the post itself is an object.

13.6 Sharing Streamed Items with a Wider Audience

You can share items that appear in your view of the Activity Stream with a wider audience. For example, when your view of the Activity Stream reports that one of your connections updated a document of great interest to all of your connections, you can share that streamed item with all of your connections.

You can do so by posting the streamed item to all of your connections' Activity Streams or to the Activity Streams of connections who belong to a named portal. You can also share streamed items through email, enabling you to share it with users to whom you are not connected or to make use of mail distribution lists.

Note:

To share an item directly from your Activity Stream, the item must contain an object. For more information, see Section 13.5, "About Sharing Items in WebCenter Portal."

This section includes the following subsections:

- Section 13.6.1, "Reposting Streamed Items"

- Section 13.6.2, "Emailing Streamed Items"

13.6.1 Reposting Streamed Items

To repost a streamed item to your connections' Activity Streams:

1. Go to the item you want to share, click Share, then click This activity (Figure 13-11)

Figure 13-11 Share - This Activity Option

2. In the resulting Share dialog, optionally, enter a message to accompany the shared object (Figure 13-12).

Figure 13-12 Adding a Message to a Shared Object

Note:

When you share a message, rather than a file or a link, you cannot enter another message to accompany it.

3. From the Share with menu (Figure 13-13), select with whom you want to share the object:

Figure 13-13 Share With Menu

- Select Everyone to share the item with all of your connections.

- Select Portals to open the Select a Portal dialog (Figure 13-14), where you can select a portal to share the item on the Home page of the portal.

Figure 13-14 Select a Portal Dialog

From the Show portals menu:

- Select All to show all of the portals to which you have access.

- Select Joined to show all of the portals you have explicitly joined.

- Select Moderated to show all of the portals for which you are a moderator.

- Select Public to show all public portals.

Alternatively, enter the name of a portal in the Search field and execute the search. Results appear in the dialog.

Click a portal, and then click OK.

4. Click Publish.
The item is posted to the Activity Streams of the selected recipients or on the Home page of the selected portal.

13.6.2 Emailing Streamed Items

To share a streamed item through email, use the Send Mail option. The Send Mail option is available on streamed items that include objects, such as a document. It is otherwise not available.

To share a streamed item through email:

1. Go to the item you want to share, click Share, then click Send Mail (Figure 13-15)

Figure 13-15 Share - Send Mail Option

A mail message opens, prepopulated with a link to the selected item.

2. Address, write, and send the message as you would any other email.

13.7 Sharing Messages, Files, and URLs

Publisher provides a means of publishing messages, files, and URLs to your connections' Activity Streams or to a portal's Activity Stream.

Notes:

A portal's Activity Stream can be displayed in the portal, but portal members can also display the portal's activities in their own Activity Streams.

This section steps you through Publisher features. It includes the following subsections:

- Section 13.7.1, "About Publisher"

- Section 13.7.2, "Publishing a Message"

- Section 13.7.3, "Sharing Files Through Publisher"

- Section 13.7.4, "Sharing Links Through Publisher"

- Section 13.7.5, "Deleting a Published Message"

See Also:

For information about Activity Stream, see Chapter 22, "Tracking Portal Activities." For information about Profiles, see Chapter 4, "Managing Your Profile."

13.7.1 About Publisher

Publisher is very similar in operation to the Message Board (see Chapter 12, "Working with Feedback and the Message Board"). It differs in a few ways:

- You can use it to send out messages, but not to receive them. It provides no feature for viewing messages.

- It is specifically made to work in conjunction with Activity Stream, where the messages you enter are published.

- It is not controlled by configuration settings at the application level nor through your own personal Preferences. You specify who sees your published messages through a control in Publisher itself.

Note:

Your system administrator can also specify that a message published through Publisher be used as a user's Profile status message (Figure 13-16).

Figure 13-16 Published Message Used as Profile Status

See Also:

For information about Profile, see Chapter 4, "Managing Your Profile."

Depending on how your system administrator configured Publisher, it can show options for sharing messages, files, or links (Figure 13-17) or just show options for sharing documents (Figure 13-18).

Figure 13-17 Publisher

Note:

The Share with menu in Publisher appears only in the Home portal, not in other portals. This menu allows users to select whether to share information with your connections or only members of a specified portal. When Publisher is in a portal other than the Home portal, the published information is always shared with members of that portal.

Figure 13-18 Publisher - Document Upload Only

Note:

The Share with menu in Publisher appears only in the Home portal, not in other portals. This menu allows users to select whether to share information with your connections or only members of a specified portal. When Publisher is in a portal other than the Home portal, the published information is always shared with members of that portal.

In default WebCenter Portal installations, Publisher is part of the Activities page, which is provided in the Home portal for all authenticated users (that is, users who are logged in).

The default Activities page also contains an Activity Stream view where the messages you enter through Publisher are published.

Publisher features can also be embedded in some Profile views.

13.7.2 Publishing a Message

Publisher enables you to post a message to the Activity Stream to share with other users, and, if your system administrator has configured it, to display as your Profile status message.

To publish a message:

1. Go to the Activities page in the Home portal or to another view of Publisher in WebCenter Portal.

Tip:

The way you access the Activities page depends on the page template in use. For example, in a side navigation template, you may access it through an Activities link.

2. Click in the text area, and enter a message (Figure 13-19).

Figure 13-19 Publishing a Message

Note:

The Share with menu in Publisher appears only in the Home portal, not in other portals. This menu allows users to select whether to share information with your connections or only members of a specified portal. When Publisher is in a portal other than the Home portal, the published information is always shared with members of that portal.

3. If you are viewing Publisher from the Home portal, select an option from the Share with menu (Figure 13-20):

Figure 13-20 Share With Menu

- Select Everyone to share the item with all of your connections.

- Select Portals to open the Select a Portal dialog (Figure 13-21) and select a portal. The shared file will appear in the selected portal's Activity Stream.

Figure 13-21 Select a Portal Dialog

From the Show portals menu:

- Select All to show all of the portals to which you have access.

- Select Joined to show all of the portals you have explicitly joined.

- Select Moderated to show all of the portals for which you are a moderator.

- Select Public to show all public portals.

Alternatively, enter the name of a portal in the Search field and execute the search. Results appear in the dialog.

Click a portal, and click OK.

4. Click Publish.
Your message appears in your Activity Stream and, as appropriate, your connections' Activity Streams or the portal's Activity Stream.

13.7.3 Sharing Files Through Publisher

In addition to sharing messages through Publisher, you can share files. When you share a file through Publisher, the uploaded file is also stored in the Public folder of your personal document library.

Tip:

If you prefer to have greater control over where a shared file is stored in your document library, you can upload it to the folder you prefer. Such uploads are also reported in your connection's activity streams, provided your Activity Stream is configured to show them. For more information, see Section 22.3, "Setting Activity Stream Preferences."

Note:

Your system administrator can disable the ability to share files through Publisher. If you do not see the Attach: File link, contact your system administrator.

To share files through Publisher:

1. Go to the Activities page in the Home portal or to another view of Publisher in WebCenter Portal.

2. Optionally, click in the text area and enter the message you want to accompany the file.

3. Next to Attach, click File to open the field for attaching a file (Figure 13-22)

Figure 13-22 Attach File Field

Note:

The Share with menu in Publisher appears only in the Home portal, not in other portals. This menu allows users to select whether to share information with your connections or only members of a specified portal. When Publisher is in a portal other than the Home portal, the published information is always shared with members of that portal.

4. Click Select files to navigate to and select the file you want to share.

5. If you are viewing Publisher from the Home portal, select an option from the Share with menu.

Note:

For more information, see Step 3 of Section 13.7.2, "Publishing a Message."

6. Click Upload.
The file is added to your Activity Stream and, as appropriate, your connections' Activity Streams or the portal's Activity Stream.

Note:

Whether a file or a link to a file is shown depends on how your system administrator configured the Activity Stream.

13.7.4 Sharing Links Through Publisher

In addition to sharing messages through Publisher, you can share links.

To share links through Publisher:

1. Go to the Activities page in the Home portal or to another view of Publisher in WebCenter Portal.

2. Optionally, click in the text area and enter the message you want to accompany the link.

3. Next to Attach, click Link to open field for entering a URL (Figure 13-23)

Figure 13-23 Attach Link Field

Note:

The Share with menu in Publisher appears only in the Home portal, not in other portals. This menu allows users to select whether to share information with your connections or only members of a specified portal. When Publisher is in a portal other than the Home portal, the published information is always shared with members of that portal.

4. Enter the URL you want to share, and click Attach.

5. If you are viewing Publisher from the Home portal, select an option from the Share with menu.

Note:

For more information, see Step 3 of Section 13.7.2, "Publishing a Message."

6. Click Publish.
The link is added to your Activity Stream and, as appropriate, your connections' Activity Streams or the portal's Activity Stream.

Note:

Whether a file or a link to a file is shown depends on how your system administrator configured the Activity Stream.

13.7.5 Deleting a Published Message

Next to text or links that you post, there is a delete icon (Figure 13-24). Click the delete icon to delete your message.

Figure 13-24 Delete Message

Note:

Messages that include shared files do not display a delete icon. To delete a message with a shared file, go to your Public documents folder (for example, on the Documents page, open the Public folder) and delete it from there. For more information, see Section 17.12, "Deleting Folders and Files."

14 Viewing and Participating in Discussions

This chapter describes how to work with discussions. Discussions provide a means of creating and participating in text-based discussions with other members of a portal. Use discussions to post questions and search for answers. Discussion forums additionally provide the means to preserve and revisit discussions.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 14.1, "About Discussions"

- Section 14.2, "Working with Discussions"

Permissions:

This chapter is intended for WebCenter Portal users who want to view, create, and manage portal discussion forums and topics. To perform the tasks in this chapter, you need one or more of the following portal-level permissions:

- Create, Edit, and Delete Discussions

- Create and Edit Discussions

- View Discussions

These permissions are not granted by default to the portal Participant role.

Note:

Tasks discussed in this chapter are not available if discussions are not enabled and exposed. The portal moderator adds and configures discussions, as described in the "Adding Discussion Forums to a Portal" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

14.1 About Discussions

You can use the discussions feature to post, respond to, and preserve topical information in discussion forums scoped to portals or to the entire WebCenter Portal application. Users post topics to a discussion forum, and other users post information relevant to those topics. All of this information is preserved within the forum.

A new portal is assigned a single discussion forum by default; however, portal moderators can specify to include multiple discussion forums in a portal. Discussions are scoped to portals. That is, you can create forums and topics only within the context of a portal. You can view and participate in discussions in both portals and the Home portal, depending on your permissions.

Access to discussions is influenced by portal security. Users can access discussions according to the permissions they are granted by their specific user roles within a given portal.

Scoping additionally limits the users who can view and participate in discussions. For example, only members of the Finance portal can view discussions that transpire in Finance portal forums.

Discussion forums provide configuration settings for specifying which forum content to show. This is of particular use in the Home portal, which exists outside a specific portal scope.

Discussions provides a wide variety of ways for viewing and participating in discussions. These include the following:

- Discussion Forums provides controls for creating discussion forums (available to the portal moderator or participants having Create, Edit, and Delete Discussions permissions) as shown in Figure 14-1 (notice that the Create Forum option is not available in the participant's view in Figure 14-1); creating, replying to, and managing discussion forum topics; and selecting watched forums and watched topics (Figure 14-2).

Figure 14-1 Discussion Forums View Showing Multiple Discussion Forums

Only portal moderators can create, edit, and delete discussion forums, as described in the "Creating a Discussion Forum" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal. To view and post to different discussion forums, the enabling multiple forums option must be selected for the portal.

For more information about creating and managing forum topics and replies, watching forums and topics, showing and hiding forum information, and sending mail from discussion topics, see Section 14.2, "Working with Discussions."

Figure 14-2 Discussion Forums - Topics in a Single Discussion Forum

- Forums view provides a means of accessing all possible views of a particular portal's discussions: Recent Topics, Popular Topics, Watched Topics, and Watched Forums (Figure 14-3).

Figure 14-3 Forums

Forums view also provides controls for determining the data to show in addition to the forum or topic title. Click the Personalize icon (pencil) in the toolbar to open the Display Settings dialog (Figure 14-4). For example, when Recent Topics is selected on the menu, the Display Settings dialog offers the options Author, Date, and Replies (Figure 14-4). When Watched Forums is selected, the Display Settings dialog offers the options Date and Topics.

Figure 14-4 Display Settings Dialog

The available display options vary according to the option currently selected on the Forums - Quick View Display Options menu (Figure 14-5).

Figure 14-5 Display Options Menu (Forums - Quick View)

See Section 14.2.3.1, "Showing or Hiding Information in Forums View" for more information.

- Popular Topics (Figure 14-6) provides a look at the most frequently viewed discussion topics in all the discussion forums in a given portal.

Figure 14-6 Popular Topics

Popular Topics also provides controls for determining the data to show in addition to the topic title. Click the Personalize icon to open a panel with controls for selecting the type of additional data to show (Figure 14-7).

Figure 14-7 Show Panel in Popular Topics

See Section 14.2.3.2, "Showing or Hiding Information in Popular Topics" for more information.

- Recent Topics (Figure 14-8) provides a look at the most recently accessed discussion topics in all the discussion forums in a given portal.

Figure 14-8 Recent Topics

Access to portal discussion topics is restricted to those portals of which you are a member.

Recent Topics also provides controls for determining the data to show in addition to the topic title. Click the Personalize (pencil) icon to open a panel with controls for selecting the type of additional data to show (Figure 14-9).

Figure 14-9 Show Panel in a Recent Topics

See Section 14.2.3.3, "Showing or Hiding Information in Recent Topics" for more information.

- Watched Forums (Figure 14-10) provides a means of viewing all discussion forums you have selected to watch from a particular portal or from all portals.

Figure 14-10 Watched Forums

Watched Forums also provides controls for determining the data to show with the topic title. Click the Personalize icon to open a panel with controls for specifying the type of additional data to show (Figure 14-11).

Figure 14-11 Show Panel in Watched Forums

See Section 14.2.3.4, "Showing or Hiding Information in Watched Forums" for more information.

- Watched Topics (Figure 14-12) provides a cohesive view of all the topics you have selected to watch from a particular portal or from all portals.

Figure 14-12 Watched Topics

Watched Topics also provides controls for determining the data to show with the topic title. Click the Personalize icon (pencil) to open a panel with controls for specifying the type of additional data to show (Figure 14-13).

Figure 14-13 Show Panel in Watched Topics

See Section 14.2.3.5, "Showing or Hiding Information in Watched Topics" for more information.

Discussions is tightly integrated with other assets, such as links and mail. For example, mail sent to a portal distribution list can additionally be posted to that portal's default discussion forum. The portal moderator must choose Monitor Incoming Mail in the portal Tools and Services for Discussions. For more information, see the "Publishing Portal Mail in a Discussion Forum" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Every discussion topic provides the opportunity to link from the topic to another portal asset, such as a document or an announcement. See Section 31.2.1.3, "Linking to an Existing Discussion Forum Topic" and Section 31.2.2.2, "Adding and Linking to a Discussion Forum Topic" for more information.

14.2 Working with Discussions

The Discussion Forums feature is rich, providing controls for creating and managing discussion forums (available to the portal moderator only) and posting and managing discussion topics and replies. The other views, such as Watched Topics or Watched Forums are useful windows into discussion forum content. They provide different views of the discussion forums and topics available to a particular portal or all portals.

Most of the subsections in this section describe tasks you can accomplish through the Discussion Forums page (or console). It is noted when you can use other views to perform the described actions.

This section contains the following topics:

Note:

Only portal moderators can create discussion forums and edit discussion forums (unless participants have Create, Edit, and Delete Discussions permissions). See the "Creating a Discussion Forum" and "Editing the Forum Name and Description" sections in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- Section 14.2.1, "Creating and Managing Forum Topics and Replies"

- Section 14.2.2, "Watching Forums and Topics"

- Section 14.2.3, "Showing and Hiding Additional Discussion Forum Information"

- Section 14.2.4, "Sending Mail from Discussion Topics"

14.2.1 Creating and Managing Forum Topics and Replies

The life of a discussion forum takes place in its topics and replies. Users can ask questions, post information, exchange ideas, and otherwise communicate in interesting and useful ways.

Note:

Only portal moderators can create, edit, and delete discussion forums. See the "Creating a Discussion Forum," "Editing the Forum Name and Description," and "Deleting a Discussion Forum" sections in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

This section describes how to work with discussion forum topics and replies. It contains the following topics:

- Section 14.2.1.1, "Posting a New Forum Topic"

- Section 14.2.1.2, "Replying to Topic Posts"

- Section 14.2.1.3, "Viewing Topic Posts and Replies"

- Section 14.2.1.4, "Editing Topics and Replies"

- Section 14.2.1.5, "Deleting Topic Posts and Replies"

- Section 14.2.1.6, "Selecting the Number of Topics or Forums to Display"

- Section 14.2.1.7, "Toggling Between Topic View Modes"

14.2.1.1 Posting a New Forum Topic

When you consider discussion forums hierarchically, the forum is the top container and topics are the next level down. Each posted topic can have subordinate replies, and the replies themselves can also have replies (Figure 14-14).

Figure 14-14 A Posted Topic and a Reply to the Topic

To post a topic under a discussion forum:

1. Go to the Discussion Forums console and then navigate to the forum topics page, and click Create Topic (Figure 14-15).

Figure 14-15 Create Topic

The Create Topic dialog opens (Figure 14-16).

Figure 14-16 Create Topic Dialog

2. In the Subject field, enter the subject of the topic.
You can enter up to 200 characters.

3. In the Message field, enter more details about the topic.
You can enter up to 4000 characters.

4. Click Create.
The newly-posted topic appears under the selected forum in Discussion Forums. Click the topic subject to view the message (Figure 14-17).

Figure 14-17 A New Discussion Forum Topic

14.2.1.2 Replying to Topic Posts

To reply to topic posts:

1. Go to the Discussion Forums console and then navigate to the forum topics page, and click the relevant topic link (Figure 14-18).

Figure 14-18 Discussion Forums Topic

The selected topic opens.

2. Click Reply Topic (Figure 14-19).

Figure 14-19 Reply Topic

The Reply Topic dialog opens (Figure 14-20).

Figure 14-20 Reply Topic Dialog

3. In the Subject field, either leave the text as is or revise it.
You can enter up to 200 characters.

4. In the Message text box, enter your reply to the topic.
You can enter up to 4000 characters.

5. Click Reply.
Your reply appears below the main topic post (Figure 14-21).

Figure 14-21 A Topic Post and a Reply

To post a reply to a reply, click the Reply to message icon (Figure 14-22) and follow the steps described in this section.

Figure 14-22 Reply to message Icon

14.2.1.3 Viewing Topic Posts and Replies

With Discussion Forums, topics and replies to the topic open directly in Discussions Forums. To navigate back up the forum hierarchy, click the locator links that display above the topic reply area (Figure 14-23).

Figure 14-23 Forum Locator Links

With all the other Discussions views, topics open in a separate window. For example, in Figure 14-24, the topic and its reply displays in a window after clicking the topic from the Watched Topics view.

Figure 14-24 Viewing a Topic in Discussions - Watched Topics

To return to the main view, click the Close button in the window.

14.2.1.4 Editing Topics and Replies

After you post a topic or a reply, you retain the option of returning to it and revising its content. Only you, as the topic author, and portal moderators can edit your replies. This section describes how to edit topics and replies.

To edit a topic or a reply:

1. Go the Discussion Forum that displays the topic or reply you want to edit, and click the relevant topic.
The selected topic opens.

2. To edit a topic or a reply, do the following:

- To edit the topic, click Edit Topic (Figure 14-25).

Figure 14-25 Edit Topic

- To edit a reply, click the Edit message icon (pencil) associated with the reply (Figure 14-26). Only the user who authored the reply or the portal moderator can view the icon.

Figure 14-26 Edit Message Icon

The Edit Topic or Edit Message dialog opens (Figure 14-27).

Figure 14-27 Edit Message Dialog

3. Revise the topic (up to 200 characters) or reply (up to 4000 characters).

4. Click Save.
Your changes are posted to the forum.

14.2.1.5 Deleting Topic Posts and Replies

When you delete a topic, the original topic post and all of its subordinate replies are deleted. When you delete a reply, you can select to delete the original reply as well as all of its subordinate replies or to delete only this message and keep its replies.

The steps to delete topics and replies are similar.

Note:

To delete a topic post or reply, you must be the user who created it or you must have access equivalent to the portal moderator (Create, Edit, and Delete Discussions permissions). If you do not have the permission to delete, you will not see the option to delete.

To delete a topic or a reply:

1. Go to the Discussion Forum that displays the topic or reply you want to delete, and click the relevant topic (Figure 14-28).

Figure 14-28 Discussion Forum Topic

The selected topic opens.

2. Your next step depends on whether you want to delete a topic or a reply:

- To delete a topic, click the Delete Topic link (Figure 14-29).

Figure 14-29 Delete Topic Link

A Delete Topic confirmation dialog opens (Figure 14-30).

Figure 14-30 Delete Confirmation Dialog for Topics

- To delete a reply, click the Delete message icon associated with the reply (Figure 14-31).

Figure 14-31 Delete Message Icon

A Delete Message confirmation dialog opens, with the option to select if you want to delete this message and all its replies or delete only this message (Figure 14-32).

Figure 14-32 Delete Confirmation Dialog for Topic Replies

3. Select an option, and then click Delete to confirm the deletion.

14.2.1.6 Selecting the Number of Topics or Forums to Display

You can decide how many topics or forums to display; for example, 10, 25, 50, 75, or 100 (Figure 14-33).

Figure 14-33 Number of Topics to Display

For example, if you choose to display 10 topics, and if there are more than 10 topics available, then you click the More link to see the next 10 topics, and so on. (Note that your portal moderator may have configured the portal to not show the More link or to show a specific number of topics.)

14.2.1.7 Toggling Between Topic View Modes

You have the option of viewing a topic and all of its replies in a hierarchical (indented) mode or a flat (unindented) mode. The hierarchical mode (Figure 14-34) uses indenting to indicate whether a reply is to the topic or to another reply.

Figure 14-34 Hierarchical View Mode

For example, in Figure 14-34 the first entry is the main topic, the second is a reply to the topic, and so on.

The flat mode (Figure 14-35) makes no such distinctions.

Figure 14-35 Flat View Mode

All Discussion views that show topics and replies on the same screen provide Show view mode options.

To toggle between topic view modes:

1. Go to the Discussions view that contains the topic you want to view, and click the topic.

2. From the Show drop-down list, select Flat or Hierarchical.
The topic view renders according to your selection. (You might have to click Refresh or click another page and then return to the page where the Discussions view is to see the changes.)

14.2.2 Watching Forums and Topics

Watching discussion forums and topics provides a convenient means of keeping a close eye on the information most current and relevant to you. The forums and topics you choose to watch appear in your view only. No other user is affected by the forums and topics you choose to watch.

When you select to watch a forum or a topic, whenever users add to that forum or topic, in addition to it appearing in the user's watched forums or topics list, you receive a mail notification.

This section includes information about how to add, view, and manage watched topics and forums. It contains the following subsections:

- Section 14.2.2.1, "Adding a Discussion Forum or Topic to Your Watch List"

- Section 14.2.2.2, "Removing a Discussion Forum or Topic from a Watch List"

- Section 14.2.2.3, "Viewing Watched Forums and Topics from the Forums View"

14.2.2.1 Adding a Discussion Forum or Topic to Your Watch List

To add a discussion forum or topic to your watch list:

1. Go to the discussion forum or topic you want to add to your watch list.

2. The next step depends on whether you want to watch a forum or a topic:

- To watch a forum, click Watch Forum at the top of the forum (Figure 14-36).

Figure 14-36 Watch Forum Link on the Forum

- To watch a topic, click the topic link, then click Watch Topic at the top of the topic (Figure 14-37).

Figure 14-37 Watch Topic Link on the Topic

The watched forum or topic is listed on all Watched Forums or Watched Topics views, for example, in Watched Forums and Watched Topics (Figure 14-38) views.

Figure 14-38 Watched Forums View

14.2.2.2 Removing a Discussion Forum or Topic from a Watch List

To remove a discussion forum or a discussion topic from your watch list:

1. Go to the discussion forum or topic you want to remove from your watch list.

2. Click Remove Watch on the forum or topic (Figure 14-39).

Figure 14-39 Remove Watch Icon in a Topic

The selected item is removed from your forum or topic watch list upon refresh.

14.2.2.3 Viewing Watched Forums and Topics from the Forums View

To view a watched forum or topic from the Forums view:

1. From the Forums view, set the panel display option to Watched Forums or Watched Topics (Figure 14-40).

Figure 14-40 Watched Forums on the Forums - Quick View

2. Click the link to the discussion forum or forum topic you want to view.
The forum or topic opens (Figure 14-41).

Figure 14-41 A Watched Forum Opened from the Quick View

14.2.3 Showing and Hiding Additional Discussion Forum Information

Most discussions views provide personalization settings for determining the amount of information to show in addition to the forum or topic title (the Discussion Forums view does not provide such settings). Additional information can include forum or topic author, creation date, and replies or topics.

How you set these display settings is personal, affecting only your view. How you access these display settings varies slightly from each discussion view.

This section describes how to configure display settings. It contains the following topics:

- Section 14.2.3.1, "Showing or Hiding Information in Forums View"

- Section 14.2.3.2, "Showing or Hiding Information in Popular Topics"

- Section 14.2.3.3, "Showing or Hiding Information in Recent Topics"

- Section 14.2.3.4, "Showing or Hiding Information in Watched Forums"

- Section 14.2.3.5, "Showing or Hiding Information in Watched Topics"

14.2.3.1 Showing or Hiding Information in Forums View

To show or hide additional information in Discussions Forums View:

1. Go to the Forums view where you want to select display settings.

2. Click the Select the data to display icon (Figure 14-42).

Figure 14-42 Select the data to display Icon in Forums

The Display Settings dialog opens (Figure 14-43).

Figure 14-43 Display Settings Dialog

3. Select the data you want to show, or deselect the data check box you want to hide. Select or deselect one or more from:

- Author—The user name of the person who created the forum or topic (for Watched Forums, this option does not appear).

- Date—The date the forum or topic was last updated.

- Replies—The replies associated with the topic (for Watched Forums, this displays Topics).

4. Click Save to save your changes and close the dialog.

14.2.3.2 Showing or Hiding Information in Popular Topics

To show or hide additional information in Popular Topics:

1. Go to the Popular Topics view where you want to show or hide additional information.

2. Click the Personalize icon (pencil) in the header (Figure 14-44).

Figure 14-44 Personalize Icon in Popular Topics

The Show panel displays, where you can select or deselect additional data (Figure 14-45).

Figure 14-45 Show Panel in Popular Topics

3. Select the data you want to show, or deselect the data check box you want to hide. Select or deselect one or more from:

- Author—The user name of the person who posted the topic

- Date—The date the topic was last updated

- Replies—The replies associated with the topic

4. Click Save to save your changes and close the panel.

14.2.3.3 Showing or Hiding Information in Recent Topics

To show or hide additional information in Recent Topics:

1. Go to the Recent Topics view where you want to show or hide additional information.

2. Click the Personalize icon (pencil) in the header (Figure 14-47).

Figure 14-46 Personalize Icon in Recent Topics

The Show panel displays, where you can select or deselect additional data (Figure 14-47).

Figure 14-47 Show Panel in Recent Topics

3. Select the data you want to show, or deselect the data check box you want to hide. Select or deselect one or more from:

- Author—The user name of the person who posted the topic

- Date—The date the topic was last updated

- Replies—The replies associated with the topic

4. Click Save to save your changes and close the panel.

14.2.3.4 Showing or Hiding Information in Watched Forums

To show or hide additional information in Watched Forums:

1. Go to the Watched Forums view where you want to show or hide additional information.

2. Click the Personalize (pencil) icon in the header (Figure 14-48).

Figure 14-48 Personalize Icon in Watched Forums

The Show panel displays, where you can select or deselect additional data (Figure 14-49).

Figure 14-49 Show Panel in Watched Forums

3. Select the data you want to show, or deselect the check box of the data you want to hide. Select or deselect one or more from:

- Date—The date the forum was last updated

- Topics—The topics associated with the forum

4. Click Save to save your changes and close the panel.

14.2.3.5 Showing or Hiding Information in Watched Topics

To show or hide additional information in Watched Topics:

1. Go to the Watched Topics view where you want to show or hide additional information.

2. Click the Personalize icon (pencil) in the header (Figure 14-50).

Figure 14-50 Personalize Icon in Watched Topics

The Show panel displays, where you can select or deselect additional data (Figure 14-51).

Figure 14-51 Show Panel in Watched Topics

3. Select the data you want to show, or deselect the data check box you want to hide. Select or deselect one or more from:

- Author—The user name of the person who posted the topic

- Date—The date the topic was last updated

- Replies—The replies associated with the topic

4. Click Save to save your changes and close the panel.

14.2.4 Sending Mail from Discussion Topics

Each discussion topic has an associated Send Mail icon in its toolbar (Figure 14-52). Click the Send Mail icon to initiate a mail message containing the discussion text, location, author, and date it was created. This feature makes it easy for you to communicate interesting discussions to others.

Figure 14-52 Send Mail Icons on Discussion Topics

The portal moderator determines the mail client to use with the Send Mail icon. If a local mail client was specified, then a plain text message opens (if you have not logged into your mail application, you will be prompted to do so). If WebCenter Portal's Mail service was set as the mail client, then the HTML Mail Compose dialog opens. With either mail client, you can add or edit the standard, perpetuated message before sending.

15 Working with Wikis

This chapter describes how to create, edit, and manage wikis, which multiple users can use to create and edit content that is relevant, useful, and up-to-date.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 15.1, "About Wikis"

- Section 15.2, "Creating a Wiki"

- Section 15.3, "Editing a Wiki"

- Section 15.4, "Exposing an Existing Wiki Document in the Portal Navigation"

- Section 15.5, "Managing Wiki Documents"

Note:

The tasks described in this chapter are available only if the system administrator and portal moderator have made wiki functionality available in WebCenter Portal and the current portal, as described in the "Prerequisites for Enabling Wiki Functionality" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Permissions:

To perform the tasks in this chapter, you need the following permissions:

- To use the New Wiki Document action and work with wiki documents: in the Home portal on the Documents page, any authenticated user can create new wiki documents; in other portals, you need the portal-level permission Create and Edit Documents (which includes delete permissions on wiki documents that you create). To delete wiki documents that are not your own, you must have Delete Documents permission.

- To view or post comments on wiki documents, you need only the View Documents permission.

- To view a wiki page, you need the View Page permission. This permission is granted to all authenticated users by default. To edit a wiki page, you need to be granted Edit permissions on the page.

- To create a personal page using the Wiki page style, you need the application-level permission Pages: Create. This permission is granted to all authenticated users by default, allowing them to create and manage their personal pages in the Home portal.

15.1 About Wikis

Wikis epitomize the concepts of community and collaboration by allowing all authorized community members to contribute their information to a body of knowledge. Wikis are web pages that offer in-place editing using HTML or a simple mark-up language called wiki mark-up. Users with sufficient permissions on a wiki can add, revise, or delete content. Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.com) is a widely-known example of the use of wikis. Users from all over the world collaborate to create and edit Wikipedia pages, resulting in a rich, dynamic knowledge base for everyone's benefit.

In WebCenter Portal, you can create a wiki using either of the following methods:

- Create a wiki document using the New Wiki Document action, available on the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page. See Section 15.2.1, "Creating a Wiki Document Using the New Wiki Document Action."

- Create a wiki page using the Wiki page style, to support a dedicated wiki page with a default wiki document that offers a simplified user interface and a dedicated wiki experience. See Section 15.2.2, "Creating a Wiki Using the Wiki Page Style."

Wikis created using either of the two methods offer the same in-place editing features through the Rich Text Editor (RTE).

The method you choose for creating a wiki really depends on your preferences. If you want to create a wiki as a page in your portal, exposed in the portal navigation, use the Wiki page style method. If you just want to create a wiki document (among other types of documents) in your portal's document hierarchy, use the New Wiki Document action.

Table 15-1 summarizes the differences between the two methods of creating wiki documents to help you decide which method to choose:

Table 15-1 Distinguishing Features Between Methods of Creating Wikis

Feature

New Wiki Document Action
(Section 15.2.1, "Creating a Wiki Document Using the New Wiki Document Action")

Wiki Page Style
(Section 15.2.2, "Creating a Wiki Using the Wiki Page Style")

Wiki exposure

Does not display wiki as a link in the portal navigation.

Includes the wiki as a link in the portal navigation. The screenshot shows an example of navigation to a wiki page in a portal using the default side navigation page template.

Wiki storage

A wiki document is exposed on the Documents page of the portal, just like any other file.

A wiki page is exposed on the Documents page of the portal as a folder, just like any other page. The folder contains a default wiki document, with the same name as the page name.

Permissions inherited by a wiki

Inherits permissions from the folder in which it is created.

In a portal, the newly created wiki page inherits portal permissions (where Moderator and Participant roles have Create, Edit, and Delete permissions, and Viewer role has only View permission).

In the Home portal, a newly created wiki page inherits the same permissions as a public folder; the owner is granted the Administer, Read, Write, and Delete permissions, and public users are granted only the Read access.

Permissions required to create wiki

Create and Edit Documents

- Create Pages or Create, Edit, Delete Pages

- Assets: Edit Assets (simple permission model) or Navigations: Edit Navigations (advanced permission model)

- Create and Edit Documents

15.2 Creating a Wiki

The following sections describe how to create a wiki in WebCenter Portal:

- Section 15.2.1, "Creating a Wiki Document Using the New Wiki Document Action"

- Section 15.2.2, "Creating a Wiki Using the Wiki Page Style"

- Section 15.2.3, "Creating a Wiki Document Within a Wiki Page"

15.2.1 Creating a Wiki Document Using the New Wiki Document Action

To understand the differences between the two methods of creating a wiki, see Section 15.1, "About Wikis."

To create a wiki using the New Wiki Document action:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, browse to the folder where you want to create a wiki document.

2. Click New Wiki Document (Figure 15-1).

Figure 15-1 Creating a New Wiki Document

The Rich Text Editor (RTE) opens (Figure 15-2), displaying a blank wiki document.

Figure 15-2 Rich Text Editor Displaying New Wiki Document

3. In the Title field, enter a display name for the wiki document.

Note:

When naming wiki documents, the following characters are not allowed:

\ / : < > * " | ?

Letters, numbers, spaces, single quotes ('), and periods (.) are allowed.

4. Add and preview the text, formatting, styling, and links in the Rich Text, HTML, Wiki Markup (if shown), HTML, and/or Preview tabbed panes.

Notes:

- For information about using the toolbar and features in the Rich Text pane, see Section 17.7, "Using the Rich Text Editor (RTE)."

- Apple iPad users cannot make selections from drop-down lists in the RTE. This is a known limitation.

- By default, the Wiki Markup tab is hidden in the RTE. Your system administrator can change this setting, as described in the "Showing and Hiding the Wiki Markup Tab in the Rich Text Editor" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- If you switch from the Wiki Markup tab to another tab in the RTE, your content might become garbled. As a workaround, if you go to the Wiki Markup tab, click Save and Close or Cancel rather than switching to another tab in the RTE.

5. Click Create to save your changes and exit the editor.
The new wiki document displays in the Document Viewer, ready to be viewed and edited by other portal members (Figure 15-3). For information about the tasks that can be performed on a wiki besides editing it, see Section 15.5, "Managing Wiki Documents."

Figure 15-3 Wiki Document Created Using New Wiki Document Action

On the Documents page in the portal, the new wiki document (Member Meeting Schedule) is saved as a document in the current folder, as shown in Figure 15-4.

Figure 15-4 Wiki Document Created Using New Wiki Document Action

15.2.2 Creating a Wiki Using the Wiki Page Style

To understand the differences between the two methods of creating a wiki, see Section 15.1, "About Wikis."

You can create a dedicated wiki page using the Wiki page style as either:

- A personal page in the Home portal, selecting Wiki as the page style. See Section 5.7.2, "Creating a Personal Page."

- A portal page in a portal, selecting Wiki as the page style. This is an advanced task, described in the "Creating a Page or Subpage in an Existing Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Wikis created using either of the two methods offer the same in-place editing features through the Rich Text Editor (RTE), described in Section 17.7, "Using the Rich Text Editor (RTE)."

In both cases, the initial wiki page, containing a default wiki document with default text, looks similar to Figure 15-5. For information about the tasks that can be performed on a wiki besides editing it, see Section 15.5, "Managing Wiki Documents."

Figure 15-5 Default Wiki Document Created Using the Wiki Page Style

The breadcrumbs at the top display the path where the wiki document is created in the document hierarchy. In the wiki document, you can replace the default text with the desired content. For information, see Section 15.3, "Editing a Wiki."

On the Documents page, you can find the newly created wiki document stored in a separate folder for the wiki page under the root folder, as shown in Figure 15-6. Both the folder and the default wiki document share the same name.

Figure 15-6 Default Wiki Document for a Wiki Page in the Document Hierarchy

15.2.3 Creating a Wiki Document Within a Wiki Page

A page based on the Wiki page style contains a default wiki document. Anyone with appropriate permissions on the wiki page can create additional wiki documents using the New Wiki Document action. These wiki documents are siblings of the default wiki document, and are all stored in the dedicated folder that is automatically created for the wiki page.

You can create an additional wiki document within a wiki page in either of the following ways:

- Navigate to the folder for the page, and create a new wiki document as described in Section 15.2.1, "Creating a Wiki Document Using the New Wiki Document Action."

- Navigate to the wiki page and select the New Wiki Document action, as described in the following steps:

1. In the wiki page, select the New Wiki Document action.
The way you select this action depends on the page template used in your portal.

Figure 15-7 shows a wiki page open in a portal that uses a side navigation page template. Clicking the page name in the breadcrumbs or the drop-down arrow next to the page name displays a menu that contains the New Wiki Document action.

Figure 15-7 The New Wiki Document Option Available for a Wiki Page

2. In the Rich Text Editor (RTE), in the Title field, enter a name for the new wiki document (for example, Project Plan).

3. Add, revise, and preview text, formatting, styling, and links in the Rich Text, HTML, Wiki Markup (if shown), and/or Preview tabbed panes.

Notes:

- For information about using the toolbar and features in the Rich Text pane, see Section 17.7, "Using the Rich Text Editor (RTE)."

- Apple iPad users cannot make selections from drop-down lists in the RTE. This is a known limitation.

- By default, the Wiki Markup tab is hidden in the RTE. Your system administrator can change this setting, as described in the "Showing and Hiding the Wiki Markup Tab in the Rich Text Editor" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- If you switch from the Wiki Markup tab to another tab in the RTE, your content might become garbled. As a workaround, if you go to the Wiki Markup tab, click Save and Close or Cancel rather than switching to another tab in the RTE.

4. Click Create to save your changes and exit the editor.
The new wiki document displays in the Document Viewer, ready to be edited by other portal members (Figure 15-8). For information about the tasks that can be performed on a wiki besides editing it, see Section 15.5, "Managing Wiki Documents."

Figure 15-8 New Wiki Document Associated with a Wiki Page

On the Documents page in the portal, the new wiki document (Just Lincoln) is saved as a document under its parent wiki folder (Stamp Catalog), along with the wiki document created as the default wiki page document (Stamp Catalog), as shown in Figure 15-9.

Figure 15-9 Wiki Document Created Within a Wiki Page

In the wiki page, the drop-down arrow next to the page name in the breadcrumbs displays a menu that includes the wiki documents created within the page (in this example, Just Lincoln) (Figure 15-10).

Figure 15-10 List of Wiki Documents Associated with Wiki Page

15.3 Editing a Wiki

You use the Rich Text Editor (RTE) to add or revise the content of your wiki documents.

Note:

The Rich Text Editor (RTE) can edit wiki documents up to 1MB in size. For wiki documents larger than 1MB, the Edit action is not active.

When you open a wiki document for editing, WebCenter Portal automatically checks the file out. If another user is already editing a wiki document when you try to open it, you will see a message that the wiki document has already been checked out. On the Documents page (or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page), a lock icon displays alongside a wiki document that is checked out. When you hover the mouse cursor over the lock icon, the name of the user who has checked out the wiki document displays.

Whenever you save changes to a wiki document, WebCenter Portal automatically checks the file in and creates a new version of the wiki document. This means that the last saved version of a wiki document appears as the current version.

To edit a wiki:

1. Open a wiki in edit mode in any of the following ways, depending on your view:

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the wiki document you want to edit. From the File menu, select Edit, or right-click the file and select Edit from the context menu to open the wiki document in the RTE.

- In the Document Viewer preview pane, click the Edit action (Figure 15-11).

Figure 15-11 Editing a Wiki Document

- In a wiki page, click the Edit action to edit the default wiki document.

Figure 15-12 Editing a Wiki Page

- In a wiki page, click the drop-down arrow next to the page name in the breadcrumbs to select and open a wiki document created within the page.(Figure 15-13), then click the Edit action.

Figure 15-13 List of Wiki Documents Associated with Wiki Page

2. In the RTE, add, revise, and preview text, formatting, styling, and links in the Rich Text, HTML, Wiki Markup (if shown), and/or Preview tabbed panes.

Notes:

- For information about using the toolbar and features in the Rich Text pane, see Section 17.7, "Using the Rich Text Editor (RTE)."

- Apple iPad users cannot make selections from drop-down lists in the RTE. This is a known limitation.

- By default, the Wiki Markup tab is hidden in the RTE. Your system administrator can change this setting, as described in the "Showing and Hiding the Wiki Markup Tab in the Rich Text Editor" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- If you switch from the Wiki Markup tab to another tab in the RTE, your content might become garbled. As a workaround, if you go to the Wiki Markup tab, click Save and Close or Cancel rather than switching to another tab in the RTE.

3. Select the Minor Edit? check box if you do not want to notify portal members about your changes.
Leaving this check box deselected updates the Activity Stream and sends notifications after you save your changes.

4. Click Save to save your changes and continue editing, or click Save and Close to save your changes and exit the editor.

15.4 Exposing an Existing Wiki Document in the Portal Navigation

This section includes the following topics:

- Section 15.4.1, "Exposing an Existing Wiki Document as a Wiki Page"

- Section 15.4.2, "Exposing an Existing Wiki Document Using Content Presenter"

15.4.1 Exposing an Existing Wiki Document as a Wiki Page

When you create a wiki page using the Wiki page style, it is listed in the document hierarchy, and is exposed as a separate page in the portal navigation. However, when you create a wiki document using the New Wiki Document action, the wiki document is listed in only in the document hierarchy. For easy access to such a wiki document, you can publish it to appear as a page in the portal navigation.

To publish an existing wiki document as a page in the portal navigation:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, create a folder with the same name as the existing wiki document at the root level of the portal (see Section 17.4, "Creating a Folder"). For example, if the existing wiki document is named Member Meeting Schedule, create a folder named Member Meeting Schedule (Figure 15-14).

Figure 15-14 Folder Created at the Portal Root Level

2. Move (drag) the existing wiki document into the newly created folder (see Section 17.11, "Moving Folders and Files").

Note:

The wiki document must have been originally created using the New Wiki Document action, as described in Section 15.2.1, "Creating a Wiki Document Using the New Wiki Document Action."

3. Create a new page in the portal, selecting the Wiki page style.

Tip:

The way you create a new page depends on the page template used for the portal. For example, the portal may display an Actions menu, where you can select Create Page.

4. In the Title field, enter the display name of the existing wiki document that you want to expose; for example, Member Meeting Schedule.

Note:

While there are restrictions on naming wiki documents, there are no naming restrictions for page names. Thus, while any of the following characters can be used to name the wiki page, the page title will include the character(s) but the associated wiki document will replace the illegal character with "_".

\ / : < > * " | ?

For example, if you create a wiki page named "What's In a Name?", the page will have this title, but the associated wiki document will be named "What's In a Name_".

5. Click Create.
The wiki document is now exposed as a separate page in the navigation area. The location depends on the page template used by your portal. Figure 15-15 shows the Member Meeting Schedule wiki document exposed as a page in the navigation area in a portal. For information about the tasks that can be performed on a wiki besides editing it, see Section 15.5, "Managing Wiki Documents."

Figure 15-15 A Wiki Document Exposed as a Page

15.4.2 Exposing an Existing Wiki Document Using Content Presenter

Content Presenter allows you to select a wiki document, and render its content in a specific template on a page. This is an advanced task, covered in the "Publishing Content Using Content Presenter" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

15.5 Managing Wiki Documents

Table 15-2 lists the tasks that you can perform to manage wiki documents, with links to the steps that describe how to perform each task for any file.

Table 15-2 Managing Wiki Documents

Task

Description

For more information, see...

Opening a wiki document for viewing

You can open a wiki document on the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page. You can also open a wiki document in a browser.

If your wiki document is exposed through a wiki page, you can open the wiki page, then access the wiki document from the wiki page's drop-down menu, as shown in Figure 15-10.

Section 17.6.2, "Opening a File"

Downloading a wiki document

You can download a wiki document from the content repository to your local file system. You can access the Download action from the Documents page, the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer, or the Document Viewer preview pane.

Note: WebCenter Portal does not support uploading a new wiki document or a new version of a wiki document from the file system. If you upload an HTML file, you cannot convert it to a wiki document due to differences in underlying metadata.

Section 17.8.3, "Downloading a File"

Renaming a wiki document

You can rename a wiki document as desired.

Section 17.9, "Renaming a Folder or File"

Section 17.17.2, "Working with File Properties"

Deleting a wiki document

You can delete a wiki document if it is no longer required.

Section 17.12, "Deleting Folders and Files"

Viewing, adding, and deleting comments on a wiki document

You can associate comments with a wiki document to provide additional information that you may want to convey to other users about it.

Note: A user with view-only permissions can add comments to a wiki document in the Comments pane. The comment display is limited to 500 characters.

Section 13.4, "Commenting on Items"

Viewing and adding tags to a wiki document

You can add tags to a wiki document to specify keywords related to the content of the post to make it more widely discoverable in search results.

Section 17.15, "Managing Tags on Files"

Viewing and deleting versions of a wiki document

Every time you save a wiki document, WebCenter Portal saves a new version of the wiki and maintains the version history. You can view and delete the various versions. However, you cannot restore an older version of a wiki document.

Section 17.16, "Viewing and Deleting File Version History"

Viewing and modifying properties of a wiki document

You can view the basic and advanced properties associated with a wiki document. However, you can modify only the name and description of a wiki document.

Section 17.17.2, "Working with File Properties"

Viewing and adding links to a wiki document

(requires Create Links permission)

Using the Select Resource and New Resource icons in the RTE, you can add links from a wiki document to existing resources, or create and link to new resources. Note that these inline links are not added to the Links tab associated with the details of the wiki document.

Table 17-4, "Rich Text Editor Toolbar Icons and Controls on Rich Text Tab" (Select Resource and New Resource icons)

Opening or saving wiki documents as PDF files

You can open or save the PDF version of the currently open wiki document. This choice is available if Content Server is configured to convert wiki documents to PDF format, and your system administrator must configure the WebCenter Conversion component, as described in the "Enabling the Conversion of Wikis and Blogs into PDFs" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Section 17.6.3, "Opening or Saving PDF Files"

Sharing the URL of a wiki document in Activity Streams or through a mail message

You can directly access a wiki document using its URL. You can retrieve the URL, share it by publishing it to Activity Streams, or sending it in a mail message.

Section 17.21, "Sharing the URL for a Folder or File"

Setting up the security for a wiki document

You can secure a wiki document by setting custom access permissions or choosing to inherit the permissions of the parent folder.

The option to set security for wiki documents is available if item level security has been enabled on Content Server.

Section 17.22, "Setting Security Options on a Folder or File"

Subscribing to a wiki document

You can subscribe to a wiki document to receive notifications for activities such as comments, likes, updates, or deletions. You are notified through your selected messaging channel.

Section 17.23, "Subscribing to a File" and Section 20.3.2, "Setting Portal-Level Subscriptions."

Liking or unliking a wiki document

To indicate that a wiki document is of particular interest to you, you can "like" it. If a wiki document is already liked, you can "unlike" it if you no longer wish to highlight your preference.

Section 17.24, "Liking a File"

Adding a wiki document to your favorites

For quick access to a wiki document, you can add it to your personal favorites.

Section 17.25, "Adding a Folder or File to Your Favorites"

16 Working with Blogs

This chapter describes how to subscribe to a blog, create a blog page, and work with blog posts to record experiences and opinions.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 16.1, "About Blogs"

- Section 16.2, "Understanding the Blog Page Style"

- Section 16.3, "Creating a Blog Using the Blog Page Style"

- Section 16.4, "Subscribing to a Blog"

- Section 16.5, "Working with Blog Posts"

Note:

The tasks described in this chapter are available only if the system administrator and portal moderator have made blog functionality available in WebCenter Portal and the current portal, as described in the "Prerequisites for Enabling Blog Functionality" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Permissions:

To perform the tasks in this chapter, you need the following permissions:

- To create and manage with blog posts: in the Home portal, any authenticated user can add and manage their own blog posts in an existing blog; in other portals, you need the portal-level permission Create and Edit Documents (which includes delete permissions on blog posts that you create). To delete blog posts that are not your own, you must have Delete Documents permission.

- To view or post comments on blog posts, you need only the View Documents permission.

- To view a blog page, you need the View Page permission. This permission is granted to all authenticated users by default. To edit a blog page, you need to be granted Edit permissions on the page.

- To create a personal page using the Blog page style, you need the application-level permission Pages: Create. This permission is granted to all authenticated users by default, allowing them to create and manage their personal pages in the Home portal

16.1 About Blogs

Blogs are typically personal records of an individual user's experience and opinions. The word blog is a contraction of the term Web log. It was coined to describe the online diaries spawned in the late 1990s.

Blogs provide a useful tool for discussing and/or evangelizing any type of idea, strategy, or point of view. Blogs may be projected out to a select group of people or to a wider audience. Typically, each blog contains various blog posts, with the most recently added blog post displayed at the top. Blogs invite readers to comment on the overall concepts

In WebCenter Portal, you can create blogs to group related blogs posts. For example, you can group posts by the same author or related topics. Create a blog using either of the following two methods:

- Blog task flows (components), to expose a customized blog view on a page along with other page components. This is an advanced task, described in the "Working with Blog Task Flows" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal. After blog task flows have been added to a page, you can working with them, as described in Section 16.5, "Working with Blog Posts."

- Blog page style, to create a dedicated blog page. See Section 16.2, "Understanding the Blog Page Style" and Section 16.3, "Creating a Blog Using the Blog Page Style."

16.2 Understanding the Blog Page Style

Out-of-the-box, the WebCenter Portal includes several page styles for selection when creating a new page. One of these page styles is the Blog page style, which enables you to create a dedicated blog page (Figure 16-1).

Figure 16-1 Blog Page Displaying Blog Post

On a blog page, the Archives section on the right provides links to blog posts by year and by month. Clicking a month displays all blog posts created during that month.

A blog page displays various details for each blog post. These include the blog post title, the blog post content, date of creation or modification, name of the user who created or last modified the post, and the number of comments on the blog post.

Authorized users can click the Edit Post (pencil) icon to edit a post and also add comments, tags, and links on the corresponding tabs at the bottom of the post. An authenticated (logged in to WebCenter Portal) user with view-only permissions can add comments to a blog post by clicking the comments link below the post. Public users can not comment on blog posts.

Clicking a blog post title opens the blog post to occupy the entire the blog page (Figure 16-2), providing controls to manage the blog post.

Figure 16-2 A Blog Post

In a portal or the Home portal, blog pages are stored in a separate folder named Blogs under the root folder of the portal in the document hierarchy. When you create a new blog page, an empty folder is created for that blog under the Blogs folder. All blog posts that you create in that blog are stored in the blog's folder.

Figure 16-3 illustrates the directory structure for the example MyBlog, which contains two blog posts. The breadcrumb at the top shows that the blog posts are created in the MyBlog folder in the portal.

Figure 16-3 Directory Structure of a Blog

16.3 Creating a Blog Using the Blog Page Style

To understand the differences between the two methods of creating a blog, see Section 16.1, "About Blogs."

You can create a dedicated blog page using the Blog page style as either:

- A personal page in the Home portal, selecting Blog as the page style. See Section 5.7.2, "Creating a Personal Page."

- A portal page in a portal, selecting Blog as the page style. This is an advanced task, described in the "Creating a Page or Subpage in an Existing Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

In both cases, the initial blog page you create looks similar to Figure 16-4. For more information, see Section 16.2, "Understanding the Blog Page Style."

Figure 16-4 A New Blog Created Using the Blog Page Style

16.4 Subscribing to a Blog

You can subscribe to be notified whenever a blog entry is posted or commented upon in a portal. Owning a blog does not automatically subscribe a blog owner to it. A blog owner must also explicitly subscribe to receive blog notifications. For information about how to subscribe to a blog, see Section 20.3.2, "Setting Portal-Level Subscriptions." Whenever there is a change, you are notified through your selected messaging channel. For information about messaging channels, see Section 20.2, "Establishing and Managing Your Messaging Channels and Filters."

There is no subscription available for blogs in the Home portal. However, you can subscribe to be notified of changes to specific blog posts. For information about subscribing to a specific blog post, see Section 16.5.6, "Managing Blog Posts."

16.5 Working with Blog Posts

The following sections describe how to add and manage blog posts:

- Section 16.5.1, "About Blog Posts"

- Section 16.5.2, "Creating a Blog Post"

- Section 16.5.3, "Viewing a Blog Post"

- Section 16.5.4, "Editing a Blog Post"

- Section 16.5.5, "Deleting a Blog Post"

- Section 16.5.6, "Managing Blog Posts"

16.5.1 About Blog Posts

For each blog post, you can use the controls to perform tasks such as edit, subscribe to, share, and comment on the post (Figure 16-5). For information about these tasks, see Section 16.5.6, "Managing Blog Posts."

Figure 16-5 A Blog Post

When you create a blog post, a file is created in the content repository with the same name as the blog post title. Subsequently, you can change the blog post title when editing the blog post, but keep in mind that this changes only the display title; the name of the file for the blog post remains the original name. Therefore, you cannot later create a new blog post with the same initial title as the original title, as that file name already exists.

You use the Rich Text Editor (RTE) to add the content and style elements to a blog post. The RTE provides features such as the ability to embed images, create new resources on the fly, and add content. For more information, see Section 17.7, "Using the Rich Text Editor (RTE)."

By default, the entire content of a blog post gets displayed on the blog page. You can choose to display only a selected paragraph by using the Snippet icon in the RTE (see Table 17-4, "Rich Text Editor Toolbar Icons and Controls on Rich Text Tab").

When you create a blog post, the Type property of the blog post file is set to Blog Post (Figure 16-6). To view the properties of a blog post file, see Section 17.17.2, "Working with File Properties."

Figure 16-6 Blog Post Type

16.5.2 Creating a Blog Post

To create a blog post:

1. Navigate to the blog in which you want to create a blog post.

2. Click New Post to open the Rich Text Editor (RTE).

3. In the RTE, in the Title field, enter a display name for the blog post (Figure 16-7), up to 250 characters. Special characters (such as \ / : [ ] * ' " | ?) are allowed.

Note:

The initial title you give a blog post becomes the name of the file that is created in the content repository for the blog post. Subsequently, you can change the blog post title when editing the blog post, but keep in mind that this changes only the display title; the name of the file for the blog post remains the original file name. Therefore, you cannot later create a new blog post with the same initial title as the original title, as that file name already exists. No matter what title you give a blog post, you can always edit the blog post and change the title.

Figure 16-7 Creating a Blog Post

4. Add and preview the text, formatting, and styling in the Rich Text, HTML, and/or Preview tabbed panes. For information about working with the RTE, see Section 17.7, "Using the Rich Text Editor (RTE)."

5. On the Preview tab, choose a mode for publishing the blog post:

- Draft: Select to mark the blog post as a draft. On a blog page, a draft blog post is marked as "Draft". Only the author of a blog post and portal moderators can view draft posts. Users with just the viewing permissions can view only published posts.

- Publish: Select to publish the blog post. On a blog page, a published post is marked as "Posted".
By default, a post is published with the current date and time details. If you want the blog post to be published on a future date and time, use the date picker. The blog post will be published automatically on the specified date.

Note:

The Activity Stream shows a blog post that has a publish date, regardless of the publish date. Only draft posts are not listed in the Activity Stream.

6. Click Create to save your changes and exit the editor.

The new blog post appears as the top-most entry in its blog (Figure 16-3). For information about the tasks that can be performed on a blog post besides editing it, see Section 16.5.6, "Managing Blog Posts."

Figure 16-8 Blog Page Displaying Blog Post

On the Documents page in the portal, the new blog post is saved as a document under its parent blog folder (MyBlog), which in turn, is stored under the Blogs folder, as shown in Figure 16-9.

Figure 16-9 Blog and Blog Post in the Document Hierarchy

16.5.3 Viewing a Blog Post

You can view a blog post by opening the page in which it resides, or by opening it as a document in the Document Viewer preview pane.

To view a blog post on a blog page:

- Open the page containing the blog, or created used the Blog page style. The way you open the page depends on the page template in use in your portal.
Figure 16-10 shows a blog post on a page created using the Blog page style.

Figure 16-10 Opening a Blog Post on a Blog Page

To view a blog post in a Document Viewer preview pane:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, navigate to the Blogs folder.

2. Open the blog folder that contains the blog post, then click the blog post file (Figure 16-11) to open it in the Document Viewer preview pane

Figure 16-11 Blog and Blog Post in the Document Hierarchy

From the Document Viewer preview pane, if you want to view just the content of the blog post in a separate tab in your browser, click the View menu, and select Open in Browser.

16.5.4 Editing a Blog Post

You use the Rich Text Editor (RTE) to add or revise the content of your blog posts.

When you open a blog post for editing, WebCenter Portal automatically checks the file out. If another user is already editing a blog post when you try to open it, the Documents service displays a message that the blog post has already been checked out. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, a lock icon displays alongside a blog post that is checked out. When you hover the mouse cursor over the lock icon, the name of the user who has checked out the blog post displays.

Whenever you save changes to a blog post, WebCenter Portal automatically checks the file in and creates a new version of the blog post. This means that the last saved version of a blog post appears as the current version.

To edit a blog post:

1. Open your blog post in edit mode in any of the following ways, depending on your view:

- On the Documents page, or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the blog post file you want to edit, then click the File menu, and select Edit, or right-click the file and select Edit from the context menu to open the blog post in the RTE.

- In the Document Viewer preview pane, click the Edit action.

- In a blog page or a blog component on a page, click the Edit Post (pencil) icon for the required blog post.

- In a blog page or a blog component on a page, open the blog post by clicking its title, then click the Edit action.

2. In the RTE, add, revise, and preview text, formatting, and styling in the Rich Text, HTML, and/or Preview tabbed panes. For information about working with the RTE, see Section 17.7, "Using the Rich Text Editor (RTE)."

3. Click Save to save your changes and continue editing, or click Save and Close to save your changes and exit the editor.

16.5.5 Deleting a Blog Post

You can delete a blog post in the following two ways:

- In a blog page or a blog component on a page, click the Delete Post icon (Figure 16-12) for the required blog post.

Figure 16-12 Deleting a Blog Post

- Navigate to the blog post on the Documents page or the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer, and delete the blog post file as described in Section 17.12, "Deleting Folders and Files."

16.5.6 Managing Blog Posts

Table 16-1 lists the tasks that you can perform to manage blog posts, with links to the steps that describe how to perform each task for any file.

Table 16-1 Managing Blog Posts

Task

Description

Documentation

Opening a blog post for viewing

You can open a blog post on the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page. You can also open a blog post in a browser.

If your blog post is exposed through a blog page, you can open the blog page to view the blog post in the page.

Section 16.5.3, "Viewing a Blog Post"

Downloading a blog post

You can download blog posts from the content repository to your local file system. You can access the Download action from the Documents page, the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer, or the Document Viewer preview pane.

The Download action is not available when you open a blog post directly from the page that contains it.

Note: WebCenter Portal does not support uploading a blog post from the file system. If you upload an HTML file, you cannot convert it to a blog post due to differences in underlying metadata.

Section 17.8.3, "Downloading a File"

Renaming a blog post

You can rename a blog post as desired.

Section 17.9, "Renaming a Folder or File"

Section 17.17.2, "Working with File Properties"

Deleting a blog post

You can delete a blog post if it is no longer pertinent.

Section 16.5.5, "Deleting a Blog Post"

Viewing, adding, and deleting comments on a blog post

You can associate comments with a blog post to provide additional information that you may want to convey to other users about it.

Note: A user with view-only permissions can add comments to a blog post by clicking the comments link below the post. The comment display is limited to 500 characters.

Section 13.4, "Commenting on Items"

Viewing and adding tags to a blog post

You can add tags to a blog post to specify keywords related to the content of the post to make it more widely discoverable in search results.

Section 17.15, "Managing Tags on Files"

Viewing and deleting versions of a blog post

Every time you save a blog post, WebCenter Portal saves a new version of the post and maintains the version history. You can view and delete the various versions. However, you cannot restore an older version of a blog post

Section 17.16, "Viewing and Deleting File Version History"

Viewing and modifying properties of a blog post

You can view the basic and advanced properties associated with a blog post. However, you can modify only the name and description of a blog post.

Section 17.17.2, "Working with File Properties"

Viewing and adding links to other resources

(requires Create Links permission)

Using the Select Resource and New Resource icons in the RTE, you can add links from a blog post to existing resources, or create and link to new resources. Note that these inline links are not added to the Links tab associated with the details of the blog post.

Table 17-4, "Rich Text Editor Toolbar Icons and Controls on Rich Text Tab" (Select Resource and New Resource icons)

Opening or saving blog posts as PDF files

You can open or save the PDF version of the currently open blog post. This choice is available if Content Server is configured to convert blog posts to PDF format, and your system administrator must configure the WebCenter Conversion component, as described in the "Enabling the Conversion of Wikis and Blogs into PDFs" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Section 17.6.3, "Opening or Saving PDF Files"

Sharing the URL of a blog post in Activity Streams or through a mail message

You can directly access a blog post by using its URL. You can retrieve the URL, share it by publishing it to Activity Streams, or send it in a mail message.

Section 17.21, "Sharing the URL for a Folder or File"

Subscribing to a blog post

You can subscribe to a blog post to receive notifications for activities such comments, likes, updates, or deletions. You are notified through your selected messaging channel.

Section 17.23, "Subscribing to a File" and Section 20.3.2, "Setting Portal-Level Subscriptions."

Liking or unliking a blog post

To indicate that a blog post is of particular interest to you, you can "like" it. If a post is already liked, you can "unlike" it if you no longer wish to highlight your preference.

Section 17.24, "Liking a File"

Adding a blog post to your favorites

For quick access to a blog post, you can add it to your personal favorites.

Section 17.25, "Adding a Folder or File to Your Favorites"

Part III

Working with Documents

Part III contains the following chapters:

- Chapter 17, "Creating and Managing Documents"

- Chapter 18, "Collaborating on Documents"

- Chapter 19, "Working with Microsoft Office and Explorer Integration"

17 Creating and Managing Documents

This chapter describes how to create and manage content in WebCenter Portal.

This chapter contains the following topics:

- Section 17.1, "About Creating and Managing Documents in WebCenter Portal"

- Section 17.2, "Actions for Working with Folders and Files"

- Section 17.3, "Personalizing Your View of Documents"

- Section 17.4, "Creating a Folder"

- Section 17.5, "Creating a File"

- Section 17.6, "Opening a Folder or File"

- Section 17.7, "Using the Rich Text Editor (RTE)"

- Section 17.8, "Editing or Updating a File"

- Section 17.9, "Renaming a Folder or File"

- Section 17.10, "Copying and Pasting Folders and Files"

- Section 17.11, "Moving Folders and Files"

- Section 17.12, "Deleting Folders and Files"

- Section 17.13, "Refreshing Folder Contents"

- Section 17.14, "Hiding and Showing Folders"

- Section 17.15, "Managing Tags on Files"

- Section 17.16, "Viewing and Deleting File Version History"

- Section 17.17, "Working with Folder and File Properties"

- Section 17.18, "Managing Document Links"

- Section 17.19, "Viewing Document Recommendations"

- Section 17.20, "Opening or Saving PDF Files"

- Section 17.21, "Sharing the URL for a Folder or File"

- Section 17.22, "Setting Security Options on a Folder or File"

- Section 17.23, "Subscribing to a File"

- Section 17.24, "Liking a File"

- Section 17.25, "Adding a Folder or File to Your Favorites"

- Section 17.26, "Searching for Documents"

- Section 17.27, "Working with Workflow-Enabled Content"

Permissions:

To perform the tasks in this chapter on your personal pages, you need the application-level permission Pages: Create, Edit, and Delete Pages. Users with this permission can create and manage their personal pages in the Home portal.

To perform the tasks in this chapter on portal pages, you need the portal-level permissions Customize Pages and Edit Content and Create and Edit Documents (which includes delete permissions on documents that you create), granted by the portal moderator. To delete documents that are not your own, you must have Delete Documents permission.

To set security on a document in a portal, you must have Documents: Administration permission, granted by the portal moderator.

17.1 About Creating and Managing Documents in WebCenter Portal

In WebCenter Portal, you can create and manage documents at runtime in a variety of ways:

- Content Presenter provides the ability to edit wiki documents, HTML files, or Site Studio files in-context, and create new Site Studio files in the connected Content Server content repository. Using Content Presenter is an advanced task, described in the "Publishing Content Using Content Presenter" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- Document viewers provides several views that offer capabilities to create, open, edit, delete, copy, rename, move, share, search, view, and manage information about folders and files in any connected content repository, including wikis and blogs. An application specialist may expose the Documents page in a portal (Figure 17-1), or add one or more document views to a page to allow you to create and manage documents. The following sections describe the document views that may be available to you on a portal page:

- Section 17.1.1, "About the Document Explorer"

- Section 17.1.2, "About the Document Manager"

- Section 17.1.3, "About the Folder Viewer"

- Section 17.1.4, "About the Document Viewer"

Figure 17-1 Documents Page in a Portal

17.1.1 About the Document Explorer

The Document Explorer displays a list of folders and files in two panes. The left pane shows folders in a nested hierarchy, and the right pane shows the contents of the currently selected folder (Figure 17-2).

Figure 17-2 Document Explorer

If you see only a single pane (default), click the Restore Pane icon at the middle-left of the list of documents.

Conversely, click the Collapse Pane icon at the middle-left to hide the left pane.

In the Document Explorer, you can:

- Click the expand and collapse icons for a folder to show and hide the subfolders.

- Click a folder in the left or right pane to display the contents of that folder in the right pane, and drill down further into subfolders.

- Click a file in the right pane to display a preview of the file contents in the Document Viewer preview pane, with file management options, including in-place editing for some file types. If the file type does not support a preview (for example, .mp3 music files, video files, or .zip files) or if you are using an Apple iOS device, the preview pane displays the file properties (see Section 17.1.4, "About the Document Viewer") rather than a preview of the file content.

- Click in a row (not on the folder or file name) in the right pane to perform menu actions on the folder or file in that row (see Section 17.2, "Actions for Working with Folders and Files").
Alternatively, right-click a folder or file to display a context menu of available actions.

- Drag and drop folders and files in the hierarchy to reorganize the file or folder structure.

17.1.2 About the Document Manager

The Document Manager displays folders and files as specified by its Layout property, which is set by the application specialist:

- Explorer layout (default): Displays folders and files in two panes; the left pane shows folders, and the right pane show the contents of the currently selected folder (Figure 17-3). This layout is very similar to the Document Explorer.

- Table layout: Displays only the contents of the current folder in a single pane, with the capability to click a folder to drill down, refreshing the pane with the folder contents (Figure 17-4).

- Tree Table layout: Displays the folder hierarchy in a single pane, beginning with the root folder, with the capability to expand and collapse folders (Figure 17-5). This layout may be familiar to Mac OS X users.

Figure 17-3 Document Manager: Explorer Layout

Figure 17-4 Document Manager: Table Layout

Figure 17-5 Document Manager: Tree Table Layout

In the Document Manager, you can:

- Click the expand and collapse icons for a folder to show and hide the contents in the folder within the folder hierarchy.

- Click a folder to display the contents of only that folder, and drill down further into subfolders.

- Click a file to display a preview of the file contents in the Document Viewer preview pane, with file management options, including in-place editing for some file types. If the file type does not support a preview (for example, .mp3 music files, video files, or .zip files) or if you are using an Apple iOS device, the preview pane displays the file properties (see Section 17.1.4, "About the Document Viewer") rather than a preview of the file content.

- Click in a row (not on the folder or file name) in the right pane to perform menu actions on the folder or file in that row (see Section 17.2, "Actions for Working with Folders and Files").
Alternatively, right-click a folder or file to display a context menu of available actions.

- Drag and drop folders and files in the hierarchy to reorganize the file or folder structure.

17.1.3 About the Folder Viewer

The Folder Viewer displays the contents of a folder in a single pane as a flat listing (Figure 17-6), providing in-place preview and editing of the contents of the folder, and robust document management capabilities with a straightforward interface that should be familiar to Windows users.

Figure 17-6 Folder Viewer

In the Folder Viewer, you can:

- Click a folder to display the contents of that folder, and drill down further into subfolders.

- Click a file to display a preview of the file contents in the Document Viewer preview pane, with file management options, including editing for some file types. If the file type does not support a preview (for example, .mp3 music files, video files, or .zip files) or if you are using an Apple iOS device, the preview pane displays the file properties (see Section 17.1.4, "About the Document Viewer") rather than a preview of the file content.

- Click in a row (not on the folder or file name) in the right pane to perform menu actions on the folder or file in that row (see Section 17.2, "Actions for Working with Folders and Files").
Alternatively, right-click a folder or file to display a context menu of available actions.

- Drag and drop folders and files in the hierarchy to reorganize the file or folder structure.

17.1.4 About the Document Viewer

The Document Viewer displays the contents and/or properties of a folder or file (Figure 17-7).

Figure 17-7 Document Viewer

The Document Viewer displays different content depending on the type of item selected to appear (folder, wiki document, Microsoft file, image, and so on):

- Toolbar with menus and actions
For all item types; the options differ depending on the item type (see Section 17.2, "Actions for Working with Folders and Files")

- File preview
For files that support a preview (for example, wiki documents, Microsoft files, images, PDFs)

- Basic properties: the folder or file name, content repository identifier, item type, size (for files), date and time folder or file was created, who created it, date and time folder or file was last modified, and who modified it
For folders, Microsoft files, and files that do not support a preview (for example, .mp3 music files, video files, or .zip files)

- Advanced properties
For Microsoft files and files that do not support a preview

- The following tabbed panes:

- Comments: Enter or delete comments for a file to provide additional information that you want to convey to other users about the file. See Section 13.4, "Commenting on Items."

- Tags: Specifies keywords related to the content of the file. Tags are useful for making a file more widely discoverable in search results. See Section 17.15, "Managing Tags on Files."

- History: Provides version information about the current file, and allows you to selectively delete versions. For more information, see Section 17.16, "Viewing and Deleting File Version History."

- Info: Provides the option to edit some properties such as file name and description. In the Advanced section, displays metadata property settings for the file. See Section 17.17, "Working with Folder and File Properties."

- Links: Provides a way to view, access, and associate related information by linking a file to a discussion, document, event, note, or URL. For example, you can create a link to associate a project plan document with a list of project issues. See Section 17.18, "Managing Document Links."

- Recommendations: Provides suggestions of other documents you might want to view, based on the current document. See Section 17.19, "Viewing Document Recommendations."

By default, the Comments pane displays as the active pane. If you have previously launched the Document Viewer to preview a file in the current session, then select another file to preview, the active pane in the Document Viewer is the pane that you last selected when previewing the prior file.

17.2 Actions for Working with Folders and Files

The actions for working with folders and files available in the Document view toolbars (menus and buttons) and context menus are summarized in the following sections:

- Section 17.2.1, "Folder and File Actions in List Viewers"

- Section 17.2.2, "Folder and File Actions in the Document Viewer"

17.2.1 Folder and File Actions in List Viewers

Table 17-1 summarizes the folder and file management options when viewing a listing of folders and/or files (for example, on the Documents page, in the Document Manager, in the Document Explorer, in the Folder Viewer, or in the Document List Viewer). These options are available from the menus and buttons in the viewer toolbars and from the context menu that appears when you right-click a folder or file.

Table 17-1 Actions for Folders and Files

Location

Actions

Applicable to:

Description

File menu or context menu

Edit or Edit with Application

file

For a selected file, opens the file in-place and automatically checks the file out. Wiki documents and HTML files open in RTE; Office files open in their corresponding application. See Section 17.8.4, "Editing Files In-Place."

Available for wiki documents, blog posts, HTML, and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) files only.

File menu or context menu

Upload New Version

file

If you have write permissions on a selected file, opens the Upload Document pane where you can specify a new version of the file to upload to replace the existing file. See Section 17.8.5, "Uploading a New Version of an Existing File."

Not available for wiki documents or blog posts.

File menu and context menu

Check Out

file

For a selected file, checks the file out, locking it for update by other users. See Section 17.8.1, "Checking a File Out."

Not available for wiki documents or blog posts.

File menu and context menu

Cancel Check Out

file

For a selected file, cancels the checked out status without updating it, unlocking it to allowing other users to update it. See Section 17.8.1, "Checking a File Out."

Not available for wiki documents or blog posts.

File menu

New Folder

folder

Opens the Create Folder dialog where you can specify a name for a new folder. See Section 17.4, "Creating a Folder."

File menu and context menu

Rename

folder or file

Opens the Rename dialog where you can rename the selected folder or file. See Section 17.9.1, "Renaming a Folder or File Using a Menu."

File menu and context menu

Cut

folder or file

Stores the path to the selected folder(s) or file(s) to paste elsewhere. If a folder or file is not subsequently pasted, it is restored to the location where it was cut. If a folder or file is deleted at the source location before pasting, it will not be moved to the paste location. See Section 17.11, "Moving Folders and Files."

File menu and context menu

Copy

folder or file

Stores the path to the selected folder or file to paste as a copy elsewhere. If a folder or file is deleted at the source location before pasting, it will not be copied to the paste location. See Section 17.10, "Copying and Pasting Folders and Files."

File menu

Paste

folder or file

Pastes the folder or file in the buffer to the current folder. See Section 17.10, "Copying and Pasting Folders and Files."

File menu and context menu

Delete

folder or file

Deletes the selected folder or file. See Section 17.12, "Deleting Folders and Files."

File menu and context menu

Share

file

Opens a dialog where you specify the users, groups, or select a portal where the URL for the selected file will be published in Activity Streams, along with a message. See Section 17.21.3, "Publishing the URL for a File to Activity Streams."

File menu and context menu

Security

folder or file

Opens the Security Settings dialog, where you can set custom access permissions for the selected file, or select to inherit the permissions of the parent folder. For more information, see Section 17.22, "Setting Security Options on a Folder or File."

Available only if your system administrator has configured item-level security between Content Server and WebCenter Portal.

Context menu

Open

folder or file

Opens a folder to display its contents and make it the top-level folder. See Section 17.6.1, "Opening a Folder."

View menu and context menu

Details

folder or file

Opens the folder or file in the Document Viewer, where you see the properties and/or preview of the folder or file. For more information, see Section 17.1.4, "About the Document Viewer."

View menu and context menu

Get a Link

folder or file

Opens the Get a Link dialog, where Direct URL provides a direct link to open the folder or file in WebCenter Portal. For files, the Download URL provides a direct link to allow users to open the file in its default application, or choose to save the file to their local file system. See Section 17.21, "Sharing the URL for a Folder or File."

View menu

Containing Folder Info

folder or file

Opens the Properties pane of the parent folder of the current folder or file. See Section 17.17, "Working with Folder and File Properties."

View menu

Refresh Content

folder or file

Retrieves the contents of the current folder from the content repository to reflect all changes since the last retrieval. See Section 17.13, "Refreshing Folder Contents."

View menu

Hide Folders

folder or file

Refreshes the listing to show only files in the current folder, or show folders if this action is currently active. See Section 17.14, "Hiding and Showing Folders."

View menu

Columns submenu

folder or file

Provides a submenu to select the columns that you want to display. See Section 17.3.1, "Hiding and Showing Columns."

View menu

Reorder Columns

folder or file

Opens the Reorder Columns dialog where you can organize the displayed columns into a different order. See Section 17.3.2, "Reordering Columns."

View menu

New Wiki Document

file

Opens the Rich Text Editor where you can define a new wiki document, created at the same level as the currently selected file, or in the current folder. See Section 17.5.2, "Creating a Wiki Document."

Not available in the Document List Viewer.

Button on toolbar

Upload

file

Opens a panel where you can upload files from your local file system or a network drive. See Section 17.5.1, "Uploading Files."

Not available in the Document List Viewer.

Button on toolbar and context menu

Download

file

Opens a dialog to save files to your local file system. See Section 17.8.3, "Downloading a File."

Not available in the Document List Viewer.

17.2.2 Folder and File Actions in the Document Viewer

Table 17-2 summarizes the folder and file management options in the Document Viewer or the Document Viewer preview pane or window.

The Document Viewer preview pane or window opens when you:

- Right-click a folder and choose Details from the folder context menu to display the details of that folder.

- Click a file to display a preview of file contents. This allows for file previewing and editing for some file types. If the file type does not support a preview (for example, .mp3 music files, video files, or .zip files) or if you are using an Apple iOS device, the preview pane displays the file properties (see Section 17.1.4, "About the Document Viewer") rather than a preview of the file content.

Table 17-2 Document Viewer Preview Pane Actions for Folders and Files

Location

Actions

Applicable to:

Description

File menu

Send Mail

folder or file

Opens your mail application with the body of the mail message showing the direct URL to the currently open folder or file, as well as the URL to the current portal, if applicable. See Section 17.21.2, "Mailing the URL for a Folder or File."

File menu

Subscribe

file

Activates monitoring of the activities on a file. Whenever any change is made to the file, you will be notified in your personal Activity Stream in the Home portal. See Section 17.23, "Subscribing to a File."

File menu

Share

file

Opens a dialog where you specify the users, groups, or select a portal where the URL for the selected file will be published in Activity Streams, along with a message. See Section 17.21.3, "Publishing the URL for a File to Activity Streams."

File menu

Add To Favorites

folder or file

Adds the selected folder or file to your WebCenter Portal Favorites list. See Section 17.25, "Adding a Folder or File to Your Favorites."

File menu

Check Out

file

Checks the current file out, locking it from update by other users. See Section 17.8.1, "Checking a File Out."

Not available for wiki documents or blog posts.

File menu

Workflow Settings

folder

Opens the Workflow Settings dialog, where you can assign workflow to the selected folder in a portal. For more information, see the "Assigning a Workflow to a Folder in a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Available only when the connected content repository is Content Server and your system administrator has completed the prerequisite configuration.

File menu

Security

folder or file

Opens the Security Settings dialog, where you can set custom access permissions for the selected folder or file, or select to inherit the permissions of the parent folder. For more information, see Section 17.22, "Setting Security Options on a Folder or File."

Available only if your system administrator has configured item-level security between Content Server and WebCenter Portal.

File menu

Annotate with AutoVue

file

Opens the selected file in the AutoVue file viewer on Content Server, where you can provide comments and individualized mark-up. For more information, see Section 18.3, "Collaborating on Documents Using Oracle AutoVue."

Available only when Oracle AutoVue is installed and your system administrator has configured Oracle AutoVue functionality.

View menu

Open in Browser

file

Opens the current file in your default browser application. See Section 17.6.2, "Opening a File."

Available for images, text, wiki documents, and HTML files only.

View menu

Open as PDF

file

Opens the current file in the Document Viewer preview pane in PDF. See Section 17.6.2, "Opening a File" and Section 17.6.3, "Opening or Saving PDF Files."

Available for any file type for which Content Server is configured to convert to PDF.

View menu

Download PDF

file

Opens a browser dialog where you can choose to open the file with Adobe Acrobat Reader, or save it to your local file system as a PDF file. See Section 17.8.3, "Downloading a File" and Section 17.6.3, "Opening or Saving PDF Files."

Available for any file type for which Content Server is configured to convert to PDF.

View menu

Comments

file

Opens the Comments pane for the current file in the tabbed pane area at the bottom of the Document Previewer, providing a text input area where you can enter a comment for the file. See Section 13.4, "Commenting on Items."

View menu

Version History

file

Opens the History pane for the currently selected file in the tabbed pane area at the bottom of the Document Previewer, showing the existing versions of the file, where you can delete selected versions. See Section 17.16, "Viewing and Deleting File Version History."

View menu

Info

file

Opens the Info pane for the currently selected file in the tabbed pane area at the bottom of the Document Previewer, where you can view and edit Basic and Advanced properties. See Section 17.17, "Working with Folder and File Properties."

View menu

Get a Link

folder or file

Opens the Get a Link dialog for the current folder or file, where Direct URL provides a direct link to open the folder or file in WebCenter Portal, and the Download URL provides a direct link to allow users to open the folder or file in its default application, or choose to save the file to their local file system. See Section 17.21, "Sharing the URL for a Folder or File."

View menu

Refresh Content

folder or file

Retrieves the current folder or file from the content repository to reflect all changes since the last retrieval.

Button on toolbar

Edit or Edit with Application

file

For a selected file, opens the file in-place and automatically checks the file out. Wiki documents and HTML files open in RTE; Office files open in their corresponding application. See Section 17.8.4, "Editing Files In-Place."

Available for wiki documents, blog posts, HTML, and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) files only.

Button on toolbar

Upload New Version

file

If you have write permissions on a selected file, opens the Upload Document pane where you can specify a new version of the file to upload to replace the existing file. See Section 17.8.5, "Uploading a New Version of an Existing File."

Not available for wiki documents or blog posts.

Button on toolbar

Download

file

Opens a dialog to download the current file to your local file system. See Section 17.8.3, "Downloading a File."

Button on toolbar

Select Template

file

Opens the Select Template dialog, where you can choose a Site Studio region display template or a custom Content Presenter display template to preview how the Site Studio file will look in the selected template.

Note: The Document Viewer is intended to provide only a preview of Site Studio content based on a selected template. To publish the content on a page, your application specialist can use Content Presenter.

17.3 Personalizing Your View of Documents

Documents supports personalizations that enable you to change your own view of documents by hiding or showing columns and by rearranging the list of documents according to the sort order of a particular column, as described in the following sections:

- Section 17.3.1, "Hiding and Showing Columns"

- Section 17.3.2, "Reordering Columns"

- Section 17.3.3, "Sorting Files and Folders"

17.3.1 Hiding and Showing Columns

Hiding and showing one or more informational columns is useful for simplifying or expanding the details that are displayed with folders and files.

To hide or show informational columns in your unique view:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click the View menu, and select Columns (Figure 17-8).

Figure 17-8 Columns Menu in Document Explorer

2. Select the columns you want to show through one of the following methods:

- Select Show All to display all available columns.

- Select or deselect individual columns in the Columns menu to show or hide them.

- Click Manage Columns, then in the Manage Columns dialog (Figure 17-9), move columns to the Hidden Columns or Visible Columns boxes as desired. Click OK when you are finished.

Figure 17-9 Manage Columns Dialog

If changes do not display immediately, click the View menu, and select Refresh Content.

17.3.2 Reordering Columns

Reordering the informational columns is useful for prioritizing the details that are displayed with folders and files, depending on the information in which you are most interested.

To reorder the informational columns in your unique view:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Manager, Document List Viewer, Document Explorer, or Folder Viewer, click the View menu, and select Reorder Columns.
The Reorder Columns dialog opens (Figure 17-10).

Figure 17-10 Reorder Columns Dialog

2. Select one or more columns, then click the reorder icons to rearrange the order of the columns.

17.3.3 Sorting Files and Folders

Sorting columns enables you to quickly rearrange the order of files and folders in your view. Each column provides a one-click sorting feature that you can use to instantly rearrange all content according to the ascending (1, 2, 3, A, B, C) or descending (C, B, A, 3, 2, 1) order of a particular column.

To sort folders and files in your unique view:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document List Viewer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer, move your cursor over the header of the column you want to use to sort folders and files.

2. Click the Sort Ascending icon to sort the column in ascending order (1, 2, 3, A, B, C, or smallest to largest), or click the Sort Descending icon to sort the column in descending order (C, B, A, 3, 2, 1, or largest to smallest) (Figure 17-11).

Figure 17-11 Sort Ascending and Sort Descending Icons

Note:

The sorting icons display over the column that is the current sorting column. For other columns, the icons display when you hover your mouse pointer over the column name.

17.4 Creating a Folder

With appropriate permissions, you can create a folder in any document container (Documents viewer) that displays folders. The new folder is created at the same level as the current location. When you create a new folder, this action is not reflected in the Activity Stream.

If you create a subfolder in a parent folder that is assigned a workflow (see the "Assigning a Workflow to a Folder in a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal), the subfolder inherits the workflow assignment of the parent folder.

Note:

Other methods to create and copy folders when the back-end content repository is Content Server are:

- Create a network place to a portal, then use Windows Explorer to create and copy folders, as described in Section 19.4, "Working with Microsoft Windows Explorer Integration."

- Use the task pane available through Microsoft Office shared document management functionality to create a new folder in a portal, as described in Section 19.3.4.2, "Adding a New Folder."

To create a folder:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, navigate to the folder under which to create the new folder.

2. From the File menu, select New Folder.
The Create Folder dialog opens (Figure 17-12).

Figure 17-12 Create Folder Dialog

3. In the Folder Name field, enter a name for the folder; for example, Local Events.

4. Click Create to create the folder and close the dialog.

17.5 Creating a File

You can create new files in the connected content repository using Documents by either uploading a file, or creating a new wiki document, as described in the following sections:

- Section 17.5.1, "Uploading Files"

- Section 17.5.2, "Creating a Wiki Document"

17.5.1 Uploading Files

Notes:

- If your system administrator has configured a maximum upload size, uploading large files (size greater than 250MB) in Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 (running with Flash) takes longer time to display the upload progress percentage and to complete the upload. This is expected behavior. For more information, see the "Changing the Maximum File Upload Size" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- WebCenter Portal does not support uploading a new wiki document or a new version of a wiki document from the file system. If you upload an HTML file, you cannot convert it to a wiki document due to differences in underlying metadata. For information about wiki documents in WebCenter Portal, see Chapter 15, "Working with Wikis."

You can upload new files from your local file system or a mapped network drive to the connected content repository, or refresh multiple existing files with new versions.

To upload a new version of a single existing file that already exists in the connected content repository, see Section 17.8.5, "Uploading a New Version of an Existing File."

Note:

Other methods to upload files when the back-end content repository is Content Server are:

- Create a Windows network place to a portal, then use Windows Explorer to add files of any type, as described in Section 19.4, "Working with Microsoft Windows Explorer Integration."

- Use the Microsoft Office shared document management functionality to save a local Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file, or use the task pane to add files of any type to the Content Server repository, as described in Section 19.3.4.1, "Adding a File."

- Use WebDAV, which is installed with Content Server out-of-the-box, to establish a connection to your WebCenter Portal application, then drag and drop content in your Content Server repository to the folder assigned to the target portal, or drag and drop content between portals. When dragging and dropping content to the target folder, do not drag the source folder to the target; drag and drop only the content that is stored under the folder. If you do not know the WebDAV URL for the Content Server that is used to store documents, contact your Fusion Middleware Administrator. If the base URL for that Content Server is http://host:port/relative_web_root, the WebDAV root URL will be http://host:port/relative_web_root/idcplg/webdav. For example: http://wchost:16200/dav/cs/idcplg/webdav/

- Use the Batch Loader utility, as described in the "Batch Loading Content" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware System Administrator's Guide for Oracle Content Server.

To upload files to the connected content repository:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, navigate to the folder for the file(s) you plan to upload or create a new folder (see Section 17.4, "Creating a Folder").

2. Click Upload.
The Upload Document pane opens (Figure 17-13 shows the pane in FireFox, shows the pane in Internet Explorer), providing an area where you can add the file(s) to be uploaded.

Figure 17-13 Upload Document Pane (in FireFox Browser)

Figure 17-14 Upload Document Pane (in Internet Explorer Browser)

3. Follow the steps in one of the following sections:

- Section 17.5.1.1, "Uploading a File with a Content Profile"

- Section 17.5.1.2, "Uploading One or More Files without a Content Profile"

17.5.1.1 Uploading a File with a Content Profile

If the original version of a file is associated with a content profile in Content Server, or if you want to associate a new file with a content profile, you must first select the content profile to open the Content Check In Form, where you will upload the file by itself. You cannot select a profile when uploading multiple files.

Selecting a content profile enforces uniformity by requiring values for certain metadata fields that must be provided before the file can be uploaded. For example, a press release profile might include fields about who to contact, release date, and so on.

Note:

To enable the Upload Profiles selection list, your system administrator must configure both of the following requirements:

- Users must access the WebCenter Portal application through Oracle HTTP Server (OHS) to expose Content Server and the WebCenter Portal application under the same host and port. For information about setting up OHS as the front-end to WebCenter Portal, see the "Configuring Content Server" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- WebCenter Portal must be connected to a Content Server repository, with the webContextRoot parameter set to a Content Server host name. For information on setting webContextRoot, see the "Registering Content Repositories for WebCenter Portal or Portal Framework Applications" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal. For information on setting webContextRoot through WLST, see the "createJCRContentServerConnection" and "setJCRContentServerConnection" sections in Oracle Fusion Middleware WebLogic Scripting Tool Command Reference.

To upload a file associated with a content profile:

1. Select the profile from the Upload Profiles list (Figure 17-15)

Figure 17-15 Selecting Content Profile for a File

The Profile Upload pane displays the Content Check In Form, with metadata fields for the selected content profile (Figure 17-16).

Figure 17-16 Content Profile Metadata Fields

2. In the Primary File field, specify the name of the file to be uploaded.

3. Enter values for other metadata field values to associate with the file.

Note:

Content Server may require certain mandatory metadata field values for a selected content profile to ensure a successful check-in. Mandatory fields are identified in the dialog by an asterisk and red text.

For information about content profile metadata field requirements for Content Server, see the "Checking In Files" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware User's Guide for Oracle Content Server. The fields described in the "Content Check-In Form" section in the appendix are mandatory for Content Server. All content profiles must include them, otherwise the check-in will fail.

In addition to the mandatory metadata field values required by Content Server for specific content profiles, every content profile must include additional metadata fields required by WebCenter Portal. For a list and descriptions of the required fields, which should be added to a content profile as hidden fields so that the end user cannot override the values populated by WebCenter Portal, see the "Creating Content Profiles in Content Server" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

4. Click Check In.
The specified file is uploaded and listed in the current folder in your portal.

17.5.1.2 Uploading One or More Files without a Content Profile

To upload one or more files without an associated content profile:

1. Select the file(s) to upload in either of the following ways:

- (In FireFox or Chrome browsers only) Select the file(s) in your local file system and drag them into the Upload Document pane.

- Click Select files, then navigate to and select the file(s) you want to upload.

2. In the Upload Document pane, optionally, provide a description of the file(s) in the Description field. This description is assigned to all the files in the upload set.

3. If the file(s) already exist in the connected content repository, select Always create a new version to create a new version of the file(s). Deselect the check box if you want to be notified if a file with the same name already exists in the target folder in the content repository, and be provided with options.

4. Click Upload.

- If a file with the same name already exists in the target folder, and Always create a new version is selected, a new version of the file is added at same level as the currently selected file. See Section 17.16, "Viewing and Deleting File Version History."

- If a file with the same name already exists in the target folder, and Always create a new version is selected, but the file is checked out by another user, an Information dialog notifies you that the file cannot be uploaded and provides the name of the user who has it checked out.

- If a file with the same name already exists in the target folder, and Always create a new version is not selected, the Resolve Name Conflict pane opens.

Select the desired action:

- Ignore this file to cancel the upload operation for the current file. This is useful when uploading multiple files to skip only the current file, and continue to upload subsequent files in the batch.

- Create a new version of the existing file to create a new version of the file. See Section 17.16, "Viewing and Deleting File Version History."
If the file is already checked out to another user, this selection is disabled.

Note:

If the connected content repository does not support versioning, this selection is Overwrite the existing file to replace the existing file with the new file.

If you do not have the permissions required to create a new version or overwrite the file, this selection is disabled.

- Use another name for the uploaded file to display a Name field where you can enter a new name for the file. If you specify a name that matches another existing file, a message notifies you to enter a different name.

17.5.2 Creating a Wiki Document

In addition to uploading files (see Section 17.5.1, "Uploading Files") to the connected content repository, you can create wiki documents using either of the following two methods:

- New Wiki Document action, as described in Section 15.2.1, "Creating a Wiki Document Using the New Wiki Document Action"

- Wiki page style, as described in Section 15.2.2, "Creating a Wiki Using the Wiki Page Style."

For more information about wiki documents in WebCenter Portal, see Chapter 15, "Working with Wikis."

17.6 Opening a Folder or File

This section describes opening folders/files and downloading/saving files in the following sections:

- Section 17.6.1, "Opening a Folder"

- Section 17.6.2, "Opening a File"

- Section 17.6.3, "Opening or Saving PDF Files"

17.6.1 Opening a Folder

You can open a folder to display its contents, which does not display folders.

Note:

Other methods to open folders when the back-end content repository is Content Server are:

- Create a network place to a portal, then use Windows Explorer to open folders and files, as described in Section 19.4, "Working with Microsoft Windows Explorer Integration."

- Use the task pane available through Microsoft Office shared document management functionality to open folders in a portal, as described in Section 19.3.4.7, "Managing Folders."

To open a folder to display its contents and make it the top-level folder:

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, either:

- Click the folder name.

- Or, right-click the folder, and choose Open.

17.6.2 Opening a File

With appropriate permissions, you can open files of any type to preview file contents or properties in a read-only view.

The Document Explorer, Document Manager, and Folder Viewer open files in-place in a Document Viewer preview pane; the Document List Viewer and Recent Documents open files in a separate Document Viewer preview window.

Note:

Another method to open files when the back-end content repository is Content Server is:

- Create a network place to a portal, then use Windows Explorer to open folders and files, as described in Section 19.4, "Working with Microsoft Windows Explorer Integration."

To open a read-only view of a file:

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click the file name to open the file in a Document Viewer preview pane or window.

Notes:

- Some file types do not support a preview. An attempt to open such a file displays the properties of the file in the Document Viewer.

- For files of types that support a preview, the file must also support display in an inline frame to open in the Document Previewer. For example, if an HTML file includes coding that disallows display in an inline frame, it will not display in the Document Previewer, but instead overlays the current window with the HTML file content.

The appearance of the file in the preview pane or window depends on the file type:

- For files that support PDF format: The file displays either in an in-place PDF viewer (Figure 17-17) or in a slide viewer (Figure 17-18).

Figure 17-17 File Preview in PDF Viewer

Note:

To enable the slide preview functionality, your system administrator must configure all of the following requirements:

- Users must access the WebCenter Portal application through Oracle HTTP Server (OHS) to expose Content Server and the WebCenter Portal application under the same host and port. For information about setting up OHS as the front-end to WebCenter Portal, see the "Configuring Content Server" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- WebCenter Portal must be connected to a Content Server repository, with the webContextRoot parameter set to a Content Server host name. For information on setting webContextRoot, see the "Registering Content Repositories for WebCenter Portal or Portal Framework Applications" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal. For information on setting webContextRoot through WLST, see the "createJCRContentServerConnection" and "setJCRContentServerConnection" sections in Oracle Fusion Middleware WebLogic Scripting Tool Command Reference.

- Oracle WebCenter Content settings for document conversion using IBR must be configured correctly.

Figure 17-18 File Preview in Slide Viewer (see Note)

- For HTML, text, image, XML files: In the preview pane or window, click the View menu, and select Open in Browser to open the file in a separate tab in your browser.

- For any file type for which Content Server is configured to convert to PDF: In the preview pane or window, click the View menu, and select Open as PDF to open a PDF version of the file.

To edit files, see Section 17.8, "Editing or Updating a File."

17.6.3 Opening or Saving PDF Files

From the Document Viewer preview pane, you can open or save the PDF version of the currently open file to your local file system. This choice is available for any file type for which Content Server is configured to convert to PDF.

Notes:

- To enable the conversion of wikis and blogs into PDF, your system administrator must configure the WebCenter Conversion component, as described in the "Enabling the Conversion of Wikis and Blogs into PDFs" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- Only images that have been added through the Rich Text Editor (RTE) using the Embed Image feature are visible in the generated PDF. Images referenced with an external URL do not display in the PDF. For information on the RTE, see Section 17.7, "Using the Rich Text Editor (RTE)."

To open or save a file in PDF:

- In the Document Viewer preview pane, click the View menu, and select:

- Open as PDF to open the file in a new tab in your browser in Adobe Acrobat Reader's PDF Viewer plug-in.

- Download PDF to open a browser dialog where you can save the file to your local file system as a PDF file.

17.7 Using the Rich Text Editor (RTE)

The Rich Text Editor (RTE) is a fully-integrated HTML text editor, which you can use to create and edit wiki documents and blog posts, and edit HTML files. Figure 17-19 shows create mode, and Figure 17-20 shows edit mode.

Figure 17-19 New Wiki Document in Rich Text Editor

Figure 17-20 Editing Blog Post in Rich Text Editor

To use the RTE:

1. Open the RTE either by creating a new wiki document (see Section 17.5.2, "Creating a Wiki Document") or blog post (see Section 16.5.2, "Creating a Blog Post"), or editing a wiki (see Section 15.3, "Editing a Wiki"), blog post, or HTML file (see Section 17.8.4, "Editing Files In-Place").

2. For a new wiki document or blog post, enter a display name in the Title field.

3. Add, revise, and preview text, formatting, styling, and links in the Rich Text, HTML, Wiki Markup, and/or Preview tabbed panes.

Notes:

- For information about using the toolbar and features in the Rich Text pane, see Section 17.7.2, "About the Rich Text Editor Toolbar," Section 17.7.3, "Working with Tables in the Rich Text Editor," and Section 17.7.4, "Using the Keyboard in the Rich Text Editor."

- Apple iPad users cannot make selections from drop-down lists in the RTE. This is a known limitation.

- By default, the Wiki Markup tab is hidden in the RTE. Your system administrator can change this setting, as described in the "Showing and Hiding the Wiki Markup Tab in the Rich Text Editor" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- If you switch from the Wiki Markup tab to another tab in the RTE, your content might become garbled. As a workaround, if you go to the Wiki Markup tab, click Save and Close or Cancel rather than switching to another tab in the RTE.

4. (For wiki documents and HTML files only) Select the Minor Edit? check box if you do not want to notify portal members about your changes.
Leaving this check box deselected updates the Activity Stream and sends notifications after you save your changes.

5. In the tabbed panes along the bottom of the RTE, you can add comments, tags, or links pertinent to the document or post. For more information, see Section 13.4, "Commenting on Items," Section 17.15, "Managing Tags on Files," and Section 17.18, "Managing Document Links."

6. Save your changes:

- To create and save a new wiki document or blog post, click Create.

- To save updates to an existing wiki document, blog post, or HTML file, click Save. To save updates and exit the RTE, click Save and Close.

17.7.1 About the Rich Text Editor Tabbed Panes

The RTE provides four tabbed panes where you can create and edit your wiki and HTML documents, and blog posts:

- Rich Text. Create and revise content in a WYSIWYG environment using the icons and controls in the RTE toolbar (see Section 17.7.2, "About the Rich Text Editor Toolbar").

Note:

Apple iPad users cannot make selections from drop-down lists in the RTE. This is a known limitation.

- HTML. Enter HTML manually. This includes entering source code for HTML not handled by the WYSIWYG icons and controls on the Rich Text tab.
If you exit the HTML pane, then come back to it again, any HTML that may have been entered on separate lines will reformat to display on a single line, as is customary for most HTML editors.

Notes:

- The RTE ignores the following types of tags when entered in HTML because they are irrelevant or redundant within the RTE context:

- script tags

- form elements, such as input, select, textarea, and form

- frame/frameset

- document tags, such as html, head, body, meta, and title

- unknown tags; for example: <foo></foo>

- Changes to the behavior of the default CSS selectors in a wiki or blog is not supported.

- Preview (wiki documents and blog posts only). Shows a preview of your wiki document or post as it will appear when published.

- Wiki Markup (wiki documents only). If shown, use this tab to enter your own wiki markup. For the full set of wiki markup syntax, click Wiki Markup Help and refer to Table 17-3. Any formatting not provided by Wiki Markup uses HTML.

Note:

- By default, the Wiki Markup tab is hidden in the RTE. Your system administrator can change this setting, as described in the "Showing and Hiding the Wiki Markup Tab in the Rich Text Editor" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- If you switch from the Wiki Markup tab to another tab in the RTE, your content might become garbled. As a workaround, if you go to the Wiki Markup tab, click Save and Close or Cancel rather than switching to another tab in the RTE.

Table 17-3 Wiki Markup Syntax and Examples

Element

Syntax

Example

Output

italics

//string//

//Sales// team

Sales team

bold

**string**

**Sales** team

Sales team

bulleted list

* listItem

** subitem

** subitem

* listItem

* Managers:

** John Smith

** Monica Gallo

* Contributors:

numbered list

# listItem

## subitem

## subitem

# listItem

# Dairy

## Milk

## Cheese

# Bread

web link

[[URL|linkName]]

[[http://www.oracle.com|Search Oracle]]

[[http://fmw.vm.oracle.com:8888/webcenter/portal/Philatelists/page/presidents|Presidents]]

Search Oracle

Presidents

Click link to view target in browser window

WebCenter link

[[owc://svcId/rsrcId|linkName]]

For service ID values, ask your system administrator.

To find the resource ID, view the item properties (right-click and choose Details.

[[owc://oracle.webcenter.doclib/dev-ucm#dDocName:OWCSVR01USORAC026779|Results]]

Results

Click link to view resource in browser window

Anchor for link target

<<<anchor:anchorName>>>

<<<anchor:forecast>>>

(inserted at section describing sales forecast to act as a target for links)

(Invisible)

In HTML: <a id="forecast" name="forecast"></a>

Line break

\\

xxxx \\ xxxx

xxxx

xxxx

Horizontal line

----

xxxx

----

xxxx

xxxx

____________________

xxxx

Image

(All browser-supported image types such as JPG, GIF, and PNG)

{{URL/imageFile|linkName}}

[[http://www.myco.com/Sales/chart.jpg|Quarterly Sales]]

Quarterly Sales

Click link to view image in browser window

Table

|=head|=head|...|=head|

|value|value|...|value|

Repeat for each row of table

|=ID|=Name|=Dept|

|1356|Bob King|Sales|

17.7.2 About the Rich Text Editor Toolbar

Table 17-4 describes the RTE toolbar icons and controls on the Rich Text tab, where you can create and revise content in a WYSIWYG environment.

To perform an operation assigned to an icon, click the icon once to either immediately perform the action or open a dialog with further configuration options.

Table 17-4 Rich Text Editor Toolbar Icons and Controls on Rich Text Tab

Control

Description

Bold, Italic, Underline, and Strike Through. Select text, and click the desired font style icon; or click an icon, and enter text. Click the icon again to exit the font style.

Paragraph Format. Select a format, then enter text; or highlight text, then select a format.

Font Name. Select a font, then enter text; or highlight text, then select a font.

Font Size. Select a size, then enter text; or highlight text, then select a size.

Text Color or Background Color. Select text, and click the desired text or background color icon, then select a color. Or, click an icon and select a color, then enter text.

Left Justify, Center Justify, and Right Justify. Select text, and click to apply the desired text alignment; or click an icon, and enter text.

Decrease Indent and Increase Indent. Select text, and click the desired indent icon to move text left or right.

Numbered List and Bulleted List. Start a new line, click the desired list type icon, and enter text. Or, select lines of text and click an icon. Click the icon again to remove the list formatting. Alternately, end list mode by pressing Enter twice after the last item.

Remove Format. Select text, and click this icon to remove all font styling, such as font types, sizes, weights, and colors. Lists and indents are not affected.

Select Resource. Select text to link to an existing WebCenter Portal resource, then click this icon to open the Select Resource dialog. Select a resource (for example, a document or an announcement in the current portal, or a URL) to be linked from the selected text. Clicking the linked text in the document opens the selected resource in the Document Viewer preview pane.

New Resource. Select text to link to a new WebCenter Portal resource, then click this icon to open the New Resource dialog. Select a resource to be linked from the selected text, then create the resource (for example, a discussion forum topic or note), specify the external location of the resource (for example, a URL), specify a name for the new resource (for example, a wiki document), or upload the resource from your local file system or a connected network drive (for example, a document).

Note: If you create a new wiki document in this manner, WebCenter Portal creates a placeholder for the new wiki document in the current folder. To add content to the new wiki document, you must navigate to it and open it in the RTE.

The links created using Select Resource and New Resource are created as inline links, and are not added to the Links tab associated with the details of the linking resource.

For information about links to resources in WebCenter Portal, see Chapter 31, "Linking Information in WebCenter Portal."

Embed Image. Click to open the Embed Image dialog:

- Click Select Image to select an image in the current portal.

- Click Upload Image to upload an image from your local file system or a connected network drive.

Table. Click to open the Table Properties dialog.

See Section 17.7.3, "Working with Tables in the Rich Text Editor."

Insert Horizontal Line. Click to insert a horizontal line at the current cursor location.

Tools:

- Maximize/Minimize. Click to expand the RTE to fill the entire screen, or reduce the RTE to display inside the WebCenter Portal application.

- Select All. Select all content in the body in the text input area.

- Find or Replace. Click to open the Find and Replace dialog, where you can search for a string, or replace a given string with specified text.

- Snippet. In a blog post, select a portion of text, then click this icon to display that portion as a summary of the blog post on the blog summary page (or digest page), with a Read More link to allow users to view the full blog. In a wiki document, this functionality is not available.

Cut, Copy, or Paste. Select text, then right-click to display context menu to cut or copy selected text, or paste text in the buffer at the current cursor location.

Note: If a browser security warning displays, you can either use keyboard commands (see Section 17.7.4, "Using the Keyboard in the Rich Text Editor") or configure your browser to grant access to the clipboard. For example, for the FireFox browser, see http://kb.mozillazine.org/Granting_JavaScript_access_to_the_clipboard.

17.7.3 Working with Tables in the Rich Text Editor

To create a table in the RTE, click the Table icon in the toolbar (Figure 17-21).

Figure 17-21 Rich Text Editor: Table Icon

The Table Properties dialog window opens (Figure 17-22), where you can set basic properties for the table, as described in Table 17-5.

Figure 17-22 Rich Text Editor: Table Properties Dialog (Basic Properties)

Table 17-5 Rich Text Editor: Basic Table Properties

Property

Description

Rows

(Required) Enter the number of rows in the table.

Columns

(Required) Enter the number of columns in the table.

Width

Enter the width of the table, selecting either pixels or a percent value. Giving the width as a percent value lets you set the proportion of the editing area that the table will occupy.

Height

Enter the height of the table in pixels.

Headers

Select the table element to format as headers, which applies special formatting to them. You can apply header formatting to First Row, First Column or Both.

Border Size

Enter the width of the table borders.

Alignment

Select the alignment of the table on the page Left, Center, or Right.

Cell padding

Enter the space between the cell border and its contents, in pixels.

Caption

Enter label text to be displayed above the table.

Summary

Enter a summary of the table contents that is available for assistive devices like screen readers. It is good practice to provide tables with meaningful summary text to make them more accessible to users with disabilities.

Click the Advanced tab to expose the advanced table properties (Figure 17-23), which you can set as described in Table 17-6.

Figure 17-23 Rich Text Editor: Table Properties Dialog (Advanced Properties)

Table 17-6 Rich Text Editor: Advanced Table Properties

Property

Description

Id

Enter a unique identifier for a table element in the document (id attribute).

Language Direction

Select the direction of the text in the table: left to right (LTR) or right to left (RTL) (dir attribute).

Style

Enter the CSS style definitions (style attribute). Note that each value must end with a semi-colon and individual properties should be separated with spaces.

Stylesheet Classes

Enter the class of the table element (class attribute). If a table element is assigned more than one class, separate class names with spaces.

With a table inserted into your document, you can enter values directly in the cells. Additional editing is available through the context menu. To open the context menu, right-click the table and choose actions as described in Table 17-7.

Table 17-7 Rich Text Editor: Table Context Menu Selections

Action

Description

Paste

Pastes the content on the clipboard at the current cursor location

Cell

See Section 17.7.3.1, "Editing Table Cells in the Rich Text Editor."

Row

See Section 17.7.3.2, "Editing Table Rows in the Rich Text Editor."

Column

See Section 17.7.3.3, "Editing Table Columns in the Rich Text Editor."

Delete Table

Deletes the entire table and its contents.

Table Properties

Opens the Table Properties dialog, where you can modify properties as described in Table 17-5, "Rich Text Editor: Basic Table Properties" and Table 17-6, "Rich Text Editor: Advanced Table Properties", with the exception of the number of rows and columns.

17.7.3.1 Editing Table Cells in the Rich Text Editor

To insert, delete, merge, or cells, or modify cell properties, right-click a cell (the current cell) to display the context menu, then choose Cell to expand the submenu of cell actions (Figure 17-24), and choose actions as described in Table 17-8.

To select multiple cells, drag the mouse over the cell, then right-click to open the context menu.

Figure 17-24 Rich Text Editor: Table Cell Actions

Table 17-8 Rich Text Editor: Table Cell Menu Selections

Action

Description

Insert Cell Before

Inserts a new cell before the current cell(s).

Insert Cell After

Inserts a new cell after the current cell(s).

Delete Cells

Deletes the current cell(s).

Merge Cells

Merges multiple selected cells into one. This option is available only if two or more cells are selected.

Merge Right

Merges the selected cell with a cell on its right. This option is available only if no more than one cell is selected.

Merge Down

Merges the selected cell with a cell located below it. This option is available only if no more than one cell is selected.

Split Cell Horizontally

Splits the selected cell in two, creating a new cell on its right. The content of the cell appears in the original, left cell. This option is available only if no more than one cell is selected.

Split Cell Vertically

Splits the selected cell in two, creating a new cell below it. The content of the cell appears in the original, upper cell. This option is available only if no more than one cell is selected.

Cell Properties

Opens the Cell Properties dialog, where you can configure cell size, type, color, and content alignment, as described in Section 17.7.3.1.1, "Editing Table Cell Properties in the Rich Text Editor."

17.7.3.1.1 Editing Table Cell Properties in the Rich Text Editor

Table cells can be further customized, creating a unique look and feel. From the table context menu, select Cell, then Cell Properties to open the Cell Properties dialog (Figure 17-25) where you can set cell properties for the table, as described in Table 17-9.

Figure 17-25 Rich Text Editor: Table Cell Properties Dialog

Table 17-9 Rich Text Editor: Table Cell Properties

Action

Description

Width

Enter the width of the cell, selecting either pixels or a percent value. Giving the width as a percent value lets you set the proportion of the row that the cell (and the column it is located in) will occupy.

Height

Enter the height of the cell in pixels.

Cell Type

Select the type of the table cell — either a normal data cell or a header cell with special formatting.

Word Wrap

Select whether or not to wrap content in the current cell.

Rows Span

Enter a numeric value to specify the number of rows over which to stretch the cell downward. This value sets the rowspan attribute.

Columns Span

Enter a numeric value to specify the number of columns over which to stretch the cell to the right. This value sets the colspan attribute.

Horizontal Alignment

Select the horizontal alignment of table cell contents: Left, Center, or Right.

Vertical Alignment

Select the vertical alignment of table cell contents: Top, Middle, Bottom, or Baseline.

Background Color

Border Color

Enter the color of the cell background and/or border using any of the following methods:

- Enter an RGB value in rgb(nn, nn, nn) format, where nn is a numeric value on a scale from 0 to 255 representing the red, green, and blue channel.

- Enter a hexadecimal RGB value, in #nnnnnn format, where the nnnnnn is the three pairs of hex color values representing the red, green, and blue channel.

- Click Choose to open the Select color dialog where you can select from the color palette.

17.7.3.2 Editing Table Rows in the Rich Text Editor

To insert or delete rows in a table, right-click a row (the current row) to display the context menu, then choose Row to expand the submenu of row actions (Figure 17-26), and choose actions as described in Table 17-10.

To select multiple rows, drag the mouse over the rows, then right-click to open the context menu.

Figure 17-26 Rich Text Editor: Table Row Actions

Table 17-10 Rich Text Editor: Table Row Menu Selections

Action

Description

Insert Row Before

Inserts a new row before the current row(s).

Insert Row After

Inserts a new row after the current row(s).

Delete Rows

Deletes the current row(s).

17.7.3.3 Editing Table Columns in the Rich Text Editor

To insert or delete columns in a table, right-click a column (the current column) to display the context menu, then choose Column to expand the submenu of column actions (Figure 17-27), and choose actions as described in Table 17-11.

To select multiple columns, drag the mouse over the columns, then right-click to open the context menu.

Figure 17-27 Rich Text Editor: Table Column Actions

Table 17-11 Rich Text Editor: Table Column Menu Selections

Action

Description

Insert Column Before

Inserts a new column before the current column(s).

Insert Column After

Inserts a new column after the current column(s).

Delete Columns

Deletes the current column(s).

17.7.4 Using the Keyboard in the Rich Text Editor

The Rich Text Editor is compliant with several accessibility standards, including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the US Section 508 Amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the IBM Web Accessibility Checklist. To this end, you can use the RTE with the keyboard as well as a screen reader. The currently supported screen reader solution is JAWS.

For more information about accessibility in WebCenter Portal, see Section 3.4, "Setting Your Accessibility Options."

Table 17-12 summarizes the keyboard keys and combinations available to you to navigate and edit text in the RTE.

Table 17-12 Rich Text Editor: Keyboard

Keyboard Keys

Description

Alt+F10

Moves to the toolbar.

Tab

In the toolbar, moves to the next button group.

In a dialog, moves to the next element.

Shift+Tab

In the toolbar, moves to the previous button group.

In a dialog, moves to the previous element.

Left Arrow/Right Arrow

In the toolbar, moves between buttons within a button group.

In a dialog, moves within a field.

Enter

In the toolbar, selects the current button or menu item, or expands a drop-down list or menu.

In a dialog, confirms entry at current cursor location).

Down Arrow/ Up Arrow

Moves between selections in a drop-down list.

Esc

Closes a menu without executing any command. When inside a submenu, closes the submenu and returns focus to the parent context menu. Press Esc again to close it. In a dialog, cancels entries and closes dialog (equivalent to clicking Cancel or Close).

In the editing area:

Shift+F10

Opens the context menu of the current element (use down arrow and up arrow to move between selections in the menu, and Enter to select an action).

Alt+F10

Moves to the tab selection in a dialog (use left and right arrow keys to move between tabs, and Enter to move to the fields on a tab).

Ctrl+A

Selects the entire content in the editing area.

Ctrl+B

Changes the formatting of the selected text to bold or remove the bold formatting of the selected text.

Ctrl+C

Copies highlighted selections to the clipboard.

Ctrl+I

Changes the formatting of the selected text to italics or remove the italics from the selected text.

Ctrl+U

Underlines the selected text or remove the underline formatting of the selected text.

Ctrl+V or Shift+Insert

Pastes the content on the clipboard at the current cursor location.

Ctrl+X or Shift+Delete

Cuts highlighted selections to the clipboard.

Ctrl+Y

Performs the redo operation.

Ctrl+Z

Performs the undo operation.

17.8 Editing or Updating a File

You can check a file out, download it to your local file system for editing, edit a file in-place, or upload a new version of an existing file. The actions available to you depend on the file type:

- For all file types except wiki documents and blog posts, check the file out to lock it from being updated by other users.

- For all file types, download the file to your local file system for saving or editing locally.

- For wiki documents, blog posts, and HTML documents, edit the file in-place using the Rich Text Editor (RTE).

- For all file types except wiki documents and blog posts, upload a new version of the file.

The following sections provide more information:

- Section 17.8.1, "Checking a File Out"

- Section 17.8.2, "Cancelling a Checked Out Status"

- Section 17.8.3, "Downloading a File"

- Section 17.8.4, "Editing Files In-Place"

- Section 17.8.5, "Uploading a New Version of an Existing File"

17.8.1 Checking a File Out

When you want to retain exclusive use of a file—for example, when you are editing it on your local machine, or need to prevent other users from modifying it—you must check the file out. Other WebCenter Portal users can view the file, but they cannot upload a file of the same name into the same folder while the file is checked out.

Note:

When you edit a file in-place (see Section 17.8.4, "Editing Files In-Place"), it is automatically checked out of the content repository. When you save it, it is automatically checked back in.

When you are ready to release the file, you can either check the file back in, or cancel file check out. Checking a file back in involves uploading the revised file (see Section 17.8.5, "Uploading a New Version of an Existing File"). Cancelling check out removes the file's checked out status without requiring a file upload (see Section 17.8.2, "Cancelling a Checked Out Status").

Note:

To use the task pane available through the Microsoft Office shared document management functionality to check a Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file out or in when the back-end content repository is Content Server, see Section 19.3.4.3, "Checking a File Out" and Section 19.3.4.4, "Checking a File In."

To check a file out:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the file you want to check out.
Alternatively, you can check out an open file in the Document Viewer preview pane.

Notes:

- File check out is not available for wiki documents. In-place editing is the optimal way to update wiki documents, as described in Section 17.8.4, "Editing Files In-Place."

- To check out a file in workflow, the file must be associated with a workflow that contains the step review the current revision or create new revisions and you must be an approver for the workflow. See the "Understanding Workflow Types" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

2. Depending on your view, perform one of the following actions:

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click the File menu, and select Check Out, or right-click to display the file's context menu and choose Check Out.

- In the Document Viewer preview pane, click the File menu, and select Check Out.

3. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click the View menu, and select Refresh Content to confirm that the Checked Out (padlock) icon appears in the file's Checked Out column:

- Roll your mouse pointer over the icon to see details about the user who has the file checked out.

- Click the icon to expose actions to upload a new version of the file, or cancel the checkout (Figure 17-28).

Figure 17-28 Checked Out Icon with Details

17.8.2 Cancelling a Checked Out Status

To cancel the checked out status of a file:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the file.
Alternatively, you can cancel the checked out status of an open file in the Document Viewer preview pane.

2. Depending on your view, perform one of the following actions:

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click the Checked Out (padlock) icon in the file's row and choose Cancel Check Out (Figure 17-28), click the File menu, and select Cancel Check Out, or right-click to display the file's context menu and choose Cancel Check Out.

- In the Document Viewer preview pane, click the Cancel Check Out action.

3. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click the View menu, and select Refresh Content to confirm that the Checked Out (padlock) icon no longer appears in the file's Checked Out column.

17.8.3 Downloading a File

When you want to save a file to your local file system, you can download it from the content repository.

To download a file:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the file you want to download to your local file system.
Alternatively, you can download an open file in the Document Viewer preview pane.

2. Depending on your view and the file type, perform one of the following actions:

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click the Download action, or right-click to display the file's context menu and choose Download.

- In the Document Viewer preview pane, click the Download action.

- (For any file type for which Content Server is configured to convert to PDF) In the Document Viewer preview pane, click the View menu, and select Download PDF to save a PDF version of the open file to your local file system.

3. In the Open/Save dialog, select Save File to open the Save dialog, where you can navigate to the folder in which to save the file.

17.8.4 Editing Files In-Place

With appropriate permissions, end users can directly edit the following types of files in-place:

- Wiki documents

- Blog posts

- HTML files

- Microsoft Office 2003 or higher files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Note:

If you are using Windows 7 or a 64-bit machine with Firefox 3.6 or above, you may need to install the Java plug-in available at http://support.mozilla.com to edit a Microsoft Office file. This plug-in is included in Java 6 Update 15 and above.

In-place editing refers to editing content directly in WebCenter Portal, where the editor opens in the document preview pane. When you edit a file in-place, it is automatically checked out of the content repository. When you save it, it is automatically checked back in.

To edit HTML and Site Studio files that display in Content Presenter, see the "Creating and Editing Files In-Context in a Content Presenter Task Flow" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

To edit a file in-place:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the file you want to edit, but not on the file name.
Alternatively, you can edit an open file in the Document Viewer preview pane.

2. Depending on your view and the file type, perform one of the following actions:

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click the File menu, and select Edit or Edit with Application, or right-click to display the file's context menu and choose Edit or Edit with Application.

- In the Document Viewer preview pane, click the Edit (Figure 17-29) or Edit with Application (Figure 17-30) action.

Figure 17-29 Edit Action in Document Viewer for Wiki Document

Figure 17-30 Edit Action in Document Viewer for Microsoft Word File

Notes:

- If the file is already checked out by another user, the Document Viewer specifies the name of the user who has it checked out. See Section 17.8.4.1, "Opening a File Already Checked Out By Another User."

- To edit a file in workflow, the file must be associated with a workflow that contains the step review the current revision or create new revisions and you must be an approver for the workflow. See the "Understanding Workflow Types" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

The file opens in the appropriate editor:

- Wiki documents, blog posts, and HTML files open in-place in the Rich Text Editor (RTE). For information about the RTE, see Section 17.7, "Using the Rich Text Editor (RTE)."

- Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) files may first display a confirmation prompt, then an authentication dialog. Use the same credentials used to log in to WebCenter Portal to open the file in-place in its corresponding application.

Note:

The user name and password must contain only ASCII characters. A user name or password containing multi-byte characters cannot be successfully authenticated.

When the connected content repository is Content Server, you must access the WebCenter Portal through Oracle HTTP Server (OHS) to expose Content Server and the WebCenter Portal application under the same host and port to allow for full integration of Microsoft Office with WebCenter Portal. For information about setting up OHS as the front-end to WebCenter Portal, see the "Configuring Content Server" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Additionally, your system administrator must modify system properties and server configuration files, and set up a virtual host for your WebCenter Portal. These configuration requirements are described in the "Managing Microsoft Office Integration" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

3. When the file opens, it is automatically checked out. In WebCenter Portal, click the Refresh icon to show the Checked Out icon for the selected file (Figure 17-31).

Figure 17-31 Checked Out Icon in WebCenter Portal

4. Make required updates, then save and close the file.
The modified file is automatically checked back in.

17.8.4.1 Opening a File Already Checked Out By Another User

If the file that you attempt to open is already checked out by another user, the Document Viewer specifies the name of the user who has it checked out. (Figure 17-32).

Figure 17-32 Document Viewer: File Checkout Out

You can download the file to your local system to edit it, but you cannot upload the changed file to the content repository until it is checked in and made available again.

17.8.5 Uploading a New Version of an Existing File

If you have write permissions on a file, you can replace the file with a new version that you have saved on your local file system.

To upload new versions of multiple files at once, which allows you to also specify whether to create new versions of existing files or overwrite existing files, follow the steps in Section 17.5.1, "Uploading Files."

Note:

WebCenter Portal does not support uploading a new wiki document or a new version of a wiki document from the file system. If you upload an HTML file, you cannot convert it to a wiki document due to differences in underlying metadata. For information about wiki documents in WebCenter Portal, see Chapter 15, "Working with Wikis."

To upload a new version of a single file:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the file you want to replace.
Alternatively, you can upload a new version of an open file in the Document Viewer preview pane.

2. Depending on your view and permissions, perform one of the following actions:

Note:

If you do not have write permission on the file, or if the file is already checked out by another user, then the Upload New Version action will not be available to you.

If you have write permissions on the file, and try to upload a new version at the same time it is being checked out by another user, an Information dialog notifies you that the file is checked out.

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click the Checked Out (padlock) icon in the file's row and choose Upload New Version (Figure 17-33), click the File menu, and select Upload New Version, or right-click to display the file's context menu and choose Upload New Version.

Figure 17-33 Checked Out Icon: Upload New Version

- In the Document Viewer preview pane, click the Upload New Version action (Figure 17-34).

Figure 17-34 Document Viewer: Upload New Version

The Upload New Version pane opens (Figure 17-35).

Figure 17-35 Upload New Version Pane

Note:

If a file is associated with a content type profile, it will be uploaded using that content type profile. You cannot change a file's content type profile by uploading a new version. See Section 17.5.1.1, "Uploading a File with a Content Profile" for information about selecting a content type profile when a file is first uploaded.

3. Select the file(s) to upload in either of the following ways:

- (In FireFox or Chrome browsers only) Select the file(s) in your local file system and drag them into the Upload New Version pane.

- Click Select file, then navigate to and select the file(s) you want to upload.

4. In the Upload Document pane, optionally, provide a description of the file in the Description field.

5. Click Upload.
A new version of the file replaces the existing file. For information about viewing versions of a file, see Section 17.16, "Viewing and Deleting File Version History."

17.9 Renaming a Folder or File

You can rename a folder or file as described in the following sections:

- Section 17.9.1, "Renaming a Folder or File Using a Menu"

- Section 17.9.2, "Renaming a File and Revising Its Description Through Properties"

Note:

To use Windows Explorer to rename folders and files in a portal when the back-end content repository is Content Server, see Section 19.4.2, "Working with Files Using Windows Explorer."

17.9.1 Renaming a Folder or File Using a Menu

To rename a folder or file:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the folder or file you want to rename.

2. Click the File menu, and select Rename, or right-click in the folder or file's row to display the context menu and choose Rename.
The Rename Folder or Rename Document dialog opens (Figure 17-36).

Figure 17-36 Rename Document Dialog

3. In the Name field, enter a new folder or file name.

Note:

The following characters are not allowed in folder and file names:

/ \ : * ? " < > |

Letters, numbers, spaces, and periods (.) are allowed.

4. Click Rename.

17.9.2 Renaming a File and Revising Its Description Through Properties

To rename a file or revise its description through its properties, see Section 17.17.2, "Working with File Properties."

17.10 Copying and Pasting Folders and Files

You can copy and paste folders and files in the following ways:

- Use menu actions as described in the steps below.

- Drag and drop into a target folder while pressing the Ctrl key. You can even drag and drop into another Documents viewer on the same page as long as both viewers are connected to the same content repository.

- Copy a file to your local file system, as described in Section 17.8.3, "Downloading a File."

Note:

When you copy a file, only the latest version of the file is copied, not the version history. For more information on file history, see Section 17.16, "Viewing and Deleting File Version History."

To copy one or more folders (including all of its subfolders and files) or files using menu actions:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the folder(s) or file(s) you want to copy.
To select multiple folders or files, Ctrl-click in the rows.

2. Click the File menu, and select Copy, or right-click to display the context menu and choose Copy.

3. Navigate to the folder where you want to paste the copied folder(s) or file(s).
You can also navigate to a folder in another Documents viewer on the same or a different page as long as both viewers are connected to the same content repository.

4. Click the File menu, and select Paste, or right-click to display the folder's context menu and choose Paste. After pasting, the Paste action becomes inactive in the current folder. You can continue to paste the copied content to other folders as needed.
If you are copying into another Documents viewer, you may need to refresh the target folder if the Paste menu action is not active (see Section 17.13, "Refreshing Folder Contents").

The selected folder(s) and file(s) are copied to the current folder.

Note:

If a folder or file is deleted at the source location before pasting, it will not be copied to the paste location.

17.11 Moving Folders and Files

You can move folders and files in the following ways:

- Use the menu actions as described in the steps below.

- Drag and drop into a target folder. You can even drag and drop into another Documents viewer on the same page as long as both viewers are connected to the same content repository.

Note:

To use Windows Explorer to move folders and files in a portal when the back-end content repository is Content Server, see Section 19.4.2, "Working with Files Using Windows Explorer."

To move one or more folders (including all of its subfolders and files) or files using menu actions:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the folder(s) or file(s) you want to move.
To select multiple folders or files, Ctrl-click in the rows.

2. Click the File menu, and select Cut, or right-click to display the context menu and choose Cut.

3. Navigate to the folder where you want to move the folder(s) or file(s).
You can also navigate to a folder in another Documents viewer on the same or a different page as long as both viewers are connected to the same content repository

4. Click the File menu, and select Paste, or right-click to display the folder's context menu and choose Paste. After pasting, the Paste action becomes inactive in the current folder.
If you are moving folders or files into another Documents viewer, you may need to refresh the target folder if the Paste menu action is not active (see Section 17.13, "Refreshing Folder Contents").

The selected folder(s) and file(s) are moved to the current folder.

Note:

If you do not paste the cut folder(s) or file(s), they are restored to the location where they were cut. If a folder or file is deleted at the source location before pasting, it will not be moved to the paste location.

17.12 Deleting Folders and Files

When you delete a folder, all the subfolders and files the folder contains are also deleted in the content repository. When you delete a folder, this action is not reflected in the Activity Stream in the Home portal.

Notes:

- The root folder cannot be deleted.

- To use Windows Explorer to move folders and files in a portal when the back-end content repository is Content Server, see Section 19.4.2, "Working with Files Using Windows Explorer."

To delete one or more folders or files:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the folder(s) or file(s) you want to delete.
To select multiple folders or files, Ctrl-click in the rows.

2. Click the File menu, and select Delete, or right-click to display the context menu and choose Delete.
The Delete dialog opens (Figure 17-37).

Figure 17-37 Deleting a File

3. Click Delete to delete your selection from the content repository.

17.13 Refreshing Folder Contents

Refreshing the contents of the current folder retrieves all changes made in the content repository since the last retrieval.

To refresh folder contents:

- On the Documents page or in a Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer, click the View menu, and select Refresh Content.

- In the Document List Viewer, click the Refresh icon.

17.14 Hiding and Showing Folders

To hide or show the folders in a listing of folders and files:

- On the Documents page or in a Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer, click the View menu, and select Hide Folders.
When folders are hidden, a check displays alongside the Hide Folders menu selection.

17.15 Managing Tags on Files

Tags specify keywords related to the content of the file. Tags are useful for making a file more widely discoverable in search results.

To work with the tags for a file:

1. Access tags by performing one of the following actions:

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click the View menu, and select Details, or right-click to display the file's context menu and choose Details.

- In the Document Viewer preview pane, scroll to the bottom of the document and click the Tags tab (Figure 17-38).

- In the Rich Text Editor, scroll to the bottom of the HTML document, wiki, or blog post, and click the Tags tab (Figure 17-38).

Figure 17-38 Tags Pane

2. In the Tags pane, enter new tags, and edit or delete existing tags as your permissions allow, then click Save.

See Also:

For information about tags in WebCenter Portal, see Chapter 32, "Using Tags and Bookmarks."

17.16 Viewing and Deleting File Version History

If you edit and save a file, or upload a file with Always create a new version selected in the Upload dialog (Figure 17-39), WebCenter Portal creates a new version of the file if it already exists in the current folder. When a file has multiple versions, it has a version history.

Figure 17-39 Upload Document Pane (in FireFox browser)

This section describes how to view a file's version history to track when a file was last revised, to determine which user revised it, and to delete a particular file version. For wiki documents and blog posts, you can also compare versions.

Note:

To use the task pane available through Microsoft Office shared document management functionality to work with a Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file's version history, see Section 17.16, "Viewing and Deleting File Version History."

To view or delete versions of a file:

1. Access the history by performing one of the following actions:

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click the View menu, and select Details, or right-click to display the file's context menu and choose Details.

- In the Document Viewer preview pane, scroll to the bottom of the document and click the History tab (Figure 17-40).

- In the Rich Text Editor, scroll to the bottom of the HTML document, wiki, or blog post, and click the History tab (Figure 17-40).

Figure 17-40 History Pane

2. Select a version of the file to display a preview of that version in the preview pane.

3. To delete a particular version, select it in the History pane, then click Delete (Figure 17-41).

Note:

The Delete icon displays only if you have been granted delete permissions.

Figure 17-41 Deleting a Version of a File

4. (For wiki documents and blog posts only) To compare a particular version with the current version of the file, select it in the History pane, then click Compare to open the Compare Versions dialog, showing the differences (Figure 17-42 and Figure 17-43).

Figure 17-42 Comparing Older Version with Current Version (Wiki or Blog)

Figure 17-43 Compare Versions Dialog (Wiki or Blog)

17.17 Working with Folder and File Properties

Folder and file properties provide access to informational details. You can use file properties to perform activities such as rename a file, modify a file description, or change file metadata values.

Additionally, both folder and file properties provide read-only information about location, type, creation and modification dates, and the users who created or last modified the folder or file.

To access folder or file properties, refer to the steps in the following sections:

- Section 17.17.1, "Working with Folder Properties"

- Section 17.17.2, "Working with File Properties"

17.17.1 Working with Folder Properties

To view folder properties:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the folder.

2. Click the View menu, and select Details, or right-click to display the folder's context menu and choose Details.
The Basic properties pane opens (Figure 17-44). Folder properties are not editable. To change the folder name, see Section 17.9, "Renaming a Folder or File."

Figure 17-44 Folder Properties

17.17.2 Working with File Properties

To view or modify file properties:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the file.
Alternatively, you can view properties of an open file in the Document Viewer preview pane.

2. Depending on your view, perform one of the following actions:

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click the View menu, and select Details, or right-click to display the file's context menu and choose Details.

- In the Document Viewer preview pane:

- If the file type supports an in-place preview of the file contents, scroll to the bottom of the preview and click the Info tab (Figure 17-45).

- If the file type does not support a preview (for example, .mp3 music files, video files, or .ini files) or if you are using an Apple iOS device, the preview pane displays the file properties (see Figure 17-46) rather than a preview of the file content.

Figure 17-45 Document Viewer: File Properties in Tabbed Info Pane

Figure 17-46 Document Viewer: File Properties in Preview Pane

3. To modify the editable Basic properties, click Edit in the Basic properties area. In the Edit dialog (Figure 17-47), revise the file name and description as desired, then click Save.

Note:

The following characters are not allowed in folder and file names:

/ \ : * ? " < > |

Letters, numbers, spaces, and periods (.) are allowed.

Figure 17-47 Edit Dialog for Basic Properties

4. To modify the editable Advanced properties, click Edit in the Advanced properties area. In the Edit dialog (Figure 17-48), revise the property values as desired, then click Save.

Note:

To enable Edit functionality on Advanced properties, both of the following two requirements must be met:

- You must access the WebCenter Portal application through Oracle HTTP Server (OHS) to expose Content Server and the WebCenter Portal application under the same host and port. For information about setting up OHS as the front-end to WebCenter Portal, see the "Configuring Content Server" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- WebCenter Portal must be connected to a Content Server repository, with the webContextRoot parameter set to a Content Server host name. For information on setting webContextRoot, see the "Registering Content Repositories for WebCenter Portal or Portal Framework Applications" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal. To set webContextRoot through WLST, see "createJCRContentServerConnection" and "setJCRContentServerConnection" sections in Oracle Fusion Middleware WebLogic Scripting Tool Command Reference.

Figure 17-48 Advanced Properties Edit Dialog

Note:

Most advanced properties are unique to the content repository (such as Content Server) where the file is stored.

17.18 Managing Document Links

Links provide a way to view, access, and associate related information by linking a file to a discussion, document, event, note, or URL. For example, you can create a link to associate a project plan document with a list of project issues. To create links, you must be granted the Links-Create Links permission.

Note:

If you create a link using the Select Resource or Add Resource icons in the RTE (see Table 17-4, "Rich Text Editor Toolbar Icons and Controls on Rich Text Tab"), the resulting inline link is not added to the Links tab associated with the details of the linking HTML document, wiki, or blog post. If you require a link to appear on the Links tab, you must add it using the Link to New and Link to Existing menus on the Links tab, as described in the steps below, which also adds a corresponding link on the Links tab for the linked resource.

To work with the links for a file:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the file.
Alternatively, you can view the links of an open file in the Document Viewer preview pane.

2. Depending on your view, perform one of the following actions:

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click the View menu, and select Details, or right-click to display the file's context menu and choose Details.

- In the Document Viewer preview pane, scroll to the bottom of the document and click the Links tab (Figure 17-49).

Figure 17-49 Links Pane

3. On the Links tab, click Link to New and select the required item to create and link to discussion forum topics, events, or notes; upload and link to documents, or enter the URL of a web page to link to (Figure 17-50).

Figure 17-50 Adding a Link to a New Discussion, Document, Event, Note, or URL

4. Click Link to Existing and select the required item to link to an existing announcement, discussion forum topic, document, or event (Figure 17-51).

Figure 17-51 Adding a Link to an Existing Announcement, Discussion, Document, or Event

The links that you add are listed on the Links tab for the document, and a corresponding link to the document is listed on the Links tab for the linked resource.

Figure 17-52 Link to Another Document

See Also:

For more information about creating links in WebCenter Portal, see Chapter 31, "Linking Information in WebCenter Portal."

17.19 Viewing Document Recommendations

Note:

The Recommendations pane displays only if Activity Graph is configured. This is a system administrator task, described in the "Activity Graph Prerequisites" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

The Recommendations pane provides suggestions of other documents you might want to view, based on the current document.

To work with the recommendations for a file:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the file.
Alternatively, you can view the links of an open file in the Document Viewer preview pane.

2. Depending on your view, perform one of the following actions:

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click the View menu, and select Details, or right-click to display the file's context menu and choose Details.

- In the Document Viewer preview pane, scroll to the bottom of the document and click the Recommendations tab (Figure 17-53).

Figure 17-53 Recommendations Pane

3. Click the Display Options icon (Figure 17-54) to open the Display Options dialog (Figure 17-55), where you can select the items you want to show on the Recommendations tab.

Figure 17-54 Recommendations Display Options Icon

Figure 17-55 Display Options for Recommendations

4. In the Recommendations pane:

- Click the Delete icon to delete the associated recommendation.

- Click the link text for each recommendation to view that document.

- Click the Refresh icon to display the most recent recommendations.

See Also:

For more information about working with recommendations, see Chapter 21, "Exploring Recommendations and Content."

17.20 Opening or Saving PDF Files

From the Document Viewer preview pane, you can open or save the PDF version of the currently open file to your local file system. This choice is available for any file type for which Content Server is configured to convert to PDF.

Note:

To enable the conversion of wikis and blogs into PDF, your system administrator must configure the WebCenter Conversion component, as described in the "Enabling the Conversion of Wikis and Blogs into PDFs" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal, and Oracle WebCenter Content settings for document conversion using IBR must be configured correctly.

To open or save a file in PDF:

- In the Document Viewer preview pane, click the View menu, and select:

- Open as PDF to open the file in a new tab in your browser in Adobe Acrobat Reader's PDF Viewer plug-in.

- Download PDF to open a browser dialog where you can save the file to your local file system as a PDF file.

17.21 Sharing the URL for a Folder or File

With appropriate permissions, users can directly access folders and files by clicking the URL, or entering it in a browser. You can retrieve and share the URL to a folder or file in several ways, as described in the following sections:

- Section 17.21.1, "Retrieving the URL for a Folder or File"

- Section 17.21.2, "Mailing the URL for a Folder or File"

- Section 17.21.3, "Publishing the URL for a File to Activity Streams"

17.21.1 Retrieving the URL for a Folder or File

Every folder and file that resides in a connected content repository can be accessed through a direct URL, which you can provide to other users. If they have permissions to access the folder or file, they can click the URL link to open the folder or file directly in a WebCenter Portal application, open the file in its default application, or save the file to their local file system.

To retrieve the URL for a folder or file:

1. Open the Get a Link dialog in any of the following ways:

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the folder or file, then click the View menu, and select Get a Link.

- Right-click in the folder or file's row to display the context menu and choose Get a Link.

- If you are already viewing a file in the Document Viewer preview pane, click the View menu, and select Get a Link.

The Direct URL provides a direct link to open the folder or file in WebCenter Portal application. For files, the Download URL provides a direct link to allow users to open the file in its default application, or choose to save the file to their local file system (Figure 17-56).

Note:

Download URL is not available for folders.

Figure 17-56 Clicking Download URL Value in Get a Link Dialog

2. Drag your mouse pointer over the URL to select it, then press Ctrl-c to copy it so that you can paste it wherever you need it.

17.21.2 Mailing the URL for a Folder or File

From the Document Viewer preview pane, you can send a mail message to other users with the body of the message populated with the direct URL to the currently open folder or file. If the folder or file is in a portal, the direct URL to the portal is also included.

Note:

To use the task pane available through the Microsoft Office shared document management functionality to send a message to any user who has a mail address defined in WebCenter Portal, see Section 19.3.4.12, "Sending a Message."

To send the URL to folder or file in a mail message:

1. Open the folder or file in the Document Viewer preview pane in either of the following ways:

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the folder or file, then click the View menu, and select Details.

- Right-click in the folder or file's row to display the context menu and choose Details.

2. In Document Viewer preview pane, click the File menu, and select Send Mail to open the mail message in your default mail application.

3. Modify the mail message as desired, and send it.

17.21.3 Publishing the URL for a File to Activity Streams

You can publish the URL for a file to the Activity Stream (this is also known as sharing a file). Depending on whether you are sharing a personal file or a portal file, the shared file can appear in your connections' Activity Streams or in a portal's Activity Stream.

Notes:

- A portal's Activity Stream can be displayed in the portal, but portal members can also display the portal's activities in their own Activity Streams.

- You can also share files and other items through Publisher (see Section 13.7, "Sharing Messages, Files, and URLs").

To share a file to Activity Streams:

1. Open the Share dialog (Figure 17-57) in any of the following ways:

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the file, then click the File menu, and select Share.

- Right-click in the file's row to display the context menu and choose Share.

- If you are already viewing a file in the Document Viewer preview pane, click the File menu, and select Share.

Figure 17-57 Share Dialog

2. Optionally, enter a comment to appear with the URL.

3. If you are sharing a personal file, select an option from the Share with menu.

- Select Everyone to share the item with all of your connections. The shared file will appear in your connections' Activity Streams.

- Select Portals to open the Select a Portal dialog (Figure 17-58) and select a portal. The shared file will appear in the selected portal's Activity Stream.

Figure 17-58 Select a Portal Dialog

From the Show portals menu:

- Select All to show all of the portals to which you have access.

- Select Joined to show all of the portals you have explicitly joined.

- Select Moderated to show all of the portals for which you are a moderator.

- Select Public to show all public portals.

Alternatively, enter the name of a portal in the Search field and execute the search. Results appear in the dialog.

Click a portal, and click OK.

4. Click Publish.
The URL to the file along with your comments, if any, are added to your Activity Stream and, as appropriate, your connections' Activity Streams or the portal's Activity Stream.

17.22 Setting Security Options on a Folder or File

Security can set be on a folder or a file through inheritance from the parent folder, or by setting custom permissions. If set on a folder, the security is propagated to child files and folders that do not already have their own custom permissions defined. A child file or folder (at any depth) that already has custom permissions defined will retain that security definition.

You must have Documents-Administration permission to set security options on a folder or file. For information about roles and permissions, see the "Understanding Permissions and Permission Models in a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

To set security options on a folder or file:

1. Verify that the system administrator has completed the prerequisite steps before setting security options on folder or file, as described in the "Configuring Item Level Security" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

2. Open the Security Settings dialog (Figure 17-59) in any of the following ways:

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the folder or file, then click the File menu, and select Security.

- Right-click in the folder or file's row to display the context menu and choose Security.

- If you are already viewing a file in the Document Viewer preview pane, click the File menu, and select Security.

Figure 17-59 Security Settings Dialog

3. Select the Access Method:

- To specify that the folder or file should inherit access settings from the parent folder, select Inherit Parent Folder Permissions, then click OK to save your changes and exit the dialog.

- To set custom access on the current folder or file, select Use Custom Permissions, and continue with the next steps.

4. To grant access permissions to all authenticated users (that is, to users who are logged in to WebCenter Portal), click the Add Authenticated Role for Logged in User Access icon (Figure 17-60).

Figure 17-60 Add Authenticated Role for Logged in User Access Icon

The role authenticated-role is added under Role or User with default Read access to the folder or file, and the option to grant Administer, Delete, and Write permissions (Figure 17-61).

Figure 17-61 authenticated-role Default Security Settings

5. To grant access permissions to all public users (that is, users who have not logged in to WebCenter Portal), click the Add Anonymous Role for Public Access (Figure 17-62).

Figure 17-62 Add Anonymous Role for: Access Icon

The role anonymous-role is added under Role or User with default Read access to the file (Figure 17-63).

Figure 17-63 anonymous-role Default Security Settings

6. To grant access permissions to selected members of the portal, click Add Users or Add Groups to open the corresponding Search dialog where you can select users or groups to populate the list in the Security Settings dialog. For tips on searching for a user or group in the identity store, see the Searching for a User or Group in the Identity Store" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

7. For each user, group, or role, grant access by selecting one or more access privileges from the Access columns: Administer, Delete, Write, and Read.

8. Click OK to save your changes and close the Security Settings dialog.

17.23 Subscribing to a File

To receive notifications about the activities on a file, you can subscribe to it. Whenever a user comments on, likes, updates, or deletes the file, you will be notified through your selected messaging channel.

See Also:

For more information, see Section 20.2, "Establishing and Managing Your Messaging Channels and Filters."

To subscribe to a file:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click the file to open it in the Document Viewer preview pane.

2. From the File menu, select Subscribe.

3. If you no longer wish to monitor the activities on a file, click the File menu, and select Unsubscribe.

17.24 Liking a File

For information on liking a file, see Section 13.2, "Liking Items."

17.25 Adding a Folder or File to Your Favorites

For quick access to a folder or file (including wiki documents and blog posts), you can add it to your personal favorites.

See Also:

For more information, see Chapter 27, "Managing Your Favorites."

To add a folder file to your personal WebCenter Portal favorites:

1. Open the folder or file in the Document Viewer preview pane in either of the following ways:

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the folder or file, then click the View menu, and select Details.

- Right-click in the folder or file's row to display the context menu and choose Details.

2. In Document Viewer preview pane, click the File menu, and select Add To Favorites.

17.26 Searching for Documents

In addition to WebCenter Search, which searches a particular portal or across all portals (see Chapter 6, "Searching for Information"), Documents provides its own search engine for file searches. A Documents search saves time and increases the relevancy of results by narrowing the scope of a search to files.

In WebCenter Portal, Documents search searches within a specific portal root folder.

Note:

When searching for content stored in the connected Content Server repository, full-text search must be enabled in Content Server through either of the following methods:

- OracleTextSearch (preferred), as described in the "Configuring OracleTextSearch for Content Server" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Installing and Configuring Oracle WebCenter Content

- DATABASE.FULLTEXT, as described in the "Configuring the Full-Text Features in the WebCenter Content Repository" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Installing and Configuring Oracle WebCenter Content

The Oracle Secure Enterprise Search (SES) adapter does not need to be configured to use Documents search.

The document search feature is exposed in the Document Manager, Document Explorer, and Folder Viewer. It provides two levels of search: Basic and Advanced. To perform Basic and Advanced searches for files, refer to the following sections:

- Section 17.26.1, "Running a Basic Document Search"

- Section 17.26.2, "Running an Advanced Document Search"

17.26.1 Running a Basic Document Search

A basic document search searches the connected content repository for the specified file name. To include more search criteria, see Section 17.26.2, "Running an Advanced Document Search."

To perform a basic document search:

1. On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, enter a full or partial file name in the Filter field (Figure 17-64).

Figure 17-64 Filter Field

2. Press the Enter key, or click the Search icon.
The search results pane displays files matching the search string (Figure 17-65).

Figure 17-65 Search Results Pane

In the search results pane, the presence of the highlighted area indicates that you are looking at the results of a query, not the contents of a folder. Look in the Location column to determine where a file or folder is located. Alternatively, click the file name to open it from the Search Results pane.

3. In the Search Results pane:

- Click the Clear action to clear the Filter field and return to the default folder display.

- Click Edit Search Criteria action to open the Advanced Search dialog, where you can specify additional search criteria, as described in Section 17.26.2, "Running an Advanced Document Search."

17.26.2 Running an Advanced Document Search

You can specify more granular search options to search the connected content repository to generate results for a specified file name, keywords, folder, content type, dates, users, or properties that are defined for the selected content profile.

To perform an advanced document search:

1. Open the Advanced Search dialog in either of the following ways:

- On the Documents page or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click Advanced next to the Filter field.

- Click Edit Search Criteria in the highlighted toolbar area of the Search Results pane (Figure 17-65).

The Advanced Search dialog opens (Figure 17-66).

Figure 17-66 Advanced Search Dialog

2. Enter search terms in one or more of the fields:

- File Name: Enter a full or partial file name.

- Keywords: Enter words to search for in the content of the file or tags applied to the file.

- Look In: Click the Browse icon to open a list of content repository folders, then drill down to the desired folder.

- Content Type: Choose All Content Types to retrieve content items regardless of the content type. Or, choose from the list the name of a content type profile defined in the Content Server repository. A content type profile specifies the properties that define a specific type of content (for example, a press release, or a news flash, or an image). The content type IDC:GlobalProfile is the name of a default content profile defined in Content Server that can be applied if no other content profiles are defined.

- Limit Results: Specify the maximum number of files to be returned by the search.

- Dates: In the Created and/or Last Modified fields, select a modifier to search for files matching an exact date (is), a following date (is after), a preceding date (is before), or a date between two other dates (is between).
Selecting is between adds an additional date field for entering the end date (Figure 17-67). Enter a beginning date and an end date; the end date is not inclusive.

Figure 17-67 Dates Search Fields

Click the Select Date icon to select a date in the correct format (mm/dd/yy), for example 11/18/11, or enter a date manually.

- Users: In the Created By and Last Modified By fields, enter a user name to search for files that the user created (uploaded) or last modified. Click the Browse icon to open the Search Users dialog where you can select from a list of users or search for a user name. For tips on searching for a user in the identity store, see the "Searching for a User or Group in the Identity Store" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Note:

In WebCenter Portal, when you search in a portal, the user selection list and the user search find user names for current members of the portal.

- Additional Query Filters: Not applicable when Content Type is set to All Content Types. For a selected content type profile (prefixed IDC), click the Add icon (Figure 17-68) to list all the properties that are defined for the selected profile. Select one or more properties to refine the query to find files with specific property settings.

Figure 17-68 Additional Query Filters Search

3. Click Search to execute the advanced search.
Files matching the search criteria display in the Search Results pane.

17.27 Working with Workflow-Enabled Content

A workflow provides for review and approval of a file before it is released to the system. The workflow notifies approvers through mail messages when they have a file to review and approve.

If you have privileges to view the contents of a folder that is assigned a workflow, you can view the files while they are in a workflow, showing the pending changes.

To work with files in workflow, see the "Working with Workflow-Enabled Content" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

18 Collaborating on Documents

This chapter describes different ways to collaborate on documents, both during the development of a document, or when a document is available to all users of a portal. This includes joint authoring, sharing, reviewing, approving, editing, and so on.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 18.1, "Collaborating on Documents Using the Documents Page and Documents Viewers"

- Section 18.2, "Collaborating on Documents through Workflows"

- Section 18.3, "Collaborating on Documents Using Oracle AutoVue"

Permissions:

To perform the tasks in this chapter, you need the portal-level permissions Customize Pages and Edit Content and Create and Edit Documents (which includes delete permissions on documents that you create), granted by the portal moderator. To delete documents that are not your own, you must have Delete Documents permission.

To set security on a document, you must have Documents: Administration permission, granted by the portal moderator.

Note:

The Documents page in a portal is only shown with Content Server 11g. If the connected content repository is Content Server 10g, the Documents page will not be available; to use Documents functionality, you can create a page in a portal and add Documents viewers to the page.

18.1 Collaborating on Documents Using the Documents Page and Documents Viewers

The Documents page and Documents viewers provide features for accessing, adding, and managing folders and files; configuring and viewing file and folder properties; and searching file and folder content in the connected content repositories.

The following features enable you to collaborate on documents:

- Viewing a document in-place. See Section 17.6.2, "Opening a File."

- Tagging a document. See Section 17.15, "Managing Tags on Files."

- Linking to supporting documents. See Section 17.18, "Managing Document Links."

- Viewing recommendations for similar documents. See Section 17.19, "Viewing Document Recommendations."

- Commenting on a document. See Section 13.4, "Commenting on Items."

- Sharing the link to a document. See Section 17.21, "Sharing the URL for a Folder or File."

- Subscribing to a document. See Section 17.23, "Subscribing to a File."

- Liking a document. See Section 17.24, "Liking a File."

- Adding a document to your list of favorites. See Section 17.25, "Adding a Folder or File to Your Favorites."

- Adding wiki documents to WebCenter Portal, allowing multiple users to collaborate to create content that is relevant, useful, and up-to-date. See Chapter 15, "Working with Wikis."

- Adding blogs to record experiences and opinions, and allowing multiple users to contribute through blog posts. See Chapter 16, "Working with Blogs."

18.2 Collaborating on Documents through Workflows

While a document is being developed, it must typically be reviewed and approved by a number of people. To assist in managing this process, WebCenter Portal provides a built-in workflow capability to move a document through required approvals by assigned approvers. This capability is available when the connected content repository is Content Server.

For information about viewing and participating in document workflows, see the "Working with Workflow-Enabled Content" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

18.3 Collaborating on Documents Using Oracle AutoVue

In addition to the wide range of functionality offered by WebCenter Portal to manage and collaborate on documents through workflows, wiki documents, and portals, you also have the option to use Oracle AutoVue.

Note:

To enable Oracle AutoVue functionality, verify with your system administrator that the following requirements are met:

- You must access the WebCenter Portal application through Oracle HTTP Server (OHS) to expose Content Server and the WebCenter Portal application under the same host and port. For information about setting up OHS as the front-end to WebCenter Portal, see the "Configuring Content Server" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- The AutoVue VueLink Integration servlet must be mapped through the same OHS front-end that is configured for Content Server and WebCenter Portal. For more information, see the "Enabling the iFraming UI" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- SSO should be set up between Content Server and the WebCenter Portal application to allow for single sign-off, and avoid unexpected reuse of Content Server sessions. See the "Configuring Single Sign-on" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- WebCenter Portal must be connected to a Content Server repository, with the webContextRoot parameter set to a Content Server host name. For information on setting webContextRoot, see the "Registering Content Repositories for WebCenter Portal or Portal Framework Applications" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal. To set webContextRoot through WLST, see the "createJCRContentServerConnection" and "setJCRContentServerConnection" sections in Oracle Fusion Middleware WebLogic Scripting Tool Command Reference.

Oracle AutoVue, packaged separately from WebCenter Portal, integrates easily with a Content Server back-end repository to provide document review and collaboration features. AutoVue supports a wide range of file types, including Word, Excel, PDF, as well as 2D and 3D CAD file types. For more information about Oracle AutoVue, see the library of documents at http://www.oracle.com/us/products/applications/autoVue/index.html.

To use Oracle AutoVue to review and collaborate on a file:

1. Open the file in the Document Viewer preview pane, click the File menu, and select Annotate with AutoVue.
The AutoVue file viewer in Content Server opens.

Note:

if SSO is not set up, you will need to log into Content Server to see the AutoVue viewer.

2. In the AutoVue file viewer (Figure 18-1), enter comments and individualized mark-up, and save your changes.

Figure 18-1 AutoView File Viewer in Content Server

3. To view the file containing the AutoVue markup in WebCenter Portal, click the AutoVue tab at the bottom of the Document Viewer preview pane (Figure 18-2), then click the name of the AutoVue version of the file.

Note:

There may be multiple marked-up versions of the file listed in the AutoVue pane. Click the version you require.

Figure 18-2 Document Viewer: AutoVue Pane

19 Working with Microsoft Office and Explorer Integration

This chapter describes how to use Microsoft Office applications and Windows Explorer to manage documents in a portal.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 19.1, "About Microsoft Office and Explorer Integration"

- Section 19.2, "Configuring Microsoft Office Integration with WebCenter Portal"

- Section 19.3, "Working with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel Integration"

- Section 19.4, "Working with Microsoft Windows Explorer Integration"

Permissions:

To perform the tasks in this chapter, you need the portal-level permission Create and Edit Documents (which includes delete permissions on documents that you create). To delete documents that are not your own, you must have Delete Documents permission. These permissions are granted by default to the portal Participant role.

19.1 About Microsoft Office and Explorer Integration

WebCenter Portal integrates with Microsoft Office and Windows Explorer to provide you with flexibility in managing files in a portal when the content repository is Content Server.

The differences in Microsoft Office 2003, 2007, and 2010 mean that each version may support a particular feature in a different way, and one or more versions may not support some of the tasks described in this chapter. Each section in this chapter provides information about which Microsoft Office version supports the task described, and how that support is implemented, where there are differences. Additionally, Table 19-1 provides a quick reference summary of the Microsoft Office functionality supported by WebCenter Portal in the different versions of Microsoft Office

This following sections provide an overview of the added functionality provided by integration with Microsoft Office and Windows Explorer:

- Section 19.1.1, "Understanding Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint, and Excel Integration"

- Section 19.1.2, "Understanding Microsoft Windows Explorer Integration"

19.1.1 Understanding Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint, and Excel Integration

Using the Microsoft Office shared document management functionality, you can work with Word, PowerPoint, or Excel files in any portal, including the Home portal, from the task pane in the Office application.

Note:

The differences in Microsoft Office 2003, 2007, and 2010 mean that each version may support a particular feature in a different way, and one or more versions may not support some of the tasks described in this chapter. Each section provides information about which version supports the task described, and how that support is implemented, where there are differences.

Table 19-1 provides a quick reference summary of the Microsoft Office functionality supported by WebCenter Portal in the different versions of Microsoft Office.

Note:

The following browsers are supported for all versions of Microsoft Office:

- Internet Explorer 7+

- Firefox 3.6+

- Safari 4+

- Google Chrome 12+

Table 19-1 Microsoft Office Version Support Summary

Task

2003

2007

2010

Creating a Portal from a Microsoft Office Document

Opening a Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file from WebCenter Portal:

- Opening and Editing a File
2003: By default, opens task pane (Figure 19-7)

2007: By default, does not open task pane

2010: Does not include task pane

- Opening a File Already Checked Out By Another User

Closing a File

- Closing a File After Checking It In

- Closing a File Before Checking It In
2003: From the File menu, select Close

2007: Click the Office Button (Figure 19-1) in the top left corner of the Microsoft Office application, then select Close

- Closing an Unchanged File

- Closing an Updated File

Working with the Microsoft Office Task Pane (2003 and 2007 only)

Displaying and Hiding the Microsoft Office Task Pane:

- Displaying or Hiding the Task Pane Manually
2003: From Tools menu, select Shared Workspace (Figure 19-7)

2007: Click Office button: from Server menu, select Document Management Information (Figure 19-10)

- Displaying or Hiding the Task Pane By Default
2003: From Tools menu, select Options

2007: In Microsoft Office task pane, click Options

N/A

Microsoft Office Task Pane: Top section

N/A

User or portal name (see Table 19-3)

N/A

- Open Site in Browser (see Table 19-3)

N/A

- Change Site Title

N/A

- Change Site Settings (see Table 19-3)

N/A

- Disconnect from Workspace

N/A

- Delete Workspace

N/A

Microsoft Office Task Pane: Status section

N/A

Document checked out to: user name

N/A

- Schedule a Meeting (see Table 19-3)

N/A

- Call

N/A

- Send Mail

- Sending a Message to the Current User

- Sending a Message to Your Connections

- Sending a Message to Members of a Portal

N/A

- Additional Actions

N/A

- Add to Outlook Contacts (see Table 19-3)

N/A

- Outlook Properties (see Table 19-3)

N/A

Check in

- Checking a File In

- Checking the Currently Open File Out Again After Checking It In

- Checking a File Out

N/A

Microsoft Office Task Pane: Members section

N/A

User who checked out the file

N/A

- Schedule a Meeting

N/A

- Additional Actions

N/A

- Edit Site Group Membership

N/A

- Edit User Information

N/A

- Add to Outlook Contacts

N/A

- Outlook Properties

N/A

Listing of current people connections

N/A

Add new members (not supported for Home portal)

- Adding Members to a Portal

N/A

Send e-mail to all members

- Sending a Message

N/A

Microsoft Office Task Pane: Tasks section

N/A

Microsoft Office Task Pane: Documents section

N/A

Managing the Currently Open File

- Open in Microsoft Office Xxxxx

N/A

- Delete

N/A

- Alert Me About This Document

N/A

- Check Status (see Table 19-3)

N/A

- Document Updates

N/A

- Save Updatable Copy

N/A

- Create Document Workspace

N/A

- Publish Back to Source Location

N/A

Managing Other Files in the Current Portal

- Open in Microsoft Office

N/A

- Delete

N/A

- Alert Me About This Document

N/A

Managing Folders:

- View Contents.

N/A

- Delete

N/A

Add new document

- Saving a File As a New File in a Portal

- Adding a New File Using the Task Pane

N/A

Add new folder

- Adding a New Folder

N/A

Alert me about documents

N/A

Microsoft Office Task Pane: Links section

N/A

Documents and URL links defined in WebCenter Portal to the current file

- Viewing Link Targets

N/A

Add new link

N/A

Alert me about links

N/A

Microsoft Office Task Pane: Document Information section

N/A

Document Information

- Viewing Document Information

N/A

Restrict permission

N/A

Alert me about this document

N/A

Check out or Check in

- Checking a File Out

- Checking a File In

N/A

Version history

- Working with File Version History

N/A

Microsoft Office Task Pane: Bottom section

N/A

Get Updates (see Table 19-3)

N/A

Options (see Table 19-3)

N/A

Date and time that the file was last modified.

N/A

19.1.2 Understanding Microsoft Windows Explorer Integration

In Windows Explorer, you can manage the folders and files in a portal when the back-end content repository is Content Server. To use this functionality, you create a network place in Windows Explorer for the portal documents. See Section 19.4, "Working with Microsoft Windows Explorer Integration."

19.2 Configuring Microsoft Office Integration with WebCenter Portal

To allow for full integration of Microsoft Office with WebCenter Portal, your system administrator must complete the steps detailed in the "Managing Microsoft Office Integration" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Additionally, it is recommended that you set your Microsoft Office application options to use a web server (Content Server) for managing checked out files rather than a local draft folder. Table 19-2 describes the behavior of save and close actions when using a local draft folder and a web server:

Table 19-2 Microsoft Office Save Options Settings

MS Office Action

Save to Local Draft Folder

Save to Web Server

Save a file

The file is saved to the client local drive. This is useful when the client does not maintain a connection to a server. The file is not automatically checked-in when the connection to the server is established. You will need to check in the file as a separate operation (see Section 19.3.4.4, "Checking a File In").

The file is sent to the server and saved to a temporary file. The temporary file is used to check in of the new updated version of the file.

Close a file or exit application (see Section 19.3.5.2.2, "Closing an Updated File").

If the file is checked out, MS Office prompts for check-in. If you select No to the check-in prompt, MS Office exits and the file remains checked out and locked to changes by other users. Any changes made to the file are not saved. To later cancel the checked out status, see Section 17.8.2, "Cancelling a Checked Out Status."

If the file is checked out, MS Office prompts for checkin. If you select No to the checkin prompt, MS Office exits and cancels the checked out status of the file. Any changes made to the file are not saved.

To configure your Microsoft Office application options to follow the recommendation to use a web server (Content Server) for managing checked out files:

1. In the Microsoft Office document, click the Office Button (Figure 19-4) in the top left corner of the Microsoft Office application.

Figure 19-1 Office Button in Microsoft Office

2. Click Application Options (for example, Word Options, as shown inFigure 19-2) at the bottom of the menu.

Figure 19-2 Office Button Menu: Word Options

3. In the Options dialog, select Save in the left pane (Figure 19-3).

4. Under Offline editing options for document management server files, select The web server (Figure 19-3).

Figure 19-3 Word Options Dialog

19.3 Working with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel Integration

WebCenter Portal integrates with the Microsoft Office shared document management functionality for working with Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files. For more information, see Section 19.1.1, "Understanding Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint, and Excel Integration."

Many of the tasks you can perform using the Microsoft Office shared document management functionality can also be performed in WebCenter Portal, as described in Chapter 17, "Creating and Managing Documents."

This section provides steps to perform the following tasks using Microsoft Office shared document management:

- Section 19.3.1, "Creating a Portal from a Microsoft Office Document"

- Section 19.3.2, "Opening and Editing a File"

- Section 19.3.3, "Displaying and Hiding the Microsoft Office Task Pane"

- Section 19.3.4, "Working with the Microsoft Office Task Pane"

- Section 19.3.4.1, "Adding a File"

- Section 19.3.4.2, "Adding a New Folder"

- Section 19.3.4.3, "Checking a File Out"

- Section 19.3.4.4, "Checking a File In"

- Section 19.3.4.5, "Managing the Currently Open File"

- Section 19.3.4.6, "Managing Other Files in the Current Portal"

- Section 19.3.4.7, "Managing Folders"

- Section 19.3.4.8, "Viewing Link Targets"

- Section 19.3.4.9, "Viewing Document Information"

- Section 19.3.4.10, "Working with File Version History"

- Section 19.3.4.11, "Adding Members to a Portal"

- Section 19.3.4.12, "Sending a Message"

- Section 19.3.5, "Closing a File"

Note:

WebCenter Portal does not implement administrative features of the Microsoft Office shared document management functionality, such as creating a workspace using the task pane, deleting a workspace, or changing a workspace title.

19.3.1 Creating a Portal from a Microsoft Office Document

Note:

This feature is available only in Microsoft Office 2007. It is not available in Microsoft Office 2003 or 2010.

With Microsoft Office 2007, you can create a portal from a Microsoft Office document, as long as your permissions on the document are the same as your permissions in WebCenter Portal.

To create a portal from a Microsoft Office document:

1. In the Microsoft Office document, click the Office Button (Figure 19-4) in the top left corner of the Microsoft Office application.

Figure 19-4 Office Button in Microsoft Office

2. From the Publish menu, select Create Document Workspace (Figure 19-5).

Figure 19-5 Creating a Portal from an Office Document

3. The Microsoft Office application displays the Document Management task pane, displaying the file name as the default workspace name.

Note:

If the pane does not display, see Section 19.3.3, "Displaying and Hiding the Microsoft Office Task Pane."

Figure 19-6 Document Management Task Pane: Document Workspace

4. In the Document Workspace name field, type a name for the portal if you want to change the default name.

5. In the Location for new workspace field, type the Explorer URL for the WebCenter Portal instance.
http://hostname:port/wcsdocs/conn/repository_server/spaces/

For example:

http://myserver:8888/wcsdocs/conn/myserver-ucm/spaces/

Tip:

The host name and port is shown in the browser URL for your WebCenter Portal application.

To find the name of the repository server:

- On the Documents page of the portal you want to connect to, or the Home portal, from the View menu, select Containing Folder Info.

- Use the portion of the Identifier value that precedes the pound (#) sign as the repository server value. For example, if the Identifier value is myserver-ucm#dCollectionID:549132825864000605, then the repository server value is myserver-ucm.

6. Click Create.

7. At the prompt, enter your WebCenter Portal login credentials.

WebCenter Portal creates the new portal in WebCenter Portal.

In Microsoft Office, the Status section of the Microsoft Office task pane (see Table 19-3) displays one of the following status messages:

This document is up to date.  If you have unsaved changes, you must save the document before you can update the workspace copy.

A copy of this document is stored in a Document Workspace.  Changes made to your document have not been udpated in the workspace copy.

If you update the document in Microsoft Office, you can simply click the Update Workspace Copy link to synchronize the document with the version in the portal (on the server).

19.3.2 Opening and Editing a File

When you open a Microsoft Office file from WebCenter Portal (using any browser), the file is automatically checked out of the Content Server repository. When you refresh the page in WebCenter Portal, the Status column for the file shows a Checked Out icon.

To make your changes available to other users, you can save and close it in Microsoft Office, or explicitly check the file in using Microsoft Office.

Note:

For all browsers except Internet Explorer, you will need to install the Java plugin available at http://support.mozilla.com to edit a Microsoft Office file. This plugin is included in Java 6 Update 15 and above.

To open a Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file from WebCenter Portal in-place in its Microsoft Office application:

1. On the Documents page, or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, click in the row of the file you want to edit, but not on the file name. (Clicking on the file name opens the document in the Document Viewer).
Alternatively, you can edit an open file in the Document Viewer preview pane.

2. Depending on your view and the file type, perform one of the following actions:

- On the Documents page, or in the Document Explorer, Document Manager, or Folder Viewer on a page, from the File menu or the context (right-click) menu, select the Edit action that opens the file in-place in its Microsoft Office application. For example, for Microsoft Word files, choose Edit with Word.

- In the Document Viewer preview pane, click the Edit action.

Note:

If the file is already checked out by another user, the File in Use dialog opens. See Section 17.8.4.1, "Opening a File Already Checked Out By Another User."

3. If prompted, enter the same credentials used to log in to WebCenter Portal to open the file in-place in its corresponding application.

Note:

The user name and password must contain only ASCII characters. A user name or password containing multi-byte characters cannot be successfully authenticated.

- In Microsoft Office 2003. The Microsoft Office application displays a Shared Workspace task pane by default (Figure 19-7).

- In Microsoft Office 2007. The Microsoft Office application displays no task pane by default. To display the Document Management task pane, see Section 19.3.3, "Displaying and Hiding the Microsoft Office Task Pane."

Figure 19-7 Microsoft Office 2003 Shared Workspace Task Pane

4. When the file opens, it is automatically checked out of the Content Server repository, indicated by the Checked Out icon next to the file name.

Figure 19-8 Checked Out Icon

5. Make required updates, then save and close the file.
The modified file is automatically checked back in.

19.3.3 Displaying and Hiding the Microsoft Office Task Pane

Note:

The Microsoft Office task pane is available only in Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007. Microsoft Office 2010 does not include a task pane.

In Microsoft Office 2003, the task pane displays by default when you open a file, whereas in Microsoft Office 2007, the task pane does not display by default.

You can manage the display of the Microsoft Office task pane as described in the following sections:

- Section 19.3.3.1, "Displaying or Hiding the Task Pane Manually"

- Section 19.3.3.2, "Displaying or Hiding the Task Pane By Default"

19.3.3.1 Displaying or Hiding the Task Pane Manually

To display or hide the Microsoft Office task pane manually:

In Microsoft Office 2003:

- From the Tools menu, select Shared Workspace to toggle between displaying and hiding the task pane.

In Microsoft Office 2007:

1. Click the Office Button (Figure 19-9) in the top left corner of the Microsoft Office application.

Figure 19-9 Office Button in Microsoft Office

2. From the Server menu, select Document Management Information to toggle between displaying and hiding the Document Management task pane (Figure 19-10).

Figure 19-10 Microsoft Office 2007 Document Management Task Pane

19.3.3.2 Displaying or Hiding the Task Pane By Default

To display or hide the Microsoft Office task pane automatically by default every time you open a Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file:

In Microsoft Office 2003:

1. From the Tools menu, select Options.

2. In the Options dialog, on the General tab, click Service Options.

3. In the Shared Workspace category, select or deselect the check box The document is part of a workspace or SharePoint site to respectively display or hide the task pane by default.

In Microsoft Office 2007:

1. At the bottom of the Microsoft Office task pane, click Options (Figure 19-11).

Figure 19-11 Options Link in Task Pane (Microsoft Office 2007)

2. In the Service Options dialog, select or deselect the check box The document is part of a workspace or SharePoint site to respectively display or hide the task pane by default.

19.3.4 Working with the Microsoft Office Task Pane

Note:

The Microsoft Office task pane is available only in Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007. Microsoft Office 2010 does not include a task pane.

The Microsoft Office task pane provides information pertaining to the currently open file and access to tasks for all folders and files in the current portal, as described in Table 19-3.

Table 19-3 Microsoft Office Task Pane for Files in a Portal

Task Pane Area

Description

Top section in Microsoft Office 2003:

Top section in Microsoft Office 2007:

Dropdown menu:

For a file in the Home portal:

- Shows the user name.

- Open site in browser. Click to display the WebCenter Portal Home page.

For a file in a portal:

- Shows the portal name.

- Open site in browser. Click to display the portal Home page.

Additionally, the top section provides a drop-down menu of actions available for the user or portal:

- Open Site in Browser. See above.

- Change Site Title. Not supported.

- Change Site Settings. For the Home portal, displays the WebCenter Portal Home page; for a portal, displays the Settings tab of the portal.

- Disconnect from Workspace. Not supported.

- Delete Workspace. Not supported.

Status section in Microsoft Office 2003:

Status section in Microsoft Office 2007:

Dropdown menu:

Displays information only if the file is checked out.

Shows the following information:

- The user who checked out the file.

- Check in link. See Section 19.3.4.4, "Checking a File In."
After checking a file in, you can subsequently check the file out again. See Section 19.3.4.3, "Checking a File Out."

Additionally, the Status section provides a dropdown menu of actions available for the user:

- Schedule a Meeting. Opens the Microsoft Outlook calendar scheduler.

- Call. Not supported.

- Send Mail. Opens a Microsoft Outlook message with the To field populated with the mail address that is specified for the user in WebCenter Portal. See Section 19.3.4.12, "Sending a Message." This selection has the same effect as clicking the user name in the Members section.

- Additional Actions. Not supported.

- Add to Outlook Contacts. Opens the Microsoft Outlook Contacts page populated with contact information for the user.

- Outlook Properties. Opens the Microsoft Outlook E-mail Properties dialog.

Members section:

Dropdown menu:

For a file in the Home portal:

- Lists the current people connections.

- Add new members. Not supported for Home portal.

- Send e-mail to all members. See Section 19.3.4.12, "Sending a Message."

For a file in a portal:

- Lists the user editing the file, followed by the user and group names of all portal members, up to the limit of 99 members. The distinction between Online and Not Online users is not supported; all portal members show in the list as Not Online.

- Add new members. See Section 19.3.4.11, "Adding Members to a Portal."

- Send e-mail to all members. See Section 19.3.4.12, "Sending a Message."

Additionally, the Members section provides a dropdown menu of actions available for the listed member(s). The actions in this menu are not supported.

To send a message to any member, simply click the member's user name to open a Microsoft Outlook window with the To field populated with the mail address that is specified for the member in WebCenter Portal.

Tasks section:

Not supported.

Documents section:

Provides access to other files in the current portal directly from Microsoft Office.

Sort by. Choose from the menu to sort the list of documents by Creation Date, Modified Date, File Name, File Type, Ascending, or Descending.

- Shows all folders and files in the folder where the open file resides. See Section 19.3.4.6, "Managing Other Files in the Current Portal."
Note: Navigating upward in the folder hierarchy from the current document is not supported; you can drill down and then back up to the current level.

- Provides a menu of actions available on the currently open file. See Section 19.3.4.5, "Managing the Currently Open File."

- Provides a menu of actions available on other documents in the list. See Section 19.3.4.6, "Managing Other Files in the Current Portal."

- Provides a menu of actions for each folder listed. See Section 19.3.4.7, "Managing Folders."

- Add new document. See Section 19.3.4.1, "Adding a File."

- Add new folder. See Section 19.3.4.2, "Adding a New Folder."

- Alert me about documents. Not supported.

Links section:

The Links section shows all document and URL links defined in WebCenter Portal to the currently open file.

Sort by. Choose from the menu to sort the list of links by Creation Date, Modified Date, URL, Ascending, or Descending.

- Lists all links for the currently open file. See Section 19.3.4.8, "Viewing Link Targets." Click a link to navigate to the linked object.

Document Information section (Microsoft Office 2003 only):

Provides information about the currently open document:

- Document Information. See Section 19.3.4.9, "Viewing Document Information."

- Restrict permission. Not supported.

- Alert me about this document. Not supported.

- Check out or Check in. See Section 19.3.4.3, "Checking a File Out." and Section 19.3.4.4, "Checking a File In."

- Version history. See Section 19.3.4.10, "Working with File Version History."

Bottom section:

Includes:

- Get Updates. Refreshes the files and associated information from the WebCenter Portal server.

- Options. Opens the Service Options dialog. Refer to the Microsoft Office online help for more information.

- Shows the date and time that the file was last modified.

The following sections describe the tasks you can perform using the Microsoft Office task pane:

- Section 19.3.4.1, "Adding a File"

- Section 19.3.4.2, "Adding a New Folder"

- Section 19.3.4.3, "Checking a File Out"

- Section 19.3.4.4, "Checking a File In"

- Section 19.3.4.5, "Managing the Currently Open File"

- Section 19.3.4.6, "Managing Other Files in the Current Portal"

- Section 19.3.4.7, "Managing Folders"

- Section 19.3.4.8, "Viewing Link Targets"

- Section 19.3.4.9, "Viewing Document Information"

- Section 19.3.4.10, "Working with File Version History"

- Section 19.3.4.11, "Adding Members to a Portal"

- Section 19.3.4.12, "Sending a Message"

19.3.4.1 Adding a File

Using the Microsoft Office shared document management functionality, you can add a new file to the Content Server repository, exposing the file in a portal, as described in the following sections:

- Section 19.3.4.1.1, "Saving a File As a New File in a Portal" (Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file only)

- Section 19.3.4.1.2, "Adding a New File Using the Task Pane" (files of any type)

Note:

Other methods to add a file to the connected content repository are:

- Create a network place to a portal, then use Windows Explorer to add files of any type when the back-end content repository is Content Server, as described in Section 19.4, "Working with Microsoft Windows Explorer Integration."

- In WebCenter Portal, copy and paste, upload, or create a file using the Rich Text Editor (RTE), as described in Section 17.10, "Copying and Pasting Folders and Files," Section 17.5.1, "Uploading Files," and Section 17.8, "Editing or Updating a File."

19.3.4.1.1 Saving a File As a New File in a Portal

To save a local Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file to a portal:

Note:

This feature is supported in Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007 only.

1. Add the portal as a new network place in Windows Explorer, as described in Section 19.4, "Working with Microsoft Windows Explorer Integration."

2. Open the file in its Microsoft Office application.

3. (In Microsoft Office 2007 only) Set save options for shared documents:

1. Click the Office Button in the top left corner of the Microsoft Office application, then click Word Options (Figure 19-12) at the bottom of the menu.

Figure 19-12 Office Button Menu: Word Options

2. In the Word Options dialog, select Save in the left pane (Figure 19-13).

3. Under Offline editing options for document management server files, select The web server (Figure 19-13).

Figure 19-13 Word Options Dialog

4. Publish the file to the portal:
In Microsoft Office 2003. From the File menu, select Save As.

In Microsoft Office 2007. Click the Office Button, then choose either:

- Publish, then Document Management Server.

- Or, Save As, then Application Document.

5. In the Save As dialog, select the portal network place, then click Save. For more information about portal network place URLs, see Section 19.4.1, "Adding a Portal as a Network Place."

6. Enter login credentials for WebCenter Portal, then click OK.

7. In WebCenter Portal, on the Documents page of the portal, click the Refresh icon to confirm that the file was added.

Note:

To make the file visible to others, you must check the file in. See Section 19.3.4.4, "Checking a File In."

8. To display the Microsoft Office task pane in the open file, see Section 19.3.3, "Displaying and Hiding the Microsoft Office Task Pane."

19.3.4.1.2 Adding a New File Using the Task Pane

To add a new file to a portal using the Microsoft Office task pane:

Note:

This feature is available with Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007. Microsoft Office 2010 does not include a task pane.

1. Open a Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file to use the Microsoft Office shared document management functionality (see Section 19.3.2, "Opening and Editing a File").

2. At the bottom of the Documents section of the task pane, click Add new document (Figure 19-14).

Figure 19-14 Task Pane Documents Section: Adding a New File

The Add New Document dialog opens (Figure 19-15).

Figure 19-15 Add New Document Dialog

3. Browse to the file that you want to add to the current portal.

Note:

WebCenter Portal supports files up to 2GB in size.

The check box Make workspace updates available when I open my copy is not supported.

4. Click OK.
The new file displays at the top of the document list in the Documents section of the Microsoft Office task pane. When you refresh the Documents page of the portal in WebCenter Portal, the file appears in the document list in alphabetical order.

19.3.4.2 Adding a New Folder

Using the Microsoft Office shared document management functionality, you can add a new folder to the Content Server repository, exposing the folder in a portal.

Note:

Other methods to add a new folder to a portal are:

- Create a network place to a portal, then use Windows Explorer to add a folder, as described in Section 19.4, "Working with Microsoft Windows Explorer Integration."

- Use the WebCenter Portal application to add a folder to any connected content repository, as described in Section 17.4, "Creating a Folder."

To add a new folder to a portal using the Microsoft Office task pane:

1. Open a Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file in the portal to use the Microsoft Office shared document management functionality (see Section 19.3.2, "Opening and Editing a File").

2. At the bottom of the Documents section of the task pane, click Add new folder (Figure 19-16).

Figure 19-16 Task Pane Documents Section: Adding a New Folder

The Add New Folder dialog opens (Figure 19-17).

Figure 19-17 Add New Folder Dialog

3. Enter a name for the new folder, then click OK.

Note:

The rules for folder names follow the Windows Explorer standards.

The new folder displays at the top of the document list in the Documents section of the Microsoft Office task pane. When you refresh the Documents page of the portal in WebCenter Portal, the folder appears in the folder list in alphabetical order.

19.3.4.3 Checking a File Out

Note:

To check any file out using the WebCenter Portal application, see Section 19.3.4.3, "Checking a File Out."

When you open a Microsoft Office file in a portal using the Microsoft Office shared document management functionality, the file is automatically checked out from the Content Server repository. If you have been granted the appropriate permissions, you can open and check a file out in two environments:

- From WebCenter Portal. Open a file in-place (see Section 19.3.2, "Opening and Editing a File") to automatically check out the file.

- (Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007) From the Microsoft Office task pane. In the Documents section of the task pane, click a file name to automatically check out the file and open it in its default Microsoft Office application.

19.3.4.3.1 Checking the Currently Open File Out Again After Checking It In

After you check a file in (see Section 19.3.4.4, "Checking a File In"), the file remains displayed in Microsoft Office until you close it (see Section 19.3.5, "Closing a File"). If you want to check in further changes to the file, it must be checked out again:

- In Microsoft Office 2003. In the Document Information section of the Microsoft Office task pane, you can optionally click Check out to check the file out again (Figure 19-18). However, even if you do not explicitly check out the file, you can continue to edit the file, then save it, and the Status and Document Information sections of the task pane automatically provide a Check in link to check the changed file back in to the repository.

Figure 19-18 Checking Out a Checked In File

- In Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010. When you check a file in, the Check In dialog (Figure 19-22) provides a check box labeled Keep the document checked out after checking in this version:

- Select the check box to keep the file checked out after checking in the current version. This allows you to refresh the version of the file available to other users, yet still retain the checked out status to make further changes.

- Deselect the check box to check the file in and cancel the checked out status.

If you deselect the check box, you can optionally check the file out again:

- Click Edit Document in the area below the toolbar (Figure 19-19).
After you check a file in, Microsoft Office 2007 locks editing that file until you click Edit Document.

Figure 19-19 Checking Out and Editing the Current Document

19.3.4.4 Checking a File In

When you open a file using the Microsoft Office shared document management functionality, you can check it back in to the repository, whether or not you have made changes to it.

Note:

This feature is available with Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007. Microsoft Office 2010 does not include a task pane.

In Microsoft Office 2010, you can find file check-in and checkout information on the Info tab (from the File menu, select Info). When you open a Microsoft Office 2010 file from WebCenter Portal (using any browser), the file is automatically checked out of the Content Server repository, changes are (temporarily) applied when saved, and the file is automatically checked in when the file is closed, with a default check-in comment.

Note:

Saving the file without checking it in or closing the application saves it on the server, but changes are not visible to others until you check the file in. To update the file stored in the Content Server repository, you must explicitly check it in as described in this section. If you close the Microsoft Office application and do not check the file in when prompted, your changes are lost.

To check a file in:

1. In the Status section of the Microsoft Office task pane, click Check in (Figure 19-20).

Figure 19-20 Status Section in MS Office 7: Checking In a File

Notes:

- If the Check in link does not display, click the icon for any other section, then return to the Status section to refresh the pane.

- In Microsoft Office 2003, you can also find Check in in the Document Information section of the task pane.

2. In Microsoft Office 2003. In the Check In Comments dialog (Figure 19-21), optionally enter comments about the changes made to the file since it was last checked out.

Figure 19-21 Check In Comments Dialog (Microsoft Office 2003)

In Microsoft Office 2007. In the Check In dialog (Figure 19-22), optionally enter comments about the changes made to the file since it was last checked out, and select the state in which to leave the file:

Figure 19-22 Check In Dialog (Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010)

- Select the check box to keep the file checked out after checking in the current version. This allows you to refresh the version of the file available to other users, yet still retain the checked out status to make further changes.

- Deselect the check box to check the file in and cancel the checked out status. To check the file out again, see Section 19.3.4.3.1, "Checking the Currently Open File Out Again After Checking It In."

3. Click OK.
If the file was modified since its prior version, it is automatically saved and checked in to WebCenter Portal as a new version. If check in comments were entered in the Check In dialog, a new file revision is created with the new comments, which display as the file description in WebCenter Portal.

4. After checking a file in, the file remains displayed in Microsoft Office until you close it (see Section 19.3.5, "Closing a File"). If you wish to make further changes to the file, see Section 19.3.4.3.1, "Checking the Currently Open File Out Again After Checking It In."

5. When you have finished making changes and checking in the file, close the Microsoft Office application (see Section 19.3.5, "Closing a File").

19.3.4.5 Managing the Currently Open File

Note:

This feature is available with Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007. Microsoft Office 2010 does not include a task pane.

To manage the currently open file using the Microsoft Office task pane:

1. In the Documents section of the task pane, click the drop-down menu icon to the right of the file name (Figure 19-23).

Figure 19-23 Task Pane Documents Section: Current File Menu

2. Select an available action, as described in Table 19-4:

Table 19-4 Drop-Down Menu Actions for Currently Open File

Menu Action

Description

Open in Microsoft Office Application

Not applicable.

Delete

Not supported. To delete a file in a portal, you must use the WebCenter Portal application (see Section 17.12, "Deleting Folders and Files") or Windows Explorer (see Section 19.4, "Working with Microsoft Windows Explorer Integration").

Alert Me About This Document

Not supported.

Check Status

Displays the Status section of the task pane.

Document Updates

Not supported.

Save Updatable Copy

Not supported.

Create Document Workspace

Not supported.

Publish Back to Source Location

Not supported.

19.3.4.6 Managing Other Files in the Current Portal

Note:

This feature is available with Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007. Microsoft Office 2010 does not include a task pane.

To manage a file other than the currently open file in the current portal using the Microsoft Office task pane:

1. In the Documents section of the task pane, navigate to the file.

Note:

Navigating upward in the folder hierarchy from the current document is not supported; you can drill down and then back up to the current level.

2. To open the file, click its name.
Depending on the file type, the file opens as described in Section 19.3.2, "Opening and Editing a File" for Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, or Section 17.6.2, "Opening a File" for other file types (such as HTML files or images).

Note:

If you have OpenOffice installed, an error may occur when attempting to open a file from the task pane. To resolve the error, uninstall OpenOffice.

3. To perform other actions, click the drop-down menu icon to the right of a file name (Figure 19-24):

Figure 19-24 Task Pane Documents Section: Other Files Menu

4. Select an available action, as described in Table 19-5:

Table 19-5 Drop-Down Menu Actions for Other Files

Menu Action

Description

Open in Microsoft Office Application

Attempts to check out the file: if checked out by another user, it opens read-only; if not checked out, the file opens in its Microsoft Office application for editing. For more information, see Section 19.3.2, "Opening and Editing a File."

Delete

Not supported. To delete a file in a portal, you must use the WebCenter Portal application (see Section 17.12, "Deleting Folders and Files") or Windows Explorer (see Section 19.4, "Working with Microsoft Windows Explorer Integration").

Alert Me About This Document

Not supported.

19.3.4.7 Managing Folders

Note:

This feature is available with Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007. Microsoft Office 2010 does not include a task pane.

To manage a folder under the current folder using the Microsoft Office task pane:

1. In the Documents section of the task pane, navigate to the folder.

Note:

Navigating upward in the folder hierarchy from the current document is not supported; you can drill down and then back up to the current level.

2. To open the folder, click its name.

3. To perform other actions, click the drop-down menu icon to the right of the folder name (Figure 19-25):

Figure 19-25 Task Pane Documents Section: Folder Menu

4. Select an available action, as described in Table 19-6:

Table 19-6 Drop-Down Menu Actions for a Folder

Menu Action

Description

View Contents

Refreshes the list of files with the contents of the folder only (same effect as clicking the folder name). Click the folder name to refresh to the original list.

Delete

Not supported. To delete a folder in a portal, you must use the WebCenter Portal application (see Section 17.12, "Deleting Folders and Files") or Windows Explorer (see Section 19.4, "Working with Microsoft Windows Explorer Integration").

19.3.4.8 Viewing Link Targets

Note:

This feature is available with Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007. Microsoft Office 2010 does not include a task pane.

The Links section of the Microsoft Office task pane lists the links defined in WebCenter Portal that are associated with the currently open file (Figure 19-26). Files can have links to related documents, discussions, announcements, events, and notes; the Links section in the task pane shows the links to associated documents and notes.

Links are prefixed with the name of the service with which they are associated. For example, a link to another document is prefixed Document, a link to a note is prefixed URL.

Figure 19-26 Task Pane Links Section

To display the target of a link, simply click the link:

- Document links open in the same way as files in the Document section, namely Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files open in Microsoft Office with a task pane, and other file types open in their default viewer or a browser.

- URL links open a browser window displaying the link target.

19.3.4.9 Viewing Document Information

Note:

This feature is available with Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007. Microsoft Office 2010 does not include a task pane.

In Microsoft Office 2003: The Document Information section of the Microsoft Office task pane shows the user who last modified the file and the modified date (Figure 19-27).

Figure 19-27 Task Pane Document Information Section (Microsoft Office 2003 Only)

In Microsoft Office 2007. Information about the user who last modified the file and the modified date is shown in the Version History. See Section 19.3.4.10, "Working with File Version History."

19.3.4.10 Working with File Version History

Whenever you check in a file or upload a file into a folder that already contains a file of the same name, WebCenter Portal creates a new version of the file. When a file has multiple versions, it has a version history.

Note:

To use the WebCenter Portal application to work with the version history of a file in any connected content repository, see Section 17.16, "Viewing and Deleting File Version History."

In Microsoft Office 2003: To view the version history of the currently open file using the Microsoft Office task pane:

1. In the Document Information section of the task pane, click Version history (Figure 19-28).

Figure 19-28 Task Pane Document Information Section: Version History

The version history dialog for the file opens (Figure 19-29):

Figure 19-29 Version History for Currently Open File in Microsoft Office 2003

In the version history dialog, select a file version, then select the desired action:

- Open to open the selected file version read-only.

- Restore is not supported.

- Delete to delete the selected file version (inactive for the most recent version).

- View Comments to display the comments entered for the selected file version (most useful when the comments are especially long).

2. To open the Documents page in the current portal, click Modify settings for document versions.

In Microsoft Office 2007: To view the version history of the currently open file:

1. Click the Office Button (Figure 19-30) in the top left corner of the Microsoft Office application.

Figure 19-30 Office Button in Microsoft Office

2. From the Server menu, select View Version History.
The version history dialog for the file opens (Figure 19-31):

Figure 19-31 Version History for Currently Open File in Microsoft Office 2007

3. In the version history dialog, select a file version, then select the desired action:

- Open to open the selected file version read-only.

- Compare to compare the selected file version with the currently open file.

- Restore is not supported.

- Delete to delete the selected file version (inactive for the most recent version).

4. To view the check in comments for a file version, click the link under Comments.

5. To open the Documents page in the portal, click the link next to Versions saved to.

In Microsoft Office 2010: To view the version history of the currently open file:

- From the File menu, select Info.
The Info tab shows version history information on the Info tab in the Versions section. Refer to the Microsoft Office online help for more information.

19.3.4.11 Adding Members to a Portal

Note:

Adding members to a portal using the WebCenter Portal application is described in the "Managing Members and Assigning Roles in a Portal" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

If you are granted the Moderator role or Manage All permissions in a portal, you can add new members to a portal using the Microsoft Office task pane. The currently open file must be a portal document.

Note:

This feature is available with Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007. Microsoft Office 2010 does not include a task pane.

To add members to a portal when the currently open file is a portal document:

1. In the Members section of the task pane, click Add new members.
The Add New Members dialog opens (Figure 19-32).

Figure 19-32 Add New Members Dialog

2. Enter the login names or mail addresses of the users you want to add to the portal, separated by semicolons.

Note:

Users who are already members of the portal cannot be added again. The user names that you enter must have an associated mail address defined in WebCenter Portal.

3. From the site group drop-down list, select the role to be given to the listed users. The listed roles are those defined for the current portal. The permissions granted to each role are defined by the application specialist or portal moderator.

Note:

To define different roles to different users, limit the list of users to those who should be assigned the same role, finish this assignment, then click Add new members again to assign a different role to one or more different users.

4. Click Next.

5. Confirm or modify the member information, then click Finish.

6. In the Add New Members dialog (Figure 19-33), select or deselect the check box to send an invitation to the new members to join the portal, then click OK.

Figure 19-33 Add New Members Dialog

19.3.4.12 Sending a Message

From the Microsoft Office task pane, you can send a message to any user who has a mail address defined in WebCenter Portal:

- Section 19.3.4.12.1, "Sending a Message to the Current User"

- Section 19.3.4.12.2, "Sending a Message to Your Connections"

- Section 19.3.4.12.3, "Sending a Message to Members of a Portal"

Note:

This feature is available with Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007. Microsoft Office 2010 does not include a task pane.

Note:

To send messages using the WebCenter Portal application, see Section 7.5, "Sending Mail to Portal Members or Moderators," Section 11.1, "About the Send Mail Feature," and Section 11.4.5, "Composing and Sending Mail Messages."

19.3.4.12.1 Sending a Message to the Current User

To send a message to the user who has the currently open document checked out:

- In the Status section of the Microsoft Office task pane, click the drop-down menu icon next to the user name, and choose Send Mail (Figure 19-34).

Figure 19-34 Send a Message to the Current Document User

A Microsoft Outlook message composition window opens with the To field populated with the mail address that is specified for the user in WebCenter Portal.

19.3.4.12.2 Sending a Message to Your Connections

To send a message to your connections when you are working with a document in the Home portal:

1. In the Members section of the Microsoft Office task pane:

- To send a message to an individual who is one of your connections, click the user name in the Members list (Figure 19-35):

Figure 19-35 Send a Message to a Connection

- To send a message to all of your connections, click Send e-mail to all members (Figure 19-36).

Figure 19-36 Send a Message to All Connections

A Microsoft Outlook message composition window opens, where the Home portal name is the subject, and the To field is populated with the mail address(es) specified for the people connection(s) in WebCenter Portal.

2. Modify the addresses and content of the message as desired, then click Send.

19.3.4.12.3 Sending a Message to Members of a Portal

To send a message to the members of a portal when you are working with a document in a portal:

1. In the Members section of the Microsoft Office task pane:

- To send a message to an individual who is a member of the portal, click the user name in the Members list (Figure 19-37):

Figure 19-37 Send a Message to an Individual Portal Member

- To send a message to all members of the portal, click Send e-mail to all members (Figure 19-38)

Figure 19-38 Send a Message to All Portal Members

A Microsoft Outlook message composition window opens, where the portal name is the subject, and To field is populated with the mail address(es) specified for the portal member(s) in WebCenter Portal

2. Modify the addresses and content of the message as desired, then click Send.

19.3.5 Closing a File

You can close a file opened in a Microsoft Office application with or without checking it in, as described in the following sections:

- Section 19.3.5.1, "Closing a File After Checking It In"

- Section 19.3.5.2, "Closing a File Before Checking It In"

19.3.5.1 Closing a File After Checking It In

After checking a file in, the file remains open in the Microsoft Office application until you close it.

To close a file after you have checked it in (see Section 19.3.4.4, "Checking a File In"):

- From the File menu, select Close.

19.3.5.2 Closing a File Before Checking It In

If you attempt to close a file or the Microsoft Office application before you have checked the file in, the Check In dialog provides the opportunity to check it in or cancel the check out and discard changes to the file. The selections in the Check In dialog are dependent on whether or not the file has been modified since the last time it was checked in:

- Section 19.3.5.2.1, "Closing an Unchanged File"

- Section 19.3.5.2.2, "Closing an Updated File"

19.3.5.2.1 Closing an Unchanged File

In Microsoft Office 2003: To close a file that has not been modified since the last time it was checked in:

1. From the File menu, select Close.

2. In the Check In dialog (Figure 19-39), select one of the following actions:

Figure 19-39 Check In Dialog for File with No Changes (Microsoft Office 2003)

- Check in file to check the file in with no changes. In the Check In Comments dialog (Figure 19-21), optionally enter new comments, then click OK.

- Keep checked out to close the file, but keep it in a checked out and locked to changes by other users. To later cancel the checked out status, see Section 19.3.4.3, "Checking a File Out."

- Discard changes and undo check out to cancel the checked out status.

3. Click OK.

In Microsoft Office 2007: To close a file that has not been modified since the last time it was checked in:

- Click the Office Button (Figure 19-40) in the top left corner of the Microsoft Office application, then choose Close.

Figure 19-40 Office Button in Microsoft Office

If a file is unchanged, Microsoft Office 2007 does not prompt you to first check the file back in again. If saving to a local draft folder instead of the Content Server repository (see Section 19.2, "Configuring Microsoft Office Integration with WebCenter Portal"), the file remains in a checked out status and locked to changes by other users, and you will need to explicitly cancel the checked out status (see Section 17.8.1, "Checking a File Out"). If saving to the Content Server repository, the checked out status is canceled upon closing the file.

19.3.5.2.2 Closing an Updated File

In Microsoft Office 2003: To close a file that has been modified since the last time it was checked in:

1. From the File menu, select Close.

2. In the Check In dialog (Figure 19-41), select one of the following actions:

Figure 19-41 Check In Dialog for File with Changes (Microsoft Office 003)

- Save changes and check in to save the changes since the last check in and check the file in.

- Save changes only to save changes since the last check in, but keep the file checked out and locked to changes by other users. To later cancel the checked out status, see Section 19.3.4.3, "Checking a File Out."

- Discard changes and undo check out to retain the prior saved version of the file and cancel the checked out status.

- Discard changes only to retain the prior saved version of the file and keep the file checked out.

3. Click OK.

In Microsoft Office 2007: To close a file that has been modified since the last time it was checked in:

1. Click the Office Button (Figure 19-42) in the top left corner of the Microsoft Office application, then choose Close.

Figure 19-42 Office Button in Microsoft Office

2. If you have not already saved the changes, respond to the confirmation prompt to save or discard your changes.

3. In the confirmation dialog (Figure 19-43), respond to the prompt:

Figure 19-43 Close File Confirmation Prompt (Microsoft Office 2007)

- Yes to display the Check In dialog where you can enter version comments and select whether or not you want the file to remain checked out (see Section 19.3.4.4, "Checking a File In").

- No to skip the check-in, with one of the following results (see Section 19.2, "Configuring Microsoft Office Integration with WebCenter Portal"):

- If saving to a local draft folder, the file remains checked out and locked to changes by other users. To later cancel the checked out status, see Section 17.8.2, "Cancelling a Checked Out Status."

- If saving to the Content Server repository, the checked out status of the file is canceled, and any updates to the file are lost.

19.4 Working with Microsoft Windows Explorer Integration

WebCenter Portal integrates with Microsoft Windows Explorer to manage the folders and files in the Home portal or a group portal when the back-end content repository is Content Server.

In WebCenter Portal, the most useful feature of Windows Explorer integration is the ability to add multiple files at once to a portal, rather than uploading up to 10 files at a time (see Section 17.5.1, "Uploading Files"). It is important to be aware that Windows Explorer is not designed as a content repository, so if you try to open, delete, or rename a file that is checked out by another user, an error message displays to notify you that the operation failed, but the error message will not be specific as to the cause of the failure.

To expose the folders and files in a portal in Windows Explorer, you create a new Windows network place to work with the files, as described in the following sections:

- Section 19.4.1, "Adding a Portal as a Network Place"

- Section 19.4.2, "Working with Files Using Windows Explorer"

19.4.1 Adding a Portal as a Network Place

To expose the folders and files in a portal using Windows Explorer, you can add the portal as a Windows network place.

To add a portal as a Windows network place:

1. Open the Add Network Place/Location wizard:

- In Microsoft Windows XP, open My Network Places and click Add Network Place.

- In Microsoft Windows 7, right-click My Computer, and choose Add a Network Location.

Refer to the Microsoft Windows online help for more information

2. In the Add Network Place/Location wizard, enter the network address using the following format:

Tip:

The host name and port is shown in the browser URL for your WebCenter Portal application.

To find the name of the repository server:

- On the Documents page of the portal you want to connect to, or the Home portal, from the View menu, select Containing Folder Info.

- Use the portion of the Identifier value that precedes the pound (#) sign as the repository server value. For example, if the Identifier value is myserver-ucm#dCollectionID:549132825864000605, then the repository server value is myserver-ucm.

- To access all portals in your WebCenter Portal application through Windows Explorer:
http://hostname:port/wcsdocs/conn/repository_server/spaces/

For example:

http://myserver:8888/wcsdocs/conn/myserver-ucm/spaces/

- To access the Home portal through Windows Explorer:
http://hostname:port/wcsdocs/conn/repository_server/spaces/PersonalSpaces/username

For example:

http://myserver:8888/wcsdocs/conn/myserver-ucm/spaces/PersonalSpaces/wcsadmin

- To access a specific portal through Windows Explorer:
http://hostname:port/wcsdocs/conn/repository_server/spaces/instance/spacename

For example:

http://myserver:8888/wcsdocs/conn/myserver-ucm/spaces/WebCenter/philatelists

3. At the prompt, enter your WebCenter Portal login credentials.

4. Optionally enter a name for the portal network place, then click Finish.
Windows Explorer displays a drive for all portals or the folders and files of a portal, depending on the URL you entered.

19.4.2 Working with Files Using Windows Explorer

Once you have created a Windows network place to a portal (see Section 19.4.1, "Adding a Portal as a Network Place"), you can manage the folders and files using Windows Explorer.

Note:

If a portal moderator changes the internal name of a portal, the original network place to that individual portal is no longer accessible. You will need to add the portal as a Windows network place again using the new portal internal name. Changing the internal name of a portal has no effect if you create a network place to the parent URL for all portals (http://hostname:port/wcsdocs/conn/repository_server/spaces/).

In Windows Explorer, navigate to the network place for the portal to perform any of the following actions:

- Copy and paste folders and files from your local file system.

- Create folders and files.

- Delete folders and files if not checked out by another user.

- Open Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files using the Microsoft Office shared document functionality. See Section 19.3, "Working with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel Integration."

- Open other file types in their default applications.

When you open a file, an attempt is made to check the file out. If it is checked out by another user, or you do not have permissions to update the file, it will open read-only. A file remains checked out until you check it back in (see Section 19.3.4.4, "Checking a File In").

The changes you make in Windows Explorer are reflected in WebCenter Portal, and vice versa.

Note:

To use the WebCenter Portal application to manage folders and files in a portal in any connected content repository, see Chapter 17, "Creating and Managing Documents."

Part IV

Staying Informed

Part IV contains the following chapters:

- Chapter 20, "Getting Notified When Things Change"

- Chapter 21, "Exploring Recommendations and Content"

- Chapter 22, "Tracking Portal Activities"

- Chapter 23, "Working with Announcements"

- Chapter 24, "Working with Polls"

- Chapter 25, "Monitoring RSS Feeds"

- Chapter 26, "Exploring Your Worklists"

20 Getting Notified When Things Change

This chapter describes how to subscribe and unsubscribe to portals and application objects, specify how you are notified when they are changed, and manage your subscriptions.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 20.1, "About Subscriptions and Notifications"

- Section 20.2, "Establishing and Managing Your Messaging Channels and Filters"

- Section 20.3, "Subscribing to the Application, to Portals, and to Objects"

- Section 20.4, "Viewing and Cancelling Your Subscriptions"

Permissions:

The tasks described in this chapter are available to any WebCenter Portal user. However, your system administrator can enforce certain application defaults that prevent you from setting subscription and notification preferences for yourself. In such cases, you will be unable to perform some of the actions described in this chapter.

20.1 About Subscriptions and Notifications

Subscriptions and Notifications allow you to receive timely notice of changes in WebCenter Portal—track changes that occur to your connections, your portal memberships, content in specific portals, and other application objects that are important to you. You can receive notifications through phone text, mail, or your Worklist.

Notifications provide an automated means of triggering notices across different messaging channels. Messages are triggered when the portals and application objects to which you have subscribed change.

Messaging channels can include phone text, mail, or Worklist (depending on how your system administrator has configured Notifications). For example, you can receive a mail message when a particular document changes, a text message when someone responds to a particular discussion topic, a Worklist alert when you receive an invitation to connect. All messages contain links that take you to the scene of the change.

You can choose the objects that trigger a notice by subscribing to them. In WebCenter Portal, there are three levels of subscription:

- Application, which you can use to receive notices about changes to your portal memberships, Message Board, Connections, and Feedback
Such notifications occur only for application-level activities that involve you as the user.

- Portal, for changes to a subscribed feature, such as Events, Discussions, Announcements, Documents, and Blogs, that occur within the scope of a selected portal

- Object, for changes to the application objects to which you have specifically subscribed, such as a particular document, wiki, blog, and so on

Table 20-1 describes the types of activities that can trigger a notification and indicates the level and location of the associated subscription (for more information, see Section 20.3, "Subscribing to the Application, to Portals, and to Objects").

Note:

Owning an object, such as a document, wiki, or blog, does not automatically subscribe you to that object. You must explicitly subscribe to an object to receive subscription-related notifications about it, unless the system administrator has set and enforced company-wide subscription defaults. For more information about object-level subscriptions, see Section 20.3.3, "Setting Object-Level Subscriptions."

Table 20-1 Activities that Can Trigger Notifications

Activity

Level

Where to Subscribe

A user sends you an invitation to connect

Note: Out of the box, the option to send notifications for invitations to connect is enabled and is not end-user configurable.

Application

Preferences (for more information, see Section 20.3.1, "Setting Application-Level Subscriptions")

Your portal role changes, for example from Participant to Moderator

Application

Preferences

You are added as a member of a portal

Application

Preferences

Your portal membership is removed

Application

Preferences

A user posts a message to your Message Board

Application

Preferences

A user likes your Message Board post (messages explicitly set on a Message Board and not those added from Publisher to the Activity Stream)

Application

Preferences

A user comments on your Message Board post (messages explicitly set on a Message Board and not those added from Publisher to the Activity Stream)

Application

Preferences

A user posts feedback for you

Application

Preferences

An announcement is created

Portal

On the portal, for example, from the Actions menu on a portal in Browse portals (for more information, see Section 20.3.2, "Setting Portal-Level Subscriptions")

A new event is created

Portal

On the portal

An event is updated

Portal

On the portal

An event is deleted

Portal

On the portal

A new discussion topic is created

Portal

On the portal

A new discussion forum is created

Portal

On the portal

A new document is created or uploaded

Portal

On the portal

A wiki document is created

Portal

On the portal

A new blog entry is posted

Portal

On the portal

A user replies to a discussion topic

Object

On the topic (for more information, see Section 20.3.3, "Setting Object-Level Subscriptions")

A user comments on a discussion topic

Object

On the topic

A user deletes a discussion topic

Object

On the topic

A user comments on a document

Object

On the document

A user likes a document

Object

On the document

A user updates a document

Object

On the document

A user deletes a document

Object

On the document

A user comments on a wiki document

Object

On the wiki

A user likes a wiki document

Object

On the wiki

A user updates a wiki document

Object

On the blog entry

A user deletes a wiki document

Object

On the blog entry

A user comments on a blog entry

Object

On the blog entry

A user likes a blog entry

Object

On the blog entry

A user updates a blog entry

Object

On the blog entry

A user deletes a blog entry

Object

On the blog entry

You can establish your preferred messaging channels through the Messaging page of your Preferences (for more information, see Section 20.2, "Establishing and Managing Your Messaging Channels and Filters"). Additionally, you can use messaging preferences to create filters for the types of notifications you want to receive.

Messaging configuration is available when your system administrator selects a BPEL server as the connection type for outbound notifications. If the system administrator selects a Mail server, the only available messaging channel is mail; consequently, you are neither required nor able to configure your own messaging channels when your system administrator selects a Mail server as the connection type for outbound notifications.

Default settings for application-level subscriptions are configurable by the system administrator. This means that your initial view of application-level Subscription Preferences is determined by these system administrator defaults. Application-level subscriptions appear on the General Subscriptions tab of the Subscriptions page in your Preferences (Figure 20-1).

Figure 20-1 General Subscriptions Preferences

For each option on the General Subscriptions tab, the system administrator controls two settings:

- Whether the subscription is enabled for the feature

- Whether users are allowed to change the default setting

These settings determine how and whether general subscription options appear on your view of the tab. Table 20-2 illustrates how administrator-level subscription settings affect the appearance of the General Subscriptions tab.

Table 20-2 Effect of Administrator Defaults on Subscriptions Preferences

Subscription EnabledFoot 1

User Can Change Default

Option in Preferences

True

True

Rendered normally, check box selected

False

True

Rendered normally, check box deselected

True

False

Grayed out, check box selected

False

False

Hidden, check box hidden

Footnote 1 Rather than enabling or disabling the entire subscription capability, the subscription-enabled attribute merely sets the initial state of the preference option. For example, if subscription-enabled="true", then the associated subscription option is selected by default in WebCenter Portal Preferences. If subscription-enabled="false", then the associated subscription option is not selected by default in Preferences.

You can view and delete all of your subscriptions from one location: the Current Subscriptions tab on the Subscriptions page in Preferences (Figure 20-2).

Figure 20-2 Current Subscriptions Preferences

Use the Subscriptions page to view and manage all of your application-, portal-, and object-level subscriptions. For more information, see Section 20.4, "Viewing and Cancelling Your Subscriptions."

WebCenter Portal also provides Notifications viewers that can be added to a portal page. The Notifications viewers duplicate the features provided through Notifications preferences, with the added benefit of flexibility. That is, the Notifications viewers can be placed on any page. Additionally, the Subscription Preferences viewer changes scope according to where it is placed.

Two Notifications viewers are available:

- Subscription Preferences, which provides subscription options according to where its is placed:

- A Subscription Preferences viewer on a Home portal page provides application-level subscription options (Figure 20-3).

Figure 20-3 Subscription Preferences Viewer on a Home Portal Page

- A Subscription Preferences viewer on a portal page provides portal-level subscription options (Figure 20-4).

Figure 20-4 Subscription Preferences Viewer on a Portal Page

See Also:

For information about controls for:

- Application-level subscriptions, see Section 20.3.1, "Setting Application-Level Subscriptions" and Section 20.4.1, "Viewing and Cancelling Application-Level Subscriptions."

- Portal-level subscriptions, see Section 20.3.2, "Setting Portal-Level Subscriptions" and Section 20.4.2, "Viewing and Cancelling Portal- and Object-Level Subscriptions."

- Subscription Viewer, which provides the same controls that are available on the Current Subscriptions tab of the Subscriptions page in Preferences (Figure 20-5)

Figure 20-5 Subscription Viewer

See Also:

For information about the controls that are available on the Current Subscriptions tab, see Section 20.4.2, "Viewing and Cancelling Portal- and Object-Level Subscriptions."

20.2 Establishing and Managing Your Messaging Channels and Filters

Out of the box, your mail address is your default messaging channel, and, with no filters defined, a subscription is sufficient to trigger a notification, provided your system administrator has configured the external application associated with the Mail server connection to contain shared credentials and provided mail is selected as the messaging default.

After you have subscribed to an application object, no additional configuration is required to receive a notification through your mail when that object changes.

However, if you want to receive notifications over your phone, through your Worklist, or via an alternate mail address, a little configuration is required. First you must establish a messaging channel. Then you must define a messaging filter. The channel identifies the delivery medium and its associated address (user ID, mail, or phone number). The filter refines the types of notifications you receive and sets the conditions under which a notification is triggered.

This section steps you through the process of setting up your messaging channels and filters. It includes the following subsections:

- Section 20.2.1, "Accessing Messaging Configuration Settings"

- Section 20.2.2, "Establishing a Messaging Channel"

- Section 20.2.3, "Editing a Messaging Channel"

- Section 20.2.4, "Deleting a Messaging Channel"

- Section 20.2.5, "Creating and Applying Messaging Filters"

- Section 20.2.6, "Editing Messaging Filters"

- Section 20.2.7, "Deleting Messaging Filters"

20.2.1 Accessing Messaging Configuration Settings

The Messaging page in Preferences provides a Manage Configuration button for navigating to User Messaging Preferences.

To access messaging configuration settings:

1. Open the Preferences dialog, and click Messaging to bring the Messaging panel forward.

2. Click the Manage Configuration button to open User Messaging Preferences login page.

Note:

The Manage Configuration button is active only when a BPEL server is configured with WebCenter Portal. Because the BPEL server provides notification features, the Manage Configuration button may be active even when your system administrator elects to use a mail server in lieu of a BPEL server for Notifications.

3. Log in to the User Messaging Server (this is not required if single sign-on is implemented).
This opens the User Messaging Preferences panel (Figure 20-6).

Figure 20-6 Messaging Panel in Preferences Dialog

The Messaging Channels tab provides controls for creating and managing messaging channels and a view of all configured messaging channels, such as WORKLIST, EMAIL, and SMS. The EMAIL channel is always available. By default, it uses your email address from the LDAP identity store. If the WORKLIST driver is deployed by your system administrator, it is also automatically added for each user.

The Messaging Filters tab provides a means of defining the conditions under which you are notified and associating a messaging channel with a defined set of conditions.

For information about messaging configuration, see the following subsections:

- Section 20.2.2, "Establishing a Messaging Channel"

- Section 20.2.3, "Editing a Messaging Channel"

- Section 20.2.4, "Deleting a Messaging Channel"

- Section 20.2.5, "Creating and Applying Messaging Filters"

- Section 20.2.6, "Editing Messaging Filters"

- Section 20.2.7, "Deleting Messaging Filters"

Note:

In environments where multiple BPEL connections are registered against the WebCenter Portal's Worklist component, the messaging preferences repository is shared by all. When you set messaging preferences for one connection, you set them for all.

20.2.2 Establishing a Messaging Channel

Establishing a messaging channel involves selecting the channel over which a notification is sent and providing the delivery address for that channel.

To establish a messaging channel:

1. Go to the User Messaging Preferences page as described in Section 20.2.1, "Accessing Messaging Configuration Settings."

2. If necessary, click the Messaging Channels tab to bring it forward.

3. Click the Create icon to open the Add Channel dialog (Figure 20-7).

Figure 20-7 Create Icon and Add Channel Dialog

4. In the Name field, enter a display name for the channel.
For example, enter MyPhone.

5. From the Type list, select the channel over which to send notifications:

Tip:

The presence of a channel is determined by your system administrator, who deploys them and makes them available.

- EMAIL to specify that notifications are sent to you through your mail

- SMS to specify that notifications are sent as text messages to your phone

- WORKLIST to specify that notifications are posted to your Worklist

6. In the Address field, enter an address for the selected type:

- For EMAIL, enter the address of the mail account to which to send notifications, for example, my.name@example.com.

- For SMS, enter the phone number to which to send notifications in the format <country_code><area_code><number>, for example, 14154444444.

- For WORKLIST, your user name is provided as a read-only value.

7. For the Default check box:

- Select to identify one or more channels as the default channel over which to send notifications.
Default channels are the channels over which are sent all notifications that do not meet any of your defined filtering conditions.

- Deselect to prevent selected channels from being used as defaults.

8. Click OK to save your changes and exit the dialog.

To complete your configuration, see Section 20.2.5, "Creating and Applying Messaging Filters."

20.2.3 Editing a Messaging Channel

To revise messaging channel values:

1. Go to the User Messaging Preferences page as described in Section 20.2.1, "Accessing Messaging Configuration Settings."

2. If necessary, click the Messaging Channels tab to bring it forward.

3. Select the messaging channel you want to revise, and click the Edit icon to open the Modify Channel dialog.

4. Change values as desired.

5. Click OK to save your changes and exit the dialog.

20.2.4 Deleting a Messaging Channel

When you delete a messaging channel, any filters that rely on the deleted channel revert to the channel identified as the default. In the absence of a specifically identified default channel, the mail channel is used for sending notifications.

To delete a messaging channel:

1. Go to the User Messaging Preferences page as described in Section 20.2.1, "Accessing Messaging Configuration Settings."

2. If necessary, click the Messaging Channels tab to bring it forward.

3. Select the messaging channel you want to delete, and click the Delete icon.

4. Click OK in the resulting Confirmation dialog.

20.2.5 Creating and Applying Messaging Filters

Messaging filters enable you to qualify the types of notifications you want to receive and weed out the notifications of no interest. Filters also provide a means of associating a selected messaging channel with a particular type of notification. For example, using messaging filters, you can specify that all notifications about document updates go to mail while all notifications about event changes go to your phone, provided your system administrator has configured Notifications to use multiple messaging channels.

Two important things to know about setting up messaging filters:

- Text values in your filtering conditions are case-sensitive. For example, messaging filters differentiate between Document and document.

- Create separate conditions for multiple terms. For example, for a Subject that contains Monty gave feedback, create three filtering conditions, one for each term.

To create and apply messaging filters:

1. Go to the User Messaging Preferences page as described in Section 20.2.1, "Accessing Messaging Configuration Settings."

2. If necessary, click the Messaging Filters tab to bring it forward.

3. Click the Create icon to open a filter-creation page.

4. In the Filter Name field, enter a display name for the filter.

5. Optionally, enter a filter description in the Description field.

6. From the Matching list, select from:

- All of the following conditions to require that all of the conditions you specify are met

- Any of the following conditions to require that at least one of the conditions you specify is met

7. From the first Add Filter Condition list, select from:

- Subject to base a condition on words appearing in the message subject
It is likely that the most useful filter condition option is Subject. The subjects of notification messages are standardized and can therefore be anticipated. This makes subjects ideal for setting up filtering conditions. See Table 20-4 for a list of standard notification message subjects and examples of filter conditions.

- From to base a condition on the message sender
All notification messages are sent from the same entity—as configured by your system administrator.

- Date to base a condition on when the message was generated
Date and Time options may be useful for ad hoc situations, for example, you want to ensure that any notifications about events delivered on the day of the event are sent right to your phone.

- Time to base a condition on the time the message was generated

Note:

Of all the filter conditions available on the Add Filter Condition list, Subject, From, Date, and Time are the options that are relevant to and work with the types of messages generated by Notifications. The other options have no effect.

8. From the second Add Filter Condition list, select an operator for the condition.

See Also:

See Table 20-3 for an alphabetical list of operators that are relevant to the attributes Subject, From, Date, and Time.

9. Click the Click to add new filter condition icon.

10. From the Messaging Option list, select from:

- Send No Messages to omit notification for the defined filter conditions

- Send Messages to all Selected Channels to send notification through all channels selected from the Add Notification Channel list

- Send to the First Available Channel to send notification through the first open channel of all the selected channels

11. From the Add Notification Channel list, select the channel over which to send the notification messages that meet your defined filter conditions, and then click the Click to add channel to this filter icon.
The Add Notification Channel list is populated with the channels that are defined on the Messaging Channels tab. You can add multiple channels in turn.

12. Click OK to save and apply the messaging filter.

Tip:

If your defined filtering conditions do not match an incoming notification, the User Messaging Server will send notifications over all the channels you have identified as default channels.

Table 20-3 provides an alphabetical list of operators that are relevant to the attributes Subject, From, Date, and Time and describes the values they require.

Table 20-3 Operators relevant to Subject, From, Date, and Time

Operator

ValueFoot 1

Attributes

Between

In the fields provided:

- For Date, enter a start date and end date between which to apply the filter

- For Time, select a start time (hours and minutes) and end time between which to apply the filter

Date, Time

Contains

Enter a string that must be included in the message Subject or return address (From)

Separate multiple values with commas.

Subject, From

isEqual

Enter the literal value that must be used for the message Subject, Date, Time, or return address (From)

Subject, From, Date, Time

isGreaterThan

Enter the message delivery date beyond which to apply the filter

Date

isGreaterThanOrEqual

Enter the message delivery date on which to start applying the filter

Date

isLessThan

Enter the message delivery date before which to start applying the filter

Date

isLessThanOrEqual

Enter the message delivery date on which to stop applying the filter

Date

isNotEqual

Enter a literal value that must be ignored for the message Subject, Date, Time, or return address (From)

Subject, From, Date, Time

isWeekday

No value is required. This operator applies to messages sent on weekdays.

Date

isWeekend

No value is required. This operator applies to messages sent on weekends.

Date

NotContains

Enter a string that must be excluded from the message Subject or return address (From).

Separate multiple values with commas.

Subject, From

Footnote 1 String values are case sensitive. Multiple values in strings must be separated by a comma.

Table 20-4 provides a list of standard notification message subjects and examples of condition formulations.

Tip:

Messaging filters are case-sensitive. For example, they differentiate between Document and document.

You must create a separate condition for each term. For example, when you filter for Monty gave feedback, create three conditions—one for each term.

Table 20-4 Standard Notification Message Subjects

Standardized Notification Subject

Example Filter Conditions

userName has invited you to become a connection

- Subject Contains connection

- Subject Contains Monty
You can set the condition action to route or ignore all messages concerning a named user for any subject that includes a user name.

userName posted message on your message board

- Subject Contains message

- Subject Contains board

userName commented on your message board posting

Subject Contains commented

userName likes on your message board posting

Subject Contains likes

userName gave feedback to you

- Subject Contains gave

- Subject Contains feedback

Portal Membership Change

Subject isEqual Portal Membership Change

userName created the documentType documentName

Note: For documentType, either Document or Wiki Document is returned. This means that all file types, except wikis, are identified in the subject as Document.

- Subject Contains Document

- Subject Contains Wiki

- Subject Contains java.txt

- Subject Contains Monty

userName changed the documentType documentName

- Subject Contains changed

- Subject Contains myFile.docx

userName deleted the documentType documentName

- Subject Contains deleted

- Subject Contains document

- Subject isNotEqual java.txt

userName posted a comment on the documentType documentName

- Subject Contains Monty

- Subject Contains comment

- Subject Contains movingforward.docx

userName likes the documentType documentName

- Subject Contains likes

- Subject Contains movingforward.docx

userName created the blog post blogName

- Subject Contains kirk

- Subject Contains tribbles

userName changed the blog post blogName

Subject NotContains tribbles

userName deleted the blog post blogName

- Subject Contains deleted

- Subject Contains blog

userName posted a comment on the blog post blogName

- Subject Contains comment

- Subject Contains blog

userName likes the blog post blogName

- Subject Contains like

- Subject Contains blog

userName created the forum forumName

- Subject Contains Monty

- Subject Contains created

- Subject Contains forum

userName created the discussion topic topicName

- Subject Contains Monty

- Subject Contains topic

This example affects both created and deleted topics. Consider adding the verb, for example, created or deleted, in the filter condition when you want to make a distinction between the two types of actions.

Note, however, that the verb alone is not likely to have the effect you want. For example, if you set the filter condition, Subject Contains deleted, messages for all types of objects upon which a delete action is performed are handled by the filter.

userName replied to the discussion topic topicName

- Subject Contains replied

- Subject Contains topic

- Subject Contains NewTech

userName deleted the discussion topic topicName

- Subject Contains deleted

- Subject Contains topic

userName posted a comment on the discussion topic topicName

- Subject Contains comment

- Subject Contains topic

- Subject Contains NewTech

userName likes the discussion topic topicName

- Subject Contains likes

- Subject Contains NewTech

userName created the event eventName

- Subject Contains Java

- Subject Contains Summit

userName changed the event eventName

- Subject Contains Java

- Subject Contains Summit

- Subject Contains changed

userName deleted the event eventName

- Date isEqual 5/31/10

- Subject Contains event

- Subject Contains Java

- Subject Contains Summit

On the day of the event, all notifications concerning the Java Summit event are routed to a selected channel. You can omit the term event, and receive other related notifications, such as an announcement concerning Java Summit.

userName created the announcement announcementName

- Subject Contains created

- Subject Contains announcement

userName changed the announcement announcementName

- Subject Contains Monty

- Subject Contains announcement

userName deleted the announcement announcementName

- Subject Contains announcement

- Subject Contains myPortal

20.2.6 Editing Messaging Filters

To edit a messaging filter:

1. Go to the User Messaging Preferences page as described in Section 20.2.1, "Accessing Messaging Configuration Settings."

2. If necessary, click the Messaging Filters tab to bring it forward.

3. Select the filter condition to edit, and click the Edit icon.

4. Make your changes.

5. Click OK to save and apply your changes.

20.2.7 Deleting Messaging Filters

To delete a messaging filter:

1. Go to the User Messaging Preferences page as described in Section 20.2.1, "Accessing Messaging Configuration Settings."

2. If necessary, click the Messaging Filters tab to bring it forward.

3. Select the filter condition to delete, and click the Delete icon.

4. Click OK in the resulting Confirmation dialog.

Note:

You can remove a filtering condition without deleting the entire filter. Follow the steps in Section 20.2.6, "Editing Messaging Filters," and click the Delete icon next to the condition to remove.

20.3 Subscribing to the Application, to Portals, and to Objects

Where you perform a subscription varies according to the level at which the subscription is applied as well as the type of object being subscribed to. For example:

- Application-level subscriptions are made through your personal preferences.

- Portal-level subscriptions are made on the portal's right-click menu on the Portals page.

- Object-level subscriptions are made on the object itself.

This section steps you through these subscription scenarios. It includes the following subsections:

- Section 20.3.1, "Setting Application-Level Subscriptions"

- Section 20.3.2, "Setting Portal-Level Subscriptions"

- Section 20.3.3, "Setting Object-Level Subscriptions"

20.3.1 Setting Application-Level Subscriptions

Set application-level subscriptions on the Subscriptions panel in the Preferences dialog (Figure 20-8).

Figure 20-8 General Subscriptions Preferences

You can use subscription preferences to specify whether to receive notifications from People Connections for activities related to Connections, Feedback, and Message Board. Additionally, you can use subscriptions preferences to subscribe to portal management activities, such as changes to any of your portal memberships or roles.

Application-level subscriptions are affected by the defaults set by your system administrator. In your view of Preferences, some subscription options may appear but be unavailable, while others may be hidden completely. For more information, see Section 20.1, "About Subscriptions and Notifications."

To set application-level subscriptions:

1. Click Preferences, click Subscriptions to open the Subscriptions page, and, if necessary, click the General Subscriptions tab to bring it forward.

2. Select the check box next to an option for which to receive notifications through mail or other selected channels.

See Also:

For more information about messaging channels, see Section 20.2, "Establishing and Managing Your Messaging Channels and Filters."

Select from:

- Message Board to receive notification when other users post messages to your Message Board, like your posts, and comment on your posts

- Portal Management to receive notification when you are added or removed as a member or your role changes

- Connections to receive notification when another user invites you to connect

- Feedback to receive notification when other users leave feedback for you

Deselect the check box next to the options for which to omit notifications.

3. Click Save to apply your changes.

See Also:

For information about managing application-level subscriptions, see Section 20.4.1, "Viewing and Cancelling Application-Level Subscriptions."

20.3.2 Setting Portal-Level Subscriptions

You can use portal-level subscriptions to trigger notification messages whenever any of the following actions occur within the scope of the subscribed portal:

- An announcement is created

- An event is created, updated, or deleted

- A discussion forum or topic is created

- A document is created or uploaded

- A wiki document is created

- A blog entry is posted

To subscribe to a portal:

1. Open the Subscribe dialog in either of the following ways:

- From the Portals menu, select Browse Portals to display the Portals page in the Home portal. Locate the portal to which you want to subscribe, then right-click the portal icon or name, and select Contact, then Subscribe (Figure 20-9).

Figure 20-9 Subscribe Options in Portal Actions Menu: Portal Browser

- When viewing a portal, click the Actions menu, and select Contact, then Subscribe.

Figure 20-10 Subscribe Option in Portal Actions Menu: Viewing Portal

Note:

The location of the Actions menu is dependent on the page template in use. For example, it may be an icon in the menu bar in a top navigation template.

2. In the Subscribe dialog, select one or more of the following options:

Note:

An option appears in this dialog only when the associated feature has been provided in the portal. For example, if the portal moderator has not enabled discussions in the portal, the Discussions option does not appear in this dialog.

- Events, to receive notice whenever an event is created, updated, or deleted in this portal

- Documents, to receive notice whenever a document is created or uploaded in this portal

See Also:

To see a more detailed level of notifications regarding a specific document, such as when it is updated, subscribe to the document at the object level. For more information, see Section 20.3.3.1, "Subscribing to a File, Wiki, or Blog Entry."

- Blogs, to receive notice whenever a blog entry is posted in this portal

See Also:

To see a more detailed level of notifications regarding a specific blog entry, such as when it is edited, liked, or commented on, subscribe to the blog entry at the object level. For more information, see Section 20.3.3.1, "Subscribing to a File, Wiki, or Blog Entry."

- Discussions, to receive notice whenever a discussion topic is created in this portal

See Also:

To see a more detailed level of notifications regarding a specific discussion topic, such as when it is edited, liked, or commented on, subscribe to the topic at the object level. For more information, see Section 20.3.3.2, "Subscribing to a Discussion Topic."

- Announcements, to receive notice whenever an announcement is created in this portal

3. Click Save to save your settings and exit the dialog.

After you have subscribed to a portal, the subscription is reflected on the Current Subscriptions tab on the Subscriptions page of Preferences. From that tab you can view all of your portal- and object-level subscriptions. For more information, see Section 20.4.2, "Viewing and Cancelling Portal- and Object-Level Subscriptions."

20.3.3 Setting Object-Level Subscriptions

You can use object-level subscriptions to trigger notification messages for actions performed on a selected document, wiki, blog entry, or discussion topic. This section describes how to subscribe to each. It includes the following subsections:

- Section 20.3.3.1, "Subscribing to a File, Wiki, or Blog Entry"

- Section 20.3.3.2, "Subscribing to a Discussion Topic"

20.3.3.1 Subscribing to a File, Wiki, or Blog Entry

When you subscribe to a file, wiki, or blog entry, you are notified through your selected messaging channel whenever a user takes action on the object. Depending on the object, you are notified upon different actions:

- For files, you are notified when a user revises or deletes the file, or likes or comments on it.

- For wikis, you are notified when a user performs a major edit on, deletes, likes, or comments on the selected wiki.

Tip:

Users can identify a wiki document edit as major, in which case notification is sent. If the edit is not marked as major, no notification is sent.

- For blog entries, you are notified when a user edits, likes, comments on, or deletes the selected blog entry

See Also:

For more information, see Section 20.2, "Establishing and Managing Your Messaging Channels and Filters."

To subscribe to a file, wiki, or blog entry:

1. Open the file, wiki, or blog entry.

2. From the File menu, select Subscribe.

See Also:

For information about unsubscribing, see Section 20.4.2, "Viewing and Cancelling Portal- and Object-Level Subscriptions."

20.3.3.2 Subscribing to a Discussion Topic

When you subscribe to a discussion topic, you are notified through your selected messaging channel whenever a user, edits, deletes, likes, or comments on the selected discussion topic.

See Also:

For more information, see Section 20.2, "Establishing and Managing Your Messaging Channels and Filters."

To subscribe to a discussion topic:

1. Go to the discussion topic you want to subscribe to.

2. Click the Subscribe link at the top of the topic (Figure 20-11).

Figure 20-11 Subscribe Link on a Discussion Topic

See Also:

For information about unsubscribing, see Section 20.4.2, "Viewing and Cancelling Portal- and Object-Level Subscriptions."

20.4 Viewing and Cancelling Your Subscriptions

Where you view and cancel your current subscriptions depends on the level of the subscription:

- In addition to making application-level subscriptions, you can view and cancel application-level subscriptions on the General Subscriptions tab on the Subscriptions page in Preferences.

- View and cancel portal- and object-level subscriptions on the Current Subscriptions tab on the Subscriptions page in Preferences.

See Also:

The settings available on the Current Subscriptions tab are also provided through the Subscriptions Viewer. For more information, see Section 20.1, "About Subscriptions and Notifications."

This section provides information about how to view and cancel your application-level subscriptions and how to view and cancel your portal- and object-level subscriptions. It includes the following subsections:

- Section 20.4.1, "Viewing and Cancelling Application-Level Subscriptions"

- Section 20.4.2, "Viewing and Cancelling Portal- and Object-Level Subscriptions"

20.4.1 Viewing and Cancelling Application-Level Subscriptions

View and cancel application-level subscriptions through Preferences or through the Subscription Preferences viewer (for more information, see Section 20.1, "About Subscriptions and Notifications").

To view or cancel application-level subscriptions:

1. Click Preferences, click Subscriptions to open the Subscriptions page, and, if necessary, click the General Subscriptions tab to bring it forward.
Here you can readily view and change your current application-level subscriptions.

2. To cancel a subscription, deselect its check box.

20.4.2 Viewing and Cancelling Portal- and Object-Level Subscriptions

Both portal- and object-level subscriptions are listed in Preferences on the Subscriptions page. Use the controls on the Current Subscriptions tab to adjust your view of these subscriptions and to cancel (or unsubscribe from) a portal- or object-level subscription.

Tip:

Portal- and object-level subscriptions can be cancelled through the same action you took to create the subscription. At the portal- and object-levels, subscription options toggle between subscribed and unsubscribed. Follow the steps outlined in Section 20.3.2, "Setting Portal-Level Subscriptions" and Section 20.3.3, "Setting Object-Level Subscriptions," but select to unsubscribe instead.

See Also:

The settings available on the Current Subscriptions tab are also provided in the Subscriptions Viewer. For more information, see Section 20.1, "About Subscriptions and Notifications."

To view and cancel portal- and object-level subscriptions:

1. Click Preferences, then click Subscriptions to open the Subscriptions page, and, if necessary, click the Current Subscriptions tab to bring it forward.

2. Use the View menu to control the display order of columns and to hide or show individual columns.

3. To cancel or unsubscribe from a portal- or object-level subscription, select the subscription, and click Unsubscribe.

4. In the resulting Unsubscribe Notification Subscription dialog, click Unsubscribe.
The selected subscription no longer appears on the list of subscriptions.

5. Click Save to save your changes.

21 Exploring Recommendations and Content

This chapter describes how to use the recommendations from WebCenter Portal of people, portals, and content.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 21.1, "About Recommendations and Content"

- Section 21.2, "Working with Connection Recommendations"

- Section 21.3, "Working with Similar Portals"

- Section 21.4, "Working with Similar Items"

- Section 21.5, "Working with Top Items"

- Section 21.6, "Working with Top Contributions"

Permissions:

The tasks described in this chapter are available to any WebCenter Portal user with access to a page that contains activity graph recommendations.

21.1 About Recommendations and Content

The activity graph serves up its recommendations in the following ways:

- Recommended Connections
Use recommended connections (Figure 21-1) to view and connect with users similar to you.

Figure 21-1 Recommended Connections

See Also:

Section 21.2, "Working with Connection Recommendations"

- Similar Portals
Use Similar Portals to identify and interact with portals that may be of interest to you. For example, people who worked on that portal also worked on these other portals.

See Also:

Section 21.3, "Working with Similar Portals"

- Similar Items
Use Similar Items (Figure 21-2) to identify and interact with WebCenter Portal content that may be of interest to you.

Figure 21-2 Similar Items

See Also:

Section 21.4, "Working with Similar Items"

- Top Items
Use Top Items (Figure 21-3) to view and interact with the WebCenter Portal items (documents, wikis, or blogs) the activity graph has calculated to be most active in the current portal.

Figure 21-3 Top Items

See Also:

Section 21.5, "Working with Top Items"

- Top Contributions
Use Top Contributions (Figure 21-4) to view and interact with the WebCenter Portal items (documents, wikis, or blogs) the activity graph has calculated to be the most active by the current user.

Figure 21-4 Top Contributions

See Also:

Section 21.6, "Working with Top Contributions"

Note:

The activity graph displays recommendations only if it is configured in your application.

The recommendations provided reflect the contents of the activity graph when the activity graph engines were last run. Activities that occurred after the last run are not included.

21.2 Working with Connection Recommendations

Recommended connections let you view and connect to people considered to be similar to you.

This section includes the following subsections:

- Section 21.2.1, "Learning More About a Recommended Connection"

- Section 21.2.2, "Inviting a Recommended Connection to Connect with You"

- Section 21.2.3, "Removing a User from Your Recommended Connections"

- Section 21.2.4, "Setting the Number of Users to Display in Recommended Connections"

- Section 21.2.5, "Controlling Which Users to Include in Recommended Connections"

See Also:

Section 9, "Managing Your Contacts"

21.2.1 Learning More About a Recommended Connection

Before you connect with someone new, you probably want to find out a bit more about that person to determine whether it is really a connection that you want to make. Recommended connections enables this by providing access to the user profile information and by including reasons why the recommendation has been made.

To view information about a recommended connection:

1. Go to a recommended connection.

Tip:

By default, you can find recommended connections on the Profile page in your Home portal.

2. Each recommended connection includes the name, title, and profile icon of the user. This provides a snapshot to help you decide quickly if you want to connect to this person.

3. To find out more information about the user, click name of the user to display the User Detail popup.

Note:

Alternatively, you can click the user icon to display the user's Profile Gallery.

4. In the User Detail popup (Figure 21-5), you can view additional information about the user, such as his or her location and current status. You can also choose to view the full profile or contact the user by email or instant message.

Figure 21-5 The User Detail Popup

Note:

The information in the User Detail popup depends on the information that the user has provided in their profile, and the tools/services that are enabled in the portal.

5. Click anywhere away from the popup to close it.

6. You may see a reason why each person was recommended as a potential connection. For example, you may be connected to some of the same people or you may have worked on the same documents or wikis.
Reasons for recommending a connection are:

- You share connections with the user

- You and the user edited one or more of the same items

- You and the user worked in one or more of the same portals

- You and the user tagged one or more of the same items

Click the reason to find out more details. For example, a list of the connections you have in common, or a list of the objects that you have both worked on (Figure 21-6).

Figure 21-6 Details for Reasons for Recommended Connections

7. Click anywhere away from the popup to close it.

8. After examining this information you can decide whether to connect to this person, or remove him or her from the list of recommended connections.

21.2.2 Inviting a Recommended Connection to Connect with You

If you find a person in the list of recommended connections that you want to connect with, you can do so quickly from the User Detail popup or the user's Profile Gallery.

To invite a recommended connection to connect with you:

1. Go to a recommended connection.

Tip:

By default, you can find recommended connections on the Profile page in your Home portal.

2. Find the person in the list of recommended connections.

3. Click the name of the user to display the User Detail popup, or the user icon to display the user's Profile Gallery.

4. Click Get Connected (Figure 21-7).

Figure 21-7 The Get Connected Link

5. In the Invitation Message dialog (Figure 21-8), enter your own message or keep the default.

Figure 21-8 The Invitation Message Dialog

6. From the Select connection lists dropdown list, select the connection list to which you want to add this user.

See Also:

Section 9, "Managing Your Contacts"

7. Click Invite.
If the person you have invited set Preferences to automatically accept all invitations, you are connected immediately. Otherwise, the invitation becomes available in the recipient's Connections page.

21.2.3 Removing a User from Your Recommended Connections

If the list of recommended connections includes people that you do not want to connect with, you can remove them, making space for more recommendations. You might also choose to remove someone after you have issued them an invitation to connect. If you do so, the recommendation is removed from the list, but the invitation is not canceled.

To remove a recommended connection:

1. Go to a recommended connection.

Tip:

By default, you can find recommended connections on the Profile page in your Home portal.

2. Find the person in the list of recommended connections.

3. Click the Do not show this person icon next to the user in the list (Figure 21-9).

Figure 21-9 The Do Not Show This Person Icon

4. The list is refreshed with a new recommended connection taking the place of the one you removed.

21.2.4 Setting the Number of Users to Display in Recommended Connections

You can control the number of users that are displayed in recommended connections.

To set the number of recommended connections to display:

1. Go to recommended connections.

Tip:

By default, you can find recommended connections on the Profile page in your Home portal.

2. Click the Display Options icon.

3. In the Display Options dialog, in the Number of People field (Figure 21-10), enter how many recommended connections you want to see. The default value is 5.

Figure 21-10 The Number of People Field

4. Click OK.

21.2.5 Controlling Which Users to Include in Recommended Connections

By default, recommended connections includes all recommended connections except those with whom you are already connected. You can change this setting by editing the display options. For example, you could show users who are similar to you, rather than to show recommended connections. In this case, you might want to include existing connections.

To control which users to include:

1. Go to a recommended connection.

Tip:

By default, you can find recommended connections on the Profile page in your Home portal.

2. Click the Display Options icon.

3. In the Display Options dialog, select the Users I am connected with check box (Figure 21-11) to include users in the list of recommended connections even if you are already connected with them.
Deselect the check box to remove users from the list if you are already connected with them.

Figure 21-11 The Users I Am Connected With Option

Note:

This check box is not selected by default.

4. Click OK.

21.3 Working with Similar Portals

Similar Portals provide you with recommendations of other portals that are similar to the one you are currently viewing. A portal is considered similar to another portal if the same people interact with it, especially if they edit the content.

Only portals that you are permitted to view are listed in the Similar Portals.

Note:

The recommendations made in the Similar Portals are determined based on the currently viewed portal only; they are not specific to the current user.

This section includes the following subsections:

- Section 21.3.1, "Learning More About a Suggested Portal"

- Section 21.3.2, "Joining a Suggested Portal"

- Section 21.3.3, "Removing a Portal from the Suggested Portals"

- Section 21.3.4, "Setting the Number of Portals to Display in the Similar Portals"

- Section 21.3.5, "Controlling Which Portals to Include in the Similar Portals"

21.3.1 Learning More About a Suggested Portal

When looking at a portal through Similar Portals, one of the first things you probably want to do is find out more about that portal. This helps you determine whether the portal is one that you are interested in joining or not.

To learn more about a suggested portal:

1. Go to the list of Similar Portals that includes the portal about which you want to learn more.

2. Each suggested portals includes the name and description of the portal. This provides a snapshot to help you decide quickly if the portal is one that you might be interested in.

3. To go to the portal to find out more about it, click the name.

4. Examine the contents of the portal to determine if you are interested in it.

5. After examining the portal you can decide whether to join the portal or remove it.

21.3.2 Joining a Suggested Portal

If you find a portal through Similar Portals that you want to join, you can do so by visiting the portal.

To join a suggested portal:

1. Go to the list of similar portals that includes the portal that you want to join.

2. Find the portal that you want to join.

3. Click the portal name to open the portal.

4. In the portal, subscribe to the portal. Some membership requests require approval from the portal moderator so you may not gain access immediately.

See Also:

Section 7.10, "Joining a Portal"

21.3.3 Removing a Portal from the Suggested Portals

If you decide that you are not particularly interested in a portal listed in the similar portals, you can remove it, making space for more recommendations. The portal is removed only from your view; the portal continues to be listed for other users, as long as they have permission to view it.

To remove a portal from the list of similar portals:

1. Go to the list of similar portal that includes the portal you want to remove.

2. Find the portal that you want to remove.

3. Click the Do no show this portal icon next to the portal (Figure 21-12).

Figure 21-12 The Do Not Show This Portal Icon

4. The list is refreshed with a new similar portal taking the place of the one you removed.

21.3.4 Setting the Number of Portals to Display in the Similar Portals

You can control the number of portals that are displayed in the Similar Portals.

To set the number of similar portals to display:

1. Go to the list of similar portals that you want to edit.

2. Click the Display Options icon.

3. In the Display Options dialog, in the Number of Portals field, enter how many similar portals you want to list. The default value is 5.

4. Click OK.

21.3.5 Controlling Which Portals to Include in the Similar Portals

By default, Similar Portals does not include portals that you are already a member of, but it does include portals that you have already viewed. You can change these settings by editing the display options.

To which portals to include:

1. Go to the list of Similar Portals that you want to edit.

2. Click the Display Options icon.

3. In the Display Options dialog, select the Show portals I have worked on before check box to display portals in which you have performed an action (excluding viewing) in the list of similar portals.
Deselect the check box if you do not want to include portals that you have worked on.

Note:

This check box is not selected by default.

4. Select the Show portals I have visited before check box to include portals in the list of similar portals even if you have already viewed them.
Deselect the check box to remove portals from the list if you have already viewed them.

Note:

This check box is selected by default.

5. Click OK.

21.4 Working with Similar Items

Similar Items provides you with recommendations of other items you might want to view, based on the item you have currently selected on the page.

Note:

The recommendations made in Similar Items are determined based on the currently selected item only; they are not specific to the current user.

This section includes the following subsections:

- Section 21.4.1, "Populating the Similar Items"

- Section 21.4.2, "Viewing a Suggested Item"

- Section 21.3.3, "Removing a Portal from the Suggested Portals"

- Section 21.3.4, "Setting the Number of Portals to Display in the Similar Portals"

- Section 21.3.5, "Controlling Which Portals to Include in the Similar Portals"

21.4.1 Populating the Similar Items

Similar Items lists items that are similar to the currently selected item on the page. To populate Similar Items, you must select an item for which you want to see similar items.

Note:

If the page containing the similar items also contains the Document Viewer, the document currently displayed in the Document Viewer drives the content of the Similar Items and you do not need to explicitly select an item.

To populate the Similar Items:

1. Go to the page containing the Similar Items.

2. In one of the other components on the page, select the item for which you want to see similar items.
Similar items works in conjunction with the following components:

- Documents components:

- Recent Documents

- Document List Viewer

- Document Navigator

- Document Explorer

- Folder Viewer

- Document Manager

- Document Browser

- Discussions (If your system administrator or application specialist specified a discussions resource ID for similar items).

3. Similar items refreshes to display items that are similar to the one you selected.

21.4.2 Viewing a Suggested Item

If you see an item in the similar items that you think might be useful, you can go ahead and view it.

To view a suggested item:

1. Go to the list of similar items that includes the item that you want to view.

2. Click the item's name to display the item.
The way the item is displayed depends on the type of item. For example, documents are displayed in the Document Viewer.

21.4.3 Removing an Item from Similar Items

If you decide that you are not particularly interested in an item listed in the similar items, you can remove it, making space for more recommendations. The item is removed only from your view; the item continues to be listed for other users, as long as they have permission to view it.

To remove an item:

1. Go to the list of similar items that includes the item that you want to remove.

2. Find the item that you want to remove.

3. Click the Do not show this item icon next to the item (Figure 21-13).

Figure 21-13 The Do Not Show This Item Icon

4. The list is refreshed with a new similar item taking the place of the one you removed.

21.4.4 Setting the Number of Items to Display in the Similar Items

You can control the number of items that are displayed in the Similar Items.

To set the number of items to display:

1. Go to the list of similar items that you want to edit.

2. Click the Display Options icon.

3. In the Display Options dialog, in the Number of items field (Figure 21-14), enter how many similar items you want to list. The default value is 5.

Figure 21-14 The Number of Items Field

4. Click OK.

21.4.5 Controlling Which Items to Include in Similar Items

By default, the list of similar items include items that you have already viewed. It also includes all types of supported items (documents, wiki pages, blogs, and discussion topics). You can change these settings by editing the display options. For example, you could show only discussion topics that are similar to the selected item.

To control which items to include:

1. Go to the list of similar items that you want to edit.

2. Click the Display Options icon.

3. In the Display Options dialog, select the Show items I have viewed before check box (Figure 21-15) to include items in the list of similar items even if you have already viewed them.
Deselect the check box to remove items from the list of similar items if you have already viewed them.

Figure 21-15 The Show Items I Have Viewed Before Option

Note:

This check box is selected by default.

4. Select the Show items I have worked on before check box to include items in the list of similar items even if you have already interacted with them in some way (other than viewing).
Deselect the check box to remove items from the list of similar items if you have interacted with them already.

Figure 21-16 The Show Items I Have Worked on Before Option

Note:

This check box is not selected by default.

5. Select or deselect the following check boxes as required to determine which types of items to display (Figure 21-17):

- Show documents

- Show wiki pages

- Show blogs

- Show discussion topics

Figure 21-17 Options for Displaying Different Types of Items

Note:

These check boxes are selected by default.

6. Click OK.

21.5 Working with Top Items

Top items provide recommendations of other items you might want to view, based on the most active items in that portal.

Select an item from the list to view it. The way the item is displayed depends on the type of item. For example, documents are displayed in the Document Viewer.

Note:

The recommendations made in Top Items are determined based on the current portal only; they are not specific to the current user.

This section includes the following subsections:

- Section 21.5.1, "Setting the Number of Items to Display in the Top Items"

- Section 21.5.2, "Controlling Which Items to Include in Top Items"

21.5.1 Setting the Number of Items to Display in the Top Items

You can control the number of items that are displayed in the list of top items.

To set the number of items to display:

1. Go to the list of top items that you want to edit.

2. Click the Display Options icon.

3. In the Display Options dialog, in the Number of items field (Figure 21-18), enter how many top items you want to list. The default value is 5.

Figure 21-18 The Number of Items Field

4. Click OK.

21.5.2 Controlling Which Items to Include in Top Items

By default, the list of top items includes all types of supported items (documents, wiki pages, blogs). You can change these settings by editing the display options. For example, you could show only blogs.

To control which items to include:

1. Go to the list of top items that you want to edit.

2. Click the Display Options icon.

3. Select or deselect the following check boxes as required to determine which types of items to display (Figure 21-19):

- Show documents

- Show wiki pages

- Show blogs

Note:

These check boxes are selected by default.

Figure 21-19 Display Options Showing Only Blogs

4. Click OK.

21.6 Working with Top Contributions

Top contributions let you view the most active items contributed by the current user. Top contributions are listed on a user's Profile Gallery.

Figure 21-20 Top Contributions on the Profile Page

Click a top contribution to view it, and click anywhere away from the popup to close it.

This section includes the following subsections:

- Section 21.6.1, "Setting the Number of Users to Display in Top Contributions"

- Section 21.6.2, "Controlling Which Items to Include in Top Contributions"

21.6.1 Setting the Number of Users to Display in Top Contributions

You can control the number of items that are displayed in top contributions.

To set the number of top contributions to display:

1. Go to the list of top contributions.

2. Click the Display Options icon.

3. In the Display Options dialog, in the Number of items field (Figure 21-21), enter how many recommended connections you want to see. The default value is 5.

Figure 21-21 The Number of Items Field

4. Click OK.

21.6.2 Controlling Which Items to Include in Top Contributions

By default, the list of top contributions includes all types of supported items (documents, wiki pages, blogs). You can change these settings by editing the display options. For example, you could show only blogs.

To control which items to include:

1. Go to the list of top items that you want to edit.

2. Click the Display Options icon.

3. Select or deselect the following check boxes as required to determine which types of items to display (Figure 21-22):

- Show documents

- Show wiki pages

- Show blogs

Note:

These check boxes are selected by default.

Figure 21-22 Display Options Showing Only Blogs

4. Click OK.

22 Tracking Portal Activities

This chapter describes how to work with Activity Stream and Recent Activities, which track and report on activities in WebCenter Portal, enabling you to easily keep up with what is going on.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 22.1, "Comparison of Activity Stream and Recent Activities"

- Section 22.2, "About the Activity Stream"

- Section 22.3, "Setting Activity Stream Preferences"

- Section 22.4, "Working with the Activity Stream"

- Section 22.5, "About Recent Activities"

- Section 22.6, "Working with Recent Activities"

Permissions:

To perform the tasks in this chapter, you need the application-level permission People Connections: Update People Connections Data.

22.1 Comparison of Activity Stream and Recent Activities

Activity Stream and Recent Activities both track and report on activities in WebCenter Portal, enabling you to easily keep up with what is going on. However, there are two main differences between them. First, Activity Stream tracks a broader range of activities. For example, Recent Activities tracks the Documents (including wikis and blogs), Announcements, Discussions, and Page activities. Activity Stream tracks these activities as well as People Connections. Second, Recent Activities reports activities regardless of who performs the action. Activity Stream reports activities performed by a user's connections. There is a third, small difference—Activity Stream includes information about who performed the activity, whereas Recent Activities does not.

22.2 About the Activity Stream

In WebCenter Portal, Activity Stream provides a streaming view of the activities of your connections, actions taken in portals, and business activities. For example, Activity Stream can note when you or a connection posts feedback, uploads a document, or creates a discussion forum. Additionally, it streams messages and attachments entered through Publisher.

See Also:

For information about Publisher, see Chapter 13, "Liking, Commenting On, and Sharing Items in WebCenter Portal."

Through Activity Stream Preferences, you can select to show connection and portal activities. (However, your system administrator can disable users from overriding application-level settings.)

In addition to streaming messages, your Activity Stream can provide access to file attachments and web links added through Publisher. Supported mime types can be fully previewed in the Activity Stream. Unsupported mime types are rendered as links, which you can use to access the file.

Activity Stream previews files through either a native web format or through Oracle WebCenter Content slide rendition. The previewer used depends on the mime type of the file to be previewed.

The mime types that use the native web format include the following:

- image

- htm

- text

The mime types that use Oracle WebCenter Content slide rendition include the following:

- pdf

- powerpoint

- powerpnt

- pptx

Note:

PDF file previews are available only if your system administrator configured WebCenter Portal to preview PDFs.

The mime types shown in the previous lists are the only mime types that are previewed. Other mime types appear as links. The mime types docx and xlsx are not previewed in Activity Stream. Your administer can configure Activity Stream to omit file previews.

Users can share a streamed activity and its attachments using a Share feature, available on each streamed item.

See Also:

For information about sharing, see Section 22.4.7, "Sharing Files and other Objects Through an Activity Stream Item."

Table 22-1 lists and describes the types of activities that are reported through Activity Stream.

Note:

Delete activities do not appear per se in the Activity Stream, but references to objects, such as Joe Smith created the document file.xml, are removed from the stream when such objects are deleted.

Table 22-1 Activities Tracked by Activity Stream

Tools/Service

Tracked Activities

Scope

Activities Shared or Private

Announcements

- Create announcement

- Edit announcement

- portal

- Shared with other portal members

Blogs

- Create blog

- Update blog

- portal

- Home portal

- Activities on portal blogs are shared with other portal members.

- Activities on Home portal blogs are shared with the blogger's connections.

Connections

- Invite to connect

- Connection invite accepted

- Home portal

- Shared with invitor and invitee's connections

Discussions

- Create forum

- Create topic

- Reply to topic

- portal

- Shared with other portal members

Documents

- Create document

- Edit document

- Add tag

- Remove tag

- portal

- Home portal

- Activities on portal documents are shared with other portal members.

- Activities on Home portal documents are private to user.

Feedback

- Leave feedback

- Receive feedback

- Home portal

- Shared with whomever is permitted to view such activities (for more information, see this section and Section 12.1, "About Feedback."

Lists

- Create a list

- portal

- Shared with other portal members

Message Board

- Leave message

- Receive message

- Home portal

- Shared with whomever is permitted to view such activities (for more information, see this section and Section 12.7, "Setting Message Preferences."

Pages

- Create page

- Edit page

- Add tag

- Remove tag

- portal

- Home portal

- Activities on portal pages are shared with other portal members.

- Activities on Home portal pages are private to user.

Profiles

- Update photo

- Update profile

- Update personal status

- Home portal

- Shared with whomever is permitted to view such activities (for more information, see this section and Section 4.4, "Setting Profile Preferences."

Portal Events

- Create an event

- Edit an Event

- portal

- Shared with other portal members

Portals Management

- Create portal

- Change portal membership

- Join portal

- Post comment

- Like item

- Update portal configuration

- Enable portal tool or service

- Disable portal tool or service

- Change custom portal attribute

- Change portal role permissions

- Change portal role assignment

- portal

- Shared with other portal members

Tagging

- Add tag

- Remove tag

- portal

- Home portal

- Activities in a portal are shared with all portal members.

- Activities in a Home portal are shared with whomever is permitted to view such activities (for more information, see Section 22.3, "Setting Activity Stream Preferences").

Use Activity Stream Preferences to specify who can view your Activity Stream and the types of activities to show. For more information about Preferences relating to Activity Stream, see Section 22.3, "Setting Activity Stream Preferences."

Your system administrator can hide or show various controls on Activity Stream viewers and limit the types of activities and the specific portals that are tracked.

WebCenter Portal provides the following Activity Stream viewers:

- Activity Stream for viewing application activities and the activities of your connections and for providing access to the attachments added through the Share link (Figure 22-1)

Figure 22-1 Activity Stream Viewer

This full view of Activity Stream functionality includes options for liking and commenting on listed activities and for sharing different types of objects, such as images, URLs, documents, and the like. Activity Stream also provides a means of hiding the activities and posts of a given user. You can use Activity Stream Options to show those users you have hidden.

The Activities page in the Home portal combines an instance of Publisher with the Activity Stream viewer.

See Also:

For information about Publisher, see Section 13.7.1, "About Publisher."

- Activity Stream - Quick View provides a summary view of application activities and the activities of your connections (Figure 22-2).

Figure 22-2 Activity Stream - Quick View

Unlike the full view of Activity Stream, Activity Stream - Quick View does not display Like, Comment, and Share links. The Activity Stream - Quick View also combines similar activities into one entry. For example, if a user posts two documents, you see one entry that lists both documents; if a user posts two messages, you see one entry that says the user "posted messages," but only the most recent message is shown.

A hierarchy of configuration settings control what you can do with your view of the Activity Stream. Your system administrator sets application-wide values on the Administration page. You can set your own personal values through People Connections Preferences. Your system administrator can set values on a given viewer instance, which affect all users' views of the viewer instance (application customization). You can set values on a given viewer instance, which affect only your view of the Activity Stream viewer (user customization).

Tip:

If you adjust a setting through Preferences that does not seem to affect the behavior of a viewer as you expected, it might be because settings on the viewer instance override Preferences settings.

The Activity Stream viewer provides an Options link for accessing configuration settings for a given instance (Figure 22-3).

Figure 22-3 Options Link for Activity Stream Options

The Activity Stream - Quick View provides access to its own configuration settings through a pencil icon (Change the source, filter, and display options) (Figure 22-4).

Figure 22-4 Pencil Icon and Resulting Configure Dialog

Use these controls to adjust an individual viewer instance with the same kinds of settings that are provided for all of your views of Activity Stream through Activity Stream Preferences (for more information, see Section 22.3, "Setting Activity Stream Preferences" and Section 22.4, "Working with the Activity Stream").

Clicking an object in Activity Stream opens the object. For example, clicking the name of a newly created document in Activity Stream opens the document (see Section 17.6.2, "Opening a File" for more information about file preview in the Document Viewer). Clicking a user name in an Activity Stream opens a user profile pop-up. Clicking an attachment, such as a file or a URL, navigates you to that attachment.

See Also:

You can attach an object to a message streamed from Publisher to the Activity Stream. For more information, see Chapter 13, "Liking, Commenting On, and Sharing Items in WebCenter Portal."

22.3 Setting Activity Stream Preferences

Use Activity Stream Preferences to specify who can view your Activity Stream; the users, categories, and portals for which to track activities; and the activities to show in an Activity Stream view.

See Also:

For information about the types of activities that Activity Stream tracks, see Table 22-1, "Activities Tracked by Activity Stream".

To set Activity Stream preferences:

1. Click Preferences.

2. Click People to display People Connections preferences.

3. If necessary, click the Activity Stream tab to bring it forward (Figure 22-5).

Figure 22-5 Activity Stream Preferences

4. Under People, specify whose activities to show in your view of the Activity Stream:

Tip:

This setting relates only to the activities that stream from People Connections. Such activities include making connections, posting Feedback and Messages, adjusting your Profile, and so on.

From the Show list, select one of the following options:

- Only Me—Show only your own activities in your view of the Activity Stream.

- Me and My Connections—Show only your activities and the activities of your connections in your view of the Activity Stream.

- No Personal—Do not show any user activities in your view of the Activity Stream, including your own.

- Selected Connection Lists—Show the activities of only those users on the selected connections lists in your view of the Activity Stream.
When you select this option, all available connections lists appear below it. Select one or more connections lists to limit the display of activities to the users on those lists.

Note:

Use this option only after you have created one or more connections lists (for more information, see Section 9.7, "Creating and Managing Groups of Contacts").

5. Under Portals, select to show activities from:

- All Portals—Stream activities from all available portals.

Note:

When All Portals and Selected Connection Lists (from step 4) are selected, the activity stream shows the selected users personal activities and the activities in the portals of which the selected users are members. For example, the activity stream displays an entry when the user creates a portal (personal activity) and displays an entry when an announcement or document is created in a portal of which the user is a member (portal activity).

- My Portals—Stream activities from the portals of which you are a member.

- No Portals—Do not stream any activities from portals other the Home portal.

6. Under Service Categories, select the category for which to track activities.
Select a check box to track the activity of a particular category; deselect a check box to ignore the activity of a particular category.

Tip:

Selecting No Portals in the previous step affects the outcome of your category selection: despite their selection here, categories publish no activities to your view of the Activity Stream.

7. Under Privacy, identify the types of users who can see your view of the Activity Stream:

- Everyone—All users, whether they are logged in, can see your view of the Activity Stream.

- Authenticated Users—All users who are logged in can see your view of the Activity Stream.

- My Connections—The people to whom you are connected can see your view of the Activity Stream.

- Myself—Only you can see your view of the Activity Stream.

8. Click Save to save your changes.

22.4 Working with the Activity Stream

You can perform user customizations on an Activity Stream viewer that affect only your view of the viewer. Activity Stream viewers provide user customization controls for determining whose activities and what activities are streamed.

Your system administrator can perform application customizations on an Activity Steam viewer that affect everyone's view of the viewer. For example, Activity Stream your system administrator can enable or disable the display of links for liking, sharing, and commenting on individual Activity Stream items. Therefore, some of the actions described in this section might not be available, depending on such customizations.

This section provides information about controlling whose activities and what activities are shown in a given viewer instance, as well as how to like and comment on a streamed item, and how to share a file or URL with other users through the Activity Stream.

This section includes the following subsections:

- Section 22.4.1, "Selecting the People to Stream in an Activity Stream Instance"

- Section 22.4.2, "Selecting the Portals to Stream in an Activity Stream Viewer"

- Section 22.4.3, "Selecting the Categories to Stream in an Activity Stream Viewer"

- Section 22.4.4, "Hiding and Showing the Activities of a Selected User"

- Section 22.4.5, "Hiding and Showing the Activities of a Selected Portal"

- Section 22.4.6, "Liking and Commenting On Activity Stream Items"

- Section 22.4.7, "Sharing Files and other Objects Through an Activity Stream Item"

22.4.1 Selecting the People to Stream in an Activity Stream Instance

Use the Options link in an Activity Stream viewer to specify the people from whom to stream activities in your view of the Activity Stream. Use the pencil icon in an Activity Stream - Quick View to perform the same operation.

To select the people from whom to stream activities in your view of an Activity Stream viewer:

1. Go to an Activity Stream viewer or Activity Stream - Quick View.

2. In an Activity Stream viewer, click Options.
In an Activity Stream - Quick View, click the Change the source, filter, and display options icon (pencil).

3. For Activity Stream only: in the resulting dialog, click the Settings tab to bring it forward.

4. Under People, select the people from whom to stream activities:

- Only Me—Show only your own activities in your view of the Activity Stream.

- Me and My Connections—Show only your activities and the activities of your connections in your view of the Activity Stream.

- No Personal—Do not show any user activities in your view of the Activity Stream, including your own.

- Selected Connection Lists—Show the activities of only those users on the selected connections lists in your view of the Activity Stream.
When you select this option, all available connections lists appear below it. Select one or more connections lists to limit the display of activities to the users on those lists.

Note:

Use this option only after you have created one or more connections lists (for more information, see Section 9.7, "Creating and Managing Groups of Contacts").

5. Click Save to save your changes and exit the dialog.

22.4.2 Selecting the Portals to Stream in an Activity Stream Viewer

Use the Options link in an Activity Stream viewer to select the portals from which to stream activities. Use the pencil icon in an Activity Stream - Quick View to perform the same operation.

To select the portals from which to stream activities in an Activity Stream viewer instance:

1. Go to an instance of an Activity Stream viewer or Activity Stream - Quick View.

2. In an Activity Stream viewer, click Options.
In an Activity Stream - Quick View, click the Change the source, filter, and display options icon (pencil).

3. For Activity Stream only: in the resulting dialog, click the Settings tab to bring it forward.

4. Under Portals, select to show activities from all available portals in your view of the Activity Stream (All Portals), or omit the display of any portal activities (No Portals).

Tip:

Selecting No Portals affects the outcome of your category selection (see Section 22.4.3, "Selecting the Categories to Stream in an Activity Stream Viewer"): despite their selection, categories publish no activities to your view of the Activity Stream.

5. Click Save to save your changes and exit the dialog.

22.4.3 Selecting the Categories to Stream in an Activity Stream Viewer

Use the Options link on an Activity Stream viewer to select the categories from which to stream activities. Use the pencil icon on an Activity Stream - Quick View to perform the same operation.

To select the categories from whom to stream activities in an Activity Stream viewer:

1. Go to an Activity Stream viewer or Activity Stream - Quick View.

2. In an Activity Stream viewer, click Options.
In an Activity Stream - Quick View, click the Change the source, filter, and display options icon (pencil).

3. For Activity Stream only: in the resulting dialog, click the Settings tab to bring it forward.

4. Under Service Categories, select the categories for which to track activities.
Select a check box to track the activity of a particular category; deselect a check box to ignore the activity of a particular category.

Tip:

Selecting No Portals (as described in Section 22.4.2, "Selecting the Portals to Stream in an Activity Stream Viewer") affects the outcome of your category selection: despite their selection here, categories publish no activities to your view of the Activity Stream.

5. Click Save to save your changes and exit the dialog.

22.4.4 Hiding and Showing the Activities of a Selected User

Some of your connections might post activities with a frequency that is more of a distraction than a help. In this case, or for any other reason, you can select to hide the activities streamed from selected users in your view of the Activity Stream (or from the Activities page in the Home portal).

You can easily reverse this action by showing one or more hidden users through the Options link on the affected Activity Stream viewer.

This section describes how to hide or show the activities of individual users in an Activity Stream viewer instance. It includes the following subsections:

- Section 22.4.4.1, "Hiding the Activities of a Selected User"

- Section 22.4.4.2, "Showing the Activities of a Hidden User"

22.4.4.1 Hiding the Activities of a Selected User

To hide the activities streaming from a selected user in an Activity Stream viewer instance:

1. Go to an instance of an Activity Stream viewer.

2. Open the Hide menu next to the user you want to hide, and select the relevant user name (Figure 22-6).

Figure 22-6 The Hide Option in the Activity Stream

3. Click OK in the confirmation dialog.
The page refreshes, and the viewer no longer shows activities from the selected user.

See Also:

For information about showing a hidden user, see Section 22.4.4.2, "Showing the Activities of a Hidden User."

22.4.4.2 Showing the Activities of a Hidden User

To reinstate the streaming of activities from a hidden user:

1. Go to an instance of an Activity Stream viewer where a user's activities are hidden.

2. Click Options.

3. In the resulting dialog, click the People tab to bring it forward.

4. Next to the person whose activities you want to show, click Show (Figure 22-7).

Figure 22-7 The Options Link and the Show Button

22.4.5 Hiding and Showing the Activities of a Selected Portal

If there is a portal that streams activities that are not currently of interest to you, you can hide that portal's activities from a selected instance of the Activity Stream viewer (or from the Activities page in the Home portal).

You can easily reverse this action by showing one or more hidden portals through the Options link on the affected Activity Stream viewer.

To hide the activities streaming from a particular portal, the affected Activity Stream viewer instance must be configured to show All Portals or My Portals (for more information, see Section 22.3, "Setting Activity Stream Preferences" and Section 22.4.2, "Selecting the Portals to Stream in an Activity Stream Viewer").

Tip:

Whether the activities streaming from portal are shown can be determined at the application level, in personal Preferences, and on an individual viewer instance by you or by your system administrator. If you find you cannot hide or show activities streaming from portals, it is likely that at one of these levels, the facility to see such activities has been blocked.

This section describes how to hide the activities streaming from a particular portal and how to show those hidden activities. It includes the following subsections:

- Section 22.4.5.1, "Hiding the Activities of a Selected Portal"

- Section 22.4.5.2, "Showing the Activities of a Hidden Portal"

22.4.5.1 Hiding the Activities of a Selected Portal

To hide the activities streaming from a selected portal in an Activity Stream viewer instance:

Note:

Your Preference settings may prevent any portal activities from streaming. For information about Activity Stream Preferences, see Section 22.3, "Setting Activity Stream Preferences."

1. Go to an instance of an Activity Stream viewer.

2. Open the Hide menu next to an activity that has streamed from the portal you want to hide, and select the relevant portal name (Figure 22-8).

Figure 22-8 Selecting to Hide the Portal teamsite2

3. Click Yes in the confirmation dialog.
The page refreshes, and the viewer no longer shows activities from the selected portal.

See Also:

For information about showing a hidden portal, see Section 22.4.5.2, "Showing the Activities of a Hidden Portal."

22.4.5.2 Showing the Activities of a Hidden Portal

To reinstate the streaming of activities from a hidden portal:

1. Go to an instance of an Activity Stream viewer where a portal's activities are hidden.

2. Click Options.

3. In the resulting dialog, click the Portals tab to bring it forward.

4. Next to the portal whose activities you want to show, click Show (Figure 22-9).

Figure 22-9 The Options Link and the Show Button in Activity Stream Options Dialog

22.4.6 Liking and Commenting On Activity Stream Items

Provided the Activity Stream viewer has been configured to do so, you and the users to whom you have provided access to your Activity Stream can express a liking for or comment on a particular streamed item.

To express a liking for a streamed item, go to an Activity Stream viewer and click the Like link. You can remove your liking by clicking the resulting Unlike link.

To comment on a streamed item, click the Comment link, enter a comment in the input area, then click Comment to display your comment below the item. The comment display is limited to 500 characters. For each comment you add, a delete icon is provided to enable you to remove your comment.

See Also:

For more information, see Chapter 13, "Liking, Commenting On, and Sharing Items in WebCenter Portal."

22.4.7 Sharing Files and other Objects Through an Activity Stream Item

Provided the Activity Stream viewer is configured to support it, you can share a streamed item with all of the users who are allowed to view your streamed activities. This could be all of your connections or all of the users on a selected connections list. Who an item is shared with is determined by how you or your system administrator has configured Activity Stream.

If you prefer, you can send a streamed item through mail, and consequently select all recipients yourself.

To share a streamed item:

1. Go to the streamed item of interest.

2. Select an option from the Share menu (Figure 22-10).

Figure 22-10 Share Menu on a Streamed Activity

- Select This activity to stream a URL to the item (such as a new portal, a new announcement or discussion topic, and the like) to all enabled users.

- Select Send Mail to send an email with a link to the item to all specified recipients.

See Also:

For more information, see Chapter 13, "Liking, Commenting On, and Sharing Items in WebCenter Portal."

22.5 About Recent Activities

Recent Activities track changes in WebCenter Portal providing a quick and easy way to view any additions or changes to a particular area of WebCenter Portal. Tracked changes include additions and revisions to pages, documents, discussion forums, lists (WebCenter Portal only), and events. (Figure 22-11).

Figure 22-11 The Recent Activities Viewer

Recent activities can track the following information:

- Documents added

- Announcements created

- Discussion forums created

- Pages created or modified

- List definitions created or modified

By default, the Recent Activity list displays 25 recent activities for a given feature. If more than 25 activities have occurred, the Recent Activity list displays the 25 most recent. Your system administrator can change the default value, so your limit might be more or less than 25.

The level of information provided in the Recent Activity list depends on the context in which the list is placed. In a portal page, the Recent Activity list summarizes changes occurring in that portal. In your Home portal, your system administrator must set the Recent Activities viewer properties to specify a portal. The Recent Activity list summarizes changes occurring in the specified portal.

You can use the Recent Activity list as an access point to new and revised content. The Recent Activity list displays new and revised content as links, which you can click to go directly to the content.

Note:

You can track recent activities through your favorite RSS reader. For more information, see Chapter 25, "Monitoring RSS Feeds."

22.6 Working with Recent Activities

You can personalize your view of recent activities, access a changed item, and refresh your view to update the viewer with the latest changes. This section tells you how. It contains the following subsections:

- Section 22.6.1, "Personalizing the Recent Activities Viewer"

- Section 22.6.2, "Accessing Recently Acted-On Items"

- Section 22.6.3, "Refreshing the Recent Activities Viewer"

22.6.1 Personalizing the Recent Activities Viewer

The Recent Activities viewer provides a way to specify the range of time within which to view changes and additions to WebCenter Portal. These time-range options display on the Show menu in the Recent Activities viewer toolbar (Figure 22-12).

Figure 22-12 Time-Range Options on the Recent Activity List

Select an option from the Show menu to view recent activities occurring within the selected time range. The time range you select is applicable only to that viewer instance. If you have more than one Recent Activities viewer instance on the page, you can display activities from a different time range in each viewer instance.

Tip:

Ensure that your Preferences reflect your own local time zone. To access your time zone preference in the WebCenter Portal, click the Preferences link at the top of WebCenter Portal, and then select General. For more information, see Section 3.3, "Setting Date and Time Preferences."

The default options on the Show menu include:

- Today—Displays all activities that have taken place between 12:00AM (2400 hours) and now.

- Since Yesterday—Displays all activities that have taken place between now and yesterday at 12:00AM (2400 hours).

- Last 7 days—Displays all activities that have taken place in the last 7 days.

- Last 30 days—Displays all activities that have taken place in the last 30 days.

Note:

These options are described according to their default meanings. In some instances, an advanced user can provide alternative definitions for them.

22.6.2 Accessing Recently Acted-On Items

The Recent Activities viewer groups the different activities it reports on into nodes that are named for each feature (for example, Pages and Documents; shown in Figure 22-13).

Figure 22-13 Feature Nodes in the Recent Activities Viewer

Expand a node, and access the changed item directly by clicking its link (Figure 22-14).

Figure 22-14 Recent Discussion Link in the Recent Activities Viewer

The targets of linked items open on dynamically-generated pages, or in WebCenter Portal, on dynamically-generated, top-level tabs. Link targets appear according to their parent feature. For example, click a Discussions link to access a forum or a specific topic under a forum; click a Lists link to access an updated list of lists or a specific updated list; click an event to display event details; and so on.

22.6.3 Refreshing the Recent Activities Viewer

If you prefer not to wait for an automatic refresh of the Recent Activities viewer, you have the option of refreshing the data yourself by clicking the Refresh icon (Figure 22-15).

Figure 22-15 The Refresh Icon on a Recent Activities Viewer

The viewer updates and indicates the number of recently-changed items by increasing the value displayed in parenthesis next to each affected feature.

23 Working with Announcements

This chapter describes how to use the features provided with announcements. Announcements offer a quick, convenient way to create and broadcast messages instantly or at a specified future date. Portal moderators provide access to the Announcements view or page (console) for portal participants.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 23.1, "About Announcements"

- Section 23.2, "Working with Announcements"

Permissions:

This chapter is intended for WebCenter Portal users who want to view, create, and manage portal announcements. To perform the tasks in this chapter, you need one or more of the following portal-level permissions:

- Create, Edit, and Delete Announcements

- Create and Edit Announcements

- View Announcements

These permissions are not granted by default to the portal Participant role.

Note:

Tasks discussed in this chapter are not available if announcements are not enabled and exposed. The portal moderator adds and configures announcements, as described in the "Adding Announcements to a Portal" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

23.1 About Announcements

WebCenter Portal provides the ability to post announcements about important activities and events to all authenticated users. For example, an application specialist can announce the availability of a new feature or the plan to take a portal offline temporarily for maintenance or the system administrator can announce the plan to shut down WebCenter Portal for maintenance (Figure 23-1).

Figure 23-1 Sample Announcement in the Announcements - Quick View

Announcements are integrated with many other features, such as the Activity Stream, RSS, and instant messaging and presence, and you can link announcements to other assets. For example, if your company is announcing a new product, you can link from the announcement directly to a discussion forum, where potential customers can ask other customers about the product.

Announcements are limited to the portal where you create them. In the Home Portal, announcements are for WebCenter Portal (or application-wide), and are available to all logged-in (authenticated) users.

23.2 Working with Announcements

The Announcements page (or console), or the Announcements - Quick View and Announcements viewer on a page can display announcements. You can also manage announcements using the Announcement Manager. Click the Open Announcement Manager icon (Figure 23-2) to manage announcements.

Figure 23-2 Open Announcement Manager Icon in the Announcements - Quick View

The Announcements - Quick View includes numerous parameters to customize your view. For example, portal moderators can remove the link to the Announcement Manager. This lets you view announcements where manage controls are not needed. Users can view 10 announcements by default, but you can change this number and change how much of the announcement is displayed. The More Announcements link opens a separate window, containing the complete list of all announcements with pagination behavior. This is called the Extended Quick View (or Extended Mini View).

Depending on the privileges you have on the page, you can perform some or all tasks described in this section:

- View announcements—All participants in the Home portal and portal moderators. For more information, see Section 23.2.1.1, "Viewing Announcements."

- Create announcements—All participants. For more information, see Section 23.2.1.3, "Creating an Announcement."

- Edit announcements—Creator of the announcement, discussions server system administrators in the Home portal, and portal moderators. For more information, see Section 23.2.1.4, "Editing Announcements."

Note:

If participants have Create, Edit, and Delete Announcements permissions, they can edit any announcement in the portals in which they have access. If they have Create and Edit Announcements permissions, they can edit only those announcements that they created.

- Delete announcements—Discussions server system administrators in the Home portal and portal moderators. For more information, see Section 23.2.1.5, "Deleting an Announcement."

Note:

If participants have Create, Edit, and Delete Announcements permissions, they can delete any announcement in the portals in which they have access. If they have Create and Edit Announcements permissions, they can delete only those announcements that they created.

This section contains the following topics:

- Section 23.2.1, "Working with Announcements"

- Section 23.2.2, "Working with the Announcements - Quick View"

- Section 23.2.3, "Sending Mail from an Announcement"

- Section 23.2.4, "Linking Announcements"

- Section 23.2.5, "Subscribing to Announcements Using RSS"

23.2.1 Working with Announcements

Announcements not only provides the tools to create, edit, and delete announcements, it also provides controls for determining when an announcement is published and when it expires. When an announcement expires, the announcement is removed from the list. You can use the Show lists to personalize your view of announcements. After you create an announcement, you are offered the option to mail or link the announcement to other assets.

Depending on the privileges you have on the page and whether announcements are configured in WebCenter Portal or the individual portal, you may see only a subset of these options in the Announcement Manager. For example, the Delete icon is displayed only to users with Create, Edit, and Delete Announcements permissions to delete all announcements, or displayed only to users with Create and Edit Announcements permissions to delete only the announcements that the user creates.

This section provides information about viewing, creating, and managing announcements.

This section contains the following topics:

- Section 23.2.1.1, "Viewing Announcements"

- Section 23.2.1.2, "Adjusting Your View of the Announcements"

- Section 23.2.1.3, "Creating an Announcement"

- Section 23.2.1.4, "Editing Announcements"

- Section 23.2.1.5, "Deleting an Announcement"

23.2.1.1 Viewing Announcements

To view announcements, either go to the Announcements view on a page, or navigate to the Announcement console on the Announcements page.

Note:

The way you access announcements depends on how the portal is designed. The portal moderator might also provide you with a pretty URL to access the page.

Figure 23-3 shows the announcements console on the Announcements page.

Figure 23-3 Announcement Console on an Announcements Page

Figure 23-4 shows announcements in the Announcements - Quick View viewer on a page.

Figure 23-4 Announcements in the Announcements - Quick View on a Page

See Also:

Section 23.2.2.1, "Viewing Announcements in the Quick View"

23.2.1.2 Adjusting Your View of the Announcements

You can customize your own view of announcements, which does not affect the view of other users. All users who can view announcements can customize it.

A Show list provides options for displaying only those announcements that were created within a selected time range. Choose from displaying all announcements to displaying only those created today, since yesterday, and so on—up to 30 days. For example, you may select the option Today from the Show menu, and only those announcements posted today display.

Another Show list provides options to display current, future, or expired announcements.

To adjust your view of announcements:

1. Go to the portal page that contains the Announcements view.
You can also enter the following URL in your browser to navigate directly to the Announcements page:

http://host:port/webcenter/portal/builder/administration/general/webcenter/portal/system/Announcements

2. Click the Show drop-down list and select from the listed display options (Figure 23-5).

Figure 23-5 Show Menu for Announcements

Select from one of the following options:

- All—Displays all available announcements

- Today—Displays only today's announcements

- Since Yesterday—Displays today's and yesterday's announcements

- Last 7 Days—Displays all announcements from the last seven days

- Last 30 Days—Displays all announcements from the last 30 days

The Announcements view refreshes and displays the announcements that match your selection. If the view does not refresh, click the Refresh icon.

3. Select from the other drop-down list to show active, future, or expired announcements (Figure 23-6).

Figure 23-6 Active, Future or Expired Announcements

Table 23-1 shows the different combinations of announcement you can view from the Show list for viewing announcements.

Table 23-1 Announcements Displayed Based on Show List

Days Range

Announcement Type

Display Result

All

Active

All announcements as of today

Today

Active

All announcements with a start date of today

Since Yesterday

Active

All announcements with a start date as of yesterday

Last 7 Days

Active

All announcements for the last seven days

Last 30 Days

Active

All announcements for the last 30 days

All

Future

All announcements scheduled for a later date

Today

Future

All announcements scheduled for a later date

Since Yesterday

Future

All announcements scheduled for a later date

Last 7 Days

Future

All announcements scheduled for a later date

Last 30 Days

Future

All announcements scheduled for a later date

All

Expired

All expired announcements

Today

Expired

No announcements

Since Yesterday

Expired

All expired announcements as of yesterday

Last 7 Days

Expired

All expired announcements for the last seven days

Last 30 Days

Expired

All expired announcements for the last 30 days

23.2.1.3 Creating an Announcement

Create an announcement to distribute information to all members of WebCenter Portal or to members of a single portal in one operation. For example, if you are the system administrator and want to shut down WebCenter Portal for maintenance, you can create an announcement to inform all WebCenter Portal users about the down time, or if you want to post an announcement for an individual portal for its members to view, you can create an announcement just for that portal. On the publication date you specify, while creating the announcement, the announcement appears in the Announcements view and Announcements - Quick View, and on the Activity Stream.

All portal members who are participants and who have Create, Edit, and Delete Announcements or Create and Edit Announcements permissions can create announcements.

To create a new announcement:

1. Access the Announcements view, access the Announcements console, or open the Announcement Manager from the Announcements - Quick View.
See Section 23.2.1.1, "Viewing Announcements" for more information.

2. Click Create (Figure 23-7).

Figure 23-7 Create an Announcement

The Create Announcement dialog opens (Figure 23-7).

Figure 23-8 Create Announcement Dialog

3. In the Subject field, enter a title for the announcement.

4. In the message body text box, enter the text of the announcement.
Use the rich text editor to style the announcement with colors, special fonts, images, and so on. For information about rich text editor controls, see the online help.

5. For Announcement Active Date, select from one of the following options:

- Make Active Now — To post the announcement immediately (the default option)

- Make Active on Specific Date — To select a date to post the announcement
Click the Select Date icon to the right of the text field to open the Select Date picker (Figure 23-9), select a date or navigate to the appropriate month and date to select it.

If a later date is selected and mail is configured for notifications, then the notification mail is delivered at a later date, provided the servers are not restarted.

Figure 23-9 Select Date Picker Calendar

After you select a date, the calendar closes.

6. Under Announcement Expire Date, select from one of the following options:

- Never Expires — To post the announcement indefinitely (the default option)

- Expire After Days — To specify the number of days the announcement is active
Enter the number of days to display the announcement.

- Expire on a Specific Date — To set the date to expire and remove the announcement from the list
Click the Select Date icon next to the text field to open the Select Date picker (Figure 23-10).

Figure 23-10 Select Expiration Date Calendar

In the calendar, only those dates after the active date are enabled for selection.

7. Click Create to create the announcement.
If you selected to post the announcement immediately, then the new announcement appears in the following locations: in any Announcements view included on a page, on the Activity Stream, and at the top of the list of announcements in the Announcements - Quick View.

23.2.1.4 Editing Announcements

After you have created an announcement, you easily can modify it. For example, if the details of an announcement change, or you want to change the font or color of the announcement text, you can quickly make these changes. You can change an announcement's title, content and expiration date. However, you cannot change its publication date, which is the date on which the announcement is made active (Announcement Active Date).

Note:

To change an announcement's publication date, you must delete the announcement, and re-create it with the correct publication date. See Section 23.2.1.5, "Deleting an Announcement" for information about deleting an announcement. See Section 23.2.1.3, "Creating an Announcement" for information about creating an announcement.

You can edit an announcement only if you created that announcement or have been granted privileges to do so. If you have Create, Edit, and Delete Announcements permissions, you can edit any announcement in the portals in which you have access. If you have Create and Edit Announcements permissions, you can edit only those announcements that you created. Typically, portal moderators have privileges to edit all announcements in the Announcements view.

To edit an announcement:

1. Access the Announcements view, access the Announcements console, or open the Announcement Manager from the Announcements - Quick View.
See Section 23.2.1.1, "Viewing Announcements" for more information.

2. Click the Edit Announcement icon (Figure 23-11) for the announcement you want to edit.
Notice that the Edit Announcement icon appears in the announcements that were created by the logged in user; the icon does not appear with those announcements that were created by other users (unless the user has Create, Edit, and Delete Announcements permissions).

Figure 23-11 Edit Announcement Icons

The Edit Announcement dialog opens.

3. Make the changes you want to the announcement. For example, you can change the text of the announcement, or modify its look and feel.
The Edit Announcement dialog provides rich text editor controls for styling announcement text. For information on rich text editor controls, see the online help.

You can change an announcement's title and content, and also its expiration date. However, you cannot change its publication date.

4. Click Save to save your changes and close the dialog.

23.2.1.5 Deleting an Announcement

You can delete an announcement only if you created that announcement or have been granted privileges to do so. If you have Create, Edit, and Delete Announcements permissions, you can delete any announcement in the portals in which you have access. If you have Create and Edit Announcements permissions, you can delete only those announcements that you created. Typically, portal moderators have privileges to delete all announcements in the Announcements view.

To delete an announcement:

1. Access the Announcements view, access the Announcements console, or open the Announcement Manager from the Announcements - Quick View.
See Section 23.2.1.1, "Viewing Announcements" for more information.

2. Click the Delete Announcement icon for the announcement you want to delete (Figure 23-12).
Notice that the Delete Announcement icon appears next to the announcements created by the logged in user; the icon does not appear with those announcements that were created by other users (unless the user has Create, Edit, and Delete Announcements permissions).

Figure 23-12 Delete Announcement Icon on an Announcement View

A Delete Announcement confirmation dialog displays.

3. In the Delete Announcement confirmation dialog, click Delete to delete the announcement and close the dialog.
The selected announcement is removed from announcements and the Activity Stream.

23.2.2 Working with the Announcements - Quick View

The Announcements - Quick View is essentially a viewer for convenient access to current announcements. More robust features, for such actions as creating and editing announcements, are offered in the Announcements view (see Section 23.2.1.1, "Viewing Announcements").

By default, announcements in the Announcements - Quick View show announcement titles as links. But portal moderators can configure it to display only announcement titles, titles with some amount of content, or only content.

Note:

The Announcements - Quick View might not be available in the portal if the view has not been added to a page by your portal moderator.

This section contains the following subsections:

- Section 23.2.2.1, "Viewing Announcements in the Quick View"

- Section 23.2.2.2, "Managing Announcements in the Quick View"

23.2.2.1 Viewing Announcements in the Quick View

The Announcements - Quick View provides a read-only view of announcements.

To view announcements in an Announcements - Quick View:

1. In the Announcements - Quick View, click the announcement you want to view (Figure 23-13).

Figure 23-13 Announcements - Quick View

The announcement details display in the Announcement dialog (Figure 23-14). Similar to the announcement content displayed in the Announcements view, this dialog displays content with all the formatting that was applied to it.

Figure 23-14 Announcement Accessed from Quick View

2. Click Close to exit the dialog.

23.2.2.2 Managing Announcements in the Quick View

You can manage announcements in the Announcements - Quick View with the Announcement Manager. The Announcement Manager provides the functionality that is available in the Announcements view.

System administrators can remove the link to the Announcement Manager. If your system administrator allows this functionality, then you can see the Open Announcement Manager icon (Figure 23-15). The Announcement Manager lets you create, edit, delete, (only if you have the permissions to create and edit, or create, edit, and delete) mail, and link announcements. For more information, see Section 23.2.1, "Working with Announcements."

Figure 23-15 Open Announcement Manager Icon

23.2.3 Sending Mail from an Announcement

Each announcement has an associated Send Mail icon, which appears when you open an announcement in the Announcements - Quick View, or when you view an announcement from the announcements view.

Figure 23-16 shows the Send Mail icon available when you open an announcement from Announcements - Quick View.

Figure 23-16 Send Mail Icon in an Announcement Opened from Announcements - Quick View

Figure 23-17 shows the Send Mail icons that are available in an announcement view.

Figure 23-17 Send Mail Icons in an Announcement View

Click the Send Mail icon to initiate a mail message containing the announcement text, location, author, and date it was created. This feature makes it easy for you to communicate interesting announcements to others.

The system administrator determines the mail client to use with the Send Mail icon. If a local mail client was set up, then a plain text message opens. If WebCenter Portal's Mail feature was set as the mail client, then the HTML Mail Compose dialog opens. With either mail client, you can add or edit the standard, prepopulated message before sending.

Figure 23-18 shows the Send Mail window that opens when the Send Mail icon for an announcement is clicked.

Figure 23-18 Mail Window from an Announcement Send Mail Action

23.2.4 Linking Announcements

Each announcement that you open from the Announcements - Quick View or in the Announcement Manager has an associated Links icon in its toolbar to link other assets to the announcement. For example, you can link an announcement to a new discussion, document, event, note or URL, or you can link an announcement to an existing announcement, discussion, document, or event.

The Links icon displays to all users accessing the Announcements and Announcement Manager views, if the Links feature is enabled in the portal.

Note:

For more information about working with links, see Chapter 31, "Linking Information in WebCenter Portal."

Figure 23-19 shows the Links icon that is available when you open an announcement from the Announcements - Quick View.

Figure 23-19 Links Icon in an Announcement - Quick View

Figure 23-20 shows the Links icons that are available in an announcement view.

Figure 23-20 Links Icons in an Announcement View

23.2.5 Subscribing to Announcements Using RSS

If RSS is enabled in the portal, you can subscribe to announcements using an RSS Viewer.

Figure 23-21 shows an Announcements page with the RSS icon.

Figure 23-21 RSS Icon in Announcements

For more information about subscribing to announcements, see Section 25.2.4, "Obtaining the Announcements News Feed."

24 Working with Polls

This chapter describes how WebCenter Portal users can take polls and view poll results.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 24.1, "Taking Polls"

- Section 24.2, "Viewing Poll Results"

Permissions:

This chapter is intended for WebCenter Portal users interested in taking polls. The tasks described in this chapter are available to any WebCenter Portal user with access to a page that contains a poll.

Note:

Tasks discussed in this chapter are not available to you if a polls viewer is not exposed on a page. The portal moderator can create, edit, analyze, and manage polls, and add the polls viewer to a page, as described in the "Adding Polls to a Portal" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

24.1 Taking Polls

To take a poll, simply select or enter your choice, and click Vote.

The Take Polls (Figure 24-1) and Quick Poll (Figure 24-2) views display the most recently-published available poll, or the poll set by your portal moderator. After you submit a response for that poll, the next most recently-published poll displays.

Figure 24-1 Taking Polls

Figure 24-2 Quick Poll

24.2 Viewing Poll Results

The View Poll Results view provides a graphical view of poll results (Figure 24-3), if the poll closing option is set to show this option. The poll that displays is set by your portal moderator.

To see the latest poll results, click the Refresh icon (Figure 24-3).

Note:

Do not click the Reload or Refresh button in your browser. Click the Refresh icon to update your view.

Click View Summary to see a response percent and the response count, including consolidated comments if the poll includes a field for poll takers to add comments.

Figure 24-3 View Poll Results

25 Monitoring RSS Feeds

This chapter describes how to use RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds in a portal. RSS provides the ability to publish content from WebCenter Portal as news feeds in RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0 formats. News feeds deliver content update information to your favorite RSS or Atom reader. In addition, RSS enables you to view news feeds from external sources on your portal pages in an RSS Viewer.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 25.1, "About RSS"

- Section 25.2, "Obtaining Tool News Feeds"

- Section 25.3, "Refreshing RSS"

- Section 25.4, "Removing RSS Feeds"

Permissions:

This chapter is intended for WebCenter Portal users interested in publishing news feeds from WebCenter Portal and external sources. The tasks described in this chapter are available to any WebCenter Portal user.

To view RSS feeds from other features, such as announcements and discussions, you must have the required permissions for those features.

Note:

The portal moderator has the authority to expose or hide some portal features, such as RSS news feeds, as described in the "Enabling or Disabling RSS News Feeds for a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

The portal moderator adds and configures RSS feeds, as described in the "Adding RSS Feeds to a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

25.1 About RSS

RSS exposes its features in the following ways:

- RSS Icon

- RSS Manager

- RSS View

25.1.1 RSS Icon

RSS news feeds deliver updated content information on discussions, lists, and announcements. Figure 25-1 shows the RSS icon available in announcements on the Announcements page or console.

Note:

The RSS icon is not available if the portal moderator has not enabled RSS in the portal.

Figure 25-1 RSS Icon in Announcements

25.1.2 RSS Manager

In a WebCenter Portal, you can obtain news feeds in two ways:

- From features, such as announcements, discussions, activity stream, lists, as described in Section 25.2, "Obtaining Tool News Feeds."

- From external feeds using the RSS Manager, as described in Section 25.1.3, "RSS View."

Accessing the RSS Manager

You can access the RSS Manager by clicking the RSS link at the bottom of WebCenter Portal (Figure 25-2).

Note:

The RSS link is not available if the portal moderator has not enabled RSS in the portal. See the "Adding RSS Feeds to a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Figure 25-2 RSS Link in a Portal

Using the RSS Manager

The RSS Manager displays nodes for all the portals for which RSS feeds have been enabled (Figure 25-3).

Figure 25-3 Expanded Portal Nodes in the RSS Manager

Expand a portal node to obtain both RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0 news feeds from individual tools.

Your portal moderator must enable RSS news feed for a portal before you can obtain feed URLs from it. For more information, see the "Enabling or Disabling RSS News Feeds for a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal. Additionally, your reader of choice must support HTTP authentication.

When you access a news feed item in your reader of choice, the item links back into WebCenter Portal. Because WebCenter Portal itself requires authentication before you can access much of its content, your reader must be equipped to pass your login credentials to securely deliver access.

The level of detail provided through a tool news feed depends on the feed source. For example, when you pull a news feed for recently added or modified announcements, your news reader provides the announcement titles and (if available) shows descriptions of the most recently added or modified announcements (Figure 25-4).

Figure 25-4 An Announcement News Feed

The announcement titles in a feed are linked. Click an announcement title, and it takes you back into your portal with the selected announcement content displayed (Figure 25-5).

Figure 25-5 An Announcement Opened from an RSS Feed and Displayed in a Portal

In contrast, when you pull a news feed from a particular list, it shows recently added or revised row details and provides links to individual rows. When you click such a link, it also takes you back into your portal, with the list content displayed.

The news feeds you obtain from WebCenter Portal are context-aware, providing content only from the portal from which they originate. For example, if you provide a list feed from the Finance portal, your news reader displays list content that is unique to the Finance portal. If you add a list feed from the Languages portal, your news reader displays list content that is unique to the Languages portal.

RSS delivers news feeds from the following tools:

- Recent Activities
The recent activity news feed tracks updates to your portal that are normally reflected in a Recent Activity list and that have occurred within the last three days. See Section 25.2.1, "Obtaining the Recent Activities News Feed" for more information.

- Discussions
The discussion forums news feed tracks updates to all discussion forums in a particular portal. See Section 25.2.2, "Obtaining the Discussion Forums News Feed" for more information.

- Lists
There are two types of news feeds that can be delivered from lists—all newly created or changed lists in a portal and revisions to the data of a particular list in a portal (from the Lists page). The news feed content depends on where you get the news feed URL. See Section 25.2.3, "Obtaining List News Feeds" for more information.

- Announcements
The announcements news feed tracks additions and revisions to announcements from a particular portal, from all portals, or application-wide, depending on the location of the feed source. See Section 25.2.4, "Obtaining the Announcements News Feed" for more information.

You can obtain news feed URLs for all applicable tools either from the RSS Manager or from the appropriate tool.

25.1.3 RSS View

RSS allows you to view a news feed from a site external to your portal (Figure 25-6).

Figure 25-6 RSS View

Your portal moderator can configure RSS to display content from any external RSS feed. See the "Editing the Feed Location of an RSS Task Flow" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal. Additionally, WebCenter Portal supports login credential passing, by using an external application. See Section 3.7, "Providing Login Information for External Applications."

Accessing External Applications

Each time you access a secure news feed item, you must log on to that secure application to view content. You can either supply login credentials each time you access an application, or let an external application store and manage your login credentials. After your credentials for a particular application are stored, you are logged in to that application automatically when you log in to WebCenter Portal. You can provide this capability for all frequently used external applications.

Perform the steps listed in Section 3.7, "Providing Login Information for External Applications" if the secured application you want to access is not registered as an external application.

25.2 Obtaining Tool News Feeds

Each participating tool provides news feeds from locations unique to that tool.

This section steps you through obtaining those feeds. It includes the following topics:

- Section 25.2.1, "Obtaining the Recent Activities News Feed"

- Section 25.2.2, "Obtaining the Discussion Forums News Feed"

- Section 25.2.3, "Obtaining List News Feeds"

- Section 25.2.4, "Obtaining the Announcements News Feed"

25.2.1 Obtaining the Recent Activities News Feed

Use news feeds from recent activities to keep track of the wide range of activity happening in one or more portals within the last three days. To consume a portal's Recent Activities news feed, you must be a member of the selected portal and the portal must be enabled to provide news feeds.

WebCenter Portal provides two locations for pulling a news feed from recent activities: the RSS Manager and the Recent Activity view.

Both the RSS Manager and the Recent Activity viewer provide the same news feed content: additions or revisions to portals and portal pages, documents, discussion forums, lists, and so on.

Assuming a default configuration, a news feed URL from a Recent Activity view in a portal provides information about the activity in that portal. A news feed URL from a Recent Activity view in your Home portal provides information about the activities in a particular portal.

This section describes how to obtain a news feed for recent activities from both the locations, the RSS Manager and the Recent Activity view. It contains the following topics:

- Section 25.2.1.1, "Obtaining a Recent Activity News Feed URL from the RSS Manager"

- Section 25.2.1.2, "Obtaining a News Feed URL from the Recent Activity View"

25.2.1.1 Obtaining a Recent Activity News Feed URL from the RSS Manager

The RSS Manager provides news feeds for both RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0 news readers. It lists all RSS-enabled portals of which you are a member. Each listed portal can be expanded to display the tools for which it offers news feeds (Figure 25-7).

Figure 25-7 Recent Activity for a Portal in the RSS Manager

To obtain a Recent Activity list news feed URL from the RSS Manager:

1. Click the RSS link at the bottom of WebCenter Portal (Figure 25-8).

Note:

The RSS link is not available if the portal moderator has not enabled RSS in the portal.

Figure 25-8 RSS Link

2. If required, expand the node of the portal for which you want to monitor recent activities.
You can expand a portal node by clicking the Expand icon or by right-clicking the portal name and selecting the Expand option from the resulting context menu.

3. Under the relevant portal, right-click the RSS 2.0 or Atom 1.0 icon next to Recent Activity, and, from the resulting browser context menu, select the copy-link command.
The command you select depends on your current browser. For example, in the Firefox browser, the copy-link command is Copy Link Location. In the Internet Explorer browser, the copy-link command is Copy Shortcut.

4. Go to your news reader and initiate an add-subscription action.
How you do this depends on the news reader you use.

5. Paste the link you copied in step 3 into the relevant field in your news reader.
You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

25.2.1.2 Obtaining a News Feed URL from the Recent Activity View

The Recent Activity view has its own RSS icon. Using this icon, you can get the Recent Activity list news feed URL. Recent Activity RSS feeds provide the same information that you can find in a Recent Activity list. This includes additions or revisions to pages, documents, discussion forums, lists, and so on. The news feed tracks activity occurring over the last three days.

For an RSS icon to be active in a Recent Activity view, you must be a member of the portal from which you want to obtain the news feed and news feeds must be enabled for the relevant portal.

To obtain a Recent Activity list news feed URL from the Recent Activity list:

1. Go to the Home portal or the portal that contains the Recent Activity list from which you want to obtain an RSS feed.
See Section 7.4, "Viewing and Accessing Available Portals" for information about navigating to a portal.

2. Right-click the RSS icon in the toolbar of the Recent Activity list (Figure 25-9), and from the resulting context menu, select the copy-link command.
The command you select depends on your current browser. For example, in the Firefox browser, the copy-link command is Copy Link Location. In the Internet Explorer browser, the copy-link command is Copy Shortcut.

Figure 25-9 RSS Icon in Recent Activities

Alternatively, drag the RSS icon onto your news reader of choice. This may allow you to omit the other steps in this procedure. If you use the drag-and-drop method, you may have to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

3. Go to your RSS reader and initiate an add-subscription action.
How you do this depends on the RSS reader you use.

4. Paste the link you copied in step 2 into the relevant field in your RSS reader.

Note:

The news feed URL in a Recent Activity view is for RSS 2.0 news readers only. If you prefer to use an Atom 1.0 news reader, do either of the following:

- Append &format=ATOM1.0 to the RSS news feed URL you pasted.

- Get the Atom 1.0 URL from the RSS Manager and use that URL here. See Section 25.2.1.1, "Obtaining a Recent Activity News Feed URL from the RSS Manager" for more information.

You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

25.2.2 Obtaining the Discussion Forums News Feed

Use discussion forum news feeds to keep track of additions and revisions to a selected portal's discussions. There are three locations from which to obtain discussion forums news feed URLs: the RSS Manager, the Discussions page (or console), and the Discussion Forums view. All discussion RSS and Atom URLs provide the same feed; that is, additions and revisions to all discussions in a selected portal.

This section contains the following topics:

- Section 25.2.2.1, "Obtaining a Discussion Forum News Feed from the RSS Manager"

- Section 25.2.2.2, "Obtaining a News Feed from the Discussions Page"

- Section 25.2.2.3, "Obtaining a News Feed from a Discussion Forums View"

25.2.2.1 Obtaining a Discussion Forum News Feed from the RSS Manager

The RSS Manager provides discussion forum news feeds for both RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0 news readers. Select a feed from any news-feed-enabled portal of which you are a member. Use discussion forum news feeds to track additions and revisions to a selected portal's discussion forums.

To obtain a discussion forum news feed URL from the RSS Manager:

1. Click the RSS link at the bottom of WebCenter Portal (Figure 25-10).

Note:

The RSS link is not available if the portal moderator has not enabled RSS in the portal.

Figure 25-10 RSS Link

2. In RSS Manager, if required, expand the node of the portal that contains the discussions you want to use as a news feed.
You can expand a portal node by clicking the Expand icon to the left of it or by right-clicking the portal name and selecting an expand option from the resulting context menu.

3. Right-click the RSS 2.0 or Atom 1.0 icon next to Discussions (Figure 25-11), and, from the resulting context menu, select the copy-link command.
For example, in the Firefox browser, the copy-link command is Copy Link Location. In the Internet Explorer browser, the copy-link command is Copy Shortcut.

Figure 25-11 RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0 Icons Next to a Discussions Node in the RSS Manager

Alternatively, if you drag the RSS icon onto a news reader, you can avoid most of the other steps. You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

4. Go to your news reader and initiate an add-subscription action.
How you do this depends on the news reader you use.

5. Paste the link you copied in step 3 into the relevant field in your preferred news reader.
You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

25.2.2.2 Obtaining a News Feed from the Discussions Page

The Discussions page (or console) provides a convenient location for grabbing a news feed URL while monitoring discussions.

To get an RSS URL for all discussions of a portal from the Discussions page:

1. Go to the portal that contains the discussion forums you want to use as an RSS feed.

2. Click Discussions on the navigation bar to open the Discussions page (or console).
The Discussions page is available in a portal if Discussions is enabled and a Discussions page has been added by the portal moderator. For information about enabling tools in a portal, see the "Enabling and Disabling Tools and Services Available to a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

If the Discussions page is not shown, you can open the Personalize Pages page to show the Discussions page in your view of the portal. See Section 7.12.1, "Showing or Hiding Pages in Your View of a Portal" for more information. To expose the Discussions page to all portal members, the portal moderator needs to add the page link to the portal navigation, as described in the "Adding an Existing Page to the Portal Navigation" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

3. Right-click the RSS icon on the Discussions page (Figure 25-12), and from the resulting context menu, select the copy-link command.

Note:

The RSS icon is not available if the portal moderator has not enabled RSS in the portal.

For example, in the Firefox browser, the copy-link command is Copy Link Location. In the Internet Explorer browser, the copy-link command is Copy Shortcut.

Figure 25-12 RSS Icon on a Discussions Page

Alternatively, if you drag the RSS icon onto your news reader, you can avoid most of the other steps. You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

4. Go to your RSS reader and initiate an add-subscription action.
How you do this depends on the RSS reader you use.

5. Paste the link you copied in step 3 into the relevant field in your preferred RSS reader.
You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

Note:

The news feed URL on the Discussions page is for RSS 2.0 news readers only. If you prefer to use an Atom 1.0 news reader, then do either of the following:

- Append &format=ATOM1.0 to the RSS news feed URL you pasted.

- Get the Atom 1.0 URL from the RSS Manager and use that URL here. See Section 25.2.2, "Obtaining the Discussion Forums News Feed" for more information.

25.2.2.3 Obtaining a News Feed from a Discussion Forums View

The Discussion Forums view provides another location from where you can obtain a discussions news feed for a selected portal. The placement of this view within a portal is at the discretion of the portal's moderator. But, wherever you find it, an RSS icon is available to provide you with an RSS news feed URL. This section describes how to use it.

To obtain a news feed URL from a Discussion Forums view:

1. Go to the page in the portal that contains discussion forums.

2. Right-click the RSS icon on the view (Figure 25-13), and, from the resulting context menu, select the copy-link command.

Note:

The RSS icon is not available if the portal moderator has not enabled RSS in the portal.

For example, in the Firefox browser, the copy-link command is Copy Link Location. In the Internet Explorer browser, the copy-link command is Copy Shortcut.

Figure 25-13 RSS Icon in a Discussion Forums View

Alternatively, if you drag the RSS icon onto your news reader, you can avoid most of the other steps.

You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

3. Go to your RSS reader and initiate an add-subscription action.
How you do this depends on the RSS reader you use.

4. Paste the link you copied in step 2 into the relevant field in your preferred RSS reader.

Note:

The news feed URL in the Discussions view is for RSS 2.0 news readers only. If you prefer to use an Atom 1.0 news reader, do either of the following:

- Append &format=ATOM1.0 to the RSS news feed URL you pasted.

- Get the Atom 1.0 URL from the RSS Manager and use that URL here. See Section 25.2.2, "Obtaining the Discussion Forums News Feed" for more information.

You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

25.2.3 Obtaining List News Feeds

Lists provide a vital form of tracking that can be used to track just about everything within an organization. For example, a group might want a membership list that outlines assigned roles and contact information. A project lead might set up a list that tracks issue resolution.

It follows that it would be useful to track creation of and revisions to such lists from one convenient location: your favorite news reader.

Lists provides two options for keeping track of changes through a news reader:

- Keep track of all recently added or modified lists in a given portal.

- Keep track of recently added or modified data rows in a given list.

You can obtain the news feed URL for lists from three locations: the RSS Manager, the Lists page, and any Lists view on a given page. The RSS Manager and the Lists page provide access to both types of Lists feeds. Individual List views provide feeds for data changes to the rows of the displayed list.

This section describes how to obtain a news feed for recently added or modified list rows or lists from a selected portal. It includes the following topics:

- Table 25-0, "Obtaining a List News Feed from the RSS Manager"

- Table 25-0, "Obtaining a News Feed from the Lists Page"

- Section 25.2.3.3, "Obtaining a News Feed from Lists"

25.2.3.1 Obtaining a List News Feed from the RSS Manager

The RSS Manager provides two types of list news feeds: a feed of recently added or revised lists in a portal and a feed of recent data changes to the rows of one particular list. Additionally, the RSS Manager provides feeds for an RSS 2.0 reader and an Atom 1.0 reader. The main requirement for any news reader you use is that it supports HTTP authentication (for more information, see Section 25.1, "About RSS").

To obtain a list news feed from the RSS Manager:

1. Click the RSS button at the bottom of WebCenter Portal (Figure 25-14).

Note:

The RSS link is not available if the portal moderator has not enabled RSS in the portal.

Figure 25-14 RSS Link

2. In the RSS Manager, expand the node for the portal that contains the lists from which to obtain an RSS feed.

3. Right-click the RSS 2.0 or Atom 1.0 icon next to Lists to get RSS feeds for all lists in the portal (Figure 25-15), and from the resulting context menu, select the copy-link command.

Note:

The RSS icon is not available if the portal moderator has not enabled RSS in the portal.

For example, in the Firefox browser, the copy-link command is Copy Link Location. In the Internet Explorer browser, the copy-link command is Copy Shortcut.

Figure 25-15 Lists Node on the RSS Manager Page

Alternatively, if you drag the news feed icon onto your reader you can omit most of the other steps. You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

4. Go to your RSS reader and initiate an add-subscription action.
How you do this depends on the RSS reader you use.

5. Paste the link you copied in step 3 into the relevant field in your preferred RSS reader.
You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

25.2.3.2 Obtaining a News Feed from the Lists Page

The Lists page is available in a portal if Lists is enabled and the Lists page (or console) has been added by the portal moderator. For information about enabling tools in a portal, see the "Enabling and Disabling Tools and Services Available to a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

If Lists is enabled and the page (or console) added to the portal, the Lists page contains all the lists available in your portal. As you navigate through portal pages in your WebCenter Portal, you may come across a list you find particularly informative, for example, a list of project issues. It may be useful to you to track recent additions and revisions to such a list. Each list comes with its own RSS news feed, making it easy to subscribe to the list.

This section describes how to obtain news feed URLs from the Lists page (or console). Note that the Lists page provides news feeds for RSS 2.0 readers only. If you want to obtain a feed for an Atom 1.0 news reader, use the RSS Manager.

To obtain a news feed from the Lists page:

1. Go to the portal that contains the list you want to track.

2. Navigate to the Lists page or console (if available) and open the required list.
If the Lists page (or console) is not shown, you can open the Personalize Pages page to show the Lists page in your view of the portal. See Section 7.12.1, "Showing or Hiding Pages in Your View of a Portal" for more information. To expose the Lists page to all portal members, the portal moderator needs to add the page link to the portal navigation, as described in the "Adding an Existing Page to the Portal Navigation" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

3. Right-click the RSS icon (Figure 25-16), and from the resulting context menu, select the copy-link command.

Note:

The RSS icon is not available if the portal moderator has not enabled RSS in the portal.

For example, in the Firefox browser, the copy-link command is Copy Link Location. In the Internet Explorer browser, the copy-link command is Copy Shortcut.

Figure 25-16 A List on the Lists Page

Alternatively, if you drag the news feed icon onto your reader you can omit most of the other steps. You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

4. Go to your RSS reader and initiate an add-subscription action.
How you do this depends on the RSS reader you use.

5. Paste the link you copied in step 3 into the relevant field in your preferred RSS reader.

Note:

The news feed URL on the Lists page is for RSS 2.0 news readers only. If you prefer to use an Atom 1.0 news reader, do either of the following:

- Append &format=ATOM1.0 to the RSS news feed URL you pasted.

- Get the Atom 1.0 URL from the RSS Manager and use that URL here. See Section 25.2.3.1, "Obtaining a List News Feed from the RSS Manager" for more information.

You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

25.2.3.3 Obtaining a News Feed from Lists

Each Lists view provides RSS news feeds for recent additions and revisions to all of the lists it contains and also for recent data changes to the rows of an individual list.

To obtain a news feed from a Lists view:

1. Go to the portal that contains the list you want to track.

2. To obtain a news feed of data changes to the rows of an individual list, display the list in the right pane by selecting the list name from the left pane (Figure 25-17), then right-click the RSS icon in the right pane, and select the copy-link command from the resulting context menu.

Note:

The RSS icon is not available if the portal moderator has not enabled RSS in the portal.

For example, in the Firefox browser, the copy-link command is Copy Link Location. In the Internet Explorer browser, the copy-link command is Copy Shortcut.

Figure 25-17 A List view

Alternatively, if you drag the RSS icon onto your news reader you can omit most of the other steps. You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

3. Go to your RSS reader and initiate an add-subscription action.
How you do this depends on the RSS reader you use.

4. Paste the link you copied in step 2 into the relevant field in your preferred RSS reader.

Note:

The news feed URL in the List view is for RSS 2.0 news readers only. If you prefer to use an Atom 1.0 news reader, do either of the following:

- Append &format=ATOM1.0 to the RSS news feed URL you pasted.

- Get the Atom 1.0 URL from the RSS Manager and use that URL here. See Section 25.2.3.1, "Obtaining a List News Feed from the RSS Manager" for more information.

You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

25.2.4 Obtaining the Announcements News Feed

Announcements are excellent candidates for news feeds. Usually they are short, concise, and full of timely and valuable information. If you are a member of multiple portals, it would be convenient to be able to access all announcements from one location: your favorite news reader.

You can obtain an announcement news feed from three locations: the RSS Manager, the Announcements page (or console), and an Announcements view.

This section contains the following topics:

- Section 25.2.4.1, "Obtaining an Announcements News Feed from the RSS Manager"

- Section 25.2.4.2, "Obtaining a News Feed from the Announcements Page"

- Section 25.2.4.3, "Obtaining a News Feed from the Announcements View"

25.2.4.1 Obtaining an Announcements News Feed from the RSS Manager

The RSS Manager provides two types of feeds for announcements: RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0. Use either of these to keep track of all new and revised announcements in a particular portal.

To obtain an Announcements news feed from the RSS Manager:

1. Click the RSS link at the bottom of WebCenter Portal (Figure 25-18).

Note:

The RSS link is not available if the portal moderator has not enabled RSS in the portal.

Figure 25-18 RSS Link

2. In the RSS Manager, expand the node for the portal that contains the announcements you want to track through a news reader (Figure 25-19).

Figure 25-19 Expanding the Portal Node

3. Right-click the RSS 2.0 or Atom 1.0 icon next to Announcements (Figure 25-20), and, from the resulting context menu, select the copy-link command.
For example, in the Firefox browser, the copy-link command is Copy Link Location. In the Internet Explorer browser, the copy-link command is Copy Shortcut.

Figure 25-20 Announcements Node on the RSS Page

Alternatively, if you drag the news feed icon onto your reader, you can omit most of the other steps. You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

4. Go to your RSS reader and initiate an add-subscription action.
How you do this depends on the RSS reader you use.

5. Paste the link you copied in step 3 into the relevant field in your preferred RSS reader.
You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

25.2.4.2 Obtaining a News Feed from the Announcements Page

The Announcement Manager is exposed from the Announcements page (or console) in WebCenter Portal. You can use it to create and revise announcements and to obtain an announcements news feed URL.

Unlike the RSS Manager, the Announcement Manager provides a news feed only for RSS 2.0 news readers. If you prefer an Atom 1.0 feed, use the RSS Manager to obtain the feed URL. See Section 25.2.4.1, "Obtaining an Announcements News Feed from the RSS Manager" for more information.

To obtain a news feed from the Announcements page:

1. Open the Announcements page or console.
The Announcements page (or console) is available in a portal if Announcements is enabled and the Announcements page has been added by the portal moderator. For information about enabling tools in a portal, see the "Enabling and Disabling Tools and Services Available to a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

If the Announcements page (or console) is not shown, you can open the Personalize Pages page to show the Announcements page in your view of the portal. See Section 7.12.1, "Showing or Hiding Pages in Your View of a Portal" for more information. To expose the Announcements page to all portal members, the portal moderator needs to add the page link to the portal navigation, as described in the "Adding an Existing Page to the Portal Navigation" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

For information about announcements, see Chapter 23, "Working with Announcements."

Note:

You can also access the Announcement Manager by clicking the Open Announcement Manager icon in the Announcements view. This icon is not displayed in the Announcements view if you do not have the required privileges.

2. Right-click the RSS icon on the right on the Announcements page or console (Figure 25-21), and select the copy-link command from the resulting context menu.

Note:

The RSS icon is not available if the portal moderator has not enabled RSS in the portal.

For example, in the Firefox browser, the copy-link command is Copy Link Location. In the Internet Explorer browser, the copy-link command is Copy Shortcut.

Figure 25-21 RSS Icon on the Announcements Page

Alternatively, if you drag the news feed icon onto your reader, you can omit most of the other steps. You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

3. Go to your RSS reader and initiate an add-subscription action.
How you do this depends on the RSS reader you use.

4. Paste the link you copied in step 2 into the relevant field in your preferred RSS reader.

Note:

The news feed URL on the Announcements page is for RSS 2.0 news readers only. If you prefer to use an Atom 1.0 news reader, do either of the following:

- Append &format=ATOM1.0 to the RSS news feed URL you pasted.

- Get the Atom 1.0 URL from the RSS Manager and use that URL here. See Section 25.2.4.1, "Obtaining an Announcements News Feed from the RSS Manager" for more information.

You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

25.2.4.3 Obtaining a News Feed from the Announcements View

Announcements also provide access to a news feed URL. Like the Announcements page, the view provides feeds only for RSS 2.0 news readers. If you prefer an Atom 1.0 feed, use the RSS Manager to obtain the feed URL. See Section 25.2.4.1, "Obtaining an Announcements News Feed from the RSS Manager" for more information.

To obtain a news feed from the Announcements view:

1. Go to the page that contains the Announcements view.

2. Right-click the RSS icon on the Announcements view (Figure 25-22), and select the copy-link command from the resulting context menu.

Note:

The RSS link is not available if the portal moderator has not enabled RSS in the portal.

For example, in the Firefox browser, the copy-link command is Copy Link Location. In the Internet Explorer browser, the copy-link command is Copy Shortcut.

Figure 25-22 RSS Icon in the Announcements View

Alternatively, if you drag the news feed icon onto your reader you can omit most of the other steps. You may require to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

3. Go to your RSS reader and initiate an add-subscription action.
How you do this depends on the RSS reader you use.

4. Paste the link you copied in step 2 into the relevant field in your preferred RSS reader.

Note:

The news feed URL in the Announcements view is for RSS 2.0 news readers only. If you prefer to use an Atom 1.0 news reader, do either of the following:

- Append &format=ATOM1.0 to the RSS news feed URL you pasted.

- Get the Atom 1.0 URL from the RSS Manager and use that URL here. See Section 25.2.4.1, "Obtaining an Announcements News Feed from the RSS Manager" for more information.

You may need to enter your WebCenter Portal credentials. See Section 25.1, "About RSS" for more information.

25.3 Refreshing RSS

The RSS component, along with other page components, gets refreshed with every server request. However, as the content from news feeds may be dynamic, you have the option of refreshing RSS yourself by clicking the Refresh icon (Figure 25-23), when required.

To see the latest RSS feeds, click the Refresh icon (Figure 25-23).

Note:

Do not click the Reload or Refresh button in your browser. Click the Refresh icon to update your view.

Figure 25-23 Refresh Icon on an RSS View

The view updates and displays latest data from the external source.

25.4 Removing RSS Feeds

If the Remove icon is available, you can delete the RSS component from a page by using the Remove icon (Figure 25-24). Portal moderators can specify the remove setting for the RSS view. See the "Deleting the RSS Task Flow" section inOracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Figure 25-24 Remove Icon on an RSS View

When you click the Remove icon, the Delete Component dialog opens. Click Delete in this dialog to delete the RSS component from the page.

26 Exploring Your Worklists

This chapter describes the features offered through worklists. Worklists can provide access to all assigned worklist items that are associated with the SOA server configured to this portal instance. Worklist notifications and alerts are displayed on a page in a portal or the Home portal, where you can view and act on all items in one place.

This chapter contains the following topics:

- Section 26.1, "About Worklists"

- Section 26.2, "Working with Worklists"

Permissions:

This chapter is intended for WebCenter Portal users interested in understanding and using worklist features to track their tasks, notifications, and alerts. The tasks described in this chapter are available to any WebCenter Portal user with access to a page that contains a worklist.

Note:

Tasks discussed in this chapter are not available if worklists are not exposed on a page. The portal moderator adds and configures worklists, as described in the "Adding Worklists to a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

26.1 About Worklists

Worklists is one of the ways you can access tasks, notifications, and alerts that require your attention. Note that you can be notified in other ways as well, for example, by email. If alerts and notifications are processed as worklist items for you, you can view them in the worklist view as the logged in user.

You can view and respond to all worklist items allocated to you (Figure 26-1).

Figure 26-1 A Sample Worklist

If the worklist feature is configured in WebCenter Portal, then your portal moderator must add a worklist to a portal page or Home portal for you to see your portal membership notifications, invitations to join new portals, and so on. For more information, see the "Adding Worklists to a Portal" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal. If the Oracle BPM Worklist has been configured with the User Messaging Service's email driver to send notifications associated with BPM Workflows, then you may receive email notifications that you can act on.

You can view and respond to messages, alerts, and notifications from the automated processes in place in your organization. For more information, see Section 26.2.1, "Viewing and Responding to Worklist Items."

In WebCenter Portal, for example, one worklist item might be a request for portal membership. If you are selected as an approver for portal membership, a workflow item will be assigned to you and will appear on your worklist each time a user applies to become a member, which you can then accept or reject. This is just one example of the types of notifications and requests that can be posted on your worklist.

Another worklist item might be a notice of acceptance as a member of a portal. Response to such a notification would be to acknowledge that you have received it. These are two minor examples of a much wider range of possible messages, alerts, notifications, and responses.

Figure 26-2 shows an example of a worklist notification that is to be acknowledged.

Figure 26-2 Worklist Notification

WebCenter Portal also has internally-defined workflows. An example of an internally-defined workflow includes the process of subscribing to a portal. A user requests a subscription. The request appears on the portal moderator's worklist. If the portal has multiple moderators, the first response to the worklist item is to claim ownership of the request, so that only one moderator responds to the request itself.

Messages, alerts, and notifications might also come from the User Messaging Service. The worklist includes a control for accessing messaging preferences on this server. Click the Messaging preferences icon (Figure 26-3) to display the User Messaging Preferences page in which you can specify the channels over which to receive User Messaging Service messages and define messaging filters.

Figure 26-3 Worklist Messaging Preferences Icon

For information about setting messaging preferences for the User Messaging Service through WebCenter Portal, see the "Setting Messaging Preferences" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

To assist you in maintaining an organized view of your worklist items, the worklist provides a variety of display options, accessible from the worklist toolbar (Figure 26-4).

Figure 26-4 Worklist Display Options

Worklist display options enable you to approach responding to messages, alerts, and notifications according to timeliness and relevance.

See Section 26.2.2, "Arranging Your Display of Worklist Items" for more information about worklist display options.

26.2 Working with Worklists

Worklists provide a fast and convenient way to read and respond to items that you need to act upon from the automated processes in place in your organization. All of the information on the worklist is specifically relevant to you.

This section provides information about using worklists. This section includes the following topics:

- Section 26.2.1, "Viewing and Responding to Worklist Items"

- Section 26.2.2, "Arranging Your Display of Worklist Items"

- Section 26.2.3, "Refreshing Worklists"

For information about setting messaging preferences for the User Messaging Service through WebCenter Portal, see the "Setting Messaging Preferences" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

26.2.1 Viewing and Responding to Worklist Items

To view a task, message, alert, or notification:

1. From a worklist, click the Details link (Figure 26-5) of the worklist item you want to view.

Figure 26-5 Worklist Details Link

2. If not already logged in, log in to Oracle User Messaging Preferences.

3. View the details of the worklist item (Figure 26-6).

Figure 26-6 Sample Worklist Message Window

4. Respond to the worklist item accordingly or click Close.
You might have the option to delete or acknowledge an item, depending on the type of notification. Any worklist item that is no longer of the Assigned state is removed from the worklist during the next refresh.

26.2.2 Arranging Your Display of Worklist Items

This section describes how to use worklist sorting and grouping options to arrange your display of the worklist. Sorting affects the display order of worklist items. Grouping divides items into groups that share a common attribute, such as a common category, a shared priority level, or some other common attribute.

A number next to each group (Figure 26-7), which indicates the number of items contained in a particular group. To expand a group and see the items it contains, click the Expand icon to the left of the group title.

Figure 26-7 Numbers Next to Worklist Groups

To arrange your display of worklist items:

1. Go to a worklist.

2. Click the Display Options icon at the top of the worklist (Figure 26-4).

3. In the Display Options dialog box, expand the Group By drop-down list (Figure 26-8), and select an option for grouping your worklist items.

Figure 26-8 Worklist Group By List

Select from the following options:

- Category—Group worklist items into their assigned categories. Items that do not belong to a category are grouped under the heading Not Categorized. Whether a worklist item includes a category is determined by the workflow developer; consequently, not all items include categories.

- Create Date—Group worklist items according to the date they were created, starting with the most recent.

- Due Date—Group worklist items according to when they are due. Due dates are optional; therefore, some items may not have them. In such cases, the date the item was created is used.

- Expiration Date—Group worklist items according to when they are due to expire. Expiration dates are optional; therefore, some items may not have them. In such cases, the date the item was created is used.

- Not Grouped—Do not group worklist items. When you group worklist items by Not Grouped, the worklist displays items in a flat list. All other grouping options display the items in a tree format.

- Priority—Group worklist items according to priority, either high, normal, or low. Table 26-1 illustrates the priority indicators that are used in worklists.

Table 26-1 Worklist Priority Indicators

High

Normal

Low

No indicator

- Worklist Server—Group worklist items, according to the server from which they originated.

4. Select a Sort By option (Figure 26-9).

Figure 26-9 Sort By Options in the Display Options Dialog

Select from the following options:

- Create Date—Sort worklist items according to the date they were created, starting with the most recent.

- Due Date—Sort worklist items according to when they are due. Due dates are optional; therefore, some items may not have them. In such cases, the date the item was created is used.

- Expiration Date—Sort worklist items from the most recent expiration to the furthest away. Expiration dates are optional; therefore, some items may not have them. In such cases, the date the item was created is used.

- Priority—Sort worklist items from highest to lowest priority (see Table 26-1 for illustrations of priority indicators).

- Title—Sort worklist items first from 0 to 9 then from a to z.

5. Click Save to save your changes and close the Display Options dialog box.
The worklist displays the newest created 25 items for each worklist server connection. For items exceeding the 25-item limit, follow the link, from where you can view and act on a larger volume of worklist items.

26.2.3 Refreshing Worklists

Every 15 minutes, the worklist refreshes automatically with new messages, alerts, and notifications. Optionally, you can update your view yourself by clicking the Refresh Worklist icon (Figure 26-10).

Note:

A worklist does not get refreshed automatically when you perform an action on any task. You must refresh the worklist to list the latest items.

Do not click the Reload or Refresh button in your browser. Click the Refresh icon to update your view.

Figure 26-10 Refresh Worklist Icon

Roll your mouse pointer over the Refresh Worklist icon to display the date and time the worklist was last refreshed.

Part V

Staying Organized

Part V contains the following chapters:

- Chapter 27, "Managing Your Favorites"

- Chapter 28, "Working with Calendars and Events"

- Chapter 29, "Managing Your Notes"

- Chapter 30, "Working with Lists"

- Chapter 31, "Linking Information in WebCenter Portal"

- Chapter 32, "Using Tags and Bookmarks"

27 Managing Your Favorites

This chapter describes how to create, organize, and manage Favorites, which enable you to keep your own personal list of favorite web sites and pages to access from any browser you choose.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 27.1, "About Favorites"

- Section 27.2, "Accessing Your Favorites"

- Section 27.3, "Adding Favorites"

- Section 27.4, "Adding Favorites Folders"

- Section 27.5, "Managing Favorites in Preferences"

Permissions:

The tasks described in this chapter are available to any WebCenter Portal user.

27.1 About Favorites

The great advantage to WebCenter Portal Favorites is their portability. They are not dependent on a particular type of browser, so any browser you use to access WebCenter Portal provides access to your WebCenter Portal Favorites. You can create favorites that link to sites within WebCenter Portal or external sites. This makes WebCenter Portal the best choice for managing and tracking your favorites list.

Favorites are personal. The favorites you see on the Favorites menu are the favorites you create. No other user sees your favorites, and you do not see any other user's favorites. If you like, though, you can share favorites with other users, by making one or more of them discoverable in a search.

Favorites are created at the application level; consequently, when you move from one portal to another, the favorites on the Favorites menu stay the same.

WebCenter Portal provides a Manage Favorites page in Preferences, which you can use to further customize your favorites. Use the Manage Favorites page to:

- Control the order of display of links on the Favorites menu

- Specify a method for opening a favorite target

- Create folders for organizing your favorites

- Create, edit, or delete favorite links and folders

For more information about the Manage Favorites page, see Section 27.5, "Managing Favorites in Preferences."

27.2 Accessing Your Favorites

The easiest way to access the Favorites user interface is to open the Favorites menu (Figure 27-1). However, the availability of navigational links and menus, such as the Favorites menu, is determined by the people who design and build your portal. This being so, you may not see a Favorites menu.

Figure 27-1 Favorites Menu

27.3 Adding Favorites

Add favorite links for quick access to WebCenter Portal pages and the web sites you find most useful. If you like, you can share favorites with other users by making one or more of them discoverable in a search. This section describes how to add new favorites and how to share them with other users.

Note:

This section describes how to add favorites through the Favorites menu. You can also add favorites through the Manage Favorites page in Preferences. For more information, see Section 27.5.1, "Adding a Favorite Using the Manage Favorites Page."

You can add files, including wikis and blogs, to your Favorites through the Document Previewer. For more information, see Section 17.25, "Adding a Folder or File to Your Favorites."

To add a favorite:

1. The way you obtain your favorite's URL differs depending on the circumstances:

- For pages external to WebCenter Portal, go to a favorite web location and copy its URL.

- For WebCenter Portal pages, log in and go to the page you want to make a favorite.

- If you know the URL, enter it manually when prompted.

2. Open the Add To Favorites dialog (for more information, see Section 27.2, "Accessing Your Favorites").

3. In the Name field, enter a display name for the favorite (Figure 27-2).

Figure 27-2 Add To Favorites Dialog

Note:

The value you enter for Name becomes the favorite's link text. The name of the current page is provided by default. You can change this or leave it as is.

4. In the Web Address field, enter the target URL for the favorite.
The default entry for this field is the URL of the current WebCenter Portal page; you have three options:

- Leave the default entry (the path to the current page) as is.

- Paste the URL you copied in step 1.

- Enter the URL manually.

5. From the Create In pick list, select the favorites folder in which to create the favorite.

See Also:

WebCenter provides one top-level default folder: Favorites. You can also create your own folders by clicking the New Folder button. For more information, see Section 27.4, "Adding Favorites Folders."

6. To enable this favorite to be discovered by other users during a search, select Shared.
Deselect Shared if you do not want other users to have any access to this favorite.

7. Click OK to add the favorite to the Favorites menu and the Manage Favorites page.

27.4 Adding Favorites Folders

To keep your list of favorites manageable, you can organize them into folders. The folder hierarchy you create appears on the Favorites menu and on the Manage Favorites page. Because the favorite folders you create are user-level customizations, they display only in your view of WebCenter Portal.

Note:

This section describes one way to create favorites folders. You can also create them in the Manage Favorites page. For more information, see Section 27.5.3, "Editing Favorites and Favorites Folders."

To add a favorites folder:

1. Open the Add To Favorites dialog.

See Also:

For more information, see Section 27.2, "Accessing Your Favorites."

2. Click the New Folder button to open the Create Folder dialog (Figure 27-3).

Figure 27-3 New Folder Button and Create Folder Dialog

3. In the Folder Name field, enter a name for the new folder.

4. Click Create to save the new folder and close the Create Folder dialog.
The new folder appears as a selection in the Add To Favorites dialog on the Create In list.

5. Click OK to close the Add To Favorites dialog.

27.5 Managing Favorites in Preferences

The WebCenter Portal Manage Favorites page (Figure 27-4) in Preferences provides a convenient, one-stop location for creating, editing, and deleting favorite links and folders and rearranging their display order on the Favorites menu.

Figure 27-4 Manage Favorites Page

This section describes how to use the controls available on the Manage Favorites page. It contains the following subsections:

- Section 27.5.1, "Adding a Favorite Using the Manage Favorites Page"

- Section 27.5.2, "Adding a Favorites Folder Using the Manage Favorites Page"

- Section 27.5.3, "Editing Favorites and Favorites Folders"

- Section 27.5.4, "Rearranging Favorites and Favorites Folders"

- Section 27.5.5, "Searching for Favorites"

- Section 27.5.6, "Deleting Favorites and Favorites Folders"

27.5.1 Adding a Favorite Using the Manage Favorites Page

When you want to add multiple favorites, the best place to do this is on the Manage Favorites page. This is because the Manage Favorites page remains open until you close it, saving you steps in the creation process.

To add favorites through the Manage Favorites page:

1. Go to the web page of interest, and copy its URL.
You can skip this step if you plan to enter the URL manually. For information about getting the URL of an application page, see Section 5.15, "Viewing Information About a Personal Page" (viewing information about a portal page works the same as viewing information about a personal page).

2. Open the Manage Favorites page (for more information, see Section 27.2, "Accessing Your Favorites").

3. Select the folder in which to create the new favorite.

Tip:

Select a folder by clicking in its row.

4. Click the Add button in the toolbar at the top of the window (Figure 27-5).

Figure 27-5 Add Button in Manage Favorites Page

5. In the resulting Add To Favorites dialog, in the Name field enter a display name for the favorite (Figure 27-6).

Figure 27-6 Add To Favorites Dialog

6. In the Web Address field, paste the URL you copied in step 1, or enter a URL manually.

7. To enable the sharing of this favorite in other users' search results, select Shared.

8. Click OK.
The new favorite appears in the Manage Favorites page and in the Favorites menu (Figure 27-7).

Figure 27-7 New Favorite in Favorites Menu

27.5.2 Adding a Favorites Folder Using the Manage Favorites Page

To keep your list of favorites manageable, you can organize them into folders. The folder hierarchy you create appears in the Favorites menu and on the Manage Favorites page. Because the favorite folders you create are user-level customizations, they display only in your view of WebCenter Portal.

In addition to adding favorites folders through the Add To Favorites dialog (see Section 27.4, "Adding Favorites Folders") you can add them through the Manage Favorites page.

To add a favorites folder through the Manage Favorites page:

1. Open the Manage Favorites page (for more information, see Section 27.2, "Accessing Your Favorites").

2. Select the folder in which to create the new folder, and click the New button in the toolbar at the top of the window (Figure 27-8).

Figure 27-8 New Button in Manage Favorites Page

3. In the resulting Create Folder dialog, in the Folder Name box enter a display name for the favorite folder (Figure 27-9).

Figure 27-9 Create Folder Dialog

4. Click Create.
The new folder appears on the Manage Favorites page and in the Favorites menu.

27.5.3 Editing Favorites and Favorites Folders

The Manage Favorites page provides controls for editing favorites and favorites folders. Use this feature to revise a folder or favorite name, a favorite target URL, or a open behavior for a favorite.

Open behavior determines how a favorite target URL opens from the Favorites menu or the Manage Favorites page. Choose from opening a favorite target in the current browser window or a new browser window or tab.

To edit a favorite or favorite folder:

1. Open the Manage Favorites page (for more information, see Section 27.2, "Accessing Your Favorites").

2. If necessary, expand favorites folders to access the favorite or folder you want to edit.

Tip:

To expand a folder, click the Expand icon to the left of the folder.

3. Select the favorite or favorite folder you want to edit, and click the Edit button in the toolbar to open the Edit Favorite dialog (Figure 27-10) or Edit Folder dialog.

Tip:

To select a favorite or a folder, click in its row.

Figure 27-10 Edit Favorite Dialog

Table 27-1 lists and describes the types of values you can enter for the Edit Favorite and Edit Folder dialogs.

Table 27-1 Values Taken By Edit Favorite and Edit Folder Dialogs

Label

Applies To

Value

Name

Edit Favorite and Folder

The display name of the favorite or folder. This is the name that appears in the Favorites menu and on the Manage Favorites page.

Location

Edit Favorite

The favorite target URL.

Shared

Edit Favorite

Specify whether to allow other users to discover this favorite through a search.

Selected means yes, deselected means no.

Open Behavior

Edit Favorite

An option for specifying how a favorite opens

Choose from:

- New Window—The favorite opens in a new browser tab or window.

- Current Window—The current browser window redraws, displaying the favorite target.

Note: The open behavior you specify for a Favorite does not apply to Favorites returned in a search. To control the open behavior of a Favorite returned in a search, right click the search result and select an open behavior from your browser's context menu.

Type

Edit Favorite

The link type, always URL

This field is read-only.

Icon

Edit Favorite and Folder

An option for providing an icon to display along with the display name shown in the Favorites menu

Enter the full URL to the icon.

Created On

Edit Favorite and Folder

The date the favorite or folder was created

This field is read-only.

Last Visited On

Edit Favorite

The date the favorite was last visited using the favorites link

This field is read-only.

4. Make your changes.

5. Click OK to save your changes and close the Edit Favorites or Edit Folder dialog.

27.5.4 Rearranging Favorites and Favorites Folders

The Manage Favorites page provides controls for moving a favorite or a favorite folder higher or lower in the Favorites menu. You can accomplish a move by clicking icons or by dragging and dropping. Use this feature to arrange your view of the Favorites menu exactly to your liking.

To rearrange favorites and favorites folders:

1. Open the Manage Favorites page (for more information, see Section 27.2, "Accessing Your Favorites").

2. If necessary, expand favorites folders and then select the favorite or folder you want to rearrange.

Tip:

To select a favorite or a folder, click in its row.

3. Click the Move Up or Move Down icon in the toolbar to rearrange the selected favorite or folder (Figure 27-11).

Figure 27-11 Move Icons in Manage Favorites Page

Alternatively, drag the favorite or folder to its target position.

Accessibility Note:

In WebCenter Portal, you cannot move a favorite into an existing folder using only the keyboard. To work around this issue, create a duplicate favorite within the target folder, then delete the original favorite.

The favorite or folder is repositioned on the Manage Favorites page and in the Favorites menu.

27.5.5 Searching for Favorites

The Manage Favorites page includes a search feature that enables you to locate favorites. You can use the favorites search feature to search for favorite display names or target URLs. This search feature does not search for favorite folder names. Search results display on the Manage Favorites page.

To search for favorites:

1. Open the Manage Favorites page (for more information, see Section 27.2, "Accessing Your Favorites").

2. Enter a search term in the Filter box, and click the Filter icon (Figure 27-12).

Figure 27-12 Filter Feature in Manage Favorites Page

Results display in the Manage Favorites page.

Tip:

To exit search results, you must exit the Manage Favorites page. Alternatively, you can delete the search term from the Filter box and click the Filter icon. A search without a search term returns the Manage Favorites page to its default view.

27.5.6 Deleting Favorites and Favorites Folders

When you delete a favorite or a favorites folder, it is permanently removed from both the Favorites menu and the Manage Favorites page. Additionally, when you delete a favorites folder all the favorites it contains are also deleted.

To delete favorites and favorites folders:

1. Open the Manage Favorites page (for more information, see Section 27.2, "Accessing Your Favorites").

2. Select the favorite or favorite folder you want to delete.

Tip:

To select a favorite or favorite folder, click in its row.

3. Click the Delete button on the toolbar (Figure 27-13).

Figure 27-13 Delete Button in Manage Favorites Page

4. In the confirmation dialog, click Delete.
The selected favorite or favorite folder and any favorites the folder contained are permanently removed from the Manage Favorites page and the Favorites menu.

28 Working with Calendars and Events

This chapter describes the features offered through events. Events provides calendars that you can use to schedule meetings, appointments, and any other types of occasions. Events also let you view your own personal Microsoft Exchange calendar within the Home portal. Overlaying portal calendars on top of the Home portal calendar, allows you to view your entire schedule in a single place.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 28.1, "About Events"

- Section 28.2, "Working with Events"

Permissions:

This chapter is intended for WebCenter Portal users who want to use the calendar and events feature to schedule and track events. The permissions to do the tasks in this chapter are granted by default to the portal Participant role. However, you might not be able to do some tasks if one or more of the following advanced permissions for events have been set:

- Create, Edit, and Delete Events

- View Events

Note:

Tasks discussed in this chapter are not available if events are not enabled and exposed. The portal moderator adds and configures events, as described in the "Adding a Calendar and Events to a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

28.1 About Events

Events include appointments, meetings, presentations, and so on. Within WebCenter Portal, there are two kinds of events:

- Personal events are those that are not related to a specific portal. They could include personal appointments with a doctor or dentist, or lunch with a friend.
Personal events come from your Microsoft Exchange calendar and display in the Events viewer on a page in the Home portal, only to the user who logged in to the Exchange calendar. See Section 28.1.2, "Where to View Events" for viewing events in your personal calendar.

- Portal events are those that are related to a specific portal. They could include weekly meetings, presentations, or a customer visit.
Portal events display to all members of the portal on the portal's dedicated Events page (or console) or in any Events viewer that is located on a page in the portal. Members with the required level of permission can schedule or update events.

Note:

If your application uses WebCenter Portal's default user roles, then the required permissions to create an event are included in both the participant and moderator roles. Participants and Moderators can manage all events.

28.1.1 Calendar Overlaying

In addition to viewing your personal events in your Home portal, you can also view portal events from selected portals all together in one place. This is referred to as calendar overlaying. In this way, all your important events are available in one location, your Home portal.

In a portal, if an Events page (or console) has been added, you can also add events to it. However, you can view personal events only in your Home portal.

See Section 28.1.2, "Where to View Events" for more information about viewing events with or without calendar overlaying.

Note:

Calendar overlaying must be enabled by your application specialist or portal moderator and set to a value other than None, if you want to view your personal events from your Microsoft Exchange calendar. See the "Enabling Calendar Overlaying" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal for more information.

28.1.2 Where to View Events

Your portal may provide a variety of locations from which to view events.

See Also:

Section 28.2.2, "Viewing Events" and Section 28.2.6, "Displaying Multiple Calendars Together".

- Every portal in which events is enabled or included in the portal template includes an Events page (or console) that can be displayed or hidden. If you cannot see the Events page, it could be hidden. The application specialist or portal moderator has to provide a link to the Events viewer or expose the Events page from where you can access events. Figure 28-1 shows portal events on the Events page or console.

Figure 28-1 Events on the Events Page

- If your portal moderator has added the Events viewer to a page in a portal, you can view it from the portal navigation. Figure 28-2 shows events on another page in the portal.

Note:

You can only view personal events in the Home portal.

Figure 28-2 Events on a Portal Page

- Your portal moderator can also add events to a page in the Home portal, make that page visible, and give participants access to that page. In the Home portal, the Events viewer does not initially display the calendar of events from your personal calendar. You need to click Login to Personal Calendar. Figure 28-3 shows the events view on a page in the Home portal without calendar overlaying.

Figure 28-3 Events Viewer in Home Portal Before Logging In (Without Calendar Overlaying)

See Also:

For information about logging in to your Microsoft Exchange calendar, see Section 28.2.1, "Accessing Your Personal Events."

If you do not have a Microsoft Exchange calendar, or do not want to display personal events, but still want to view portal events in the Home portal, ask your portal moderator to enable calendar overlaying. You can still see your portal events, as shown in Figure 28-4.

Figure 28-4 shows events in the Home portal with calendar overlaying.

Figure 28-4 Events Viewer in Home Portal Before Logging In (With Calendar Overlaying)

If calendar overlaying is enabled, then click Personal Events (Figure 28-4) to see Login to Personal Calendar and then click Continue (Figure 28-5).

Figure 28-5 Events in Home Portal with Calendar Overlay Enabled

Note:

Calendar overlaying must be enabled by your portal moderator and set to a value other than None, if you want to view your personal events from your Microsoft Exchange calendar. See the "Enabling Calendar Overlaying" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal for more information.

28.1.3 Integration with Other Features

Through its tight integration with links, the events feature provides the opportunity to associate events with other WebCenter Portal assets. Linking enables you to associate documents, notes, announcements, discussions, and URLs with an event. You can create links from an event by editing the event and clicking the Links icon. For more information, see Section 31.2, "Working with Links Features."

Events also enables you to send mail messages about portal events to members of the portal. You can send mail from an event by editing the event and clicking the Send Mail icon. See Section 11.1, "About the Send Mail Feature" for information about working with the Mail feature.

28.2 Working with Events

Events include appointments, meetings, presentations, and so on. WebCenter Portal provides two kinds of event views for displaying personal and portal events:

- The Events view provides a fully featured calendar where as well as viewing events in a variety of layouts, you can also create and manage events and display events from multiple calendars.

- The Events - Mini View provides a more compact view of events as a list. You can view upcoming events and edit existing events. You cannot create new events in this view. This is useful if you want to provide information about events, but do not have enough space on the page for a full calendar.

Note:

The steps in the following sections apply to both personal events and portal events. Where there are any differences, these are noted.

This section includes the following topics:

- Section 28.2.1, "Accessing Your Personal Events"

- Section 28.2.2, "Viewing Events"

- Section 28.2.3, "Scheduling Events"

- Section 28.2.4, "Revising Scheduled Events"

- Section 28.2.5, "Cancelling Scheduled Events"

- Section 28.2.6, "Displaying Multiple Calendars Together"

- Section 28.2.7, "Subscribing to Events"

28.2.1 Accessing Your Personal Events

You can maintain a calendar of personal events outside of WebCenter Portal that does not relate to specific portals. If you use Microsoft Exchange 2003 or 2007 for this calendar, you can include your personal events in the Home portal. This keeps all your calendar information in a single place, making it much easier for you to organize your day.

You can view personal events in the Home portal. You can also edit or delete personal events or create new personal events that are pushed to your Exchange calendar.

Note:

Your portal moderator can set up a page to view events in the Home portal, from where you can view your personal events. See the "Showing Events on a Page in the Home Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

When setting up the Events view, your portal moderator can also enable calendar overlaying to display portal events alongside personal events in the Home portal. You can view your personal calendar events alongside portal events, but you cannot push portal events into your Exchange calendar. See Section 28.1.1, "Calendar Overlaying" for more information about calendar overlaying,

To access your personal events:

1. Navigate to the Home portal of the portal, and then to the page which contains your personal events (see Figure 28-3).

2. Click Login to Personal Calendar (Figure 28-6.
In the Home portal, the Events view does not initially display the calendar of events from your personal calendar. Instead it displays a link prompting you to Login to Personal Calendar (Figure 28-6).

Note:

If you see the link Try Again instead of Login to Personal Calendar, there is a problem with the connection to the Microsoft Exchange Server. Contact your system administrator.

Figure 28-6 Events View in Home Portal Before Logging In (Without Calendar Overlaying)

If you do not have a Microsoft Exchange calendar, or do not want to display personal events, but still want to view portal events in the Home portal, your portal moderator can enable calendar overlaying (see Section 28.1.1, "Calendar Overlaying"). Click Personal Events (Figure 28-7) and then click Continue (Figure 28-8).

Figure 28-7 Personal Events Link on a Page in the Home Portal

Figure 28-8 Events View on a Page in the Home Portal (With Calendar Overlay Enabled)

3. In the External Application Login dialog that appears, enter your Microsoft Exchange login credentials and click OK.

Note:

The External Application Login dialog may include additional fields and information, depending on the requirements of the mail service that provides it. For more information about external applications and storing your login credentials in WebCenter Portal, see Section 3.7, "Providing Login Information for External Applications."

Your personal calendar opens (Figure 28-9).

Figure 28-9 Personal Calendar

28.2.2 Viewing Events

You can view events as a grid or a list; choose to display events by day, week, or a month; filter events by category; select the range of hours displayed per day; and include a second time zone in the display.

See Also:

Section 28.1.2, "Where to View Events" for information on viewing events on the Events page, on a page in the portal, and on a page in the Home portal.

This section includes the following subsections:

- Section 28.2.2.1, "Using the Calendar Interface"

- Section 28.2.2.2, "Viewing Event Details"

- Section 28.2.2.3, "Filtering Events by Category"

- Section 28.2.2.4, "Setting Display Preferences"

28.2.2.1 Using the Calendar Interface

You can use icons to display events in grid form or as a list. When you display events as a grid, you can show them by day, week, or month. When you display events as a list, the number of upcoming events listed depends on the display options selected.

See Also:

See Section 28.2.2.4, "Setting Display Preferences" for information about changing List view display options.

Usually, in grid mode, events are displayed for the current day, week, or month. To view events for a specific point in time, you can use the previous or next icons or select a date so that the calendar displays events for a specific date.

Table 28-1 lists the different icons available and describes their function.

Note:

The following options are not available in the Events - Mini View.

Table 28-1 Calendar Icons

Icon

Description

Click to display events from the previous day, week, or month.

Click to display events from the next day, week, month.

Click to display events for the current date (today).

Click to display events for a specific date.

Note: If the calendar overlay feature is enabled in Full mode then the Date Picker is always visible to the left of the calendar.

Click to display events one day at a time.

Click to display events for the whole week.

Click to display events for the whole month.

Click to display a list of upcoming events. The number of events listed depends on the settings (for more information, see Section 28.2.2.4, "Setting Display Preferences").

Click to display the Event Preferences dialog to specify calendar times, secondary time zones, and configure the list view (for more information, see Section 28.2.2.4, "Setting Display Preferences").

Select one or more event categories by which to filter the events in the calendar. Only events belonging to the selected categories are displayed in the calendar (for more information, see Section 28.2.2.3, "Filtering Events by Category").

Click to refresh the page with any recent changes.

28.2.2.2 Viewing Event Details

The Events page (or console) or Events view displays basic information about events. To view more information, such as the location, start and end times, priority, category, or links, simply hover your mouse over an event.

The resulting window (Figure 28-10), displays the following information:

- The title of the event

- Details of the date and time of the event, including the secondary time zone if one has been specified

- The priority of the event

- The category to which the event belongs

- The location of the event, if specified

- Any links associated with the event

Figure 28-10 An Event Showing Details

To view any specific details of the event, you must edit the event. See Section 28.2.4, "Revising Scheduled Events" for more information.

28.2.2.3 Filtering Events by Category

You can filter the events displayed in the calendar to show only those that belong to one or more particular categories, for example Team Meeting, Customer Meeting, Vacation, and so on.

See Also:

Event categories are created by the portal moderator in the portal administration settings. After they are created, you can use them to assign categories to your events, which enables you to then filter events by category. If your portal moderator did not create categories, you will not be able to categorize events. See the "Creating and Managing Portal Event Categories" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

To filter events by category:

1. Go to the Events view or Events page where you want to filter events.

Note:

You cannot filter events in the Events - Mini View. The View drop-down list is available only for portal events, not personal events.

2. In the toolbar, from the View drop-down list (Figure 28-11), select one or more categories by which you want to filter the events displayed in the calendar.

Figure 28-11 View List for Filtering by Event Category

When you close the drop-down list, only those events that belong to the selected category or categories are displayed in the calendar.

Tip:

To remove event filtering, deselect any of the categories in the View drop-down list.

28.2.2.4 Setting Display Preferences

Events display preferences allows you to do the following:

- Determine the earliest time displayed on the calendar when events are viewed by day or week.

- Identify a secondary time zone.

- Specify how to display events in List view: by day, week, month, or for a specified number of days.

To set these preferences, click the Set Event Preferences icon (Figure 28-12) to access the Event Preferences dialog (Figure 28-13).

Figure 28-12 Set Event Preferences Icon

Figure 28-13 Event Preferences Dialog

Note:

The Set Event Preferences icon, and therefore the Event Preferences dialog, is not available in the Events - Mini View viewer.

This section includes the following topics:

- Section 28.2.2.4.1, "Setting the Calendar Start Time"

- Section 28.2.2.4.2, "Setting a Secondary Time Zone"

- Section 28.2.2.4.3, "Configuring List View"

28.2.2.4.1 Setting the Calendar Start Time

In Day and Week view, the calendar grid is divided into hours. If vertical space for your calendar is limited, you can specify the earliest hour to display on the calendar grid to save space. If the space available has enough room to display hours from before the specified start time until 11PM, it does so.

To set the calendar start time:

1. Go to the Events view or Events page where you want to set the calendar start time.

2. Click the Set Event Preferences icon on the toolbar (Figure 28-12).

3. In the Event Preferences dialog (Figure 28-13), from the Start Time drop-down list, select the earliest hour to display on the grid.
Choose from 12AM to 11PM.

4. Click OK to save your changes.

28.2.2.4.2 Setting a Secondary Time Zone

These days, it is not unusual to be working in teams with members in different locations. When scheduling meetings, it is useful to know the hours most optimal to all invitees. To make this easier, you can specify a secondary time zone to see what time a meeting is in that time zone as well as your own.

When you hover your mouse over an event, the event details window shows the time of the meeting in your time zone and in the secondary time zone (Figure 28-14).

Figure 28-14 Event Details Window Displaying Primary and Secondary Time Zones

To set a secondary time zone:

1. Go to the Events view or Events page where you want to set a secondary time zone.

2. Click the Set Event Preferences icon on the toolbar (Figure 28-12).

3. In the Event Preferences dialog (Figure 28-15), from the Secondary Time Zone drop-down list, select a secondary time zone to display along with the primary time zone.

Figure 28-15 Event Preferences Dialog Showing Secondary Time Zones

4. Click OK to save your changes.

28.2.2.4.3 Configuring List View

You can specify how you want to display events, when the calendar is displayed in List view. You can display events by day, week, month, or for a specified number of days.

To configure List view:

1. Go to the Events view or Events page where you want to configure List view.

2. Click the Set Event Preferences icon on the toolbar (Figure 28-12).

3. In the Event Preferences dialog (Figure 28-16), from the List Type drop-down list, select how you want to display events in List view:

Figure 28-16 Event Preferences Dialog Showing List Types

- Day Count—List all upcoming events for a specified number of days.

- Day—List all upcoming events for the currently selected day.

- Week—List all upcoming events for the currently selected week.

- Month—List all upcoming events for the currently selected month.

4. If you selected Day Count in the previous step, in the List Count field, specify the number of days for which you want to display events. The default is 14.

5. Click OK to save your changes.

28.2.3 Scheduling Events

You can schedule portal events and personal events. When you schedule a personal event, the details are pushed to your Microsoft Exchange calendar.

Note:

You cannot schedule new events in the Events - Mini View.

To schedule an event:

1. Go to the Events view or Events page where you want to schedule the event.

2. Click Create on the toolbar (Figure 28-17).

Figure 28-17 Create a New Event Icon

The Create Event dialog opens (see Figure 28-18 and Figure 28-19). The fields in the Create Event dialog are slightly different depending on whether you are creating a personal event or a portal event. These differences are pointed out later in this procedure.

Note:

You can also easily invoke the Create Event dialog in grid view by double-clicking an empty space or right-clicking an empty space and selecting Create. The advantage of this is that the date and time of the event are automatically specified in the dialog.

Figure 28-18 shows the Create Event dialog invoked from the Events page.

Figure 28-18 Create Event Dialog Invoked From the Events Page

Figure 28-19 shows the Create Event dialog invoked from a page in the Home portal.

Figure 28-19 Create Event Dialog Invoked From a Home Portal Page

3. In the Title field, enter a brief descriptive title for the event.
For example, Project Update.

4. In the Location field, enter the location of the event.
For example, Conference Room 5.

5. From the Calendar drop-down list, select the calendar in which you want to create the event.

Note:

The Calendar drop-down list is available only when the calendar overlay feature is enabled and at least one other calendar is displayed.

The Calendar drop-down list is not available for events created from the Events page (where calendar overlaying is not available).

See Section 28.1.1, "Calendar Overlaying" for more information.

6. Select All Day Event to block out the entire day for the event.
All day events can span multiple days. In Day and Week view mode, all day events are displayed in a separate area at the top of the calendar. In Month view, all day events are displayed surrounded by a block of color.

7. In the Start Time field enter a date and time to start the event.

Tip:

You can click the Select Date and Time icon and select a start time from the Date and Time Picker, if you prefer.

For all day events, you specify the date only.

8. In the End Time field enter a date and time to finish the event.

Tip:

You can click the Select Date and Time icon and select an end time from the Date and Time Picker, if you prefer.

For all day events, you specify the date only.

9. (Optional) From the Priority drop-down list, select a priority for the event: Highest, High, Normal, Low, or Lowest.
The priority of an event determines where it appears when events conflict. An event with Highest priority is displayed first. The event priority is also displayed in the event popup window when a user hovers the mouse over the event.

10. (Optional) If your portal moderator set up event categories, from the Category drop-down list, you can select a category to classify this event.
Categories are useful for creating distinct groups of events, organized according to their general purpose. See the "Creating and Managing Portal Event Categories" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

The event category is displayed in the event popup window when a user hovers the mouse over the event. Events in different categories can be displayed in different colors if the portal moderator used colors to specify categories.

You can also filter a calendar to display events belonging to a specific category.

See Also:

Section 28.2.2.3, "Filtering Events by Category"

Note:

The Category drop-down list is available only for portal events.

11. (Optional) In the Details field, enter any additional details you want to include, up to a maximum of 4000 characters.
For example, you might want to describe the purpose of the meeting, provide a brief agenda, or indicate if attendees need to prepare anything for the meeting.

Note:

The details that you enter here are available only when editing the event; they do not display in the event popup window when users hover over the event. You should not assume that all users will read these details. Important details about the meeting should be communicated in a different way, for example, through the meeting notification email or by creating an announcement.

12. (Optional) Select Private if you do not want other users to be able to view your personal events.
If events are included on a page in the Home portal that you have made available to other users, then those users are not able to see the event.

Note:

The Private check box is available only for personal events.

13. Click Create to add the event to the calendar.
Figure 28-20 shows events in day view.

Figure 28-20 Events in Day View

28.2.4 Revising Scheduled Events

You may want to change some aspect of an event; for example, it may become necessary to change the time to accommodate a particular attendee, or the location may become unavailable.

To revise a scheduled event:

1. Click the event to open the Edit Event dialog (Figure 28-21) or right-click and select Edit (Figure 28-22).

Tip:

In the Events view or Events page, you can also access the Edit Event dialog by right-clicking an event and selecting Edit, or by moving the mouse pointer (or using the Tab key) to highlight an event and pressing Enter.

Figure 28-21 Edit Event Dialog Invoked from a Portal Page

2. Revise the event details.

See Also:

See Section 28.2.3, "Scheduling Events" for information about the different options available in the dialog.

See Section 11.1, "About the Send Mail Feature" for information about using the Send Mail feature.

See Section 31.2, "Working with Links Features" for information about creating links to other assets.

3. Click Update to save your changes.

28.2.5 Cancelling Scheduled Events

To cancel a scheduled event:

1. Right-click the event and select Delete (Figure 28-22).

Figure 28-22 Delete Option for an Event

Tip:

You can also delete an event by hovering your mouse over the event and pressing the Delete key or, in the Edit Event dialog (see Section 28.2.4, "Revising Scheduled Events"), by clicking Delete.

To delete an event from the Events - Mini View, you must open the Edit Event dialog and click Delete.

2. Click Delete in the Delete Confirmation dialog.
The event is removed from the calendar.

28.2.6 Displaying Multiple Calendars Together

Within WebCenter Portal, you can be a member of several portals. Each of those portals may have its own calendar of events. In addition to that, you may also have your own calendar where you track those events that concern only yourself. At the start of each day, it is not practical to have to view each of these calendars individually to determine your schedule for the day.

WebCenter Portal lets you view multiple calendars together. This is called calendar overlaying. You can do this in the Home portal so that you can also include your personal appointments from your personal calendar as well as view events from other portals. You can also overlay calendars in the Events view on a portal page.

Note:

Multiple calendars are available if calendar overlaying is enabled (see Section 28.1.1, "Calendar Overlaying"). Multiple calendars are not available on the Events page. Calendar overlaying must be enabled on the Home portal page and the page in your portal where you can view events.

See also, Section 28.1.2, "Where to View Events."

The events from each calendar are displayed in a different color to help identify the source of the event. (Categories are available if your portal moderator set up categorization for events.) If calendars are overlaid on a page in the Home portal or on a portal page, category colors are used only for events from the current portal. All events from overlaid calendars are displayed in the color defined for that portal if the events do not have categories. But if the overlaid calendars have event categories, then the events with category will be shown for the calendars from other portals, provided the portal in which overlay is enabled has that same category.

This section includes the following topics:

- Section 28.2.6.1, "Displaying Additional Calendars"

- Section 28.2.6.2, "Editing Calendar Display Options"

28.2.6.1 Displaying Additional Calendars

When the calendar overlaying feature is enabled, users can display as many calendars as they want. Each calendar's events are displayed in a different color to make it easier to distinguish which calendar it belongs to.

To display additional calendars:

1. Go to the Home portal or the appropriate portal and locate the page that contains events.

2. In the calendar overlay area of events, click the Add Calendar icon (Figure 28-23).

Figure 28-23 Add Calendar Icon

3. In the Add Calendar dialog (Figure 28-24), select the portal whose calendar you want to display.
You can select multiple portals.

Figure 28-24 Add Calendar Dialog

4. Click Add Calendar.
The calendar overlay area now includes the selected portals on the left.

5. Select the check box next to each portal whose calendar you want to view.

Note:

Events must be enabled and available in the portals you select.

The events from each portal are displayed in a different color (Figure 28-25).

Figure 28-25 Events From Multiple Calendars

28.2.6.2 Editing Calendar Display Options

After adding a portal's events to your calendar you can change various display options, including the order the calendar appears in the list and the color used to identify events from the calendar.

To edit calendar display options:

1. Go to the Home portal or the appropriate portal and locate the page that contains events.

2. Click the arrow icon to the right of the portal for which you want to edit display options.
The calendar overlay menu opens (Figure 28-26).

Figure 28-26 Calendar Overlay Menu

3. From the menu, select:

- Visible to toggle the display of this portal's events in the calendar.
You can also toggle the display of a portal's events by clicking the portal name (Full view only) or the colored square next to the portal name.

- Change display name to make the name in the list of portals in Full view more meaningful to you than just the portal name.

- Remove Calendar to remove this portal's calendar.

- Open Portal to open the portal associated with this calendar.

- Move to Top/Move up/Move down/Move to Bottom to rearrange this portal in the list.
The order in which the portals are listed determines the order in which events are listed when events from multiple portals occur in the same time slot. Events from the portal at the top of the list are displayed first.

- A color to change the color used for the events from this portal.

28.2.7 Subscribing to Events

By default, if you subscribe to be notified when an event is created, updated, or deleted, the notification appears in your Activity Stream (if the view is available in your portal). However, you can subscribe to receive notifications by mail when events for a particular portal are created, updated, or deleted.

See Also:

See Section 20.3, "Subscribing to the Application, to Portals, and to Objects" for information about how to subscribe.

When you subscribe to a portal's events, whenever an event is created, updated, or deleted in that portal, a notification is sent to you. If the client to which that notification is sent supports iMIP (for example, Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, Gmail, and so on), the notification email includes the ability to accept or decline the event, propose a new time for the event, and so on within the email.

Figure 28-27 Email Notification for a Portal Event

If you accept an event, it is added to the calendar in your email client.

29 Managing Your Notes

This chapter describes the features and functions of notes, and provides details about how to work with notes, such as creating and editing personal notes.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 29.1, "About Notes"

- Section 29.2, "Working with Notes"

Permissions:

This chapter is intended for WebCenter Portal users interested in creating personal notes in WebCenter Portal. The tasks described in this chapter are available to any WebCenter Portal user with access to a page that contains notes. However, to add linked notes to an asset, you have to be in the portal participant role.

You will not be able to do some tasks if one or more of the following advanced permissions for notes have been set:

- Create, Edit and Delete Notes

- Create Notes

- Edit Notes

- Delete Notes

- View Notes

Note:

Tasks discussed in this chapter are not available to you if notes is not exposed. The portal moderator configures and adds the notes viewer, as described in the "Adding Personal Notes to a Portal" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

29.1 About Notes

Notes is useful for writing yourself reminders in the form of personal notes. You can create notes from the Notes view, which displays the personal notes of the currently logged in user (Figure 29-1). Only the notes that you create are displayed in the Notes view. No other user sees your notes, and you do not see any other user's notes.

Figure 29-1 Notes View

You can filter your notes list by their titles. Filtering allows you to narrow the focus of your notes to just the notes that match your filtering criteria. Consider devising a naming scheme for your notes to make the most of filtering.

You can link a note to an asset like a document, a list, or an announcement. While you can link to a new note (Figure 29-10), you cannot link to existing notes. All users who have access to the asset can view the linked note too. See Section 29.2.6, "Linking Notes" for more information.

29.2 Working with Notes

WebCenter Portal offers a way for you to keep track of useful, sometimes vital, bits of information through notes.

This section describes how to use notes. It includes the following topics:

- Section 29.2.1, "Creating a Note"

- Section 29.2.2, "Filtering and Clearing Filters Notes"

- Section 29.2.3, "Editing Note Details"

- Section 29.2.4, "Refreshing Your View of Notes"

- Section 29.2.5, "Deleting Notes"

- Section 29.2.6, "Linking Notes"

29.2.1 Creating a Note

Create notes to track personally relevant bits of information, such as personal reminders, and so on. This section describes how to create a note.

To create a note:

1. Navigate to the page that contains the Notes view.

2. Click the Create a new note icon (Figure 29-2).

Figure 29-2 Create a New Note Icon in a Notes View

A panel opens with fields for entering your note (Figure 29-3).

Figure 29-3 Panel for Creating a New Note

3. In the Title field, enter a note title.
The note title is rendered as a link in the list of notes. You can filter your notes by their titles. Consider devising a naming scheme for your notes to make the most of filtering. See Section 29.2.2, "Filtering and Clearing Filters Notes" for more information.

4. In the Detail field, enter the note content.

5. Click Save to save the note.
When you click Save, the detail panel remains open, allowing you to create additional notes. After you finish, click Close to exit the panel.

29.2.2 Filtering and Clearing Filters Notes

Your note list may become lengthy, making it a challenge to find a particular note. In a given session, you can shorten the list of notes by filtering out all but the note titles that contain your filtering criteria. Enter a search or filter value to temporarily limit the display to notes that match your criteria. You can search the notes list by whole or partial words. Filtering looks for matches anywhere in the title.

To clear the filter, click the filtering icon again.

To filter notes:

1. Navigate to the page that contains the notes view, and click the Filter notes icon (Figure 29-4).

Figure 29-4 Filter Notes Icon

A filtering toolbar opens.

2. Enter your search term in the field provided in the filtering toolbar, then click the Filter icon next to the field, to apply the filter (Figure 29-5).

Figure 29-5 Filtering Toolbar

Note:

Filtering (or search) terms are not case sensitive. You can use whole or partial words. Filtering looks for matches anywhere in the title.

3. Click the Cancel Filter icon to remove the filter and display your entire list of notes (Figure 29-6).

Figure 29-6 Cancel Filter Icon

29.2.3 Editing Note Details

If you need to do so, you can easily update the details of your notes.

To edit note details:

1. Navigate to the page that contains the notes view, then click the title of the note that you want to edit (Figure 29-7).

Figure 29-7 Edit Note Shown for a Note Title in the Notes View

The Notes panel opens at the top of your notes list.

2. Edit the details in the Title and Detail fields.

3. Click Update to save your changes and exit the edit panel.

29.2.4 Refreshing Your View of Notes

The notes view includes a Refresh notes icon that you can use to refresh your display of notes (Figure 29-8). Refreshing your view of notes is useful for viewing any recent changes.

To refresh the Notes view:

- Navigate to the page that contains the Notes view, then click the Refresh notes icon (Figure 29-8).

Note:

Do not click the Reload or Refresh button in your browser. Click the Refresh icon to update your view.

Figure 29-8 Refresh Notes Icon in the Notes View

The notes view is updated to show recent changes.

29.2.5 Deleting Notes

When a note has outlived its usefulness, you can remove it from your notes view. Each note has its own Delete note icon.

To delete a note:

1. Navigate to the page that contains the Notes view, and click the Delete note icon next to the note you want to delete (Figure 29-9).

Figure 29-9 Delete Note Icon

A Delete Note confirmation dialog opens.

2. Click the Delete button to delete the applicable note.

29.2.6 Linking Notes

You can create a linked note to an asset. For example, when working on a list, you can create a note from the list or from a list row, and that note is linked to the entire list or the row from where you created the linked note. For more information about creating linked notes, see Section 31.2.2.5, "Adding and Linking to a Note."

Figure 29-10 shows a note that is created from and linked to an announcement.

Figure 29-10 Linking an Announcement to a New Note

30 Working with Lists

This chapter describes how to use the features offered through lists. It describes how to create and publish lists, and manage lists in WebCenter Portal.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 30.1, "About Lists"

- Section 30.2, "Working with Lists Features"

Permissions:

This chapter is intended for WebCenter Portal users interested in creating and managing lists in WebCenter Portal. The tasks described in this chapter are available to any WebCenter Portal user with access to a page that contains a list.

However, you might not be able to do some tasks if one or more of the following advanced permissions for lists have been set:

- Create, Edit, and Delete Lists

- Create Lists

- Edit Lists

- Delete Lists

- Edit List Data

- View Lists

Note:

Tasks discussed in this chapter are not available if lists is not enabled and exposed. The portal moderator adds and configures lists, as described in the "Adding Lists of Information to a Portal" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

30.1 About Lists

You can create, publish, and manage lists in WebCenter Portal. Figure 30-1 shows a list in the List viewer.

Figure 30-1 A List in the List Viewer

Lists are useful for many portal activities, such as tracking issues, capturing project milestones, publishing project assignments, and much more. The lists you create in WebCenter Portal can be widely varied in their complexity. For example, you can start with a list of team members, and then include columns for contact information, project role, and links to relevant documents, such as any plans or proposals associated with a listed team member.

Lists are available to all portals except the Home portal. Whether the Lists view or Lists page (or console) is exposed for use depends on the actions of your portal moderator. For more information about working with lists as a portal moderator, see the "Adding Lists of Information to a Portal" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

The lists you create in a portal are unique to that portal. A portal cannot consume the lists created in another portal.

Create and populate lists using the controls on the Lists page or console. Users must have appropriate permissions to perform actions on lists.

If the Lists page is available, use the controls on the Lists page to create and revise lists and list data and to view all of a portal's current lists. Figure 30-2 shows a list on the List page or console.

Figure 30-2 A List on the Lists Page

On the Lists page or console, you can make use of templates for rapid creation of lists and tools for designing and revising list structure. If you prefer, you can create a list from scratch, adding, and configuring all of the columns yourself, or you can create a list from an Excel spreadsheet. See Section 30.2.2, "Creating and Managing Lists" for more information.

The lists that you create using the Lists page appear on the List viewer (if available) on another page. While you can use the Lists page or console to create different lists, the List viewer (Figure 30-3) provides a means of working with a particular list on a page.

Figure 30-3 A List in the List Viewer

The List viewer provides easy access to all the features required for adding and revising list data, importing or exporting list data, filtering list data, obtaining a list RSS feed, and linking to other WebCenter Portal assets from the list and from a row in the list.

Additionally, the List viewer provides access to customization tools that enable you to control the look of a particular list instance and its data. For example, use customization to control color banding of rows or columns or to apply filters to list data. See Section 30.2.4, "Customizing Lists" for more information.

Use the Lists page and the List viewer to add and revise list data throughout the life of the list (see Section 30.2.3, "Adding and Managing List Data"). Add and revise content directly on a list, or use the list Export and Import features to send list data to an Excel file, revise it there, and then import it back into the original list in WebCenter Portal (see Section 30.2.6, "Exporting a List and Importing a List from an Excel Spreadsheet").

If the Lists page (or console) is not shown, you can open the Personalize Pages page to show the Lists page in your view of the portal. See Section 7.12.1, "Showing or Hiding Pages in Your View of a Portal" for more information. To expose the Lists page to all portal members, the portal moderator needs to add the page link to the portal navigation, as described in the "Adding an Existing Page to the Portal Navigation" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Note:

Lists are not available in the Home portal.

Through its tight integration with links, lists provide the opportunity to associate other WebCenter Portal assets with an entire list or an individual list row. Linking enables you to associate documents, notes, and URLs with a list or a list row. For more information, see Section 30.2.3.5, "Working with Links in Lists and List Rows."

Lists additionally provide RSS feeds for all lists and for individual lists. For information about lists and RSS, see Section 25.2.3, "Obtaining List News Feeds."

30.2 Working with Lists Features

This section provides information about using the features available through the Lists page and the List viewer. It includes the following topics:

- Section 30.2.1, "Viewing Lists"

- Section 30.2.2, "Creating and Managing Lists"

- Section 30.2.3, "Adding and Managing List Data"

- Section 30.2.4, "Customizing Lists"

- Section 30.2.5, "Sending a Link to a List to Other Users"

- Section 30.2.6, "Exporting a List and Importing a List from an Excel Spreadsheet"

30.2.1 Viewing Lists

To view the lists associated with a particular portal, you must have access to that portal. If you have access, you can view all of a portal's lists on its Lists page or console. The List viewer can also be added to a page in WebCenter Portal by the portal moderator. See Figure 30-3 for a list displayed in the List viewer and Figure 30-4 for lists on a Lists page.

The Lists page is available in a portal if Lists is enabled and a Lists page has been made available by the portal moderator. For information about enabling tools in a portal, see the "Enabling and Disabling Tools and Services Available to a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

If the Lists page is not shown, you can open the Personalize Pages page to show the Lists page in your view of the portal. See Section 7.12.1, "Showing or Hiding Pages in Your View of a Portal" for more information. To expose the Lists page to all portal members, the portal moderator needs to add the page link to the portal navigation, as described in the "Adding an Existing Page to the Portal Navigation" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

To view a list on the Lists page or console:

1. Go to the portal that contains the list you want to view, and open the Lists page.

2. From the Lists panel, select the list you want to view.
List details appear on the right (Figure 30-4).

Figure 30-4 List of Lists on a Lists Page

Note:

If RSS is enabled in the portal, you can track the creation of and revisions to lists from one convenient location: your favorite news reader. See Section 25.2.3, "Obtaining List News Feeds."

30.2.2 Creating and Managing Lists

This section describes how to create, edit, copy, and delete lists on the Lists page or console.

This section includes the following topics:

- Section 30.2.2.1, "Creating Lists"

- Section 30.2.2.2, "Editing List Structure"

- Section 30.2.2.3, "Copying a List"

- Section 30.2.2.4, "Deleting Lists"

30.2.2.1 Creating Lists

Note:

You can create a new list if the Lists page or console is available. If your portal moderator has placed a list viewer on a page, you will not be able to create a new list.

In WebCenter Portal, you can create a list using one of the following methods:

- Create a blank list for which you create and configure all columns (up to 30).

- Create a list from a template, and use the template or modify the template.

- Create a list from a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

This section describes how to create a list using each method.

To create a list:

1. Go to the Lists page (or console) of the portal where you want to create a list.

See Also:

For information about navigating to a Lists page, see Section 30.2.1, "Viewing Lists." If the Lists page is not exposed, you will not be able to create a new list.

2. In the Lists panel toolbar, click the Create a new list icon (Figure 30-5).

Figure 30-5 Create a New List Icon on a Lists Page

3. In the Create List dialog, enter a name for the list in the Name field (Figure 30-6).

Figure 30-6 Create List Dialog

4. Optionally, in the Description field enter a description of the list.

Tip:

In a completed list, the description appears between the list title and list data.

5. For Create From, select to create the list using a predefined Template or from an Excel Spreadsheet.

6. If you select to create a list from a Template, select a template from the Template drop-down list:

- Custom List—To create a list without using a template.

- Issues—To create a list of, for example, project issues. By default, this template provides the columns No., Description, Target Date, Assigned, Status, and Comments.

- Milestones—To create a list of, for example, project milestones. By default, this template provides the columns Date, Description, and Status.

- Objectives—To create a list of, for example, project objectives. By default, this template provides the columns Title and Description.

If you select to create a list from an Excel Spreadsheet, click Browse to navigate to and select the spreadsheet:

- The first row of the spreadsheet is used as column headings. The subsequent rows are added as data.

- All the columns are created with the data type Plain Text. After creation, you can modify the data types as desired. For information about data types, see Table 30-1.

Tip:

You can use the Excel Spreadsheet option to import a list from a different portal or from a different WebCenter Portal instance. That is, you can export the list from the portal or WebCenter Portal instance and import it into the current portal or instance.

7. Click OK.
The new list appears in the Lists panel on the Lists page (Figure 30-7).

Figure 30-7 Newly Created List on the Lists Page (Console)

You may now revise default list columns and add new columns to the list by clicking the Edit list icon. For more information, see Section 30.2.2.2, "Editing List Structure." For a custom list, you must add columns to the list before you can add rows.

See Also:

For information about adding new list rows, see Section 30.2.3, "Adding and Managing List Data."

30.2.2.2 Editing List Structure

When you edit list structure, you can revise everything about the list. For example, you can change column details; remove, add, and rearrange columns; and rename or add another description for the list.

Note:

You can edit a list if the Lists page or console is available. If your portal moderator has placed a list viewer on a page, you will not be able to create or edit a list.

This section describes the various tasks you can perform while editing a list structure. It contains the following topics:

- Section 30.2.2.2.1, "Renaming a List and Revising a List Description"

- Section 30.2.2.2.2, "Adding Columns to a List"

- Section 30.2.2.2.3, "Revising List Column Details"

- Section 30.2.2.2.4, "Rearranging List Columns on All Instances of a List"

- Section 30.2.2.2.5, "Deleting a List Column"

30.2.2.2.1 Renaming a List and Revising a List Description

To rename a list and revise a list description:

1. Go to the portal where you want to rename a list or revise a list description, and open its Lists page.

See Also:

For information about navigating to a Lists page, see Section 30.2.1, "Viewing Lists." If the Lists page is not exposed, you will not be able to rename a new list or revise its description.

2. In the Lists panel, select the list you want to change, and click the Edit list icon (Figure 30-8).

Figure 30-8 Edit List Icon on LIsts Page

The list displays in edit list mode (Figure 30-9).

Figure 30-9 List in Edit List Mode

3. Click Edit to the right of the Name field to open the Edit List dialog (Figure 30-10).

Figure 30-10 Edit List Dialog

4. Revise the list name, and enter or revise the description.

5. Click OK to close the dialog and save your changes.

6. Click the Close button in edit list mode to return to view list mode.
For example, if you add a description, notice the description at the top of the list, under the list name (Figure 30-11).

Figure 30-11 List Description

30.2.2.2.2 Adding Columns to a List

This procedure is useful when you create a custom list or you want to alter a list that you created from a template or a spreadsheet.

Note:

A list supports up to 30 columns.

When you add a column to a list, the new column is added after the selected column. If no column is selected, the new column is added as the first column.

To add columns to a list:

1. Go to the Lists page of the portal where you want to add columns to a list.

See Also:

For information about navigating to a Lists page, see Section 30.2.1, "Viewing Lists." If the Lists page is not exposed, you will not be able to add columns.

2. In the Lists panel, select the list to which to add columns and click the Edit list icon (Figure 30-12).

Figure 30-12 Edit List Icon

The Lists page displays in edit list mode (Figure 30-13).

Figure 30-13 List in Edit List Mode

3. Under Columns, click the Create button to open the Create Column dialog (Figure 30-14).

Figure 30-14 Create Column Dialog

Tip:

Select a column to add a new column after it.

4. In the Name field, provide a name for this column.

5. From the Data Type list, select the type of data you want to enter in this column.

Note:

The data type you select affects the type of data that can be entered for the column and the way the data is rendered (see Table 30-1 and Table 30-2). It also affects the type of validation that is done on column data when you and other authorized users add list rows. For example, if you select a DateTime data type, and a user enters text that is not in the DateTime format, WebCenter Portal displays an error.

Table 30-1 lists and describes the data types available to list columns, and provides information about the additional details that appear for each type.

See Also:

For information about additional column details, see Table 30-2, "Data Type Column Details".

Table 30-1 Data Type Selections for List Columns

Data Type

Description

Comments

Plain Text

Unformatted text, provides options for making the text a link

Additional column details include:

- Required

- Default Value

- Maximum Length

- Number of Lines for Editing

- Allow Links

- Link Window

- Display Width

- Hint

Rich Text

Rich, formatted text entered through a rich text editor, may include links

Additional column details include:

- Required

- Display Width

- Hint

Number

Numerical values

Additional column details include:

- Required

- Format

- Default Value

- Minimum Value

- Maximum Value

- Display Width

- Hint

For Format, select from:

- Number—an unformatted number; decimal separator is based on the currently selected locale. For more information, see Section 3.2, "Choosing Your Preferred Display Language."

- Currency—value is formatted as a currency value; the currency symbol and decimal separator are based on the currently selected locale. For more information, see Section 3.2, "Choosing Your Preferred Display Language."

- Percent—value is formatted as a percentage; the value 0.6 is formatted as 0.6%; the value 60 is formatted as 60%.

The Number data type supports numbers from ±1.79769313486231570e+308 with 14 to 15 significant digits.Foot 1

DateTime

Dates and times in the format specified in a given user's WebCenter Portal Preferences (for more information, see Section 3.3, "Setting Date and Time Preferences"

Additional column details include:

- Required

- Format

- Default Value

- Display Width

- Hint

For Format, select from:

- Date—For requiring a date.

- Time—For requiring a time.

- Date and Time—For requiring a date and a time.

The way the selected Format is rendered is controlled by the user's date and time preferences.

The Default Value field includes a date picker, which you can use to select a default date in the correct format. The current date has a box around it, for example, April 15th, in the following figure.

This field does not require leading zeroes, for example, it does not require 04/04/2013. Instead, you can use 4/4/2013.

Boolean

Either TRUE or FALSE

Additional column details include:

- Default Value

- Display Width

- Hint

TRUE or FALSE is rendered as a check box. Selected equals TRUE; deselected equals FALSE.

Picture

A URL to an image (the image is rendered in list view mode)

Additional column details include:

- Required

- Display Width

- Hint

Person

A valid user name

Additional column details include:

- Required

- Range of Users

- Default Value

- Display Width

- Hint

The Range of Users field enables you to limit the valid range of users to the membership of the current portal (or to include all users). The Default Value field includes a Find user icon, which you can use to locate and select a default user. For tips on searching for a user in the identity store, see the "Searching for a User or Group in the Identity Store" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

The list column contains a presence indicator next to the user name. Click the presence indicator to open a context menu with options for making contact with the person instantly. For more information, see Section 10.4.1, "Viewing the Status of Other Users."

Footnote 1 Number data-type columns adhere to the range and precision specified for the 8 byte IEEE 754 double data type. When the maximum number of significant digits is exceeded, the number is rounded.

6. After you select a data type, enter values for the remaining fields.
Table 30-2 lists the possible remaining fields and their associated data types.

Table 30-2 Data Type Column Details

Column Detail

Description

Associated Data Type(s)

Allow Links

Specify whether to allow column data to be hyperlinked. Specifying Allow Links enables the user to enter both a column value and a URL. If a URL is specified, the column value is rendered as a hyperlink.

Plain Text

Default Value

Optionally, provide a default value for the column entry, such as a default image, number, user name, and the like.

- Plain Text

- Number

- DateTime

- Boolean

- Person

Display Width

Enter a value in pixels to set the column width.

All data types

Format

Use this pick list to specify the format for column values. For more information, see Table 30-1.

- Number

- DateTime

Hint

Enter text to assist the user in understanding the content to enter into the column. This text appears when focus is on this column in edit list data mode.

All data types

Link Window

Indicate how a hyperlink on column data should open.

Choose from:

- New Window—The link opens in a new browser tab or window.

- Current Window—The link opens in the current browser window.

Plain Text

Maximum Length

Enter the maximum number of characters for this column entry. This includes character spaces.

Plain Text

Maximum Value

Indicate the highest number that can be entered in this column.

Number

Minimum Value

Indicate the lowest number that can be entered in this column.

Number

Number of Lines for Editing

Indicate the number of lines to make available for editing. When the value is 1, the user enters data in a single line text field when editing list data. Long values scroll horizontally. When the value is greater than 1, the user enters data in a multiline text field. Long values scroll vertically. This makes entering and viewing large values much easier.

Plain Text

Range of Users

Indicate whether to limit the selection of users to members of the current portal (portal Members) or to allow a selection from all authenticated users (All Users).

Person

Required

Select this check box to require that data is entered in this column.

- Plain Text

- Rich Text

- DateTime

- Number

- Picture

- Person

7. Click OK to save your changes and exit the dialog.

8. Click Close to exit List Edit mode.

30.2.2.2.3 Revising List Column Details

You can revise every detail of a list column. That is, you can rename the column, change the column data type, require a value, or remove a value requirement. Keep in mind, however, if you change a column data type, any values currently entered in the list column are either converted to the new data type or removed irrevocably.

For example, if you move from a Plain Text data type to a Number data type, values that can be converted to a number are retained; other values are removed. Before any values are removed by the change, you are asked for confirmation. In contrast, if you move from a Number data type to a Plain Text data type, all values are retained.

Note:

Validation occurs only on data entry. If a user changes column details after data has been entered into the column, the existing data is not affected (that is, validated) even if it does not meet the new column detail conditions on the columns.

If you want to validate new list data, you can export the list data to an Excel spreadsheet and then import it. Upon import, all the rows are validated. The rows that fail validation are noted. You can fix invalid rows in the spreadsheet and import again.

See Also:

For more information, see Section 30.2.6, "Exporting a List and Importing a List from an Excel Spreadsheet."

To revise list column details:

1. Go to the Lists page of the portal where you want to revise list column details.

See Also:

For information about navigating to a Lists page, see Section 30.2.1, "Viewing Lists." If the Lists page is not exposed, you will not be able to revise column details.

2. In the Lists panel, select the list you want to change and click the Edit list icon (Figure 30-15).

Figure 30-15 Edit List Icon

The Lists page opens in edit list mode (Figure 30-16).

Figure 30-16 List in Edit List Mode

3. Under Columns, select the list column you want to revise and click Edit (Figure 30-17).

Figure 30-17 Edit Column

The Edit Column dialog opens (Figure 30-18).

Figure 30-18 Edit Column Dialog

4. Edit column details as you prefer.
See Section 30.2.2.2.2, "Adding Columns to a List" for information about column details.

5. Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog.

6. Click the Close button to exit edit list mode.

30.2.2.2.4 Rearranging List Columns on All Instances of a List

You can rearrange list columns in the list structure, affecting all instances of a list, by clicking rearrange icons or by dragging and dropping.

See Also:

For information about rearranging column order of a particular list instance in your view or everyone's view, see Section 30.2.4.3, "Changing Column Order on a List Instance."

To rearrange columns on all instances of a list:

1. Go to the Lists page of the portal where you want to rearrange list columns.

See Also:

For information about navigating to a Lists page, see Section 30.2.1, "Viewing Lists." If the Lists page is not exposed, you will not be able to rearrange column details on all instances of a list.

2. In the Lists panel, select the list you want to change and click the Edit list icon to open the list edit mode (see Figure 30-16).

3. In the Columns section, click an icon under the Reorder column to move a column higher or lower in the order of columns (Figure 30-19).

Figure 30-19 Reorder Column Icons on Edit List Page

Tip:

Moving a column higher causes it to appear further to the left in column display order. Moving a column lower causes it to appear further to the right.

Alternatively, drag and drop a column higher or lower in the column hierarchy.

4. Click the Close button to exit list edit mode.

30.2.2.2.5 Deleting a List Column

To delete a list column:

1. Go to the Lists page of the portal where you want to delete list columns.

See Also:

For information about navigating to a Lists page, see Section 30.2.1, "Viewing Lists." If the Lists page is not exposed, you will not be able to delete columns in a list.

2. In the Lists panel, select the list you want to change and click the Edit list icon to open the list edit mode (Figure 30-20).

Figure 30-20 List in Edit List Mode

3. Select a column, and click the Delete button (Figure 30-21).

Figure 30-21 Delete Button on Edit List Page

4. In the resulting confirmation dialog, click the Delete button to complete the deletion.

5. Click the Close button to exit list edit mode.

30.2.2.3 Copying a List

You can use an existing list as a template simply by copying it. First, copy the list, and then edit the copied list.

To copy a list:

1. Go to the Lists page of the portal that contains the list you want to copy.

See Also:

For information about navigating to a Lists page, see Section 30.2.1, "Viewing Lists."

You can copy a list if the Lists page is available. If your portal moderator has placed a list viewer on a page, you will not be able to copy a list.

2. In the Lists panel, select the list you want to copy.

3. Click the Copy List icon (Figure 30-22).

Figure 30-22 Copy List Icon on the LIsts Page (Console)

A copy of the list becomes available for selection in the Lists panel (Figure 30-23).

Figure 30-23 Copy of a List

4. Rename the list and edit the list structure.
For information about changing the list name or description, see Section 30.2.2.2.1, "Renaming a List and Revising a List Description." For information about revising list structure, see Section 30.2.2.2, "Editing List Structure."

30.2.2.4 Deleting Lists

To delete a list:

1. Go to the Lists page of the portal that contains the list you want to delete.

See Also:

For information about navigating to a Lists page, see Section 30.2.1, "Viewing Lists."

You can delete a list if the Lists page is available. If your portal moderator has placed a list viewer on a page, you will not be able to delete a list.

2. In the Lists panel, select the list you want to delete.
To select multiple lists, press Ctrl + Click; to select a range of lists, press Shift + Click.

3. Click the Delete list icon (Figure 30-24).

Figure 30-24 Delete List Icon on the Lists Page (Console)

4. In the resulting confirmation dialog, click the Delete button.
After confirmation, the selected lists are removed from the Lists panel.

30.2.3 Adding and Managing List Data

After you have created a list structure, you and other users who have access can add data to the list. This section describes how to add, edit, and refresh list data, and how to delete lists rows. It includes the following topics:

- Section 30.2.3.1, "Adding Data of a Given Data Type to a List"

- Section 30.2.3.2, "Editing List Data"

- Section 30.2.3.3, "Deleting List Rows"

- Section 30.2.3.4, "Refreshing List Data"

- Section 30.2.3.5, "Working with Links in Lists and List Rows"

See Also:

See Section 30.2.2, "Creating and Managing Lists" for more information about list structure. See Table 30-1 and Table 30-2 for more information about list data types.

30.2.3.1 Adding Data of a Given Data Type to a List

This section describes how to add data to a list. When you add data to a list, you do so row-by-row (unless you are importing a spreadsheet). The placement of a new row depends on the following considerations:

- When you add a new row, it is created after the selected row.

- If no row is selected, the new row is created as the first row.

- After you save, list data is refreshed and rows are shown in sort order.

See Also:

for more information, see Section 30.2.4.1, "Sorting List Data on a Column."

You can add one or multiple list rows before you add content, or you can create a list row and add content to it right away.

This section provides an overview procedure for adding list data, and steps you through how to add data for the supported data type. It includes the following topics:

- Section 30.2.3.1.1, "Adding Data to a List"

- Section 30.2.3.1.2, "Adding Plain Text Data to a List"

- Section 30.2.3.1.3, "Adding Rich Text Data to a List"

- Section 30.2.3.1.4, "Adding DateTime Data to a List"

- Section 30.2.3.1.5, "Adding Picture Data to a List"

- Section 30.2.3.1.6, "Adding Person Data to a List"

Tip:

The Number and Boolean data types are not included here because, for a Number data type, you simply enter a number, and, for a Boolean data type, you simply select or deselect a check box.

30.2.3.1.1 Adding Data to a List

To add data to a list:

1. Go to the Lists page or the List viewer that displays the list you want to populate with data, and click the Edit List Data icon (Figure 30-25).

Figure 30-25 Edit List Data Icon

Tip:

You can also enter list edit mode by selecting Edit from the Actions drop-down list or by pressing Crtl + E.

The List Data appears in Edit mode (Figure 30-26).

Figure 30-26 List Data in Edit Mode

2. Click the Add a New Row button to add a row to the list (Figure 30-27).

Figure 30-27 Add A New Row Icon on a List

Tip:

You can also start the add-row process by selecting Add Row from the Actions drop-down list or by pressing Ctrl + I.

The new row is added after the selected row. If no row is selected, it is added as the first row (Figure 30-28).

Figure 30-28 A Newly Added Row

3. Add data to the new row.

Tip:

You can only edit the row with focus. Click a row to give it focus and edit it.

4. Repeat the steps to create new rows and add data.

5. When you finish adding rows and data, click Save to save your changes and then click Close to exit edit list data mode.

Tip:

To save, you can also select Save from the Actions drop-down list, or press Ctrl+M. To close, click Close, or select Close from the Actions drop-down list, or press Ctrl+Q.

When you save your changes, the list data is refreshed and the rows are rendered in sort order (for more information, see Section 30.2.4.1, "Sorting List Data on a Column").

30.2.3.1.2 Adding Plain Text Data to a List

The Plain Text data type allows for the entry of unformatted text, and provides options for making the text a link.

Tip:

To create a hyperlink on a Plain Text data type, the list column must be configured to allow the creation of hyperlinks. For more information, see Section 30.2.2.2.2, "Adding Columns to a List."

To enter Plain Text data into a list row:

1. Open the edit list data mode (see Section 30.2.3.1.1, "Adding Data to a List").

2. Go to the column row that is formatted to support the Plain Text data type:

- To enter unlinked text, enter text in the field provided.

- To enter linked text (Allow Links is selected in the Create/Edit Column dialog):

1. Click the Edit Column Link icon to the right of the data entry field (Figure 30-29).

Figure 30-29 Edit Column Link Icon

2. In the resulting Edit Column Link dialog, enter text in the Text field, and enter a full URL in the Link Location field (Figure 30-30).

Figure 30-30 Edit Column Link Dialog

3. Click OK.

Tip:

To remove a link, click the Edit Column Link icon, and delete the URL from the resulting dialog.

3. When you finish adding rows and data, click Save to save your changes and click Close to exit the edit list data mode.

Tip:

To save, you can also select Save from the Actions menu, or press Ctrl+M. To close, click Close, or select Close from the Actions drop-down list, or press Ctrl+Q.

If both text and a link location were specified, the text is rendered as a hyperlink (Figure 30-31).

Figure 30-31 A Plain Text Field with a Hyperlink

30.2.3.1.3 Adding Rich Text Data to a List

The Rich Text data type allows for the entry of rich, formatted text through a rich text editor. Rich text may include links.

To enter Rich Text data into a list row:

1. Open the edit list data mode (see Section 30.2.3.1.1, "Adding Data to a List").

2. Go to the column that is formatted to support the Rich Text data type, and click the Edit Text icon to the right of the data entry field (Figure 30-32).

Figure 30-32 Edit Text Icon

3. Enter text and apply styles according to your requirements in the rich text editor (Figure 30-33).

4. To add a link:

1. Highlight the link text, and click the Add Link icon in the editor's toolbar (Figure 30-33).

Figure 30-33 Add Link through Rich Text Editor

2. In the resulting dialog, enter a URL in the field provided.

3. Click OK.

Tip:

To remove a link, highlight the linked text and click the Remove Link icon.

5. Click OK to exit the editor.

6. When you finish adding rows and data, click Save to save your changes and click Close to exit edit list data mode.

Tip:

To save, you can also select Save from the Actions menu, or press Ctrl+M. To close, click Close, or select Close from the Actions drop-down list, or press Ctrl+Q.

30.2.3.1.4 Adding DateTime Data to a List

The DateTime data type allows for the entry of dates and times in the format specified in a given user's WebCenter Portal Preferences (for more information, see Section 3.3, "Setting Date and Time Preferences").

To enter DateTime data into a list row:

1. Open the edit list data mode (see Section 30.2.3.1.1, "Adding Data to a List").

2. Go to the column that is formatted to support the DateTime data type, and enter a value or click the Select <date-time data type> icon to the right of the data entry field (Figure 30-34).

Figure 30-34 Select Date and Time Icon

3. If you click the icon, from the resulting calendar, select a date, a time, or a date and time, according to the column's requirements (Figure 30-35).

Figure 30-35 Date Time Picker

4. If the column requires just a date, the calendar closes after you select a value.
If the calendar requires a time or a date and time, click OK to close the calendar.

5. When you finish adding rows and data, click Save to save your changes and click Close to exit edit list data mode.

Tip:

To save, you can also select Save from the Actions menu, or press Ctrl+M. To close, click Close, or select Close from the Actions drop-down list, or press Ctrl+Q.

30.2.3.1.5 Adding Picture Data to a List

The Picture data type allows for the entry of a URL to an image (the image is rendered in list view mode).

To enter a Picture data type into a list row:

1. Open the edit list data mode (see Section 30.2.3.1.1, "Adding Data to a List").

2. Go to the column that is formatted to support the Picture data type, and enter a URL to a picture or click the Edit Picture icon to the right of the data entry field (Figure 30-36).

Figure 30-36 Edit Picture Icon

3. Click the icon and, in the Edit Picture dialog, enter the URL to an image in the Picture Location field (Figure 30-37).
For example, enter:

http://www.oracleimg.com/admin/images/ocom/hp/oralogo_small.gif

Figure 30-37 Edit Picture Dialog

Tip:

The image must be available in a location that does not require login credentials for access.

You can select an image that is located in your WebCenter Portal Document Library. In the Documents view, select the image and use the Get a Link option on the View drop-down list to access a link to the image. Copy the link and paste it into the Picture Location field.

4. Provide ALT text for the image in the Description field.

5. Click OK.

6. When you finish adding rows and data, click Save to save your changes and click Close to exit the edit list data mode.

Tip:

To save, you can also select Save from the Actions drop-down list, or press Ctrl+M. To close, or click Close, select Close from the Actions drop-down list, or press Ctrl+Q.

30.2.3.1.6 Adding Person Data to a List

The Person data type allows for the entry of a user name from your company's identity store. The selection of a Person may be further limited to the members of the current portal. If you search for a user name, the values returned indicate whether such a limit is in place.

To enter a Person data type into a list row:

1. Open the edit list data mode (see Section 30.2.3.1.1, "Adding Data to a List").

2. Go to the column that is formatted to support the Person data type, and enter a user name or click the Find user icon to the right of the data entry field (Figure 30-38).
For tips on searching for a user in the identity store, see the "Searching for a User or Group in the Identity Store" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Figure 30-38 Find User Icon

If you click the Find user icon, search for a user name in the Search field and then click the Search icon. Either all names in your company LDAP directory, or those users who belong to the current portal, that match your search criteria appear in the results area.

3. Select a user, and click OK to populate the field with your selection.

4. When you finish adding rows and data, click Save to save your changes and click Close to exit the edit list data mode.

Tip:

To save, you can also select Save from the Actions drop-down list, or press Ctrl+M. To close, or click Close, select Close from the Actions drop-down list, or press Ctrl+Q.

30.2.3.2 Editing List Data

When a list is in edit mode, you can edit one or multiple list rows. In edit mode, you can initiate a row edit simply by clicking within the row. You can continue to click in rows and edit row content until you exit edit mode.

To edit list data:

1. Go to the list that contains data you want to edit, and click Edit List Data (Figure 30-39).

Figure 30-39 Edit List Data Icon

The selected list row opens in Edit mode (Figure 30-40).

Figure 30-40 Edit List Mode

2. Click any list row to revise its data (Figure 30-41).

Figure 30-41 A Selected Row for Edit

Tip:

The type of list data affects the action that you take:

- To edit a Picture data type, click the Edit Picture icon next to the data entry field. Enter the URL to the picture and ALT text.

- To edit a Rich Text data type, click the Edit Text icon next to the data entry field to launch the editor.

- To edit a hyperlink in a column that allows links, click the Edit Link icon.

3. Continue clicking rows and revising data until you are finished.

4. When you finish adding rows and data, click Save to save your changes and click Close to exit the edit list data mode.

Tip:

To save, you can also select Save from the Actions drop-down list, or press Ctrl+M. To close, or click Close, select Close from the Actions drop-down list, or press Ctrl+Q.

30.2.3.3 Deleting List Rows

You can delete one or multiple list rows in one operation.

Tip:

Selecting a row and clicking Delete marks a list row for deletion. The row is removed from your view, but the list data continues to exist in the WebCenter Portal's repository. The actual delete takes place when you save the change.

To delete one or multiple list rows:

1. Go to the list that contains the rows to delete.

2. Click the Edit List Data icon to open the list in edit mode (Figure 30-42).

Figure 30-42 Edit List Mode

3. Select one or more rows to delete.
In Windows, use Ctrl+Click to select multiple rows. In UNIX, simply click multiple rows. In both operating systems, use Shift+Click to select a range of rows.

4. Click Delete (Figure 30-43).

Figure 30-43 Delete Button For a Selected Row

The selected rows marked for deletion are removed from your view of the list.

5. Click Save to save your changes and click Close to exit the edit list mode.

Tip:

To save, you can also select Save from the Actions drop-down list, or press Ctrl+M. To close, click Close, or select Close from the Actions drop-down list, or press Ctrl+Q.

30.2.3.4 Refreshing List Data

All lists come with a Refresh List icon, which you can click to refresh the display of list data (Figure 30-44).

Note:

Do not click the Reload or Refresh button in your browser. Click the Refresh List icon to update your view.

Figure 30-44 Refresh List Icon

30.2.3.5 Working with Links in Lists and List Rows

Links assist with setting up associations from one WebCenter Portal asset to another. For example, using links you can associate a project plan document with a list of project issues. When users access the list, they can also immediately access the project plan by clicking a link that appears on the list.

Links retain their originating location. For example, if you create a link on a list row, then that link appears only on that row, and not on all the other rows in the same list (Figure 30-45). Suppose you link to a project plan document from the list row that has an associated task, the link to that document appears only on that row's Links dialog. It does not display on the Links dialog associated with the other rows on the same list.

Figure 30-45 Links in a List and Rows

See Chapter 31, "Linking Information in WebCenter Portal" for more information about working with links.

30.2.4 Customizing Lists

You can perform user customizations on your own view of a list instance. The portal moderator can perform application customizations on a list instance, affecting everyone's view. User customizations involve changes made in page view mode; while application customizations involve changes made in page edit mode (that is, in Composer). Everyone can perform user customizations on their own view of a list, but page edit privileges are always required for application-level list customizations.

Note:

User and application customizations apply to a list rendered in a List viewer. They do not apply to lists rendered on the Lists page.

A second instance of a list is not affected by the customizations you make to the first instance. For example, imagine that you have placed the Issues list on both the Sales page and the What's New page. If you sort the list by the Number column on the Sales page, the Issues list is not automatically sorted by Number on the What's New page.

While application customizations affect everyone's view of a list instance, user customizations are layered over them. For example, someone may perform an application customization on a list containing columns A, B, and C, so that column C is first in list column order (C, A, B). You can then perform a user customization on the list so that column A is first in list column order in your personal view of the same list instance (A, C, B).

Note:

If the same property is set at both the application and user levels, the user value takes precedence in your own view. For application-level customizations, see the "Customizing Lists" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

This section describes various user-level customizations you can make to a list instance. It includes the following topics:

- Section 30.2.4.1, "Sorting List Data on a Column"

- Section 30.2.4.2, "Resizing List Columns"

- Section 30.2.4.3, "Changing Column Order on a List Instance"

- Section 30.2.4.4, "Hiding and Showing List Columns"

- Section 30.2.4.5, "Freezing a Column Position"

- Section 30.2.4.6, "Wrapping Column Data"

- Section 30.2.4.7, "Applying Color Banding to List Rows"

- Section 30.2.4.8, "Filtering List Data"

30.2.4.1 Sorting List Data on a Column

By default, list data is sorted by create date. You can control the sort order of list data by clicking sort icons in each column's header. You can perform an advanced sort using the View drop-down list options.

Sort list data in the List viewer. You can sort list data on the Lists page, but the sort does not persist. It will revert if you change lists or navigate away from the page.

Note:

To sort list data on a column position in your view, perform the following actions in page view mode. To sort list data on a column for all users, the application specialist or portal moderator can perform the following actions in page edit mode (in Composer).

This section describes regular and advanced sorting. It includes the following topics:

- Section 30.2.4.1.1, "Sorting List Data Using Column Icons"

- Section 30.2.4.1.2, "Performing an Advanced Sorting of List Data"

Note:

When WebCenter Portal is using an Oracle database, a click on a column header in the List View results in a linguistic sort order based on your locale. For non-Oracle databases, the sorting is based on the linguistic sorting specified in the database (collation in the case of SQL Server). This means when you connect to a WebCenter Portal instance in different languages, list rows are sorted according to the default collation of the database, regardless of the language your application is currently using.

30.2.4.1.1 Sorting List Data Using Column Icons

To sort list data on a column using column icons:

1. Go to the list instance you want to change.

2. Go to the column you want to sort, and position your mouse over the column header.
Notice that the sort icons appear when your mouse is over the column header (Figure 30-46).

Figure 30-46 Sort Icons on a List Column

3. Click the Sort Ascending icon to sort the list in ascending order (1, 2, 3, a, b, c); or click the Sort Descending icon to sort the list in descending order (c, b, a, 3, 2, 1).

Tip:

You can also sort list data on a column by selecting a column and then selecting Sort and then Ascending or Descending from the View drop-down list. You can right-click a column and select these options from a context menu.

30.2.4.1.2 Performing an Advanced Sorting of List Data

The View drop-down list provides an Advanced option that provides another way to sort list data.

To use the Advanced option to sort list data:

1. Go to the list instance you want to change.

2. From the View drop-down list, select Sort and then select Advanced to open the Advanced Sort dialog (Figure 30-47).

Figure 30-47 Advanced Sort Dialog

3. From the Sort By list, select the column to be considered first in sorting list data.
The Sort By and Then By fields are arranged in order of precedence, with Sort By considered first, and Then By in second and third positions.

4. Select either Ascending, to sort list data on the selected column in ascending order (1, 2, 3, a, b, c), or Descending, to sort list data on the selected column in descending order (c, b, a, 3, 2, 1).

Note:

Currently, you can sort against only one column.

5. Click OK.

Tip:

You can access the options described in this section by right-clicking a column header and selecting from a context menu.

30.2.4.2 Resizing List Columns

You can control the width of a list column by dragging it wider or by setting a specific column width through a dialog. You can also control column width by expressing a default width in column details (for more information, see the Display Width detail in Table 30-2).

Resize columns in the List viewer. You can resize columns on the Lists page, but these are not persisted and will revert when changing lists or navigating away.

Note:

To resize list columns in your view, perform the following actions in page view mode. To resize list columns for all users, the application specialist or portal moderator can perform the following actions in page edit mode (in Composer).

To resize list columns:

Note:

To resize list columns, the list must contain at least one row.

1. Go to the list instance you want to change.

2. Resize columns using one of the following methods:

- Click and hold on a column splitter, and drag it to make the column wider or narrower.

- In the list, select the column to resize.
From the Format drop-down list, select Resize Columns.

In the Resize Column dialog, enter a column width and select a unit of measure (Figure 30-48).

Figure 30-48 Resize Column Dialog

Choose from the following options:

- Pixels—Express column width in a specified number of pixels.

- Percent—Express column width as a percentage of the total list width.

Tip:

You can access the options described in the section by right-clicking a column and selecting from a context menu.

3. Click OK.

30.2.4.3 Changing Column Order on a List Instance

You can rearrange the order of list columns by dragging a column and dropping it to the desired position or by using the reorder dialog.

Note:

To change column order on a list instance in your view, perform the following actions in page view mode. To change column order on a list instance for all users, the application specialist or portal moderator can perform the following actions in page edit mode.

To change column order:

Note:

To reorder columns by dragging, the list must have at least one row.

You can only change column order in the List viewer. You cannot change column order on the Lists page.

1. Go to the list instance you want to change.

2. Rearrange list columns using one of the following methods:

- Click and hold a list column title, then drag and drop it to the desired location.

- Select Reorder Columns from the View drop-down list.
In the Reorder Column dialog, select a column and click a Move icon to the right of the list of Visible Columns to reposition your selection (Figure 30-49).

Figure 30-49 Reorder Columns Dialog

Tip:

You can access the options described in the section by right-clicking a column and selecting from a context menu.

3. Repeat until you have columns arranged in the desired order.

4. Click OK.

30.2.4.4 Hiding and Showing List Columns

You can use an option on a list's View drop-down list to hide selected list columns.

Note:

To hide or show columns in your view, perform the following actions in page view mode. To hide or show columns for all users, the application specialist or portal moderator can perform the following actions in page edit mode.

Hide or show list columns in the List viewer. You can hide or show columns on the Lists page, but this setting does not persist and reverts when changing lists or navigating away.

To hide or show list columns:

1. Go to the list instance you want to change.

2. From the View drop-down list, select Columns (Figure 30-50):

Figure 30-50 Columns Submenu from the View Drop-down List

- Select a column you want to show (a check mark appears on the menu next to shown columns).

- Deselect a column you want to hide (no check mark appears on the menu next to hidden columns).

- Select Show All to show all columns (all columns are selected on the menu).

- Select Manage Columns to open the Manage Column dialog (Figure 30-51). Select a column and use the arrow icon to move it appropriately. You can show or hide all columns by selecting the Move all or Remove all arrow icon.

Figure 30-51 Manage Columns Dialog

3. Click OK.

30.2.4.5 Freezing a Column Position

When a list is too wide to display all of its columns in one view, you can scroll the list left and right. If there is a column you always want to keep in view, you can use column freezing to hold a column in place during scrolling. Freezing causes a selected column to hold its position while the columns to the right of it scroll by. You can set Freeze on one column of a given list instance. Freezing holds in place the selected column and any column to the left of it.

Note:

To freeze a column position in your view, perform the following actions in page view mode. To freeze a column position for all users, the application specialist or portal moderator can perform the following actions in page edit mode.

To freeze a column position:

1. Go to the list with a column you want to freeze.

2. Select the relevant column by clicking its header.
The Freeze icon becomes available.

3. Click Freeze (Figure 30-52).

Tip:

You can also freeze a column by selecting it and then selecting Freeze from the View menu.

Figure 30-52 Freeze Options

To unfreeze a column, select the column, and click the Freeze icon again or select Unfreeze from the View drop-down list.

Tip:

You can access the options described in the section by right-clicking a column and selecting from a context menu.

30.2.4.6 Wrapping Column Data

Use the Wrap feature to control whether to allow column data to wrap in a selected list column. Data that wraps breaks onto additional lines if it would otherwise exceed the column width. Data that does not wrap, shows only as much data as fits into the current column width. You can, however, widen the column to view the data if you prefer (see Section 30.2.4.2, "Resizing List Columns").

Note:

By default, column data is wrapped.

To wrap column data:

1. Go to the list in which to wrap column data.

2. Select the relevant column by clicking its header.

3. Click Wrap.
Toggle the Wrap icon or the Wrap menu item to wrap text or turn the text wrap off.

Tip:

You can also wrap data by selecting the column and then selecting Wrap from the Format drop-down list.

You can access the options described in the section by right-clicking a column and selecting from a context menu.

If any data was previously truncated, it now appears in the row with line breaks to accommodate the column's width.

To turn wrapping off, select the relevant column and click the Wrap icon again or select Wrap from the Format drop-down list.

30.2.4.7 Applying Color Banding to List Rows

Color banding refers to a transparent overlay of color applied at specified intervals to list rows or columns. When you define color banding on a list, you specify whether to apply color banding and how often to apply it.

You can easily enhance the readability of a list by applying row or column color banding.

You can apply color banding to your personal view of a list instance or to everyone's view of a list instance. To apply color banding for all users, the application specialist or portal moderator has to perform the task in page edit mode.

Note:

You can only apply color banding in the List viewer. You cannot apply color banding on the Lists page.

This section contains the following topics:

- Section 30.2.4.7.1, "Applying Color Banding to Your Personal View of a List"

- Section 30.2.4.7.2, "Removing Personal Color Banding"

30.2.4.7.1 Applying Color Banding to Your Personal View of a List

You can apply color banding to list rows or to list columns.

To apply color banding to your personal view of a list instance:

1. Go to the list you want to change.

2. Click the Personalize icon on the header (Figure 30-53).

Figure 30-53 Personalize Icon

The Personalize List panel is displayed (Figure 30-54).

Figure 30-54 List in Personalize List Mode

3. From the Banding drop-down list, select a banding style for the list instance.
Choose from:

- Row—To specify color banding on list rows.

- Column—To specify color banding on list columns.

- None—To turn color banding off.

4. In the Interval field, enter the number of rows or columns in which color bands should not appear.
For example, when you apply color bands to rows, a value of 1 applies a color band to the second row, fourth row, sixth row, and so on.

5. Click Save to save your settings and return to the list.
List data is refreshed, now reflecting your color banding settings.

30.2.4.7.2 Removing Personal Color Banding

To remove personal color banding from a list:

1. Go to the list from which to remove color banding.

2. Click the Personalize icon on the header (Figure 30-53).
The Personalize List panel is displayed (Figure 30-54).

3. From the Banding drop-down list, select None.

4. Click Save to save your settings and return to the list.
List data is refreshed, now showing no color banding.

30.2.4.8 Filtering List Data

Lists provide data filtering options for your personal view of a list instance and for everyone's view of the instance. Filtering provides a means of limiting the display of list data to those rows that match your filtering criteria.

Temporary, personal filtering (also called ad hoc filtering) is available with both the List viewer and Lists page. Custom filtering that affects everyone's view of a list instance is available only with the List viewer.

This section describes the processes of applying ad hoc, permanent personal, and permanent list filters. It contains the following topics:

- Section 30.2.4.8.1, "Applying an Ad Hoc Filter to a List Instance"

- Section 30.2.4.8.2, "Applying a Permanent, Personal Filter to a List Instance"

- Section 30.2.4.8.3, "Removing a Permanent, Personal List Filter"

30.2.4.8.1 Applying an Ad Hoc Filter to a List Instance

Use ad hoc list filtering to easily find a particular list entry or group of entries in a list instance.

Note:

Ad hoc list filtering applies only to Plain Text and Person data types. Columns that use other data types, such as Date and Number, are not used in ad hoc filtering. For example, if you have dates shown in format dd-mon-yy and you filter on jan, you do not see rows with dates in January.

To apply an ad hoc filter to a list instance:

1. Go to the list that contains the data you want to temporarily filter.

2. Click the Filter Rows icon in the List toolbar (Figure 30-55).

Figure 30-55 Filter Rows Icon

Tip:

You can also select Filter Rows from the Actions menu.

The Filter field displays (Figure 30-56).

Figure 30-56 Filter Field

3. Enter space-separated keywords in the Filter field, and click the Filter icon to execute the filter.
All row details that match any of the keywords are shown.

4. Click the Filter Rows icon again to hide the Filter field and remove the temporary filter.

Tip:

You can also select Cancel Filter from the Actions drop-down list.

30.2.4.8.2 Applying a Permanent, Personal Filter to a List Instance

In addition to an ad hoc filter, you can apply a permanent personal filter to your view of a list instance. The term permanent is used to convey that you can keep your list filtered in a particular way for as long as you like. The filter is retained across page navigations within a browser session and across browser sessions.

It is still possible to remove such a filter. This section describes how to apply and remove a permanent personal filter.

To apply or remove a permanent filter on your view of a list instance:

1. Go to the list that contains the data you want to permanently filter.

2. Click the Personalize icon on the header (Figure 30-57).

Note:

The Personalize icon is available on a List viewer on a page. It is not available on a List viewer on the Lists page.

Figure 30-57 Personalize Icon

The Personalize List panel is displayed (Figure 30-58).

Figure 30-58 List in Personalize List Mode

3. From the Add Filter drop-down list, select a column against which to apply a filter.
The selected column name appears in the Filters section.

4. Select an operator from the list, and enter the filter value in the field provided (Figure 30-59).

Figure 30-59 Filter Operator and Value

The filter operators that appear on the list vary according to the data type of the selected column. Table 30-3 lists and describes filter operators as they apply to different data types.

Table 30-3 Filter Operators for List Data Types

Data Type

Description

Boolean

Use Boolean data type filter operators to specify that Boolean values in the selected list column must:

- = —Match the value you specify

- <>—Not match the value you specify

The Boolean value is expressed as a check box. A selected box means TRUE or YES; a deselected box means FALSE or NO.

DateTime

Use DateTime data type filter operators to specify that date and time values in the selected column must be:

- = —The same as the date or date and time that you specify

- >= —More recent or the same as the date or date and time that you specify

- <>—Any date or date and time other than the value you specify

- >—More recent than the date or date and time that you specify

- <= —Preceding or matching the date or date and time that you specify

- <—Preceding the date or date and time that you specify

Number

Use Number data type filter operators to specify that number values in the selected column must be:

- = —Equal to the value you specify

- >= —Equal to or greater than the value you specify

- <>—Greater or lesser than the value you specify

- >—Greater than the value you specify

- <= —Equal to or lesser than the value you specify

- <—Lesser than the value you specify

Person

Use Person data type filter operators to specify that person values in the selected list column must:

- = —Match the user name you specify

- Starts With—Start with the character(s) you specify

- Ends With—End with the character(s) you specify

- Contains—Include the character(s) you specify

- <>—Contain any user name other than the one you specify

Picture

You cannot apply filter operators to a Picture data type in a list.

Plain Text

Use Plain Text data type filter operators to specify that values in the selected column must:

- = —Match the characters you specify

- Starts With—Start with the character(s) you specify

- Contains—Include the character(s) you specify

- Ends With—End with the character(s) you specify

- <>—Contain any value other than the one you specify

Rich Text

You cannot apply filter operators to a Rich Text data type in a list.

5. When you define multiple filters, Match All Any options appear:

- Select All to require that displayed rows match all conditions.

- Select Any to require that displayed rows match at least one condition.

6. Click Save to save your filter criteria and return to the list.
The list is refreshed, now displaying data that matches your filter criteria.

30.2.4.8.3 Removing a Permanent, Personal List Filter

To remove a permanent, personal list filter:

1. Go to the list from which you want to remove personal filtering.

2. Click the Personalize icon on the Lists toolbar (Figure 30-60).

Note:

The Personalize icon is available on a List viewer on a page. It is not available on a List viewer on the Lists page.

Figure 30-60 Personalize Icon

The Personalize List panel is displayed.

3. Click the Remove icon next to the filtering criteria you want to remove (Figure 30-61).

Figure 30-61 Remove Icon on a Filter

4. Click Save.
The list data is refreshed, displaying data previously hidden by a filter.

30.2.5 Sending a Link to a List to Other Users

The list Actions drop-down list includes a Send Mail option for sending a link to a list through a mail message.

To send a link to a list through mail:

1. Go to the list instance you want to send as a link through mail.

2. From the list Actions drop-down list, select Send Mail (Figure 30-62).

Figure 30-62 Send Mail Option on Actions Drop-down List

A compose message window opens, addressed to portal members, with the following information:

- The name of the portal from which the list instance originates

- The list title and description

- A link to the portal

- A link to the list instance

Users click the link to the list instance to open a view of the list.

Note:

To view the list, users must have access to the portal that contains the list instance.

3. Compose the message and send as you would any other mail message.
See Section 11.4, "Working with Mail" for more information.

30.2.6 Exporting a List and Importing a List from an Excel Spreadsheet

You can export and import lists. If you can view the list, you can export it to Microsoft Excel 1997 - 2003 and 2007 formats and revise list data in Excel. If you have sufficient privileges to edit the list, you can import the revised list back into WebCenter Portal.

Tip:

You can also create a list by importing an Excel spreadsheet. See Section 30.2.2.1, "Creating Lists" for more information.

The following sections in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal describe how to export and import lists and provides information about additional software that may be of use in this process:

- "About Exporting and Importing Lists"

- "Exporting a List to a Spreadsheet"

- "Importing an Exported List"

31 Linking Information in WebCenter Portal

This chapter describes how to use the features provided through links. Links provide a way to view, access, and create associations between different assets where links are available.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 31.1, "About Links"

- Section 31.2, "Working with Links Features"

Permissions:

This chapter is intended for WebCenter Portal users who want to view, create, and manage links.

Such users must be granted, minimally, the portal-level permission View Pages and Content to view links. They can view shared links only for assets for which they have view permission.

Authenticated users who plan to create and manage links require the portal-level permission Customize Pages and Edit Content. They must have view permission on the resource. These permissions are granted by default to the portal Participant role. However, you might not be able to do some tasks if one or more of the following advanced permissions for links have been set:

- Create and Delete Links

- Create Links

- View Links

To associate links with other assets, such as announcements, discussions, documents, events, you must have the required permissions for those assets. See the "Managing Roles and Permissions for a Portal" chapter in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

31.1 About Links

Linking gives users a means of explicitly associating two assets with each other through easy-access reference points, called links. Links assist with setting up these associations from one WebCenter Portal asset to another. For example, using links you can associate a project plan document with a list of project issues. When users access the list, they can also immediately access the project plan by clicking a link that appears on the list (Figure 31-1). Links also provide a quick way to create new assets while establishing a link at the same time.

Figure 31-1 A Link in a List Row

Links are scoped to portals. For example, the links that display in the Finance portal differ from the links that display in the Infrastructure portal, even though links are accessed from the same places in both portals. The assets to which you can link also depend on the following:

- The tools that have been enabled in your portal. For more information, see the "Enabling and Disabling Tools and Services Available to a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

- The tools for which you have permissions. See the "About Roles and Permissions for a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Anywhere you see a Links icon, you can create a link to both new and existing assets.

There are two Links icons that each indicate the state of the Links dialog:

- The empty Links icon (Figure 31-2) indicates that no links are present in the Links dialog.

Figure 31-2 Links Icon (No Links Present)

- The gold Links icon (Figure 31-3) indicates that links are present in the Links dialog.

Figure 31-3 Links Icon (Links Present)

Use the Link to Existing option in the Links dialog to link to existing WebCenter Portal assets, such as documents, discussion forum topics, and announcements. See Section 31.2.1, "Linking to Existing Assets" for more information.

Use the Link to New option in the Links dialog to both create a WebCenter Portal asset and link to it in a single operation. Select Link to New to upload and link to documents, create and link to discussion forum topics, enter the URL of a web page to link to, and create and link to other types of assets. See Section 31.2.2, "Linking to New Assets" for more information.

You can create links from announcements, discussions, documents, events, lists, and notes.

The items you can link to differ between the Link to New and Link to Existing lists. For example, while you can link to a new note, you cannot link to an existing note. Additionally, the items you can link to from a Home portal differ from those you can link to from a portal. Table 31-1 lists the types of assets you can link to and from.

Table 31-1 Linking to Assets

Asset Type

Link to New

Link to Existing

Home Portal

Portal

Announcement

No

Yes

No

Yes

Discussion Topic

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Document/Wiki

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Event

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Note

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

URL

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Given the right permissions, other users can see your links, and you can see the links of other users. What you can do with a link (such as view, create, delete) depends on your advanced permissions for Links. However, with notes, you can delete a link only if you also have delete permission for Notes.

What you can do with the linked asset is handled by the target asset's security and your permissions to work with these assets.

Links retain their originating location. For example, if you create a link on a list row, then that link appears only on that row, and not on all the other rows in the same list (Figure 31-4). Suppose you link to a project plan document from the list row that has an associated task, the link to that document appears only on that row's Links dialog (Figure 31-4). It does not display on the Links dialog associated with the other rows on the same list.

Figure 31-4 Links in a List and Rows

Most links are also bidirectional. That is, when you create a link from a discussion to a document, a return link from the document to the discussion is automatically created. This bidirectional relationship holds for most, though not all, links. Links on notes, URLs, and list rows do not create a reciprocal link on the link target. For example, if you create a link from a document to a note, from a document to a URL, or from a list row to a document, then a reciprocal link is not created on the link target. However, a link from an entire list (rather than an individual list row) does create a reciprocal link from the target.

31.2 Working with Links Features

Many WebCenter Portal features include a linking capability that enables you to associate assets in WebCenter Portal, and with internal and external web pages. For example, the Lists page (or console) has its own link (Figure 31-5), and within lists, there are Links icon on each list and on each list row.

Figure 31-5 Link Icons on the Lists Page

You can link relevant documents, discussions, notes, web pages, events, and announcements. When viewing the details of an event, you can link to the event's agenda. In a list of project assignments, you can link to the functional and design specifications relevant to each assignment. In a discussion forum, you can link to a related discussion, document, web page, or WebCenter Portal page.

This section describes how to link one asset to another and how to access those links. It includes the following topics:

- Section 31.2.1, "Linking to Existing Assets"

- Section 31.2.2, "Linking to New Assets"

- Section 31.2.3, "Accessing Link Targets"

- Section 31.2.4, "Deleting a Link"

- Section 31.2.5, "Linking in the Rich Text Editor"

31.2.1 Linking to Existing Assets

This section describes how to use the Link to Existing option on the Links dialog to link to announcements, discussion forum topics, documents, and events currently available in your portal.

This section includes the following topics:

- Section 31.2.1.1, "Opening the Links Dialog to Link to Existing Assets"

- Section 31.2.1.2, "Linking to an Existing Announcement"

- Section 31.2.1.3, "Linking to an Existing Discussion Forum Topic"

- Section 31.2.1.4, "Linking to an Existing Document"

- Section 31.2.1.5, "Linking to an Existing Event"

31.2.1.1 Opening the Links Dialog to Link to Existing Assets

To create a link to an existing asset, first go to the asset from which you want to link and open the Links dialog by clicking the Links icon. From there, the steps vary depending on the type of asset you are linking to.

To open the Links dialog:

1. Go to the asset from which you want to link.

2. Click the asset's (or row's) associated Links icon (Figure 31-6).

Figure 31-6 Links Icon

The Links dialog (Figure 31-7) opens.

Figure 31-7 Links Dialog

3. From the Links dialog, select Link to Existing and then select the type of asset you want to link to.

Note:

The assets that are available depend on your permissions and the tools or services that are enabled. For example, if you do not have the required permissions to work with announcements or announcements are not enabled, you will not see the Announcement option. For more information, see the "Enabling and Disabling Tools and Services Available to a Portal" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

For information about how to link to existing assets, see the following sections:

- Section 31.2.1.2, "Linking to an Existing Announcement"

- Section 31.2.1.3, "Linking to an Existing Discussion Forum Topic"

- Section 31.2.1.4, "Linking to an Existing Document"

- Section 31.2.1.5, "Linking to an Existing Event"

Note:

In the following procedures, Lists is used as an example of an asset from which links to existing assets are created.

31.2.1.2 Linking to an Existing Announcement

You can bring timely announcements to the most viewed areas in your portal by linking to them.

To link to an existing announcement:

1. Go to the asset from which you want to link to an announcement and click the Links icon.
See Section 31.2.1.1, "Opening the Links Dialog to Link to Existing Assets" for more information.

2. From the Links dialog, select Link to Existing and then select Announcement (Figure 31-8).

Figure 31-8 Link to an Existing Announcement

The Link to Existing Announcement dialog opens (Figure 31-9).

Figure 31-9 Existing Announcements

3. Click the announcement to which you want to link.

4. Click Link.
The title of the selected announcement appears in the list of links on the Links dialog (Figure 31-10).

Figure 31-10 Newly Added Announcement Link on Links Dialog

5. Close the Links dialog.
The link from the announcement topic to the list also appears in the Announcements view (Figure 31-11).

Figure 31-11 Link to List from Announcement Topic

31.2.1.3 Linking to an Existing Discussion Forum Topic

Help users find answers to questions before they even ask them by linking to relevant discussion forum topics.

To link to an existing discussion forum topic:

1. Go to the asset from which you want to link to a discussion forum message and click the Links icon.
See Section 31.2.1.1, "Opening the Links Dialog to Link to Existing Assets" for more information.

2. From the Links dialog, select Link to Existing and then select Discussion (Figure 31-12).

Figure 31-12 Link to an Existing Discussion

The Link to Existing Discussion Topic opens, listing available topics (Figure 31-13). If the portal supports multiple discussion forums, then a drop-down list at the top allows you to select a different forum.

Figure 31-13 Existing Discussion Topics

3. Select the discussion topic to which you want to link.

4. Click Link.
The title of the selected discussion topic appears in the list of links on the Links dialog (Figure 31-14).

Figure 31-14 Newly Added Discussion Topic Link on Links Dialog

5. Close the Links dialog.
The link from the discussion topic to the list also appears in the Discussion Forum topic view (Figure 31-15).

Figure 31-15 Link to List from Discussion Topic

31.2.1.4 Linking to an Existing Document

To save users from having to search for documents in the document library, link to them directly. For example, link to a meeting's agenda directly from the meeting's event details.

To link to an existing document:

1. Go to the asset from which you want to link to a document and click the Links icon.
See Section 31.2.1.1, "Opening the Links Dialog to Link to Existing Assets" for more information.

2. From the Links dialog, select Link to Existing and then select Document (Figure 31-16).

Figure 31-16 Link to Existing Document

The Link to Existing Document dialog (Figure 31-17) opens.

Figure 31-17 Existing Documents

3. Select the document, and then click Select.
The document link appears in the list of links on the Links dialog (Figure 31-18).

Figure 31-18 Newly Added Document Link on the Links Dialog

4. Close the Links dialog.

31.2.1.5 Linking to an Existing Event

You can link to information about events that are relevant to the current asset. For example, you could provide a link from an issues document to an event scheduled to discuss those very issues.

To link to an existing event:

1. Go to the asset from which you want to link to an event and click the Links icon.
See Section 31.2.1.1, "Opening the Links Dialog to Link to Existing Assets" for more information.

2. From the Links dialog, select Link to Existing and then select Event (Figure 31-19).

Figure 31-19 Link to Existing Event

The Link to Existing Event dialog (Figure 31-20) opens, showing the current day's events.

Figure 31-20 Existing Events

3. Click the Previous and Next icons to go to the day of the event you want to link to, or click the Select Date icon and select the date of the event you want to link to.

4. Click the event to which you want to link.
The title of the selected event appears in the list of links in the Links dialog (Figure 31-21).

Figure 31-21 Newly Added Event on Links Dialog

5. Close the Links dialog.
The link from the event to the list also appears in the Events view (Figure 31-22).

Figure 31-22 Link to List from an Event

31.2.2 Linking to New Assets

When you select Link to New, you accomplish two things at the same time: you create a new asset, and you create a link to that asset. Use the Link to New option on the Links dialog to link to a new discussion forum topic, a new document, a new event, a new note, or a web page.

This section describes how to link to these types of assets. It contains the following topics:

- Section 31.2.2.1, "Opening the Links Dialog to Link to a New Asset"

- Section 31.2.2.2, "Adding and Linking to a Discussion Forum Topic"

- Section 31.2.2.3, "Adding and Linking to a Document"

- Section 31.2.2.4, "Adding and Linking to an Event"

- Section 31.2.2.5, "Adding and Linking to a Note"

- Section 31.2.2.6, "Linking to a Web Page"

31.2.2.1 Opening the Links Dialog to Link to a New Asset

When you want to create a link to a new asset, go to the asset from which you want to link and open the Links dialog. From there, the steps vary depending on the type of asset you are creating and linking to.

To open the Links dialog:

1. Go to the asset from which you want to link.

2. Click the asset's (or row's) associated Links icon (Figure 31-23).

Figure 31-23 Links Icon

The Links dialog (Figure 31-24) opens.

Figure 31-24 Links Dialog

3. From the Links dialog, select Link to New and then select the type of asset you want to create and link to.
For information about what to do next, see the following sections:

- Section 31.2.2.2, "Adding and Linking to a Discussion Forum Topic"

- Section 31.2.2.3, "Adding and Linking to a Document"

- Section 31.2.2.4, "Adding and Linking to an Event"

- Section 31.2.2.5, "Adding and Linking to a Note"

- Section 31.2.2.6, "Linking to a Web Page"

Note:

In the following procedures, Lists is used as an example of an asset from which links to new assets are created.

31.2.2.2 Adding and Linking to a Discussion Forum Topic

You can create a new topic thread directly from the asset that first prompted the discussion, adding a link at the same time.

To link to a new discussion forum topic:

1. Go to the asset from which you want to link to a new discussion forum topic and click the Links icon.
See Section 31.2.2.1, "Opening the Links Dialog to Link to a New Asset" for more information.

2. From the Links dialog, select Link to New and then select Discussion (Figure 31-25).

Figure 31-25 Link to New Discussion Topic

The Link to New Discussion dialog (Figure 31-26) opens.

Figure 31-26 Link to New Discussion Dialog

3. If the portal is configured for multiple discussion forums, then in the Forum list, select the forum in which you want to create the discussion topic.

4. In the Subject field, enter a subject for the new topic.

5. In the Message field, enter the content.

6. Click OK.
The topic is added to the appropriate discussion forum for the portal, and the link is added to the Links dialog (Figure 31-27).

Figure 31-27 Newly Created and Linked Discussion

7. Close the Links dialog.

31.2.2.3 Adding and Linking to a Document

When viewing an asset, such as a discussion forum topic, you might be aware of an informative document that would help other users. You can add the document or wiki to the document library directly from the original asset, adding a link to it at the same time.

To link to a new document:

1. Go to the asset from which you want to link to a new document and click the Links icon.
See Section 31.2.2.1, "Opening the Links Dialog to Link to a New Asset" for more information.

2. From the Links dialog, select Link to New and then select Document (Figure 31-28).

Figure 31-28 Link to New Document

The Link to New Document dialog (Figure 31-29) opens.

Figure 31-29 Link to New Document Dialog

3. Click Select File, and navigate to the location of the document you want to upload.

4. Select the document, and click Open.

5. Enter an optional description and change the default destination directory, if necessary. Click the Browse icon to locate a destination, if necessary.

6. Click Upload.
The document is uploaded, and the link is added to the Links dialog (Figure 31-30).

Figure 31-30 Newly Added and Linked Document

The location of the uploaded document depends on where you initiated the linking action. The document could be uploaded to the selected portal's document library or to the root folder of your WebCenter Portal default document repository connection.

7. Close the Links dialog.

31.2.2.4 Adding and Linking to an Event

You can create a new event and add a link to it at the same time. For example, to schedule a meeting to address issues raised in a project, you can link the new event to the project issues list.

To add and link to a event:

1. Go to the asset from which you want to link to a new event and click the Links icon.
See Section 31.2.2.1, "Opening the Links Dialog to Link to a New Asset" for more information.

2. From the Links dialog, select Link to New and then select Event (Figure 31-31).

Figure 31-31 Link to New Event

The Link to New Event dialog (Figure 31-32) opens.

Figure 31-32 Link to New Event Dialog

3. Enter the title, location, and other event details.
See Section 28.2.3, "Scheduling Events" for more information.

4. Click Create.
The event is created and the link is added to the Links dialog (Figure 31-33).

Figure 31-33 Newly Created and Linked Event

5. Close the Links dialog.

31.2.2.5 Adding and Linking to a Note

Create a personal note from an asset, or to add an annotation to an asset, like an online post-it note. The note is also linked to the asset, serving as a reminder whenever you view it.

To add and link to a note:

1. Go to the asset from which you want to add and link to a note and click the Links icon.
See Section 31.2.2.1, "Opening the Links Dialog to Link to a New Asset" for more information.

2. From the Links dialog, select Link to New and then select Note (Figure 31-34).

Figure 31-34 Link to New Note

The Link to New Note dialog (Figure 31-35) opens.

Figure 31-35 Link to New Note Dialog

3. In the Title field, enter a title for the note.

4. In the Detail field, enter the note content.

5. Click Create.
For more information about notes, see Section 29, "Managing Your Notes."

The newly created note link is added to the Links dialog (Figure 31-36).

Figure 31-36 Newly Created and Linked Note

6. Close the Links dialog.

31.2.2.6 Linking to a Web Page

From an asset, you can link to a web page to provide access to additional information.

To link to a web page:

1. Go to the asset from which you want to link to a web page and click the Links icon.
See Section 31.2.2.1, "Opening the Links Dialog to Link to a New Asset" for more information.

2. From the Links dialog, select Link to New and then select URL (Figure 31-37).

Figure 31-37 Link to New URL

The Link to New URL dialog (Figure 31-38) opens.

Figure 31-38 Link to New URL Dialog

3. In the Name field, enter a display name to use for the link.

4. In the Address field, enter the URL of the page to which you want to link.

5. Click Create.
The link is added to the Links dialog (Figure 31-39).

Figure 31-39 Newly Created and Linked URL

6. Close the Links dialog.

31.2.3 Accessing Link Targets

You access link targets from the Links dialog. If links exist from an asset, it is indicated by the gold Links icon (Figure 31-40).

To access a link target:

1. Click the Link icon (Figure 31-40) associated with the asset.

Figure 31-40 Link Icon That Has Links

2. Click the link you want to open on the resulting Links dialog (Figure 31-41).

Figure 31-41 Links in the Links Dialog

31.2.4 Deleting a Link

Delete a link when it is no longer useful or when it is obsolete. For example, you can delete a link to an event after the event date has passed.

To delete a link:

1. Go to the asset associated with the link you want to delete, such as the document, list, list row, or other item for which the link was created.

2. Click the Links icon (Figure 31-42).

Figure 31-42 Links Icon

The Links dialog opens, showing a list of current links to the asset.

3. Click the Delete icon next to the link you want to delete (Figure 31-43).

Figure 31-43 Delete Icons Next to Links

The two assets are no longer linked. You can link the two assets again, if you wish to do so. See Section 31.2.1, "Linking to Existing Assets" and Section 31.2.2, "Linking to New Assets."

31.2.5 Linking in the Rich Text Editor

The Rich Text Editor (RTE) included with the Documents tool or Mail is an HTML text editor, which you can use to link to existing and new WebCenter Portal assets. See Section 17.7, "Using the Rich Text Editor (RTE)" for more information.

For example, in a new Wiki document, you can link to existing announcements, discussions, documents, and events, and link to new discussions, documents, events, notes, URLs, or another Wiki document. This feature provides a quick way to add and link to a new, empty wiki page.

Figure 31-44 shows the highlighted RTE icons to link to existing or new assets.

Figure 31-44 New Wiki Document in Rich Text Editor (RTE)

See Section 17.7, "Using the Rich Text Editor (RTE)" for more information.

32 Using Tags and Bookmarks

This chapter describes how to use tags. With tags, you can apply your own meaningful terms to application items, making those items more easily discoverable in the Tag Center and in search results.

This chapter includes the following topics:

- Section 32.1, "About Tags"

- Section 32.2, "Working with Tags"

Permissions:

The tasks described in this chapter are available to any WebCenter Portal user with access to a page that contains tags.

32.1 About Tags

Tags provides a means of bookmarking application objects, making them easy to locate the next time you go looking for them. You can tag pages and documents in WebCenter Portal applications. This topic provides an overview of tags: what tags are and how to use tags. It contains the following subtopics:

- Section 32.1.1, "Understanding Tags"

- Section 32.1.2, "Understanding the Tag Center"

32.1.1 Understanding Tags

A tag is a word you associate with application pages or documents, applying your own classification to improve search results. For example, you could apply the tag jcr to a page that provides useful insight into Java Content Repositories. When you search for information about JCRs, the tagged page appears in the results.

Tags are available for viewing in search results, and in the Tag Center, where you can see what tags were used and what items were tagged. Tagging assists with building a knowledge network where each user can benefit from the assessments of all users.

Your tags help provide a higher level of relevance from search results for yourself and others by augmenting results with relevant items that you or others have tagged. Additionally, classifying an item with a tag enables you to gather disparate items into a cohesive body of knowledge and share it with others.

You have the option of sharing tags or keeping them to yourself. Share tags to enable other users to discover them in their searches. When you do not share a tag, users searching on an identical term do not discover the items you tagged with that term, unless some other user tagged the item with the same term and shared that tag.

Anywhere you see the Tags icon (Figure 32-1), you can apply a tag. Click the Tags icon to see tags applied to a selected item.

Figure 32-1 The Tags Icon

When looking at tags in search results, note the number of times the tag was applied to a particular object. This number indicates the tag's relevance to that object, and ultimately causes a collective classification scheme popularly known as a folksonomy. This can make information easier to search and navigate over time.

The scope of tags is both personal and application-wide. The tag data you view in the Tags view includes only the tags you apply; however, when you tag data, you see application-wide tag data.

Application-wide (global) searches look for tagged items wherever they might be. You can run global searches from the search field near the top-right of the application.

You can provide one or multiple tags to a given item. And multiple users can use the same tag term that you used and apply it to the same item. Duplicates of tags across users are tabulated and provide extra weight to the relevance of the tag term.

32.1.2 Understanding the Tag Center

The Tag Center is a dynamically-generated page that displays all the tags you and other users have applied to application pages and documents (Figure 32-2).

Figure 32-2 The Tag Center

The Tag Center offers the most complete use of tag data by providing access not only to your tags, but to the tags applied by other users. Additionally it provides a visual depiction of tag popularity, which enables you to refine tag results using filters. Filter for multiple tags simultaneously or filter by other users who have applied the same tags. A sorting feature provides an additional means of controlling your view of tagged items.

The Tag Center has three sections:

- The Tag Cloud section, which you can use to view a cloud or list of the tags currently applied to items in your application.

- The Refine Tag Results section with two types of list: a list of all other tags used on items that also use the currently-selected tag and a list of other users who have applied the selected tag.

- The Selected tag section, which provides a list of all items to which you have access that use the currently-selected tag and options to edit, sort, and filter the items.

The Tag Cloud is a visual depiction of currently-applied tags (Figure 32-3).

Figure 32-3 The Tag Cloud

Tags are presented according to the frequency of their use. More frequently used tags display in bold fonts and varying font sizes—the larger the font, the more the tag has been applied. Click a tag in the tag cloud to execute a search that returns a list of all items to which you have access that use the tag.

To learn how to work with tags in the Tag Center see Section 32.2.3, "Working with Tags and Tagged Items in the Tags View."

32.2 Working with Tags

This topic provides information about tagging and describes how to make best use of tags. It includes the following subtopics:

- Section 32.2.1, "Tagging Application Pages"

- Section 32.2.2, "Tagging Application Documents"

- Section 32.2.3, "Working with Tags and Tagged Items in the Tags View"

- Section 32.2.4, "Viewing Tags and Tagged Items in Search Results"

- Section 32.2.5, "Working with Tags and Tagged Items in the Tag Center"

- Section 32.2.6, "Understanding the Tag Cloud and the Tag Selection Views"

- Section 32.2.7, "Understanding the Similarly Tagged Items View"

32.2.1 Tagging Application Pages

This topic steps you through the process of applying tags to application pages. You can apply a tag to any application page on which you see the Tags icon and link.

To tag a page in your application:

1. Go to the page you want to tag. You can apply a tag to any application page on which you see the Tags icon and link (Figure 32-4).

Figure 32-4 Tags Icon and Link

2. Click the page's Tags icon or link. The Tag this Page dialog opens (Figure 32-5).

Figure 32-5 Tag This Page Dialog

3. Enter tag values:

- Page Name—The page's display name, a read-only value.

- Tags—List of tags already applied to this page.

- Add Tags—Enter one or more tags, separated with a portal. Use underscores or hyphens in multi-word tag entries.

- Shared—Imagine that you have tagged a page with the term essential and selected the Shared check box. When other users search using the term essential, the page you tagged appears in their search results. If you deselect the Shared checkbox, then other users' search on the term essential does not include this page in their results (unless others, too, have tagged it essential or another user tagged it essential and shared the tag). Regardless of whether you select or deselect Shared, when you search on the term essential, the page you tagged with that term appears in your search results.
If your system administrator disabled the Shared checkbox, then it does not appear.

4. Click Save to apply the tag and close the dialog.

Note:

For information about tags and searches, see Section 32.2.4, "Viewing Tags and Tagged Items in Search Results."

32.2.2 Tagging Application Documents

This topic steps you through the process of applying tags to documents. You can apply tags to any documents you can view.

To tag a document in your application:

1. Go to a Document Library main view, or the Documents page, and locate the document you want to tag.

2. Click the document to open it, then click Tags icon. The Tags pane displays the tags you have put on the document. It also lets you update these tags and add new tags. (Figure 32-6).

Figure 32-6 Tags Pane

3. Enter tag values:

- Tags—List of tags already applied to this page.

- Add Tags—Enter one or more tags, separated with a portal. Use underscores or hyphens in multi-word tag entries.

- Recommended Tags—Recommended tags are automatically generated using a ranking algorithm. They indicate the system's best estimation of tags that suit the document you are currently tagging. Click a recommended tag to add it to the Tags field. Recommended tags appear only if there are recommendations.

- Shared—Imagine that you have tagged a document with the term essential and selected the Shared checkbox. When other users search using the term essential, the document you tagged appears in their search results. If you deselect the Shared checkbox, then other users' search on the term essential does not include this document in their results (unless they, too, have tagged it essential). Regardless of whether you select or deselect Shared, when you search on the term essential, the document you tagged with that term appears in your search results.
If your system administrator disabled the Shared checkbox, then it does not appear.

4. Click Save to apply the tag.

Note:

See Section 32.2.4, "Viewing Tags and Tagged Items in Search Results" for information about searching tags

32.2.3 Working with Tags and Tagged Items in the Tags View

This topic describes how to work with tags in the Tags view. It contains the following subtopics:

- Section 32.2.3.1, "Viewing Tags and Tagged Items in the Tags View"

- Section 32.2.3.2, "Sorting Tags and Tagged Items"

- Section 32.2.3.3, "Filtering Tags and Tagged Items"

- Section 32.2.3.4, "Renaming a Tag from the Tags View"

- Section 32.2.3.5, "Deleting a Tag from the Tags View"

32.2.3.1 Viewing Tags and Tagged Items in the Tags View

The Tags view provides a view of the tags you have added to your application and the items you have tagged (Figure 32-7).

Figure 32-7 Tags View

You can use the Tags view to navigate to a tag's associated assets or to open the Tag Center and further refine your selection (see Section 32.2.5, "Working with Tags and Tagged Items in the Tag Center"). You can also use it to display a tag cloud or the items you have tagged in your application.

To view a tag cloud depiction of your tags, choose Tag Cloud.

To view tagged items, choose Tagged Items from the display options menu. The view redraws to display all the items that you have tagged in your application.

32.2.3.2 Sorting Tags and Tagged Items

When your tag list is long, sorting the list makes it easier to find specific tags. Sort the tag list by name, date, or popularity. This topic describes how.

To sort the tags in the Tags view:

1. Click the Sorting options icon at the top of the Tags view.
The Sorting options dialog opens (Figure 32-8).

Figure 32-8 The Sorting Options Dialog

2. From the Sorting options dialog, choose a sorting criteria.
Choose from:

- Name—Sorts the list alphabetically from 1 to 9 and a to z.

- Date—When tags are shown, Date sorts the list from the tags you applied most recently to the oldest tags you applied. When tagged items are shown, Date sorts the list from the items you tagged most recently to the items with the oldest tags you applied.

- Popularity—When tags are shown, Popularity sorts the list from the tags you have applied most frequently to those you have applied least frequently. When tagged items are shown, Popularity sorts the list from the items that have been tagged by the most people to the items tagged by the fewest.

3. Click Save to apply your selection and close the dialog.

32.2.3.3 Filtering Tags and Tagged Items

Filtering provides a way to eliminate all tags on the list except for those that meet the filtering criteria. This topic describes how to apply a filter to the Tags list.

To filter the Tags list in the Tags view:

1. Click the Filter icon to open a filtering term field (Figure 32-9).

Figure 32-9 The Filter Icon

Filtering works for both Tags and Tagged Items views.

2. Enter a filtering term, and click the Search icon.
The Tags list refreshes, showing only those tags that match or include the filtering term.

3. Clear the filtering term, and click the Search icon to restore all of your tags to view.

4. Click the Filter icon to exit filtering.

32.2.3.4 Renaming a Tag from the Tags View

When you rename a tag, you rename all instances of the tag that you applied. If other users applied the same tag, their instances are not renamed.

To rename tags from the Tags view:

1. From the tag actions next to the tag, select Rename (Figure 32-10).

Figure 32-10 The Rename Command on a Tag Menu

2. In the Rename dialog, enter a new name for the selected tag, and click Rename (Figure 32-11).

Figure 32-11 The Rename Dialog

All of the tags you created using the original tag name, are renamed.

32.2.3.5 Deleting a Tag from the Tags View

When you delete a tag, it is deleted wherever you applied it. If others applied the same tag, their tags are left as is.

To delete a tag from the Tags view:

1. From the tag actions next to the tag, select Delete (Figure 32-12).

Figure 32-12 The Delete Command on a Tag Menu

2. Click Delete in the Delete dialog (Figure 32-13).

Figure 32-13 The Delete Dialog

The tag is removed from the Tags view and from any items to which you applied it.

32.2.4 Viewing Tags and Tagged Items in Search Results

Tag search results appear under two headings:

- Tags, which shows tags that at least partially match the search criteria; for example, if you search for page, the following tags are returned: page, pages, or pager.

- Tagged Items, which shows items that are associated with a tag that matches the search criteria exactly; for example, if you search for page, only items associated with the tag page are returned; items associated with the following tags are not returned: pages or pager.

Under these headings, tag search results appear like any other search results; however, tags in tag search results behave a little differently. When you click tagged items in tag search results or when you click other types of search results, their associated content is shown. When you click a tag in tag search results, the Tag Center opens with that tag preselected.

Note:

Tags and Tagged Items appear in search results only if WebCenter is configured with WebCenter Portal's live search adapter. For more information on search configurations, see Section 6.1.1, "Running Various Search Environments."

To view tags and tagged items in search results:

1. The search results open in the Search page (Figure 32-14). The Tags section shows the number of items to which a tag has been applied. The Tagged Items section shows the number of users who have applied a tag to an item.

Figure 32-14 Search Page with Tag Results

Note:

Results appear different if you are using WebCenter Portal's live search adapters or Oracle SES for the search engine. For more information, see Section 6.1, "About Searching in WebCenter Portal."

32.2.5 Working with Tags and Tagged Items in the Tag Center

This topic describes how to work with tags in the Tag Center. It contains the following subtopics:

- Section 32.2.5.1, "Opening the Tag Center"

- Section 32.2.5.2, "Selecting Different Views and Arrangements of Tags in the Tag Cloud"

- Section 32.2.5.3, "Selecting Different Views and Arrangements of Tagged Items"

- Section 32.2.5.4, "Refining the Display of Information in the Tag Center"

- Section 32.2.5.5, "Discovering Who Has Used a Tag in the Tag Center"

32.2.5.1 Opening the Tag Center

There are several ways to open the Tag Center (Figure 32-15):

Figure 32-15 The Tag Center

- Click a tag displayed in the Tags view

- Click a tag returned as a search result

- Click a tag that appears when you hover over the Tags icon

Additionally, the system administrator can add a page for the Tag Center in the Home portal.

The selected tag determines all the other tag-related information that appears in the Tag Center. For example:

- The selected tag is highlighted in the tag cloud (Figure 32-16).

Figure 32-16 A Tag Cloud

You can choose another tag in the tag cloud to change the information that is displayed in the Tag Center. Additionally, you can use the controls above the tag cloud to rearrange your tag-cloud view (see Section 32.2.5.2, "Selecting Different Views and Arrangements of Tags in the Tag Cloud").

- Other tags used on items that also use the currently-selected tag display in the Tagged With panel (Figure 32-17).

Figure 32-17 Tagged With Panel in the Tag Center

- Other users who applied the selected tag are listed in the Tagged by panel (Figure 32-18).

Figure 32-18 Tagged by Panel in the Tag Center

- Items tagged with the currently-selected tag appear in the right panel of the Tag Center (Figure 32-19). Click an item link to display the item.

Figure 32-19 Items Tagged with "Dev" in the Tag Center

32.2.5.2 Selecting Different Views and Arrangements of Tags in the Tag Cloud

The Tag Center's Tag Cloud displays the tags currently applied to items. You can adjust your view of the Tag Cloud using its sorting and filtering features.

To display the tag cloud:

1. Open the Tag Center as described in Section 32.2.5.1, "Opening the Tag Center."
The Tag Center opens with the tag cloud displayed in the top left corner (Figure 32-20).

Figure 32-20 The Tag Cloud

To adjust your view of the tag cloud:

- To search for tags, enter a search term in the text box on the tag cloud toolbar, and click the Search icon to the right of the text box.
The tag display refreshes showing only those tags that meet the search criteria. To show just your matching tags or to remove the search criteria, choose an option from the menu above the tag cloud:

- All Tags—Removes the search criteria, showing every tag used in your application

- My Tags—Removes the search criteria, showing just the tags you have applied

- All tags containing '<search term>'—Shows all tags in your application that meet the search criteria

- My tags containing '<search term>'—Shows just the tags which you have applied that meet the search criteria

- To switch between displaying the tags in cloud view or list view, click the cloud icon (Figure 32-21).

Figure 32-21 Tags Displayed in a List

- To sort the tags:

1. Click the Sorting options icon on the tag cloud toolbar.
The Sorting options dialog opens (Figure 32-22).

Figure 32-22 The Sorting Options Dialog

2. From the Sorting options dialog, choose sorting criteria.
Choose from:

- Name—Sorts the list alphabetically. If you choose Ascending, the list is sorted from 1 to 9 and a to z. If you choose Descending, the list is sorted from z to a and 9 to 1.

- Date—Sorts the list based on when you applied the tags. If you choose Ascending, the tags are sorted from the ones you applied most recently to the ones applied longest ago. If you choose Descending, the tags are sorted from the ones applied longest ago to the ones applied most recently.

- Popularity—Sorts the list based on how frequently the tag has been applied. If you choose Ascending, the tags are sorted from the ones that have been applied most frequently to the one that have been applied least frequently. If you choose Descending, the tags are sorted from the ones applied least frequently to the ones applied most frequently.

3. Click Sort to apply your selection and close the Sorting options dialog.

- To refresh the list of tags, click the Refresh tags icon.

- To show all tags or just your tags, choose an option from the menu above the tag cloud:

- All Tags—Shows every tag used in your application

- My Tags—Shows just the tags you have applied

32.2.5.3 Selecting Different Views and Arrangements of Tagged Items

The Tag Center provides a selection of sorting criteria to enable you to display tagged items in the way that you prefer. Using the Tagged by and Sort By options above the list of tagged items (Figure 32-23), you can choose which tags to show and the order in which to show them.

Figure 32-23 Tagged by and Sort By Options for Tagged Items in the Tag Center

To choose the tagged items to view, choose from:

- Tagged by Me—Click to show only the items that use the selected tag that you have tagged yourself.

- Tagged by Anyone—Click to show all items that use the selected tags.

To arrange the order of displayed tagged items, choose from:

- Popularity—To sort the list from items that have been tagged most frequently with the current tag to those tagged least frequently

- Name—To sort the list alphabetically from 1 to 9 and a to z

- Date—To sort the list from items that have been tagged most recently to the ones tagged longest ago

32.2.5.4 Refining the Display of Information in the Tag Center

You can further refine your view of information in the Tag Center by selecting additional tags in the Tagged With panel (Figure 32-24).

Figure 32-24 Tagged with Panel in the Tag Center

The Tagged With panel displays all the other tags used on objects that also use the currently-selected tag. Click a tag in the Tagged With panel to further restrict the information in the Tag Center to information associated with both the selected tag and the related tag you clicked.

For example, imagine that the Tag Center displays all items tagged with the term dev. Click analysis in the Tagged With panel to further refine the information in the Tag Center to information that is associated with both dev and analysis.

32.2.5.5 Discovering Who Has Used a Tag in the Tag Center

You can further refine your view of information in the Tag Center by selecting other users in the Tagged By panel (Figure 32-25).

Figure 32-25 Tagged By Panel in the Tag Center

The Tagged By panel lists all other users who have applied the selected tag or tags. Click a user in the Tagged By panel to limit the information in the Tag Center to information tagged with the selected tag and also tagged by the user you clicked.

For example, if the currently-selected tag is menu, and the user pat appears under Tagged By, then clicking pat shows information associated with the tag menu, applied by pat.

32.2.6 Understanding the Tag Cloud and the Tag Selection Views

The Tag Cloud and the Tag Selection view are similar in that they both display a tag cloud, which is a visual depiction of all the tags used. Tags are presented according to the frequency of their use. More frequently used tags display in bold fonts and varying font sizes—the larger the font, the more the tag has been applied.

With the Tag Cloud (Figure 32-26), when you click a tag in the tag cloud, you are redirected to Tag Center, where that tag is selected (Figure 32-27).

Figure 32-26 The Tag Cloud

Figure 32-27 The Tag Center

See Also:

Section 32.1.2, "Understanding the Tag Center"

With the Tag Selection view (Figure 32-28), when you click a tag, it marks the tag as selected and you see the results in the Tag Cloud Related Resources view (Figure 32-29). You are not redirected to the Tag Center.

Figure 32-28 Tag Selection View

Figure 32-29 Clicking a Tag in the Tag Selection View

32.2.7 Understanding the Similarly Tagged Items View

The Similarly Tagged Items view (Figure 32-30) provides a list of links to other pages or documents that have at least one tag in common with the currently-displayed page.

Figure 32-30 The Similarly Tagged Items View

Glossary

About mode

A portlet mode that typically displays information such as copyright, version, and author of the portlet.

Activity Stream

Feature for viewing the activities tracked for you and other users.

Activity Graph

Provides suggestions of people, portals, and content that a user may be interested in connecting with, based on existing connections and shared interaction with objects in the portal.

The engine used by the Activity Graph tool to provide a central repository for actions that are collected by enterprise applications. The data stored in the activity graph is analyzed to calculate ranks for nodes, predict new actions, and make recommendations.

activity rank

Determines (by the activity graph engine) the relevance of content for search results.

administrator

A person who sets up new machines, administers WebCenter Portal, Portal Framework applications, and databases, and works with other tools such as Fusion Middleware Control and command line tools.

- In WebCenter Portal, administers and sets global options for all portals.

- In Portal Framework applications, manages application-wide settings, assets, users, and roles.

administration console

Enables users with the appropriate privileges to continue developing a Portal Framework application after it has been deployed. Using the administration console, users can also download runtime portal resources (also referred to as assets) and import them back into Oracle JDeveloper for further development. These assets can then be exported from JDeveloper and uploaded back into the deployed application.

Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML)

An approach using existing standards for exchanging data with a server and updating parts of a web page without reloading the whole page. WebCenter Portal developers use Ajax for UI components, including portlets and pagelets.

Analytics

A WebCenter Portal tools and services offers real-time usage and activity reporting for your portal. In the WebCenter Portal, users can track and analyze WebCenter Portal traffic and usage.

Announcements

Offers a quick, convenient way to create and widely distribute messages instantly or at a specific time.

application customization

Performed by an administrator, all users see the change. These are static changes to an application that affect a site or sites that do not involve changes to the application's code or schema.

See also user customization and personalization

Application Development Framework (ADF)

A range of technologies aimed at making Java EE application development faster and simpler for developers while at the same time taking advantage of proven software patterns to ensure that the developed application is scalable, performant, and the like.

Application Programming Interface (API)

An application programming interface (API) typically refers to a software library that includes specifications for methods, object classes, data structures, and variables. API also refers to an interface used by software components to communicate with each other. Oracle WebCenter Portal provides a rich assortment of Java, REST, and Expression Language APIs that let you access services and tools, external applications, portal components, data controls, and so on.

application role

Roles that are specific to a particular application and are stored in an application-specific stripe of the policy store.

application skin

Specifies the application background color, screen fonts, and, with some skins, the shapes and images used for application buttons and icons. In WebCenter Portal, the administrator chooses the default application skin and users may change the application skin on the General tab of the Preferences dialog.

application specialist

A WebCenter Portal user who works in Portal Builder to develop site structure by planning, creating, and administering portals and their content. At the application level, an application specialist has the permissions granted to the Application Specialist role. In a portal that an application specialist creates, the application specialist can perform the actions available to the Moderator role.

application templates (JDeveloper)

Oracle WebCenter Portal provides templates for creating two kinds of applications: Portal Framework applications and Portlet Producer applications. Templates ensure that the right technology scopes are set, tag libraries added, and required Java classes are added to the class path. Once you do this, relevant components are included to the Component Palette and relevant context menus become available in JDeveloper.

See also Portal Framework application template and WebCenter Portal Producer Application template.

authenticated user

A user who is logged into WebCenter Portal or a Portal Framework application. Credentials of this user are verified against the identity store. By default, an authenticated user can access public information. To access secured information, such as pages and portlets, this user must be authorized through the policy and credential store.

Contrast with public users, who are not logged in, and can access public content only.

authentication

Identification of a user through an identity management system. You can require ADF authentication to enforce credentials for users to access the Portal Framework application only (all ADF resources in the application remain accessible), or authentication and authorization to enforce credentials for users to access the Portal Framework application and any ADF resources that have been secured in the application.

authorization

The policies that define the access rights of an individual or group to a secured resource. This resource may be a page or component within a page.

authorized user

An individual who has access to a secured resource. For non-public resources, this individual is also an authenticated user.

blog page

A page that provides a personal record of an individual user's experience and opinions. There are two kinds of blog: personal blogs are written by an individual; group blogs are written by several users.

Box layout component

A layout component available through Oracle WebCenter Portal's Composer. A container that enables the placement of content on a page created in the WebCenter Portal. In Composer, a Box is rendered as a rectangle comprised of dashed lines. In a Portal Framework application, this is the runtime equivalent of a Panel Customizable component.

BPEL

Business Process Execution Language. An XML-based markup language for composing a set of discrete web services into an end-to-end process flow.

business role page

A page, created by the WebCenter Portal system administrator, specifically provided for a given role in an organization. Business role pages provide a targeted environment for users of a particular role by delivering information that is timely and relevant to individual roles without the noise of irrelevant information from other lines of business. Business role pages appear in the Home portal of users classified under the specified role.

caching

The act of storing frequently accessed information, typically web pages, in a location where it can be accessed quickly to avoid frequent content generation.

See also expiry-based caching and validation-based caching.

calendar overlay

The ability to display multiple calendars in a single Events task flow.

Change Mode Button component

In the Composer tag library that enables users to change from page View mode to page Edit mode.

Change Mode Link component

A component provided in the Composer tag library that enables users to change from page View mode to page Edit mode.

check out/check in

A mechanism that enables a user to lock information, by checking it out, so that other users cannot modify that same piece of information. This prevents users from overwriting each other's changes. After making modifications, the user releases it by checking it back in, making it available again for other users to modify.

Child Components

The components contained within a parent component. For example, the task flows contained within a Box layout component are the child components of the Box.

See also Box layout component and parent component.

chrome

Visual elements surrounding a portlet or task flow that provide an access point for actions, such as those on the Actions menu and those embedded in the chrome itself, such as the minimize icon or resize handles.

CMIS

Content Management Interoperability Services (CMIS) standard defines a domain model and Web services and Restful AtomPub bindings that can be used by applications to work with one or more Content Management repositories or systems.

component

An individual piece of a portal, for example, a task flow, portlet, page, or layout element such as a box or image.

Component Catalog

A dialog, accessed from Composer, that provides access to all the content you can add to a WebCenter Portal application page.

component developer

The developer who builds components (such as portlets, JavaServer Faces components, and web services).

Component Properties

A dialog, accessed from Composer, that provides access to a component's parameters, display options, child components, style settings, and associated events.

Connections

Feature for establishing a social network with other portal users (People Connections).

Composer

A seamlessly integrated environment for populating, revising, and configuring portal pages. It enables users to easily build or revise page layout and content. It also provides the means of adding different components, such as task flows, portlets, content, and other objects, onto a page and then linking those components for a more relevant or personalized view of the information.

container runtime option

A JSR 286 feature that provides a way to customize the behavior of the portlet container and therefore customize the runtime environment.

content integration tools

Tools provided by WebCenter Portal tools and services to enable developers to display content from a content repository, such as by creating data controls.

Content Presenter

Feature that enables end users to select and search content items and then display those items using available display templates (part of the Documents).

content repository

A specialized storage and management mechanism that provides such features as author-based versioning, full text searching, and content categorization and attribution. A content repository is optimized for storing unstructured information, which differentiates it from a data repository.

content repository data control

A data control sourced though a content repository. In a Portal Framework application, you can create content repository data controls for the following content repositories: Oracle Portal, Oracle WebCenter Content, third-party repositories that support the Java Content Repository (JCR) standard, and your local file system.

credential provisioning page

A JSF (*.jspx) page used for authenticating to an external application. At runtime, the Credential Provisioning page displays login data fields consisting of the data fields specified through external application registration. Login information is passed to the producer, which in turn passes the login values to the external application. The application provides the producer with the requested portlets.

After authentication, the user's login credentials are preserved in a credential store, which subsequently supplies that information at future sessions. Unless his information changes, the user supplies his credentials only one time.

credential store

Provides storage for login credentials for its associated domain. It also preserves the login credentials that a user provides for authentication to an external application. Credential store is usually combined with the policy store as a single logical store.

Although the credentials stored in the credential store are used during subsequent logins for authentication, the main function of this store is to provide authorization for those accounts.

CSS

Cascading Style Sheet. A simple mechanism for ensuring a consistent look and feel or adding style, such as fonts, colors, and spacing, to web documents.

custom action

Icons or menu items rendered on the header or the Actions menu of a Show Detail Frame component surrounding a task flow. Custom actions can represent actions that were defined in the task flow when it was created. For example, at design time a developer can build a task flow with custom personalization settings. At runtime, users can access these settings through icons or Actions menu items provided in the task flow's surrounding chrome (or Show Detail Frame).

custom attribute

In the WebCenter Portal, custom attributes specify information in addition to that provided by the built-in attributes. Custom attributes can be used to determine the content of the components in a portal based on the parameter passed in. For example, a component can display data for a specific customer by passing in the customer ID. A custom attribute is simply a name value pair, for example customerId=400, orderId=11, userName=Smith, and so on. Custom attributes are stored within the portal template.

custom page

Any page created by a user rather than one provided out of the box.

custom display template

A Content Presenter display template is a JSFF file (JSF page fragment) that defines how Content Presenter renders content items on a Portal Framework application page. WebCenter Portal provides several out-of-the-box display templates to get you started, or, you can create your own templates.

custom role

A user role created by an administrator or a portal moderator to meet a specific Home portal or portal requirement.

Customize mode

A portlet mode that enables users to set the default values for portlet preferences for all users.

customizable component

A WebCenter Portal component that can be added to a page at runtime to enable end users to perform personalizations such as move, minimize, restore, or remove on content within those components. Customizable components are the Panel Customizable component and the Show Detail Frame component.

customization

See application customization, personalization, and user customization.

data control

A mechanism that provides an abstraction of the business service's data model. The ADF data controls provide a consistent mechanism for clients and web application controllers to access data objects, collections, methods, and operations.

Data Presenter

Enables you to retrieve data from a data source, such as a relational database or web service, and display that data in your portal as a table, form, or graph.

default language (application-level)

A display language specified by the system administrator that is used when users log in to WebCenter Portal. The administrator sets the application-level default language on the General tab of the Administration page. Individual users can set their own user-level default language on the General tab of the Preferences dialog.

default language (user preference)

A user-specified display language that is rendered when the user logs in to the WebCenter Portal. This language selection lasts until the user specifies a different default language. It can be overridden by a session language, but returns as the default when the session cookie is purged or expires. This value is set on the General tab of the Preferences dialog.

default server

See Integrated WebLogic Server.

delegated administration

Provides a mechanism for securing portal resources based on user roles. You apply delegated administration to a page hierarchy, and the specific security assignments are automatically propagated down through the hierarchy through pages and sub pages.

deployment profile

A file used in application deployment that specifies the following types of information:

- The source files, deployment descriptors, and other auxiliary files that are packages

- The type and name of the archive file to be created

- Dependency information

- Platform-specific instructions

- Other information

Design view (Composer)

A view, in Composer, that provides a WYSIWYG rendering of the page and its content, where controls are directly selectable on each component. The resource catalog displays inline on the right side of the page, where you can select components to add to the page.

See also Structure view (Composer) and Select view (Composer).

device group

Represents a collection of devices that share similar display requirements. Out-of-the-box, WebCenter Portal comes with several pre-configured device groups: Desktop Browsers, iOS Phones, Android Phones, iOS Tablets, and Android Tablets.

discoverable portal

A portal that can be found by anyone logged into WebCenter Portal, for example through a search. Any Public or Private portal is discoverable. Discoverable portals are listed on the Portals page when All Portals is selected from the Show list. Users wishing to join the portal can request membership through self-service (if enabled) or by contacting the portal moderator.

Discussions

Provides a means of creating and participating in discussion forums.

display language

Controls the language in which application user interface elements, such as buttons, field labels, and screen text, are rendered in the browser. The order of precedence for WebCenter Portal display language settings from weakest to strongest is: browser setting, application setting, portal default language, user preference setting, Change Language task flow, and Global language switcher (public cookie).

Documents page

A system page exposed in portals and the Home portal that provides controls for managing files and folders through the Document Explorer task flow.

Documents

Provides a variety of formats to display folders and files on a page. You can choose the task flows appropriate for your portal to provide features for accessing, adding, and managing folders and files; configuring and viewing file and folder properties; and searching file and folder content in the connected content repositories.

domain

A basic administration unit for WebLogic Server instances. Oracle WebCenter Portal developers using JDeveloper deploy to the Integrated WebLogic Server which is managed within the DefaultDomain. For production purposes, parts of Oracle WebCenter Portal are deployed to Managed Server instances. A domain can have any number of Managed Servers. Managed Servers can be configured to run applications in a test, staging, or production environment, or all three.

dynamically-generated page

A page that displays as the result of a user action, such as a search or a click on a tag. As the name suggests, dynamically-generated pages are not stored, but rather are created as and when needed.

EAR

Enterprise Archive file. A Java EE archive file that is used in deploying applications on a Java EE application server. Portal Framework applications are deployed using both a generic EAR file, which contains the application and the respective runtime customization, and a targeted EAR file, which contains only the application for deployment to the application server. EAR files simplify application deployment by reducing the possibility of errors when moving an application from development to test, and test to production.

ECMA-262 specification

A standardization of scripting programming languages, such as ECMAScript and JavaScript.

ECMAScript

A scripting programming language, standardized by Ecma International according to the ECMA-262 specification. Frequently referred to as JavaScript or JScript, which are both extensions of the ECMA-262 specification.

Edit Defaults mode

(JSR 286 portlets only.) A portlet mode that enables personalization of a JSR 286 portlet. Edit Defaults mode is a display mode for the JSR 286 portlet's properties. In a Portal Framework application, the Edit Defaults mode displays on the portlet's Actions menu as the Customize command.

See also Edit mode.

Edit mode

A portlet mode that enables personalization of the portlet for each user, for each instance.

See also Edit Defaults mode.

edit mode

A view mode that enables users to modify the content, style, and layout of a page. See also Composer.

EL

Expression Language. Provides a shorthand way of working with web application data by providing operators for retrieving and manipulating application data residing in a Java EE web container. In a Portal Framework application, EL expressions are encapsulated in the characters "#{" and "}" and typically come in the form #{object.data} where object represents any Java object or Oracle ADF component placed in the Java EE web container's page, request, session, or application's scope.

Enterprise Archive file

See EAR.

enterprise mashup

An application that enables users to bring all sorts of content and services together in a single place.

Events

Provides calendars for scheduling meetings, appointments, and so on. In WebCenter Portal, it provides calendars to record events relevant to the specific portal. You can also integrate events with Microsoft Exchange Server to enable individual users to access their personal calendars in their Home portal. Personal calendars are also available in Portal Framework applications.

expiry-based caching

A caching method that uses a retention period to specify how long the item is valid in the cache before a refresh is required. When there is a request for the item beyond the retention period, it is refreshed in the cache.

See also validation-based caching.

Expression Language

See EL.

external application

Applications that do not delegate authentication to the single sign-on server. Instead, they display HTML login forms that ask for application user names and passwords. At the first login, users can choose to have the single sign-on server retrieve these credentials for them. Thereafter, they are logged in to these applications transparently.

farm

A collection of components managed by Fusion Middleware Control. A farm can contain a Managed Server domain and other Oracle Fusion Middleware system components that are installed, configured, and running on the domain.

favorites

A personal list of links to favorite pages in WebCenter Portal and external web sites.

Feedback

Feature for posting informal appraisals for and receiving informal appraisals from other portal users (part of People Connections).

Portal Framework application

A Portal Framework application is built on top of ADF using the WebCenter Portals Extension for Oracle JDeveloper. This application combines web content, portlets, content integration, and collaborative services for the end user. Developers and administrators can create a Portal Framework application based on their roles and skill levels in the organization.

A portal also includes page hierarchies, navigation models, and delegated administration.

Portal Framework application administrator

The administrator responsible for managing and maintaining the Portal Framework application. For example, administrators can set application-wide options, manage assets, and grant and revoke privileges.

Also administers Fusion Middleware, deploys Portal Framework applications, and performs on-going administrative tasks for Portal Framework applications and other Oracle WebCenter Portal components through Fusion Middleware Control.

Portal Framework application developer

The developer who plans, builds, and maintains a Portal Framework application using the Oracle Application Development Framework, Oracle JDeveloper, and WebCenter Portal tools and services.

Portal Framework application template

A JDeveloper template which includes WebCenter Portal Framework features like site navigation, page hierarchies, delegated administration, and page templates.

See also application templates (JDeveloper) and WebCenter Portal Producer Application template.

Full Screen Mode (WebCenter Portal)

A view mode that opens the portal to occupy the entire screen, thus maximizing the display portal. The Sidebar is not displayed in Full Screen Mode.

Full Screen mode (Portlets)

(PDK-Java portlets only.) A portlet mode that provides more content than can be shown in the portlet when it is sharing a page with other portlets.

Fusion Middleware Control

A browser-based management application that is deployed when you install Oracle WebCenter Portal. From Fusion Middleware Control, you can monitor and administer a farm (such as Oracle WebCenter Portal).

Help mode

A portlet mode that displays usage information about the functionality of the portlet.

Home portal

A work area within WebCenter Portal that provides individual users with a private portal for storing personal content, keeping notes, viewing and responding to assignments, maintaining a list of online buddies, and performing many other tasks relevant to their unique working day. Users can also extend this environment by creating additional personal pages and custom content.

HTML Markup layout component

A layout component available through Composer. A simple HTML component that renders raw HTML and JavaScript mark-up inline on the page.

Hyperlink layout component

A layout component available through Composer. A link to an internal or external web page. For designers of Portal Framework applications, this is the runtime equivalent of a Go Link component.

Identity Propagation

For a Portal Framework application and associated content repositories, selecting this option allows propagation of current user's identity across the application and processes. The propagated identity is verified on the receiver's side, and then it is used to make decisions such as assigning role based access control.

Image layout component

A layout component available through Composer. An illustration that can include a hyper link. For designers of Portal Framework applications, this is the runtime equivalent of an Image Link component.

IMP

See Instant Messaging and Presence.

initialization parameters

The parameters initialized upon the start-up of a standard JSR 286 portlet. Initialization parameters provide an alternative to JNDI (Java Naming and Directory Interface) variables. Use initialization parameters instead of JNDI to configure the behavior of all of the different components of the portlet—for example, servlets and other portlets—in a compatible way. In WebCenter Portal tools and services, initialization parameters are entered into the portlet.xml file.

Instant Messaging and Presence

Enables users to observe the presence status of other authenticated users and provides instant access to interaction options, such as instant messages and email.

Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

A visual application development tool containing editors, debuggers, screen painters, object browsers, and the like. The Oracle JDeveloper IDE provides a fully featured environment for building custom portal components, like task flows, data controls, managed beans, and scenarios.

Integrated WebLogic Server

A WebLogic Server instance used as a platform for pretesting Portal Framework application deployments on a local computer. Integrated WebLogic Server also contains preconfigured portlet producers and several useful prebuilt portlets.

Iterative development

Iterative development lets you make changes to your Portal Framework application while it is running on the Integrated WebLogic Server and immediately see the effect of those changes simply by refreshing the current page in your browser. The iterative development feature works by disabling certain optimization features. Iterative development allows developers to work more quickly and efficiently when building a Portal Framework application.

Java Content Repository

See JCR 1.0.

Java Portlet Specification

Standardizes how components for portal servers are to be developed. This specification defines a common portlet API and infrastructure that provides facilities for personalization, presentation, and security. Portlets using this API and adhering to the specification are product-agnostic, and can be deployed to any portal product that conforms to the specification. See also JSR 286.

JavaServer Faces

See JSF.

JavaServer Page

See JSP.

JCR 1.0

Java Content Repository 1.0. Also known as JSR 170. It proposes a standard access and interaction API for content repositories, much like JDBC does for databases.

JDeveloper

See Oracle JDeveloper.

JSF

JavaServer Faces. A standard Java framework for building web applications. It simplifies development by providing a component-centric approach to developing Java web user interfaces. JSF offers rich and robust APIs that provide programming flexibility and ensures that applications are well designed with greater maintainability by integrating the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern into its architecture. As JSF is a Java standard developed through Java Community Process, development tools like Oracle JDeveloper are fully empowered to provide easy to use, visual, and productive development environments for JSF.

JSF JSP

JavaServer Faces JavaServer Page. JSF JSPs differ from plain JSPs through their support of Oracle ADF Faces components for the user interface and JSF technology for page navigation. JSF JSP pages leverage the advantages of the Oracle Application Development Framework (ADF) (Oracle ADF) by using the ADF Model binding capabilities for the components in the pages.

JSP

JavaServer Page. An extension to servlet functionality that provides a simple programmatic interface to web pages. JSPs are HTML pages with special tags and embedded Java code that is executed on the web or application server. JSPs provide dynamic functionality to HTML pages. They are actually compiled into servlets when first requested and run in the servlet container.

See also JSP tags.

JSP tags

Tags that can be embedded in JSPs to enclose Java code. These tags use the <jsp: syntax and enclose action elements in the JSP with begin and end tags similar to XML elements.

JSR 286

Java Specification Request (JSR) 286. Defines a set of APIs for building standards-based portlets using Java. Portlets built to this specification can be rendered to a portal locally or deployed to a WSRP container for rendering portlets remotely. For more information, see http://jcp.org/en/jsr/detail?id=286.

JSR 170

See JCR 1.0

JSR 329

See Oracle JSF Portlet Bridge.

keystore

A file that provides information about available public and private keys that are used for authentication and data integrity. User certificates and the trust points needed to validate the certificates of peers are also stored securely in the keystore.

knowledge worker

A WebCenter Portal user who focuses on providing content and reviewing the content of others. At the application level, a knowledge worker has the permissions granted to the Authenticated-User role. At the portal level, a knowledge worker is likely assigned the Viewer or Participant role.

layout box

A container that enables placement of content on a page created in the WebCenter Portal.

layout component

An object for enhancing the usefulness and appearance of a given page. Layout components include layout boxes, a rich text editor, images, hyperlinks, and so on.

Layout Customizable component

A component provided in the Composer tag library that enables users to select from a set of predefined layouts (for example, two column, three column, two row, and so on) and apply it to the page. Users can apply these layouts to a particular area of the page or to the entire page.

life cycle

The process of creating and testing a portal or Portal Framework application in a design time environment, deploying it to a production system, and then performing routine maintenance, such as monitoring performance and migrating customization data. The life cycle of portal or a Portal Framework application also includes performing further enhancements, restaging, and then redeploying it to the production system.

Links

Provides a means of creating a bidirectional association between two objects, thus setting up easy access between those objects.

Lists

Provides a means of creating lists and exposing them for placement on portal pages.

Lists page (or console)

A predefined page that displays a portal's current lists.

Mail

Provides a means for exposing familiar email functionality in portals.

Managed Server

In a production environment, a Managed Server hosts applications and the resources needed by those applications. A domain, which is a logically related group of Oracle WebLogic Server resources, can have any number of Managed Servers. An Administration Server manages these servers.

mashup

A web application that enables end users to pull information from different sources to create a customized application that exactly meets their individual requirements.

See also enterprise mashup.

MDS

Oracle Metadata Services. A core technology of the Application Development Framework (ADF). MDS provides a unified architecture for defining and using metadata in an extensible and customizable manner.

MDS repository

An application server and Oracle relational database that keep metadata in these areas: a file-based repository, dictionary tables accessed by build-in functions, and a metadata registry. One of the primary uses of MDS is to store customizations and persisted personalization for Oracle applications.

Message Board

Feature for posting messages to and receiving messages from other portal users (part of People Connections).

metadata

Information about a content item, such as title, author, or security group. Metadata is used to describe, find, and group content items. Also referred to as content information.

Model-View-Controller

See MVC.

moderator

A WebCenter Portal user who is responsible for managing a particular portal. A portal moderator can add and remove members, invite new members, enable self registration, provide and update portal metadata, and manage the tools and services available to the portal.

Movable Box layout component

A layout component available through Composer. A container that enables the placement of content on a page created in the WebCenter Portal. Movable Boxes, along with their content, can be moved around on the page. For designers of Portal Framework applications, this is the runtime equivalent of Show Detail Frame component.

MVC

Model-View-Controller. A classic design pattern often used by applications that need the ability to maintain multiple views of the same data. The MVC pattern hinges on a clean separation of objects into one of three categories: models for maintaining data, views for displaying all or a portion of the data, and controllers for handling events that affect the model or views. Because of this separation, multiple views and controllers can interface with the same model. Even new types of views and controllers that never existed before, such as portlets, can interface with a model without forcing a change in the model design.

navigation

WebCenter Portal provides three navigation components to create portal navigation. These components are: Breadcrumb navigation, menu navigation, and tree navigation.

navigation model

Navigation models provide data to the navigation user interface and enable navigation to assets in your portal, such as pages, page hierarchies, task flows, external sites, portlets, and other entities.

Notes

Provides useful features for writing personal notes and reminders.

Notifications

Provides an automated means of triggering notices across different messaging channels, such as phone, mail, worklist, and so on. Messages are triggered when the portals and application objects to which you have subscribed change.

OmniPortlet

A component of WebCenter Portal tools and services that enables you to inject portal-like capabilities, such as portlets, content integration, and customization, into your Oracle ADF Faces applications.

Oracle ADF

Oracle Application Development Framework. A range of technologies aimed at making Java EE application development faster and simpler for developers while at the same time taking advantage of proven software patterns to ensure that the developed application is scalable, performant, and the like.

Oracle Access Manager (OAM)

Part of Oracle's enterprise class suite of products for identity management and security, Oracle Access Manager provides a wide range of identity administration and security functions, including several single sign-on options for WebCenter Portal and Portal Framework applications. OAM is the recommended single sign-on solution for Oracle WebCenter Portal 11g installations.

Oracle ADF Faces

Oracle ADF Faces is a rich set of user interface components based on the new JavaServer Faces JSR (JSR 127). Oracle ADF Faces provide various user interface components with built-in functionality, such as data tables, hierarchical tables, and color and date pickers, that can be customized and reused in an application.

Oracle Enterprise Manager

A component that enables administrators to manage Oracle Fusion Middleware services through a single environment. The administrator uses Enterprise Manager to configure, manage, and monitor Portal Framework applications.

Oracle HTTP Server (OHS)

Software that processes web transactions that use the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Oracle uses HTTP software developed by the Apache Group.

Oracle Internet Directory

Oracle's LDAP V3 compliant LDAP server. It is used as a repository for provisioning users and groups. By default, the Oracle Single Sign-On (OSSO) authenticates user credentials against Oracle Internet Directory information about dispersed users and network resources. Oracle Internet Directory combines LDAP version 3 with the high performance, scalability, robustness, and availability of the Oracle database.

Oracle JDeveloper

Oracle JDeveloper is an integrated development environment for building applications and web services using the latest industry standards for Java, XML, and SQL. Developers can use Oracle JDeveloper to create Java portlets, Portal Framework applications, portlets, skins, portal templates, task flows, mBeans, data controls, and so on.

Oracle JSF Portlet Bridge

Based on and conforming to JSR 329, the Oracle JSF Portlet Bridge enables application developers to expose a JSF application or task flow as a JSR 286 portlet for consumption in another application.

Oracle Metadata Services

See MDS.

Oracle Secure Enterprise Search (SES)

Provides easy-to-use search for public and secure data, with unified ranking results. With Portal Framework applications, Oracle SES is set as the default and preferred search platform.

With WebCenter Portals, WebCenter Portal's internal live search adapters are set as the default search platform; however, large-scale implementations should be configured to use Oracle SES for best performance.

Oracle Single Sign-On (OSSO)

A component that enables users to log in to all features of the Oracle Fusion Middleware product suite, and to other web applications, using a single user name and password.

Oracle Technology Network

See OTN.

Oracle WebCenter Content

Provides a flexible, secure, centralized, web-based repository that manages all phases of the content life cycle: from creation and approval to publishing, searching, expiration, and archival or disposition. It enables contributors to easily contribute content from native desktop applications, efficiently manage business content through rich library services, and securely access that content anywhere using a web browser. All content, regardless of content type, is stored in the web repository or database for management, reuse and access.

Oracle WebCenter Content Server

A content repository for building secure business libraries with checkin and checkout, revision control, and automated publishing in web-ready formats. Current information is available to authorized users anytime, anywhere.

Oracle WebCenter Content Server is a component of Oracle WebCenter Content.

Oracle WebCenter Content's Site Studio

A powerful, flexible web development application suite that offers a comprehensive approach to designing, building, and maintaining enterprise-scale web sites. Site Studio uses Oracle WebCenter Content: Content Server as the main repository for a web site.

In WebCenter, Content Presenter integrates with Site Studio to allow you to create, access, edit, and display Site Studio contributor data files in either a Site Studio region template or a custom Content Presenter display template.

Oracle WebCenter Portal's Discussions Server

Backend discussions server for discussions and announcements.

Oracle WebCenter Portal Framework

An WebCenter Portal Framework application is a standard ADF web application that includes portal features, like navigation, pages, page templates, content integration, and so on.

Oracle WebCenter Portal's Pagelet Producer

Provides a collection of useful tools and features that facilitate dynamic pagelet development.

Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console

A browser-based environment for managing WebLogic Server, including deployed applications, domains, security, clusters, and so on.

OTN

Oracle Technology Network. The online Oracle technical community that provides a variety of technical resources for building Oracle-based applications. You can access OTN at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork.

Page Customizable component

A component provided in the Composer tag library that defines the editable area of a page at runtime. Within this area, users can edit properties for a component, add content to the page, arrange content, and so on.

page hierarchy

A model, in Portal Framework applications, that associates pages in a parent-child relationship, where any page can have one or more sub pages. This parent-child model not only helps define the overall structure of the portal, but also allows child pages to inherit the security policies from their parent.

page parameter

A parameter associated with a page that can be used to store values that can then be passed to the components on the page. It also enables your page to take values through its URL. Page parameters are defined using the <parameter> tag at the top of your PageDef.xml. You can bind page parameters to your page variables.

Page Properties

A dialog, accessed from Composer, that provides access to a page's display options, security settings, and parameters.

page scheme

Determines the background image used in the page. The WebCenter Portal provides several default page schemes and an option for specifying a custom page scheme.

page style

Determines the initial page structure, for example one column or two column. Some default page styles also include the task flows, components, and page properties useful for a particular purpose. For example, a page created using the Text page style includes a Text layout component.

page template

Lets you specify view elements that you intend to be common to all of your pages. A page template file is a JSPX file that includes ADF layout components and other elements. Typically, page templates define a page layout, with headers, footers, and content areas. In addition, the page template usually specifies the positioning and style of the navigation UI for your pages.

page variable

A variable that binds your public portlet parameter to the page. Page variables are defined within the <variableIterator> of your PageDef.xml. One page variable can be bound to multiple public portlet parameters.

Panel Customizable component

A component provided in the Composer tag library that provides a container region for a group of Oracle ADF components and portlets that are customizable at runtime. Any Show Detail Frame components and portlets added as child components to a Panel Customizable component can be moved or maximized with the Panel Customizable component.

parent component

A component that contains other components, such as a Box layout component that contains task flows. The Box is the parent component of the task flows. In contrast, the task flows are the Box's child components.

See also Child Components.

participant

A WebCenter Portal user who can manipulate the content of a portal. A participant can upload and share documents, initiate and take part in chats with other members, create discussion topics, create new or view existing lists.

PDK-Java

Java Portlet Developer Kit. The development framework used to build and integrate web content and applications with WebCenter Portal tools and services. It includes toolkits, samples, and technical articles that help make portal development simple. You can take existing Java servlets, JSPs, URL-accessible content and web services and turn them into portlets. It is typically used by external developers and vendors to create portlets and services.

People Connections

Provides social networking tools for creating, interacting with, and tracking the activities of one's enterprise connections.

See also, Activity Stream, Connections, Feedback, Message Board, and Profile.

personalization

Dynamic changes to an application's behavior based on user context, facilitated by Personalization for WebCenter Portal.

See also application customization and user customization

Personalization for WebCenter Portal

Enables you to deliver content within your application to targeted users based on selected criteria. Personalization for WebCenter Portal also provides a declarative means for specifying dynamic application flow.

personal page

A page created by a user in his or her Home portal. Personal pages are viewable by other users only if specifically granted access by the user who created the page.

personal profile

A page that displays a user's personal information such as email address, phone number, office location, department, manager, direct reports, and so on.

See also, Profile.

Polls

Enables you to create, edit, and take online polls on your portal pages. Polls let you survey your audience (such as their opinions and their experience level) and check whether they can recall important information, and gather feedback on the efficacy of presentations.

portal

A common interface (that is, a web page) that provides a personalized, single point of interaction with web-based applications and information relevant to individual users or class of users.

Portal Builder

Comprises the portal creating, editing, and administration areas of WebCenter Portal. In Portal Builder, you can create a portal, add and edit the pages of a portal in the page editor (Composer), and administer a single portal as the portal owner. The system administrator has access to the Portal Builder administration area that allows for administering all portals.

Portals page

A predefined page in Portal Builder that displays a list of all the portals available to the currently logged in user. The user can choose to display All Portals, only portals of which the user is a member (Joined), only portals of which the user is the moderator (Moderated), portals that are accessible to all (Public), and portals that have been made discoverable (Discoverable).

portal application template

See application templates (JDeveloper).

Portal Developer Kit

See PDK-Java.

portlet

A reusable web component that can draw content from many different sources. Portlets can display excerpts of other web sites, generate summaries of key information, perform searches, and access assembled collections of information from a variety of data sources. Because different portlets can be placed on a common page, the user receives a single-source experience, even though the content may be derived from multiple sources. Portlet resources include the many prebuilt portlets available out of the box and programmatic portlets built through WebCenter Portal's JSR 286, PDK-Java Portlet wizards, and other portlet building tools.

portlet event

A JSR 286 feature that allows portlets to react to actions or state changes not directly related to an interaction of the user with the portlet.

portlet filter

A JSR 286 feature that allows on-the-fly transformations of information in both the request to and the responses from a portlet. A portlet filter is a reusable piece of code that can transform the content of portlet requests and portlet responses.

portlet mode

The ways by which a portlet can be called to display information. These methods include:

- Shared Screen mode or View mode

- Edit mode or Edit Defaults mode

- Customize mode

- Help mode

- About mode

- Full Screen mode (Portlets) or Show Details Page mode

predefined page

A page created by the WebCenter Portal to perform a specific function. Examples of predefined pages include, Welcome pages, Search pages, and Documents pages.

predeployment tool

A utility for Portal Framework applications that assists you in configuring your target system with the new producer registrations you have added to your application in Oracle JDeveloper. You must run this utility before deploying your application. You can also use this utility after deployment to migrate metadata from stage to production, for example, to export and import your customizations. This tool also enables you to define the MDS repository location to allow run-time customizations to be migrated.

pretty URL

A shortened version of a page's URL that hides the complexity of the real web address.

private parameter

A portlet parameter that is known only to the portlet itself and has no connection to the page on which the portlet resides.

Contrast with public parameter.

producer

A communication link between portlet consumers (such as a Portal Framework application or a portal). When a consumer application renders a portlet, it calls the producer of that portlet, which in turn executes the portlet and returns the results in the form of portlet content. A producer can contain one or more portlets. A portlet can be contained by only one producer.

WebCenter Portal tools and services supports two types of producers:

- Oracle PDK-Java producers: Deployed to a Java EE application server, which is often remote and communicates through Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) over HTTP.

- Web Services for Remote Portlets (WSRP): A web services standard that enables the plug-and-play of visual, user-facing web services with portals or other intermediary web applications. Being a standard, WSRP enables interoperability between a standards-enabled container based on a particular language (such as JSR 286, .NET, Perl) and any WSRP portal. A portlet (regardless of language) deployed to a WSRP-enabled container can be rendered in any application that supports this standard.

Profile

Feature for viewing and managing information about yourself, such as your contact information, manager, and direct reports, and for viewing this information about other application users (part of People Connections).

programmatic portlets

Portlets constructed in a non-declarative manner using APIs. Also referred to as hand- or manually-coded portlets.

public render parameters

A JSR 286 feature that enables portlets to share parameter values, allowing a form of interportlet communication.

public portal

A portal that is available to all users, even those who are not logged in to the WebCenter Portal.

public page

A page within the WebCenter Portal that is available to all users, even those who are not logged in to the application.

public parameter

A portlet parameter that is known to the page and bound to it by way of a page variable.

Contrast with private parameter.

public user

A user who can access, but is not logged into a portal or Framework application. A public user can view any page that has been marked as public, but cannot personalize or edit any content, or view pages that have any form of access control.

Contrast with authenticated user.

Recent Activities

Provides a means of tracking recent activities in a Portal Framework application.

recipe

A weighted list of similarity calculations. The weighting of each calculation determines its significance in deciding the overall recommendation score. Recommendations are ordered by their total recommendation score.

resize handle

A user interface element in a task flow chrome increasing or decreasing the height of the task flow.

asset

An object that defines the structure, look and feel, or content of a portal. Assets include page templates, navigation models, resource catalogs, skins, page styles, Content Presenter display templates, task flow styles, pagelets, task flows, and data controls.

Resource Action Handling framework

Enables services that expose custom resources to be viewed, searched, and tagged.

resource catalog

A catalog that provides a federated view of one or more otherwise unrelated repositories in a unified search and browse user interface. Resources are created and published in their source repository and are then exposed to the developer in JDeveloper's Resource Palette and to the end user in the resource catalog viewer. Resource catalogs can contain layout components, Oracle ADF components, portlets, task flows, and documents.

Resource Index

The starting point for accessing WebCenter Portal REST APIs. Sending a GET request to the Resource Index URI returns a list of links to entry points for all available services.

resource type

Defines the type of resource that a WebCenter Portal REST API link identifies. Use resource types to determine the response bodies for GET requests and allowable request bodies for POST and PUT. Also use resourceType attributes on entities to uniquely identify their type.

REST APIs

Oracle WebCenter Portal provides a set of web-based REST (REpresentational State Transfer) APIs for retrieving and modifying server data dynamically from the client. REST APIs are available for many WebCenter Portal tools and services.

Reverse Proxy Server

A server process that hides the physical location of internal servers by exposing the servers as a single public site. Requests to the public site are routed to the appropriate internal server.

round-trip development

Round-trip development refers to features and techniques that allow you to retrieve resources from a deployed, runtime portal back to JDeveloper for maintenance or enhancement. After modifying a resource in JDeveloper, you can use the administration console to upload the resource back to the deployed portal. WebCenter Portal's round-trip development features provide a simple, convenient way to modify portal resources without redeploying the entire application.

RSS reader

An RSS reader provided with the WebCenter Portal that incorporates public news feeds from external sources onto portal pages. This RSS reader is available only in WebCenter Portal, and not in Portal Framework applications.

RSS

Provides a means of publishing content from other services as news feeds. The RSS tool supports both RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0 formats.

Search

Enables the discovery of information and people in a portal, returning only the results users are authorized to see.

Secure Enterprise Search

See Oracle Secure Enterprise Search (SES).

Select view (Composer)

A view, in Composer, that provides a WYSIWYG rendering of the page and its content, where a component can be selected for quick access to its properties or the properties of its parent component. Component cannot be deleted in Select view.

See also Structure view (Composer) and Design view (Composer).

Self-Registration page

A predefined page where users can register with the WebCenter Portal, thus creating themselves an identity store login account. Administrators can customize certain aspects of this page.

Self-Subscription page

A predefined page where users can register to become members of a portal. Moderators can customize certain aspects of this page.

service ID

In Expression Language, the string that identifies a particular service. For example, the string oracle.webcenter.collab.announcement is the service ID for the Announcements service.

A PDK-Java producer's unique identifier. PDK-Java enables you to deploy multiple producers under a single adapter servlet. Different producers are identified by their unique service IDs. A service ID is required only when a service ID/producer name is not appended to the URL endpoint.

servlet

A Java program that usually runs on a Web server, extending the web server's functionality. HTTP servlets take client HTTP requests, generate dynamic content (such as through querying a database), and provide an HTTP response.

session language

A display language specified by the user that remains in effect for the life of the session cookie (from log on to log off). If the user clears browser cookies, the display language reverts to the user-level default language, if specified, then to the application-level default language set by the administrator. Set the session language in the Change Language pop-up, accessible from the Welcome page.

Shared Screen mode

A portlet mode that renders the body of the portlet and enables you to display a portlet on a page that can contain other portlets. Every portlet must have at least a Shared Screen mode.

See also View mode.

Show Detail Frame component

A component provided in the Composer tag library that renders a border or chrome around the child component. It provides a header with an Actions menu and thereby provides user interface (UI) controls to customize the display of the child component. However, to customize the display of the child component, the Show Detail Frame component must be included inside a Panel Customizable component.

Show Details Page mode

A portlet mode that provides full-browser display of the portlet. For example, a portlet in Show Page mode could be limited to displaying only the ten most recently submitted expense reports, while the same portlet in Show Details Page mode could show all submissions.

Contrast with Show Page mode.

show modes

Types of portlet modes encompassing Show Page mode and Show Details Page mode.

Show Page mode

A portlet mode that provides a smaller portlet display to allow portal for additional portlets and other objects in the browser window. For example, a portlet in Show Page mode could be limited to displaying only the ten most recently submitted expense reports, while the same portlet in Show Details Page mode could show all submissions.

Contrast with Show Details Page mode.

similarity calculation

Used by the activity graph to provide a similarity score (a number between zero and one) that designates how similar two objects are to each other given a specific criterion. The weighting of each calculation determines its significance in deciding the overall recommendation score. Recommendations are ordered by their total recommendation score.

skin

A style sheet based on the CSS 3.0 syntax specified in one place for an entire portal. Instead of providing a style sheet for each component, or inserting a style sheet on each page, you can create one skin for the entire portal.

Structure view (Composer)

A view, in Composer, that provides a combined WYSIWYG and hierarchical rendering of page components, where controls are available in the header of the hierarchical list pane to add, edit, delete, hide, and rearrange page components.

See also Design view (Composer) and Select view (Composer).

portal

A work area within WebCenter Portal that supports a group of people of any size that is organized around an area of interest or a common goal.

portal icon

An image displayed alongside portal names on the Portals page in My Portals to help other users with identification and location.

portal logo

An image displayed on the Home portal page to provide a visual identity for the portal. The Home portal logos also display alongside the portal name at the top of the page in Full Screen Mode.

portal member

A user who is participating in a portal. Members can be added or invited to a portal, or they can subscribe to a portal themselves if self-registration is enabled.

portal owner

A user who initially created a portal. The portal owner is automatically also a moderator of the portal.

portal template

A starting point for creating a new portal. WebCenter Portal includes several out-of-the-box templates to get you started, and you can create custom portal templates using existing portals as the basis.

Portal Unavailable page

A predefined page that displays when a portal member tries to open a portal that is temporarily offline. Moderators can customize this page.

Portals Switcher

Provides access to a popup window where users can select a portal to which to navigate. Recent Portals lists up to ten recently accessed portals, followed by portals to which current user most recently gained access. Portals lists all portals to which the current user has access, in alphabetical order. A list of links provides direct access from the menu to the Home portal, the portals browser page, the Create a Portal dialog, and Portal Builder.

Tags

Enables users to apply their own terms to portal objects, making it possible to search for those objects using personally meaningful terms.

task flow

A set of ADF Controller activities, control flow rules, and managed beans that interact to allow a user to complete a task. Task flows provide a modular approach for defining control flow in a portal. Instead of representing a portal as a single JSF page flow, developers can break it up into a collection of reusable task flows.

template

See portal template, application templates (JDeveloper), Portal Framework application template, WebCenter Portal Producer Application template, page template, and custom display template.

Text layout component

A layout component available through Composer. A rich text editor for providing static page text. For designers of Portal Framework applications, this is the runtime equivalent of a Rich Text Editor component.

Unauthorized Access page

A predefined page that is shown when someone without access permission tries to open a page.

URL parameter

See private parameter.

user customization

Changes that affect only a user's own work space.

See also application customization and personalization

validation-based caching

A caching method that uses a validation check to determine if the cached item is still valid.

Contrast with expiry-based caching.

Virtual Content Repository

Virtual Content Repository (VCR) enables you to plug in multiple, heterogeneous content repositories.

View mode

(JSR 286 portlets only.) A portlet mode that enables you to display a JSR 286 portlet on a page that can contain other portlets. It is the only required mode for JSR 286 portlets.

See also Shared Screen mode.

Web 2.0

Technologies, such as wiki, RSS, and blogs, that enable the construction of highly interactive web applications.

See also WebCenter Portal tools and services.

WebCenter Portal

Out-of-the-box application built using JSF, Oracle ADF, WebCenter Portal Framework, WebCenter Portal tools and services, and Composer. WebCenter Portal provides a browser-based platform for creating enterprise portals, multiple sites and communities, a Home portal for each user, and threaded discussions, blogs, wikis, worklists, announcements, RSS, recent activities, search, and more.

WebCenter Portal Producer Application template

An application template, provided by JDeveloper, for creating an application with the recommended projects and technology scopes required for developing portlets. The Portlet Producer Application template consists of a single project scoped for portlet creation (Portlets).

See also Portal Framework application template and producer.

Web Page layout component

A layout component available through Composer. A means of embedding another web site, wiki, or blog within the context of a page which is created in the WebCenter Portal. For designers of Portal Framework applications, this is the equivalent of an Inline Frame component.

Web Services for Remote Portlets

See WSRP.

WebCenter Portals Extension for Oracle JDeveloper

An extension available through the Oracle JDeveloper Update Wizard that installs the necessary libraries, templates, wizards, and dialogs needed to build and deploy Portal Framework applications in Oracle JDeveloper.

WebCenter Portal Framework

See Oracle WebCenter Portal Framework.

WebCenter Portal systems administrator

See administrator.

WebCenter Portal tools and services

A collection of tools and services that expose social networking and personal productivity features.

- Activity Graph

- Announcements

- Analytics

- Discussions

- Documents

- Events

- Instant Messaging and Presence

- Links

- Lists

- Mail

- Notes

- Notifications

- People Connections

- Personalization for WebCenter Portal

- Polls

- Recent Activities

- RSS

- Search

- Tags

- Worklist

Welcome page

There are two types of Welcome page:

- Public Welcome page: A predefined page that users encounter before logging in to the WebCenter Portal.

- Personal Welcome page: A predefined page that introduces users to their Home portal.

WebLogic Server (WLS)

WebLogic Server. A scalable, enterprise-ready Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) application server. The WebLogic Server infrastructure supports the deployment of many types of distributed applications and is an ideal foundation for building applications based on Service Oriented Architectures (SOA).

See also Integrated WebLogic Server

WLST

WebLogic Scripting Tool. A command line tool for managing Oracle Fusion Middleware components, such as Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Worklist

Provides access to notifications, alerts, and BPEL tasks assigned to the current user.

WSRP

Web Services for Remote Portlets (WSRP) is a web services standard that allows the plug-and-play of visual, user-facing web services with portals or other intermediary web applications. Being a standard, WSRP enables interoperability between a standards-enabled container based on a particular language (such as JSR 286, .NET, Perl) and any WSRP portal. A portlet (regardless of language) deployed to a WSRP-enabled container can be rendered on any portal that supports this standard.

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