METHOD FOR EXCHANGING PORTLET CONFIGURATION DATA

• US 20070124688A1
• Filed: 08/14/2006
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Liesche, Stefan, Nauerz, Andreas, Heumann, Brian, Krafft, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 8,001,477 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/746
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]

Abstract

The invention relates to method for exchanging portlet configuration data. The method includes: providing a graphical user interface (GUI) component as part of a portlet view provided by a portal page for triggering a portlet configuration exchange process between a first user using a first portlet instance and a second user using a second portlet instance within the same portal, the first and second portlet instances being of the same portlet type, providing an export functionality allowing access to stored portlet configuration data of the first portal instance and transforming the stored portlet configuration data into a data structure for exchange purposes, allowing for exchange of the data structure via a defined communication channel between the first user and the second user, and providing an import functionality allowing for parsing of the data structure to provide new portlet configuration data of the second portlet instance and storing the new portlet configuration data of the second portlet instance.

Claims

1. A method for exchanging portlet configuration data of a portal, comprising:

providing a graphical user interface (GUI) component as part of a portlet view provided by a portal page for triggering a portlet configuration exchange process between a first user using a first portlet instance and a second user using a second portlet instance within the same portal, the first and second portlet instances being of the same portlet type,

providing an export functionality allowing access to stored portlet configuration data of the first portal instance and transforming the stored portlet configuration data into a data structure for exchange purposes,

allowing for exchange of the data structure via a defined communication channel between the first user and the second user, and

providing an import functionality allowing for parsing of the data structure to provide new portlet configuration data of the second portlet instance and storing the new portlet configuration data of the second portlet instance.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for exchange of the portlet configuration data of the first portlet instance in response to an actuation of the GUI component by the first user,

displaying a GUI dialog to the first user for specifying the communication channel for exchanging the portlet configuration data,

receiving a specification of the communication channel to be used for exchanging the portlet configuration data,

automatically extracting the portlet configuration data of the first portlet instance and generating the data structure to allow exchange of the portlet configuration data of the first portlet instance to the second user,

exporting the data structure via the specified communication channel to a storage location,

receiving a request to import the portlet configuration data of the first portlet instance by actuating the GUI component by the second user,

displaying a GUI dialog to the second user for importing the data structure from the storage location,

automatically parsing and storing the portlet configuration data of the data structure provided via the communication channel by the first user, and

displaying the second portlet instance of the second user using the new portlet configuration data.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the exchange of the portlet configuration data is accomplished by:

retrieving information regarding a storage location of the data structure,

transmitting the data structure using a mail transfer agent from the first user to the second user,

retrieving information regarding the portlet to which the portlet configuration data transmitted via the mail transfer is to be applied, and

displaying the second portlet instance using the new portlet configuration data.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the exchange of the portlet configuration data is accomplished by:

retrieving information regarding a storage location of the data structure in a data management store of a data management system which allows for versioning and access control capabilities,

retrieving information from the data management store regarding the portlet to which the portlet configuration data stored in the data structure is to be applied, and

displaying the second portlet instance using the new portlet configuration data.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the exchange of the portlet configuration data is accomplished by:

retrieving information regarding the second user to which the data structure is to be transmitted via JXTA,

retrieving information regarding the portlet to which the portlet configuration data transmitted via JXTA is to be applied, and

displaying the second portlet instance using the new portlet configuration data.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

providing a subscription mechanism for automatically updating the second portlet instance of the second user as soon as the first user generates new portlet configuration data.

7. A portal for exchanging portlet configuration data of a portal among at least one first user using a first portlet instance and at least one second user using a second portlet instance within the same portal, the portlet instances being of the same portlet type, wherein portlet configuration data of the first portlet instance has been created and stored and is accessible by the portal during aggregation, the portal comprising:

means for providing a graphical user interface (GUI) component as part of a portlet view provided by a portal page for triggering a portlet configuration exchange process between the first user and the second user,

means for providing an export functionality allowing access to the stored portlet configuration data of the first portal instance and for transforming the stored portlet configuration data into a data structure for exchange purposes,

means for allowing for exchange of the data structure via a defined communication channel between the first user and the second user, and

means for providing an import functionality allowing for parsing the data structure to provide new portlet configuration data of the second portlet instance and for storing the new portlet configuration data of the second portlet instance.

8. Portal according to claim 7, further comprising:

means for receiving a request for exchange of the portlet configuration data of the first portlet instance in response to an actuation of the GUI component by the first user,

means for displaying a GUI dialog to the first user for specifying the communication channel for exchanging the portlet configuration data,

means for receiving a specification of the communication channel to be used for exchanging the portlet configuration data,

means for automatically extracting the portlet configuration data of the first portlet instance and generating the data structure to allow exchange of the portlet configuration data of the first portlet instance to the second user,

means for exporting the data structure via the specified communication channel to a storage location,

means for receiving a request to import the portlet configuration data of the first portlet instance by actuating the GUI component by the second user,

means for displaying a GUI dialog to the second user for importing the data structure from the storage location,

means for automatically parsing and storing the portlet configuration data of the data structure provided via the communication channel by the first user, and

means for displaying the second portlet instance of the second user using the new portlet configuration data.

9. Portal according to claim 7, further comprising:

means for retrieving information regarding a storage location of the data structure,

means for transmitting the data structure using a mail transfer agent from the first user to the second user,

means for retrieving information regarding the portlet to which the portlet configuration data transmitted via the mail transfer is to be applied, and

means for displaying the second portlet instance using the new portlet configuration data.

10. Portal according to claim 7, further comprising:

means for retrieving information regarding a storage location of the data structure in a data management store of a data management system which allows for versioning and access control capabilities,

means for retrieving information from the data management store regarding the portlet to which the portlet configuration data stored in the data structure is to be applied, and

means for displaying the second portlet instance using the new portlet configuration data.

11. Portal according to claim 7, further comprising:

means for retrieving information regarding the second user to which the data structure is to be transmitted via JXTA,

means for retrieving information regarding the portlet to which the portlet configuration data transmitted via JXTA is to be applied, and

means for displaying the second portlet instance using the new portlet configuration data.

12. Portal according to claim 11, further comprising:

means for providing a subscription mechanism for automatically updating the second portlet instance of the second user as soon as the first user generates new portlet configuration data.

13. A program product stored on a computer readable medium for exchanging portlet configuration data of a portal, the computer readable medium comprising program code for:

providing a graphical user interface (GUI) component as part of a portlet view provided by a portal page for triggering a portlet configuration exchange process between a first user using a first portlet instance and a second user using a second portlet instance within the same portal, the first and second portlet instances being of the same portlet type,

providing an export functionality allowing access to stored portlet configuration data of the first portal instance and transforming the stored portlet configuration data into a data structure for exchange purposes,

allowing for exchange of the data structure via a defined communication channel between the first user and the second user, and

providing an import functionality allowing for parsing of the data structure to provide new portlet configuration data of the second portlet instance and storing the new portlet configuration data of the second portlet instance.