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Portal Guide |
This chapter explains the custom Web application. It contains the following sections:
The custom Web application is an application Web tier that is included as an optional part of the Portal subsystem in the standard Director project template. It is intended to be customized and used as your own application's Web tier. However, you can also use it as an example of how to design your own Web tier.
The custom Web application uses a set of predefined core components that are provided with the Portal subsystem. These core components are also used to construct the PAC and the PMC. Director includes complete source code, descriptors, and graphics for the core components.
The core components interact through URL redirects managed by the base servlet. Each URL contains the component data needed to render the appropriate page.
To start at the Portal home page:
Display the Portal home page (DirectorHome.html or dliteHome.html) by using this URL:
http://server/DirectorDB/EAR/Portal/main
You may need to log in as described in How the custom Web application works.
NOTE: The DirectorDB portion of the URL is only necessary if you're using an exteNd application server and you've deployed your archive to the same database created for Director application data. If you're using another application server or if you've deployed the archive to the SilverMaster database, the URL should not include the name of the Director database. The EAR portion of the URL is only necessary for accessing the custom Web application within a deployed EAR.
To start at a specific page or component:
Display a user page, group page, or component directly. For example,
http://server/DirectorDB/EAR/Portal/main/myportal/MyUserPage
To directly access the Portal Personalizer, use this URL:
http://server/DirectorDB/EAR/Portal/main/comp/PortalPersonalizer
You may need to log in as described in How the custom Web application works.
The page that actually displays depends on the user session, as explained in How the custom Web application works next.
When the user opens a new session and attempts to access the custom Web application, the user is designated Anonymous (not yet authenticated).
If an Anonymous user requests a specific page or component, the base servlet redirects the browser to the Login page.
If an Anonymous user does not request a specific page or component (.../Portal/main, for example), the base servlet redirects the browser to the Portal home page.
The Portal home page looks directly when you deploy an EAR project than it does when you deploy a WAR project. In a WAR project, the home page provides links to the PAC and PMC, because the URLs used to access the PAC and PMC are different than in an EAR project.
EAR project Here's what the Portal home page looks like when you deploy an EAR project:
WAR project Here's what it looks like when you deploy a WAR project:
If the user clicks Personalize or myPortal, the Portal home page directs the user to the Login page.
The Login page (PortalLogin component) allows an Anonymous user to become authenticated. Only users who already exist in the writable realm can log in. Users who do not already exist in the writable realm can click New User to access the New User page.
After authentication, the base servlet redirects processing to MyPagesComponent, which returns a Personal page or (if none exists) opens the personalizer (see About the Portal Personalizer).
The New User page (NewUser component) allows an Anonymous user to add authentication information to the writable realm and to create a profile containing registration information.
If the New User page succeeds, the base servlet redirects the browser to the Login page, where the Anonymous user can become authenticated.
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Portal Guide |
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