Portal Configuration—Exercises

Main Exercise

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show a few basic configuration options for the portal.

Windows:
http://yourserver/yourapplication

Add Portlets

Purpose: The portal can contain any number of portlets. The idea with the portal is that you can select those portlets that are important for you. One way to customize the portal is to add portlets that you are interested in, and remove portlets that you do not need

Note: The portal is divided into columns of portlets, usually three columns.

1. To add and remove portlets, you need to browse to the Portal Configuration page. Click Configuration in the Navigation bar of the portal. From the menu opened select Configure this view. 
2. This configuration page provides several setting options for the portal. The portal configuration page consists of two main areas. In the first section you can configure the number of columns etc. while in the second section you can configure the portlets to use in the portal page.
   The first section consists of a set of radio buttons from which you select the number of portlet columns to use. You also get a check box to enable multi-column portlets. Multi-column portlets are portlets which span through the width of all the portlets. This section also contains a combo box from which you can select the auto refresh time,  the portal will be automatically refreshed at the time intervals given here.
   In the Second section you select the portlets you want to display in the portal page. All portlets that are made available for you, are displayed in the right most select box called Portlet library. Click on the column you need to put the portlet in, and then select the portlet you want to add to the column. Use the right arrow to put the portlet into selected column.
3. Add the My Links portlet by selecting My Links portlet from the portlet library, click in the desired column and then click the arrow button to add it to the required column. 
4. Select the My Links portlet you just added. Click the arrows to move the portlet up and down within the column and to other columns.
5. Click Save & Return to save the changes you have made and return to the portal page. Click Cancel to discard the changes.

Update the Information in the Portal

Purpose: The data displayed in the portlets was retrieved when you accessed the portal page. If your portlets shows data that can change over time, you need to be able to update this data, while still in the portal.

1. Browse to the portal page.
2. To update the information for all the portlets in the portal, Click Options and select Refresh in the Navigation bar.
3. You can also update the information in a single portlet. To do this, click the update button for that portlet, which is the icon with two arrows, located in the portlet tool bar.

Configuration of a Single Portlet

Purpose: A single portlet can also often be configured.

1. If it is displayed, you can click the configuration button (hammer and spanner icon) in the portlet bar. The portlet configuration page will display.
2. Click the configuration button in the My Links portlet that you added previously.
3. Change the title of the portlet (displayed in the first field).
4. Click OK.

Minimizing a Portlet

Purpose: A portal can contain a great number of portlets. It can be useful to shrink some portlets, but still have them in the portal.

1. Click the minus/plus sign in any portlet bar. Notice how the portlet body disappears and reappears.