Using Templates for Ensuring Visual Consistency Among Portlets

• US 20080235601A1
• Filed: 03/07/2006
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kussmaul, Timo, Laertz, Stephan, Jacob, Richard, Fried, Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 8,020,103 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/760
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of network computing, and in particular to Web contents accessible via a Portal. It particularly relates to a method and system for controlling the layout of markup fragments of a plurality of Portlets (120) aggregated in web pages of a web Portal. In order to provide a method with improved flexibility for the administration of a Portal which allows to generate a consistent look and feel in a Portal, it is proposed that a) a Portal control component provides a template means (400) to said Portlets (120), b) wherein the template means (400) comprises a layout specification for GUI-elements to be generated by the Portlets (120), and c) wherein the Portlets (120) generate a markup code according to prescriptions comprised of said template means (400).

Claims

1. A method for controlling the layout of markup fragments of a plurality of Portlets (120) aggregated in web pages (125) of a web Portal (100), characterized by

a) a Portal control component (135) providing (510) a template means (400) to said Portlets (120),

b) wherein the template means (400) comprises a layout specification for GUI-elements to be generated by the Portlets (120), and

c) wherein the Portlets (120) generate (540) a markup code according to prescriptions comprised of said template means (400).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a function bibliotheca is provided for being accessed by the Portlet (120) code, comprising the functions required for executing code described by said templates (120).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said Portlets (120) use markup fragments, provided by said Portal control component (135), implementing said template means (400).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said Portal control component (135) and said Portlets (120) share a predetermined XML name space, and said template means (400) comprises instructions comprised of said name space for interpreting them.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein an initial template is provided to a Portal, when it is invoked for the first time, and update information is provided in later invocations.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein Portlet-owned markup is generated by said Portlet (120) only in case a predetermined check condition run through by the Portlet code allows it, wherein the check condition'"'"'s code resides in the code of the Portal control element (135).

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the markup code within the template (400) comprises executable code.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said template means (400) is transferred to a remote Portlet.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein a render request (26, 27) is enriched by an additional parameter reflecting the template means prescriptions.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the layout template (400) is managed by a graphical user interface (GUI) accessible by a Portal administrator.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the Portal control component (135) comprises additional logic for varying the template prescriptions, wherein said additional logic is run through in every render request (26, 27).

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the additional logic comprises the evaluation of conditions.

13. A portal server computer system having a functional component (200) for controlling the layout of markup fragments of a plurality of Portlets (120) aggregated in web pages (125) of a web Portal (100) with a template means (400), wherein the template means (400) comprises a layout specification for GUI-elements to be generated by the Portlets (120).

14. A computer program for execution in a portal server system for controlling the layout of markup fragments of a plurality of Portlets (120) aggregated in web pages (125) of a web Portal (100),

a) comprising a functional component (200) for providing (510) a template means (400) to said Portlets (120),

b) wherein the template means (400) comprises a layout specification for GUI-elements to be generated by the Portlets (120), and

c) wherein the Portlets (120) generate (540) a markup code according to prescriptions comprised of said template means (400), when said computer program is executed on a computer.

15. A computer program for execution in a portal server system for implementing a layout of markup fragments of a plurality of Portlets (120) aggregated in web pages (125) of a web Portal (100), as prescribed by a control component (200), comprising the step of:

a) receiving (520) a template means (400),

b) interpreting (530) a layout specification comprised of said template means for GUI-elements to be generated by the Portlets (120), and

c) generating (540) a markup code according to prescriptions comprised of said template means (400), when said computer program is executed on a computer.

16. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program for controlling the layout of markup fragments of a plurality of Portlets aggregated in web pages of a web Portal, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to have:

a) a Portal control component providing a template means to said Portlets,

b) wherein the template means comprises a layout specification for GUI-elements to be generated by the Portlets, and

c) wherein the Portlets generate a markup code according to prescriptions comprised of said template means.