Systems and methods for improved portal development

• US 20040183831A1
• Filed: 02/26/2004
• Published: 09/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Ritchy, Robert A., Mueller, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,890,877 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

A portal can be generated using a portal designer allowing dragging and dropping of components into a display. The dragging and dropping of components can initiate the update of a display, such as a design view and/or a hierarchal display and the update of a portal file. The portal file can be used to generate the portal. The portal designer can include a property editor window for editing a selected component

Claims

1. A method for generating a user-configured portal, comprising:

using a graphical user interface to obtain portal configuration information from a user, the graphical user interface allowing the selection of a component with a display and allowing the editing of the properties of a selected component using a property editor window, the component selected from dislayed components including portlets and pages; and

preparing a portal description in accordance with the configuration information, wherein the portal description can be used to generate the portal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the property editor window can be used to change the look and feel of the component.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the property editor window can be used to change the theme of the component.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the property editor window can be used to change the title of the component.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the portal description is a portal file.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the portal description includes portal XML.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the portal XML is stored in a database.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface is part of a portal designer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface is part of an administration tool.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the display is a design view.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a hierarchical window is automatically updated to correspond to the design view.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the portal description is automatically updated to correspond to the design view.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the display is a hierarchical display window.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the representations of components in the hierarchical display can be accessed by clicking on the hierarchical display.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the hierarchical display includes parent and child nodes.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the component is a portlet.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the component is a page.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

deploying the portal.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the portal description is used to produce the display.

20. Computer software, capable of:

receiving portal configuration information from a user through a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface allowing the selection of a component represented in a display and allowing the editing of the properties of a selected component using a property editor window, the component selected from displayed components including portlets and pages; and

preparing a portal description in accordance with the configuration information, wherein the portal description can be used to generate the portal.

21. The computer software of claim 20, wherein the property editor window can be used to change the look and feel of the component.

22. The computer software of claim 20, wherein the property editor window can be used to change the theme of the component.

23. The computer software of claim 20, wherein the property editor window can be used to change the title of the component.

24. The computer software of claim 20, wherein the portal description is a portal file.

25. The computer software of claim 20, wherein the portal description includes portal XML.

26. The computer software of claim 25, wherein the portal XML is stored in a database.

27. The computer software of claim 20, wherein the graphical user interface is part of a portal designer.

28. The computer software of claim 20, wherein the graphical user interface is part of an administration tool.

29. The computer software of claim 20, wherein the display is a design view.

30. The computer software of claim 29, wherein a hierarchical window is automatically updated to correspond to the design view.

31. The computer software of claim 29, wherein the portal description is automatically updated to correspond to the design view.

32. The computer software of claim 20, wherein the display is a hierarchical display window.

33. The computer software of claim 32, wherein the representations of components in the hierarchical display can be accessed by clicking on the hierarchical display.

34. The computer software of claim 33, wherein the hierarchical display includes parent and child nodes.

35. The computer software of claim 20, wherein the component is a portlet.

36. The computer software of claim 20, wherein the component is a page.

37. The computer software of claim 20, further comprising:

deploying the portal.

38. The computer software of claim 20, wherein the portal description is used to produce the display.

39. A method for generating a user-configured portal, comprising:

using a graphical user interface to obtain portal configuration information from a user, the graphical user interface allowing the dragging and dropping of a representation of a component into a display to create portal configuration information, and the graphical user interface also allowing editing of the properties of the component using a property editor window;

preparing a portal description in accordance with the configuration information, wherein the portal description can be used to generate the portal.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the portal description is a portal file.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the portal description includes portal XML.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the portal XML is stored in a database.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein the graphical user interface is part of a portal designer.

44. The method of claim 39, wherein the graphical user interface is part of an administration tool.

45. The method of claim 39, wherein the display is a design view.

46. The method of claim 39, wherein a hierarchical window is automatically updated to correspond to the design view.

47. The method of claim 45, wherein the portal description is automatically updated to correspond to the design view.

48. The method of claim 39, wherein the display is a hierarchical display window.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the representations of components in the hierarchical display can be accessed by clicking on the hierarchical display.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein the hierarchical display includes parent and child nodes.

51. The method of claim 39, wherein the component is a portlet.

52. The method of claim 39, wherein the component is a page.

53. The method of claim 39, wherein the component is a book.

54. The method of claim 39, wherein the configuration information includes position information for the component.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the configuration information includes position information for a position within a page.

56. The method of claim 54, wherein the information is grid location information.

57. The method of claim 54, wherein the information is position within a placeholder.

58. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

deploying the portal.

59. The method of claim 39, wherein the portal description is used to produce the display.

60. Computer software, capable of:

receiving portal configuration information from a user through a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface allowing the dragging and dropping of a representation of a component into a display to create portal configuration information, and the graphical user interface also allowing editing of the properties of the component using a property editor window; and

preparing a portal description, the portal description prepared in accordance with the configuration information, wherein the portal description can be used to generate the portal.

61. The computer software of claim 60, wherein the portal description is a portal file.

62. The computer software of claim 60, wherein the portal description includes portal XML.

63. The computer software of claim 62, wherein the portal XML is stored in a database.

64. The computer software of claim 60, wherein the graphical user interface is part of a portal designer.

65. The computer software of claim 60, wherein the graphical user interface is part of an administration tool.

66. The computer software of claim 60, wherein the display is a design view.

67. The computer software of claim 66, wherein a hierarchical window is automatically updated to correspond to the design view.

68. The computer software of claim 66, wherein the portal description is automatically updated to correspond to the design view.

69. The computer software of claim 60, wherein the display is a hierarchical display window.

70. The computer software of claim 69, wherein the representations of components in the hierarchical display can be accessed by clicking on the hierarchical display.

71. The computer software of claim 70, wherein the hierarchical display includes parent and child nodes.

72. The computer software of claim 60, wherein the component is a portlet.

73. The computer software of claim 60, wherein the component is a page.

74. The computer software of claim 60, wherein the component is a book.

75. The computer software of claim 60, wherein the configuration information includes position information for the component.

76. The computer software of claim 75, wherein the configuration information includes position information for a position within a page.

77. The computer software of claim 75, wherein the information is grid location information.

78. The computer software of claim 75, wherein the information is position within a placeholder.

79. The computer software of claim 60, further comprising:

deploying the portal.

80. The computer software of claim 60, wherein the portal description is used to produce the display.

81. A method for generating a user-configured portal, comprising:

producing a hierarchical display of a portal structure, the hierarchical display indicating components including portlets and pages;

accessing a representation of a component on the hierarchical display;

manipulating the component whose representation is accessed; and

updating a portal description as a result of the manipulation, wherein the portal description can be used to generate the portal..

82. The method of claim 81, wherein the portal description is a portal file.

83. The method of claim 81, wherein the graphical user interface is part of a administration tool.

84. The method of claim 81, wherein the graphical user interface is part of a portal designer.

85. The method of claim 81, wherein the portal description includes portal XML.

86. The method of claim 85, wherein the portal XML is stored in a database.

87. The method of claim 81, wherein the graphical user interface is part of a administration tool.

88. The method of claim 81, wherein the graphical user interface is part of a portal designer.

89. The method of claim 81, wherein the representations of components in the hierarchical display can be accessed by clicking on the hierarchical display.

90. The method of claim 81, wherein the hierarchical display includes parent and child nodes.

91. The method of claim 90, wherein child nodes can be made visible by clicking on parent nodes.

92. The method of claim 81, wherein the manipulating includes modifying at least one property of the component.

93. The method of claim 92, wherein the property is modified using a property editor display.

94. The method of claim 81, wherein the manipulating includes modifying the position of the component in the hierarchical display.

95. The method of claim 81, wherein the manipulating includes dragging and dropping a representation of a component.

96. The method of claim 81, wherein the hierarchical display is part of a graphical user interface for a portal designer.

97. The method of claim 96, wherein the graphical user interface further includes a design view.

98. The method of claim 96, wherein the graphical user interface further includes palettes with components to be drag and dropped.

99. The method of claim 81, wherein the hierarchical display is a document structure view.

100. The method of claim 81, further comprising generating a portal in accordance with the portal file.

101. Computer software, capable of performing the steps:

producing a hierarchical display of a portal structure, the hierarchical display indicating components including portlets and pages, the hierarchical display allowing for accessing a representation of a component in the hierarchical display;

receiving instructions to manipulate the component whose representation is accessed; and

updating a portal description as a result of the manipulation, wherein the portal description can be used to generate the portal.

102. The computer software of claim 101, wherein the portal description is a portal file.

103. The computer software of claim 101, wherein the graphical user interface is part of a administration tool.

104. The computer software of claim 101, wherein the graphical user interface is part of a portal designer.

105. The computer software of claim 101, wherein the portal description includes portal XML.

106. The computer software of claim 105, wherein the portal XML is stored in a database.

107. The computer software of claim 101, wherein the graphical user interface is part of a administration tool.

108. The computer software of claim 101, wherein the graphical user interface is part of a portal designer.

109. The computer software of claim 101, wherein the representations of components in the hierarchical display can be accessed by clicking on the hierarchical display.

110. The computer software of claim 101, wherein the hierarchical display includes parent and child nodes.

111. The computer software of claim 110, wherein child nodes can be made visible by clicking on parent nodes.

112. The computer software of claim 101, wherein the manipulating includes modifying at least one property of the component.

113. The computer software of claim 112, wherein the property is modified using a property editor display.

114. The computer software of claim 101, wherein the manipulating includes modifying the position of the component in the hierarchical display.

115. The computer software of claim 101, wherein the manipulating includes dragging and dropping a representation of a component.

116. The computer software of claim 101, wherein the hierarchical display is part of a graphical user interface for a portal designer.

117. The computer software of claim 116, wherein the graphical user interface further includes a design view.

118. The computer software of claim 116, wherein the graphical user interface further includes palettes with components to be drag and dropped.

119. The computer software of claim 101, wherein the hierarchical display is a document structure view.

120. The computer software of claim 101, further comprising generating a portal in accordance with the portal file.