User interface for configuring web services for remote portlets

• US 20060085520A1
• Filed: 10/20/2004
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Allamaraju, Subbu, Toussaint, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 7,809,837 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A web services system enables web servers to serve pages that utilize remote portlets. A consumer system serves pages that utilize remote portlets stored on one or more producer systems. An improved user interface enables a user to select a portlet from a page on a producer system and drag the portlet to a page on a consumer system. This action causes configuration information for the portlet to be transferred to the consumer system, which can then utilize the portlet as a remote portlet. When a user accesses a page utilizing a remote portlet, the consumer system contacts the producer system, obtains content for the page and presents the page to the user.

Claims

1. A method in a producer system for enabling access to local portlets for remote consumers, the method comprising;

storing a plurality of portlets, the portlets configured to be utilized by pages on remote consumer systems;

presenting a page including the plurality of portlets;

accepting a selection of a portlet from among the plurality of portlets on the page; and

providing information for configuring a remote consumer to utilize the portlet in response to the selection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection of the portlet comprises dragging a mouse pointer over a representation of the portlet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the information comprises providing an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information for configuring the remote consumer comprises an identifier for the producer system and an identifier for the portlet.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the identifier for the producer system comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the producer system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the portlet is a Struts portlet.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the portlet is a page flow portlet.

8. A method in a consumer web portal for utilizing portlets stored on a remote producer, the method comprising:

maintaining a page associated with the portal, the page configured to deliver access to portlets;

accepting a user selection of a location on the page; and

receiving information about a portlet stored on a remote producer system in response to a user selection of a location on the page.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing access to the portlet through the page in response to receiving the information about the portlet.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the user selection of the location on the page comprises dragging a graphical representation of the portlet from a page on the producer system to the location.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the information about the portlet comprises receiving an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the information about the portlet includes an identifier for the portlet and an identifier for the producer system.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the portlet is a page flow portlet.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the portlet is a struts portlet.

15. A machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed by a processor cause a system to:

store a plurality of portlets, the portlets configured to be utilized by pages on remote consumer systems;

present a page including the plurality of portlets;

accept a selection of a portlet from among the plurality of portlets on the page; and

provide information for configuring a remote consumer to utilize the portlet in response to the selection.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the selection of the portlet comprises dragging a mouse pointer over a representation of the portlet.

17. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein providing the information comprises providing an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the information for configuring the remote consumer comprises an identifier for the producer system and an identifier for the portlet.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein the identifier for the producer system comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the producer system.

20. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the portlet is a struts portlet.

21. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the portlet is a page flow portlet.

22. A machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed by a processor cause a system to:

maintain a page associated with a portal on a local consumer system, the page configured to deliver access to portlets;

accept a user selection of a location on the page; and

receive information about a portlet stored on a remote producer system in response to a user selection of a location on the page.

23. The machine readable medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions that when executed by the processor cause the system to provide access to the portlet through the page in response to receiving the information about the portlet.

24. The machine readable medium of claim 22, wherein the user selection of the location on the page comprises dragging a graphical representation of the portlet from a page on the producer system to the location.

25. The machine readable medium of claim 22, wherein the instructions for receiving the information about the portlet comprise instructions for receiving an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file.

26. The machine readable medium of claim 22, wherein the information about the portlet includes an identifier for the portlet and an identifier for the producer system.

27. The machine readable medium of claim 22, wherein the portlet is a page flow portlet.

28. The machine readable medium of claim 22, wherein the portlet is a struts portlet.

29. A system in a Web Services for Remote Portlets producer, the system comprising:

a plurality of portlets, the portlets configured to be utilized by pages on remote consumer systems;

a page configured to;

provide access to the plurality of portlets;

accept a selection of a portlet from among the plurality of portlets on the page; and

provide information for configuring a remote consumer to utilize the portlet in response to the selection.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the selection of the portlet comprises dragging a mouse pointer over a representation of the portlet.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the page, wherein providing the information provides an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein the information for configuring the remote consumer comprises an identifier for the producer system and an identifier for the portlet.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the identifier for the producer system comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the producer system.

34. The system of claim 29, wherein the portlet is a struts portlet.

35. The system of claim 29, wherein the portlet is a page flow portlet.

36. A system in a Web Services for Remote Portlets consumer, the system comprising:

a web portal; and

a page associated with the web portal, the page configured to utilize portlets residing on remote producer systems, the page configured to;

accept a user selection of a location on the page; and

receive information about a portlet stored on a remote producer system in response to a user selection of a location on the page.

37. The system of claim 36, further comprising instructions for providing access to the portlet through the page in response to receiving the information about the portlet.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein the user selection of the location on the page comprises dragging a graphical representation of the portlet from a page on the producer system to the location.

39. The system of claim 36, wherein the page, wherein receiving the information about the portlet, receives an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file.

40. The system of claim 36, wherein the information about the portlet includes an identifier for the portlet and an identifier for the producer system.

41. The system of claim 36, wherein the portlet is a page flow portlet.

42. The system of claim 36, wherein the portlet is a struts portlet.

43. A method in a configuration system for adding a portlet to a consumer system, the method comprising:

displaying a browser window displaying a page on a producer system, the page comprising a portlet;

utilizing a graphical interface to drag a representation of the portlet to a browser displaying a page on the consumer system;

in response to dragging the representation, receiving configuration information for configuring the consumer system to utilize the portlet as a remote portlet; and

transmitting the configuration information to the consumer system.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the information comprises an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein the information for configuring the remote consumer comprises an identifier for the producer system and an identifier for the portlet.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the identifier for the producer system comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the producer system.

47. The method of claim 43, wherein the portlet is a struts portlet.

48. A machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed by a processor cause a system to:

display a browser window displaying a page on a producer system, the page comprising a portlet;

utilize a graphical interface to drag a representation of the portlet to a browser displaying a page on the consumer system;

in response to dragging the representation, receive configuration information for configuring the consumer system to utilize the portlet as a remote portlet; and

transmit the configuration information to the consumer system.