Creating, Editing, and Publishing a Portal Page

8 Creating, Editing, and Publishing a Portal Page

Use the portal editor to create and edit portal pages and publish them for portal users. Preview how the pages look on different device screens such as smart phones, tablets, and desktop browsers.

Permissions:

To perform the tasks in this chapter, you must be a portal manager or member with the portal-level permission Basic Services: Edit Page Access, Structure, and Content (standard permissions) or Pages: Create, Edit, and Delete Pages (advanced permissions). Users with this permission can create and edit pages, revise page properties, add page content, and delete pages. This includes delegated administration to override the page security and grant other users permissions to create subpages, edit the page, and so on, overriding any permission limits of user roles.

Note that a user with a role that grants them permissions to create, edit, or publish a portal page, or even manage a portal, is not automatically allowed to view the portal. To view a portal, a user must be explicitly granted the portal-level permission Basic Services: View Pages and Content (standard permissions) or Pages: View Pages (advanced permissions).

To publish a page, you may need additional permissions. See Publishing a Portal Page.

See About Roles and Permissions for a Portal.

Topics:

Viewing the Pages and Page Variants in a Portal

With appropriate permissions, you can view all pages in a portal, preview what a page will look like on a device (such as smart phones, tablets, and desktop browsers) in a selected device group, or filter the listing by device group:

At the application level, your system administrator configures device group settings and creates page variants for system pages as described in Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Accessing the Pages in a Portal

You can access the pages in a portal in the following ways:

In portal view mode. Select pages in the portal navigation to view them.
In the portal editor. If you have permissions to edit pages in the portal.

Previewing a Page for a Device

You can preview what the pages of a portal will look like on various devices (such as smart phones, tablets, and desktop browsers). This preview is useful for determining if you need to create a page variant for a page on a particular device to optimize the display of the page on that device.

Filtering a Page Listing by Name or Description

To filter the pages listed in the navigation pane by name or description:

In the Filter field, enter a string containing full or partial page names or descriptions.

The navigation pane lists pages matching the filter in name or description.

Note:

When the navigation pane displays a filtered list, the items in the list do not show an Actions icon (). Clear the filter to select actions on any navigation item.

Filtering a Page Listing by Device Group

If you want to view or work with only the pages for a particular device group, you can filter the listing in the navigation pane.

Creating Pages or Subpages in a Portal

With appropriate permissions, you can create a new page or subpage when creating a new portal in the portal creation wizard, editing an existing portal, or viewing a portal:

Permissions:

To create a new page in a portal, you must be a portal manager or a portal member with the portal-level permission Basic Services: Edit Page Access, Structure, and Content (standard permissions) or Pages: Create, Edit, and Delete Pages (advanced permissions).

Creating Pages or Subpages When Creating a New Portal

When creating a new portal, you can quickly create pages and subpages using a special syntax in the Create Portal wizard.

Pages and subpages created using this method are immediately added to the portal navigation and are visible to others who view the portal. After creating the page, users with appropriate permissions can edit or manage the page as required.

When page drafts are enabled in the portal administration settings, updates to the page are saved as a page draft and are not immediately available when viewing the portal. When users with Edit Page or Contribute Page Content permission view the page in the portal editor, they will see the latest updates in the page draft. Users without either of these permissions will only ever see the most recently published page. When you or other approvers are satisfied with the page updates, you can publish the page.

Creating a Page or Subpage When Editing a Portal

When page drafts are enabled in the portal administration settings, a new page created in the portal editor is initially a page draft and not immediately available when viewing the portal. When users with Edit Page or Contribute Page Content permission view the page in the portal editor, they will see the latest updates in the page draft. Users without either of these permissions will only ever see the most recently published page. When you or other approvers are satisfied with the page updates, you can publish the page.

To create a new page or subpage when editing a portal:

In the portal editor, create a new page or subpage in either of the following ways:
- Select any item in the portal navigation, then click its Actions icon () and select Add, then New Page or New Subpage to add a new page or subpage immediately below the selected item.
- Click Create New Page to add a new page at the bottom of the navigation pane (you can later reorder and change the hierarchy of the pages in the navigation pane).
Figure 8-6 Creating a Page or Subpage in the Portal Editor

Description of "Figure 8-6 Creating a Page or Subpage in the Portal Editor"
Click the page style you want to use for your new page. Right and left arrows may be shown to scroll through the available page styles.

Use the search field to search for page styles by name, description, or keywords.

Figure 8-7 Selecting a Page Style

Description of "Figure 8-7 Selecting a Page Style"
In the fields under Review Page Information, enter a page name and, optionally, a description and keywords for the page. Enter any keywords related to the content of the page to make it more easily discoverable in search results. Separate keywords with a space or comma.
The name that you enter here displays at the top of the page and other places where pages are available for selection, such as in the page navigation for the portal. The page name and description are searchable and appear in search results. Keywords are used for search only.
Notes:
- There are no restrictions on the characters you can use in page names.
- If you enter a name that duplicates an existing page name, WebCenter Portal automatically adds a numeric suffix to the page name and creates the new page with the modified name. For example, if MyPage exists, and you try to create a new page named MyPage, WebCenter Portal renames the new page MyPage1.
- You can give a page the same name as any system pages (for example, Activity Stream, Documents).
- While there are restrictions on naming files (including wiki documents), there are no naming restrictions for wiki page names. Thus, while any of the following characters can be used to name a wiki page, the page title will include the character(s) but the associated wiki document will replace the illegal character with _.
```
? # & \ / * " | < > : ^
```
  For example, if you create a wiki page named "What's In a Name?", the page will have this title, but the associated wiki document will be named _What's In a Name__.
Optionally, modify the URL for the page from the default shown.
To view or modify existing default parameter settings, click Page Settings to open the Settings page.

Note:

This page appears only if the selected page style includes page parameters. Such parameters are useful for establishing page settings during page creation, rather than editing the page later. Parameters may be used to show or hide areas of a page, set styles or settings for the page, set a product ID, and so on.

Optionally modify the default values of the built-in page parameters, then click Back to Create Page.
To view or modify existing default security settings, click Set Permissions to open the Access page.

Figure 8-8 Create Page Wizard: Access

Description of "Figure 8-8 Create Page Wizard: Access"

Optionally, modify the access to the page, then click Back to Create Page.

For more information, see Setting Page Security.

Note:

You can override the page security to create a page that does not take the permissions from the portal roles, but instead allows custom scenarios to be set up where you can control who can see the page, who can edit it, who can create subpages, and so on. If you do not set security in the Create Page wizard at this time, you can set it later in the portal editor.
Click Create Page.

Creating a Page When Viewing a Portal

When viewing a portal, you can create a new page that is immediately added to the portal navigation and is visible to others who view the portal. After creating the page, users with appropriate permissions can edit or manage the page as required.

For more information, see About Page Drafts and Publishing a Portal Page.

To create a new page while viewing a portal:

Click Create Page.

Tip:

The location of the Create Page link depends on the page template in use. For example, you may access it through an Actions menu.
On the Select a Style page, explore the page styles available to you to use as the basis for your new page, then click Use This beneath the style you want to use.

The Page Information page opens.
Enter a page title and, optionally, a description and keywords for the page. Enter any keywords related to the content of the page to make it more easily discoverable in search results. Separate keywords with a space or comma.
The title that you enter here displays at the top of the page and other places where pages are available for selection, such as in the page navigation for the portal. The page name and description are searchable and appear in search results. Keywords are used for search only.
Note:
- There are no restrictions on the characters you can use in page names.
- If you enter a name that duplicates an existing page name, WebCenter Portal automatically adds a numeric suffix to the page name and creates the new page with the modified name. For example, if MyPage exists, and you try to create a new page named MyPage, WebCenter Portal renames the new page MyPage1.
- You can give a page the same name as any system pages (for example, Activity Stream, Documents).
- While there are restrictions on naming files (including wiki documents), there are no naming restrictions for wiki page names. Thus, while any of the following characters can be used to name a wiki page, the page title will include the character(s) but the associated wiki document will replace the illegal character with _.
```
? # & \ / * " | < > : ^
```
  For example, if you create a wiki page named "What's In a Name?", the page will have this title, but the associated wiki document will be named _What's In a Name__.
Click Create to create the page with existing default parameter and security settings, or click Next to open the Settings page

Note:

This page appears only if the selected page style includes page parameters. Such parameters are useful for establishing page settings during page creation, rather than editing the page later. Parameters may be used to show or hide areas of a page, set styles or settings for the page, set a product ID, and so on.

Optionally modify the default values of the built-in page parameters.
Click Create to create the page with existing default security settings, or click Next to open the Access page.

Optionally, modify the access to the page. For more information, see Setting Page Security.

Note:

You can override the page security to create a page that does not take the permissions from the portal roles, but instead allows custom scenarios to be set up where you can control who can see the page, who can edit it, who can create subpages, and so on. If you do not set security in the Create Page wizard at this time, you can set it later in the portal editor.
Click Create.

Creating a Page Variant for a Device Group

Page variants are alternative views of an existing page for device groups to target specific device size and characteristics, when the base page does not display well on the device. The base page and the page variant have the same URL, security, parameters, and so on.

Note:

If your portal pages use a non-responsive page template, the display on different devices may exhibit formatting issues, such as overlapping text.

Page variants can be created for the Home page and user-created pages in a portal in the portal editor. Like portal pages, when page drafts are enabled in the portal administration settings, a new page variant is initially a page draft and not immediately available when viewing the portal. Users with appropriate permissions can edit or manage the page variant draft as required, then publish the page variant to add it to the portal navigation and make it available to others who view the portal.

Note:

For portals that do not use responsive page templates, you can create page variants to optimize the display of portal pages for a specific device group. At runtime, WebCenter Portal can check if a page variant exists for the device being used to display a portal page, and displays the page using the page variant definition. By default, this check is not performed. To turn it on, see Enabling Page Variants for Device Groups in Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

When a page variant is published for a specific device group, portal users will see that variant when they view the page on a device (such as smart phones, tablets, and desktop browsers) in the device group. When viewing the page on a device in a device group that does not have a page variant defined, the device displays the base page.

Any changes you make to the content of the base page are not reflected in its page variant(s), and vice versa. However, any changes to the page information, security, or parameters of base page are reflected in its page variant(s). Page variants do not include the Summary, Security, Parameters, and Advanced tabs that allow you to edit this information.

To create a page variant for a device group:

Open the page for which you want to create a page variant in the page editor.
If you want to preview what the page looks like for a particular device group before creating the page variant, click the Desktop menu, and select a device group for which to preview the selected page.
Click the page's Actions icon () and select Add, then New Page Variant.

Figure 8-9 Adding New Page Variant

Description of "Figure 8-9 Adding New Page Variant"
Select the Device Group and Page Content and Style:
- To copy the content and style from the base page, select the Copy Base Page Content and Style check box.
- To create a page variant with different content and style than the base page, deselect the check box, and select the required page style.
Figure 8-10 Selecting Device Group, Content, and Style

Description of "Figure 8-10 Selecting Device Group, Content, and Style"
Click Create.

The new page variant is created and the base page exposes it in the portal navigation. Notice the breadcrumbs at the top show the parent page and page variant.

Figure 8-11 Page Variant in Portal Navigation

Description of "Figure 8-11 Page Variant in Portal Navigation"

Any changes you make to the content of the base page are not reflected in its page variant(s), and vice versa. However, any changes to the page information, security, or parameters of base page are reflected in its page variant(s). Page variants do not include the Summary, Security, Parameters, and Advanced tabs that allow you to edit this information.

Note that you can modify the page variant in both preview mode and edit mode. For example, you can add components to the page variant by clicking Add Content when viewing the page.
To list only those pages for a particular device group, click Desktop in the page editor, and select the device group for which you want to view.
Select, edit, and manage page variants as you would any other page.

Editing a Portal Page

One of the most powerful offerings in a portal is the ability to add and edit portal pages. This capability is delivered through the page editor, a fully-integrated environment for revising the properties, layout, and content of portal pages, and wiring pages, task flows, and portlets to each other.

This section provides an overview of the page editor and describes how to perform editorial tasks:

About the Page Editor

In the page editor, you can select a page in the left navigation pane to edit it. To hide or show the left navigation pane, click the Pages icon.

Figure 8-12 Page Editor

When page drafts are enabled in the portal administration settings, you can refine your page updates before making them available to others who view the portal. When users with Edit Page or Contribute Page Content permission view the page in the portal editor, they will see the latest updates in the page draft. When viewing a portal, these users can click an icon in the floating toolbar to switch views between the published page and the pending page draft. Users without either of these permissions will only ever see the most recently published page. When you or other approvers are satisfied with the page updates, you can publish the page.

When editing a page, the page content is editable, but the page template "container" for the page is not editable.

Note:

You can click a page's Actions icon () and select Page Information to manage pages and other navigation items, including viewing and modifying page information, defining parameters, establishing page security, and specifying additional navigation options.

Alternatively, locate the portal you want to edit, then click to display the portal actions menu and select Administer, then select Page Information. Page Information for the first visible page opens.

The screen shot shows the portal actions after you flip the portal. The Administer and Page Information options are highlighted.

The page editor provides a WYSIWYG rendering of the page and its content, where controls are directly selectable on each component to move, delete, or perform custom actions on the component. To add components to the page, you use the resource catalog, which you can show and hide on the right side of the page.

Figure 8-13 Showing and Hiding the Resource Catalog

Description of "Figure 8-13 Showing and Hiding the Resource Catalog"

Figure 8-14 Resource Catalog

Description of "Figure 8-14 Resource Catalog"

About Page Drafts

In the portal administration settings, a portal manager can enable or disable page drafts.

When page drafts are enabled, most changes that you make to a page are not immediately available when viewing the portal. This means that you can refine your changes to a page in draft mode in one or more sessions. The page editor shows DRAFT in the header to indicate that you are editing a page draft, not the published page. When you or other approvers are satisfied with your page draft, and are ready to make the page available to others who view the portal, you can publish the page.
When page drafts are disabled, changes that you make to a page are immediately applied to the page, and shown when viewing the portal.

For information about enabling or disabling page drafts, see Disabling and Enabling Page Drafts in a Portal.

When page drafts are enabled, changes that you make to a page are processed in one of the following ways:

Page updates take effect only on a page draft and require that the page is published before the updates can be seen by page viewers. For example:
- changing the contents on the page by adding or deleting components
- rearranging contents on the page
- changing page layout
- setting parameters of components on the page
Page updates take effect immediately on the published page, regardless of whether or not the page has a pending draft. This applies to refreshing the page style and to any changes made to page information (on the Summary, Parameters, Source, Security, or Advanced tabs).
Page updates take effect on a page draft if it exists; otherwise, if a page draft does not exist, the updates take effect immediately on the published page. For example, editing the page source.

In the portal editor, the Drafts icon in the left pane is overlaid by a number indicating how many page drafts exist in the current portal. If there are no page drafts to be published, there is no number on the Drafts icon.

Figure 8-15 Drafts Icon

Opening a Page in the Page Editor

To open a page you created or have permissions to edit in the page editor:

Go to the portal editor.
In the navigation pane, select the page you want to edit, and click Edit Page. To hide or show the left navigation pane, click the Pages icon.

Figure 8-16 Portal Editor: View Page

Description of "Figure 8-16 Portal Editor: View Page"
In the page editor, the editable body of the page displays inside its non-editable page template.

Figure 8-17 Portal Editor

Description of "Figure 8-17 Portal Editor"

When page drafts are enabled in the portal administration settings, notice that the page editor shows DRAFT in the header to indicate that you are editing a page draft, not the published page. The Drafts icon in the left pane displays a number identifying the number of pages that include edits that have not yet been published. When users with Edit Page or Contribute Page Content permission view the page, they will see the latest updates in the page draft in the page editor. Users without either of these permissions will only ever see the most recently published page..

Figure 8-18 Drafts Icon

Note:

The page content is editable, but the page template "container" for the page is not editable.
Edit the page as desired, as described in the following sections:
Notes:
- To manage the current page or navigation item, click its Actions icon () and select Page Information. On the Page Information tabs, you can set general page information, define parameters, establish page security, and specify additional navigation options. For more information, see Managing a Portal Page.
- You can also use the left pane to create and add pages, subpages, page variants, and other navigation items in the current portal, adding them to the portal navigation. For more information, see:

About Concurrent Users in the Page Editor

Because users access a portal from the Web, multiple users may attempt to edit the same page at the same time. When one user is editing a page, a lock icon displays alongside the page in the navigation pane (Figure 8-19). If you hover over the lock icon, hint text specifies the user who has the page locked.

Figure 8-19 Page Lock Icon

Description of "Figure 8-19 Page Lock Icon"

When a second user attempts to edit the page, a concurrency warning notifies the user that the page is already locked for editing (Figure 8-20). Only one user can edit a page at a time.

Figure 8-20 A Concurrency Warning in the Page Editor

Description of "Figure 8-20 A Concurrency Warning in the Page Editor"

When the page is not being edited, the lock icon does not display, and the page is available for editing by any authorized user.

Refreshing a Page with Page Style Updates

If the page style used by a page is updated after the page is created and populated, you can refresh the page to reflect the page style updates, without affecting the existing content of the page.

Even when page drafts are enabled, refreshing the page style takes effect immediately on the published page, regardless of whether or not the page has a pending draft. In other words, you do not need to publish the page draft before the effect of the new page style can be seen by page viewers.

When changes to the page style enclose page content, WebCenter Portal preserves the content. For example, if a page style uses a three column layout, then is modified to use a two column layout, the page content in the deleted layout column moves to the first column on the page.

To refresh a page to show changes made to its page style:

Open the page in the page editor.
Click the page's Actions icon and select Refresh from Page Style.
In the Refresh from Page Style dialog, click OK to refresh the page with the changes made to its page style.

Figure 8-21 Refresh from Page Style Dialog

Changing Page Layout

When you create a new page, the first page of the wizard enables you to select a page style for the page. Every page style includes a default layout, which you can modify in the page editor.

When you select a new layout for a page, the new layout takes effect immediately; you do not need to explicitly save the page to apply the new layout.

When page drafts are enabled in the portal administration settings, any updates to page layout take effect only on the page draft. You must publish the page for updates to be seen by page viewers.

Note:

With the exception of Wiki, Blog, and Web Page, the built-in page styles allow you to modify the default layout in the page editor, selecting a new built-in or custom layout that is defined as an asset. For more information, see Table 18-1.

To change a page layout to a built-in or custom layout that is defined as an asset at either the portal or application level:

Open the page in the page editor.
Click Change Layout (or press Alt+L) and select one of the available layouts. The selections show both built-in and custom layouts that are listed on the Assets page for the portal, and the application-level Shared Assets page.

Figure 8-22 Changing Page Layout: Layout Menu

Description of "Figure 8-22 Changing Page Layout: Layout Menu"

In the page editor, the page refreshes immediately with the selected layout.

Adding Components to a Page

You develop the content of a page by adding components to it in the page editor. In the page editor, the resource catalog provides a gateway to a wide range of task flows, portlets, components, and other types of resources.

When page drafts are enabled in the portal administration settings, any updates to a page take effect only on the page draft. You must publish the page for updates to be seen by page viewers.

Note:

The page content is editable, but the page template "container" for the page is not editable. To edit a page template, see Editing a Page Template.

For information about adding components to a page, see:

Adding Text, Image, or Video Components to a Page

You can add text, images, or video to a page through content contribution and publishing components. For more information about content contribution and publishing and how to add these components to a page, see Enabling Content Contribution and Publishing.

Publishing a Portal Page

Page drafts can be enabled or disabled in the portal administration settings. When page drafts are enabled, you can refine your page updates before making them available to others who view the portal. When you or other approvers are satisfied with the page updates, you can publish the page.

For more information, see About Page Drafts.

Note:

To publish a page, you must be a portal manager or member with the portal-level permission of either:

Standard permissions: Basic Services: Edit Page Access, Structure, and Content
Advanced permissions: Pages: Publish Pages and Pages: Delete Pages

To publish a page after editing it:

In the portal editor, click the Drafts icon in the left pane. The icon is overlaid by a number indicating how many page drafts exist in the current portal. If there are no page drafts to be published, there is no number on the Drafts icon.

Figure 8-23 Drafts Icon
In the Publish Pages pane, click the check box in the header to select or deselect all pages, or select individual pages you want to publish. The pages are sorted by last modified.

Figure 8-24 Publish Pages Pane

Description of "Figure 8-24 Publish Pages Pane"
Click Publish, then click OK in the confirmation prompt.
To delete a page draft, select it and click the Delete icon. Even if a page has never been published, deleting the page draft does not delete the page itself. The base page remains hidden from others when viewing the portal, but is visible in the portal editor to edit and manage.
Click View Portal to verify that the published page(s) are shown in the portal navigation and display the latest edits.

Working in Structure View in the Page Editor

Structure view of the page editor displays only when editing page templates, or application-level system pages and task flows.

Structure view provides a combined WYSIWYG and hierarchical rendering of page components, where controls are available in the toolbar of the page structure pane to add, edit properties, delete, cut, and paste page components. For more information, see:

About Structure View

In Structure view, you have access to page layout components in a tree structure, which enables you to fine-tune the design of page templates, system pages, and tasks flows, and select and modify components that are not exposed in the resource catalog.

For examples, see Working with Layout Components.

Figure 8-25 Structure View of Page Editor: Editing a System Page

Description of "Figure 8-25 Structure View of Page Editor: Editing a System Page"

Component selection is indicated by a dark blue outline. A light blue outline is drawn when the mouse hovers around a component that can be selected for editing, and your mouse cursor changes to a magnifying glass. When you select a component in the structure pane, it is automatically selected on the page. Similarly, if you select a component on the page, it is automatically selected in the structure pane.

Figure 8-26 Mouse Cursor as Magnifying Glass in Structure View

Description of "Figure 8-26 Mouse Cursor as Magnifying Glass in Structure View"

Note:

You can edit core ADF Faces components, task flows, and declarative components only in Structure view of the page.

Adding a Component in Structure View

To add a component in Structure view:

Open the page template, system page, or task flow in the page editor to display it in Structure view.
In the hierarchical list of page components, select the component in which to place content.

Tip:

You can also select a component by clicking it in the WYSIWYG section of the page. A selected component is outlined in blue.
Click the Add content into the selected component icon to open the resource catalog.

Figure 8-27 Resource Catalog in Structure View of the Page Template

Description of "Figure 8-27 Resource Catalog in Structure View of the Page Template"
In the resource catalog, navigate to the component you want to add by clicking Open next to folders to drill down to related components, or search for it, then click the Add link next to it. The resource catalog dialog does not support drag-and-drop.
Click Save to save your changes.

Setting Component Properties in Structure View

To set properties of a component on a page in Structure view:

Open the page template, system page, or task flow in the page editor to display it in Structure view.
Select the component by clicking it in the WYSIWYG pane, or clicking its entry in the hierarchical list pane.
Click the Show the properties of component name icon above the hierarchical list pane.

Figure 8-28 Show Properties Icon in Structure View

Description of "Figure 8-28 Show Properties Icon in Structure View"
In the Component Properties dialog, edit component properties as desired. Click the Help icon on each tab for property descriptions.
Click OK to close the Component Properties dialog.

Deleting a Component in Structure View

The controls for deleting a component are located on the header of the hierarchical list pane in Structure view:

To delete a component from a page in Structure view:

Open the page template, system page, or task flow in the page editor to display it in Structure view.
In the list of components, select the component to delete.
Click the Delete icon.

Figure 8-29 Delete Icon in Structure View

Description of "Figure 8-29 Delete Icon in Structure View"
In the resulting confirmation dialog, click Delete.

The component is permanently removed from the page. If the component had any child components, those child components are deleted as well.
Click Save to save your changes.

Personalizing Pages

Using Expression Language (EL) expressions, you can present targeted content or shape the way content is presented by selecting and applying a page template based on whoever is the current user. For example, one user role sees a page through template A, while another user role sees the same page through template B. If you need assistance, an application developer can help provide an EL expression to add to your page (see Expression Language Expressions in Developing for Oracle WebCenter Portal).

There is a wide variety of user and application context that can determine the content a user sees. For example, content can be restricted by role through a security mechanism, such as page hierarchy security. Or, content can be targeted based on more dynamic user and application context, such as user profile values and session information.