Enabling Content Contribution and Publishing

About Content Contribution and Publishing

Content contribution and publishing enables users to quickly add text, images, and videos to pages in a portal.

Providing content contribution and publishing in your portal enables you to distribute the creation of content to a wider audience, while still maintaining control over the general appearance of that content. For example, you can enable members of your HR department to create and update content regarding HR policies, using page styles that control exactly how the content should be laid out on the page.

A page that has been created for content contribution and publishing includes one or more Image, Text, or Styled Text components, to which users can add a particular type of content. For example, a page could contain an Image component, followed by a Styled Text component for a headline, and then a Text component for the main content of the page. Figure 32-1 shows an example of a page created using content publishing.

Figure 32-1 Example Page for Content Publishing

Description of "Figure 32-1 Example Page for Content Publishing"

Users with the appropriate permissions, can enter contribution mode to add the following types of content to a portal page:

If a page includes an Image component, contributors can place a picture on the page, for example, a logo, banner, photograph, or diagram.
If a page includes a Styled Text component, contributors can place a small piece of text on the page, for example, a title, heading, byline, or caption. You, the page designer, determine the style to be used for the text; contributors cannot change any of the formatting.
If a page includes a Text component, contributors can place a larger piece of text on the page, for example, the body of a news article; press release; or review, the description of an event, or a list of instructions. Contributors can use the rich text editor provided with the Text component to apply their own formatting and add hyperlinks to the text. Contributors can also use the source code mode of the rich text editor to embed video on the page.

To be able to enter contribution mode, users must either:

be a member of a role that has been granted the portal-level permission Edit Page or Contribute Page Content. For more information, see Viewing and Editing Permissions of a Portal Role.
have been granted the Edit or Contribute permission on an individual page. For more information, see Setting Page Security.

Components for Content Contribution and Publishing

To support content contribution and publishing, a page must include at least one Image, Text, or Styled Text component.

When users edit a page that contains Image, Text, or Styled Text components, they can specify the content to publish in those components. Each component enables the contribution and publishing of a specific type of content: text or image. The component provides the appropriate editing tools for working with that particular type of content. For example, a Text component provides text formatting tools and a text entry area, and an Image component provides access to fields for specifying the location of the desired image.

Table 32-1 describes the different components.

Table 32-1 Content Contribution and Publishing Components

Component	Description
Image	Enables content contributors to publish images, such as pictures, photos, diagrams, or logos, to a page. Users can publish any web-compatible image from the connected Oracle WebCenter Content Server repository or a URL. Users cannot publish images from external sources that require authentication. For more information, see Adding an Image Component to a Page Style or Page.
Styled Text	Enables content contributors to publish short pieces of text, such as headings, titles, and captions, that use predefined formatting. You specify the formatting when you add the component to the page. Contributors cannot change the way the text looks, only the text itself. For more information, see Adding a Styled Text Component to a Page Style or Page.
Text	Enables content contributors to publish longer pieces of text, such as a statement, information, or instructions, to a page. Using a simple rich text editor, contributors can make their text visually compelling by applying text formatting, including hyperlinks. The source code editing mode of the rich text editor enables contributors to enter HTML and embed video. For more information, see Adding a Text Component to a Page Style or Page.

Component

Description

Image

Enables content contributors to publish images, such as pictures, photos, diagrams, or logos, to a page.

Users can publish any web-compatible image from the connected Oracle WebCenter Content Server repository or a URL. Users cannot publish images from external sources that require authentication.

For more information, see Adding an Image Component to a Page Style or Page.

Styled Text

Enables content contributors to publish short pieces of text, such as headings, titles, and captions, that use predefined formatting. You specify the formatting when you add the component to the page. Contributors cannot change the way the text looks, only the text itself.

For more information, see Adding a Styled Text Component to a Page Style or Page.

Text

Enables content contributors to publish longer pieces of text, such as a statement, information, or instructions, to a page.

Using a simple rich text editor, contributors can make their text visually compelling by applying text formatting, including hyperlinks.

The source code editing mode of the rich text editor enables contributors to enter HTML and embed video.

For more information, see Adding a Text Component to a Page Style or Page.

Page Styles for Content Contribution and Publishing

The easiest way to create a page for content contributors to use to publish content is to use a page style that already includes Image, Text, or Styled Text components.

Table 32-2 lists the built-in page styles that include Image, Text, and Styled Text components.

Table 32-2 Content Contribution and Publishing Components in Built-in Page Styles

Name	Description
Press Release	A page for publishing a press release. This page style includes an Image component at the top of the page for a banner, a Styled Text component for a heading, and a Text component for the main content of the press release.
Message	A full page containing a header and a message box to display messages to users. This page style includes a single Text component to publish the message.
Home	A one-column preseeded home page on which you can add vertically stacked content, including additional layout components. This page style includes an Image component at the top of the page for a banner and a Text component to publish a welcome message or some brief introductory text.

If the built-in page styles do not completely meet your requirements, you can create your own. For more information, see Creating a Page Style for Content Contribution and Publishing.

You can also add Image, Text, and Styled Text components directly to a page, by adding the component in the same way as any other component in the resource catalog. For more information, see Adding a Component to a Page.

Tip:

You can find the Image, Text, and Styled Text components in the default resource catalog under the Content Management folder.

Creating a Page for Content Contribution and Publishing

If you want to enable users to contribute and publish content to your portal, you can create pages that include components specifically for that purpose.

Before creating a page for content contribution and publishing, you should think about what kind of content you want the page to contain and how that content should be laid out. This will help you to select an appropriate page style.

The process for creating a page for content publishing is much the same as the process for creating any other type of page, the easiest method being to use a page style that already includes the components that you need. A page style that supports content contribution and publishing includes Image, Text, and Styled Text components that identify the type of content that can be published on the page. Oracle WebCenter Portal provides several built-in page styles that are designed to cover some common use cases for content contribution and publishing (see Table 32-2). Your portal manager or application specialist may have also created custom page styles to address use cases more specific to your portal's particular requirements. For more information about creating page styles that support content contribution and publishing, see Creating a Page Style for Content Contribution and Publishing.

Note:

You can create your page using any page style and then add Image, Text, and Styled Text components directly to the page in the page editor. For more information, see Adding Content Contribution and Publishing Components to a Page Style or Page. You can find Image, Text, and Styled Text components in the default resource catalog under the Content Management folder.

However, before doing this, consider creating a page style with your particular configuration of components so that other people within your organization can use it too.

To create a page for content contribution and publishing:

Open the Create Page wizard by selecting Create Page in the Pages and Portals Actions menu on any of the portal's pages (Figure 32-2).

Figure 32-2 The Create Page Action

Description of "Figure 32-2 The Create Page Action"

Tip:

There are other ways of accessing the Create Page wizard, for example from the portal editor. For more information, see Creating a Page or Subpage When Editing a Portal.
Select the page style that you want to use for your page, using the right and left arrows to scroll through the available page styles if necessary.

Make sure that you select a page style that supports content contribution and publishing.
For more information about creating pages, see Creating a Page or Subpage When Editing a Portal.

Creating a Page Style for Content Contribution and Publishing

A page style that supports content contribution and publishing contains at least one Image, Text, or Styled Text component.

Note:

To perform this task you must have the portal-level permission Assets: Create, Edit, and Delete Assets (standard permissions) or Page Styles: Create, Edit, and Delete Page Styles (advanced permissions) in addition to the Basic Services: Edit Page Access, Structure, and Content (standard permissions) or Pages: Create, Edit, and Delete Pages (advanced permissions).

To create shared page styles, you must have the application-level permission Page Styles: Create, Edit, and Delete Page Styles.

Oracle WebCenter Portal provides several built-in page styles that include support for content contribution and publishing (see Table 32-2). These built-in page styles cover some of the more common page configurations for content contribution and publishing and provide an easy way to get started with content publishing in your portal. If the built-in page styles do not meet your particular requirements, you can build your own, adding Image, Text, and Styled Text components and other resource catalog components to create your preferred layout.

To create a page style for content contribution and publishing:

Follow the steps in Creating a Page Style to create the page style, either by copying an existing page style or saving an existing page as a page style.
Edit the page style in the page editor, as described in Editing a Page Style. However, as well as adding layout components and other resource catalog components, you must also add at least one of the content contribution and publishing components as listed and described in Table 32-1.

The steps for adding a content contribution and publishing component to a page style are the same as those for adding any other kind of component. For information, see Adding Content Contribution and Publishing Components to a Page Style or Page.

Tip:

You can find content contribution and publishing components in the default resource catalog under the Content Management folder.
When you are happy with the page style, click Save.
To make the page style available for use when creating pages, you must publish it. For more information, see Showing and Hiding Assets.

Adding Content Contribution and Publishing Components to a Page Style or Page

To create a page style intended for content contribution and publishing, you must add at least one Image, Text, or Styled Text component to it.

You can also add Image, Text, and Styled Text components to any existing page, whether or not that page was created using a page style that supports content contribution and publishing. For descriptions of Image, Text, and Styled Text components, see Table 32-1.

Note:

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

Adding a Text Component to a Page Style or Page

Use Text components to enable users to publish text, such as a brief statement, information, or instructions, to a page.

Content contributors can use the Text component's rich text editor to make their text visually compelling by applying text formatting, including hyperlinks. The rich text editor also provides a source code editing mode that enables users to enter HTML and embed video.

Depending on who will be contributing content to your page, you may want to include some placeholder text to provide guidance on what type of information to include.

To add a Text component to a page style or page:

Open the page style or page in the page editor:
- Editing a Page Style
- Opening a Page in the Page Editor
In the resource catalog, locate the Text component and add it to the page style or page in the same way as you would add any other component.

For information, see Adding a Component to a Page.

Tip:

You can find the Text component in the default resource catalog under the Content Management folder.
To provide your own text or some placeholder text:
1. Click anywhere inside the Text component to select the component.
2. In the component toolbar, click Edit Content (Figure 32-3).
  
  Figure 32-3 Component Toolbar for Content Publishing Component
  
  Description of "Figure 32-3 Component Toolbar for Content Publishing Component"
  
  Tip:
  
  If you cannot see the component toolbar, it may help to hide the resource catalog by clicking Hide Catalog.
3. Enter the text that you want to publish on the page, using the tools in the rich text editor to apply formatting or add hyperlinks as desired.
  
  For more information, see Contributing and Publishing Rich Text in Using Portals in Oracle WebCenter Portal.
  
  Note:
  
  You can also use Text components for publishing video. For more information, see Contributing and Publishing a Video in Using Portals in Oracle WebCenter Portal.
When you are satisfied with your changes, click Save.

Adding an Image Component to a Page Style or Page

Image components enable users to contribute and publish images to a page. For example, users might want to publish a diagram to illustrate a concept in an technical article, a photograph to accompany a news item, or a stock image to enhance a press release.

When designing pages that will include published images, to maintain a consistent layout and appearance you may want to restrict the size of those images. You do this by setting the required size for the Image component in which contributors will publish the image. You can set the height or width of the image, or both.

If you set the image size for the Image component, when a contributor publishes an image, the display size of the image is set to that specified for the component. If the published image is larger or smaller than the specified size, it is shrunk or stretched as appropriate.

If you do not set the image size for the Image component, the display size of the published image is the actual image size. If the image is larger than the space allocated for the component, scrollbars enable users to view the entire image. If the image is smaller than the available space, the component is padded with whitespace.

If you specify just the height, the width of the image is scaled to maintain the aspect ratio of the image; similarly if you set just the width.

You can also set the alignment of an image so that it appears on the left or right side of the component, or in the center.

It is the responsibility of the content contributor to use an appropriate image when publishing. Therefore, depending on who will be contributing content to your page, you may want to include a placeholder image to provide guidance on what type or size of image to include (especially if you specify a particular height or width for the component). You can do this directly from the page editor as part of the page design process, without having to enter contribution mode.

To add an Image component to a page style or page:

Open the page style or page in the page editor:
- Editing a Page Style
- Opening a Page in the Page Editor
In the resource catalog, locate the Image component and add it to the page style or page in the same way as you would add any other component.

For information, see Adding a Component to a Page.

Tip:

You can find the Image component in the default resource catalog under the Content Management folder.
To set the size and alignment of the image:
1. Click anywhere inside the Image component to select the component.
2. In the Image component toolbar, click the View Actions menu and select Parameters (Figure 32-4).
  
  Figure 32-4 Parameters Action in View Actions Menu
  
  Tip:
  
  If you cannot see the component toolbar, it may help to hide the resource catalog by clicking Hide Catalog.
3. In the Parameters dialog (Figure 32-5), from the Horizontal Alignment list, select whether you want the image to be aligned on the Left, Center, or Right of the component.
  
  Default alignment is on the left.
  
  Figure 32-5 Image Component Parameters Dialog
  
  Description of "Figure 32-5 Image Component Parameters Dialog"
4. In the Image Height field, enter the required display height (in pixels) of the image within the component.
  
  Tip:
  
  You must specify the unit of measurement, px, otherwise the value in the Image Height field is ignored. Do not specify the image height as a percentage as this will have no effect.
5. In the Image Width field, enter the required display width (in pixels or as a percentage) of the image within the component.
  
  You can specify the width either as a percentage of the width of the component, for example 80%, or as an absolute size in pixels, for example, 150px.
  
  Tip:
  
  You must specify the unit of measurement, % or px, otherwise the value in the Image Width field is ignored.
6. Click OK.
To provide your own image or a placeholder image:
1. Click anywhere inside the Image component to select the component.
2. In the component toolbar, click Edit Content (Figure 32-3).
  
  Tip:
  
  If you cannot see the component toolbar, it may help to hide the resource catalog by clicking Hide Catalog.
3. In the Edit Image dialog, enter the image location either as a URL or browse for the image in the Oracle WebCenter Content Server repository.
  
  You can also add a Description to use as alternate text.
  
  Note:
  
  If you want to use an image from WebCenter Content Server, that image must already exist in the repository. You cannot upload an image to the repository from within the Edit Image dialog.
  
  You can turn the image into a link by specifying the portal page, external URL, or WebCenter Content Server item to display when the image is clicked. For more information, see Adding a Hyperlink to an Image in Using Portals in Oracle WebCenter Portal.
4. Click OK.
When you are happy with the content, click Save.

Adding a Styled Text Component to a Page Style or Page

In some circumstances, you may want to enforce a particular CSS style on a piece of published text, for example a heading or title. To achieve this, you can use the Styled Text component.

You can specify the styling of the text using any of the following:

CSS inline style

This is intended for basic style changes, for example specifying the size, color, or font of the text. For example:
```
font-size:16px; color:blue; font-weight:bold; font-family:Arial
```
CSS style class

A style class is a set of CSS styles bundled together and given a name. It can be defined in your JSF (.jspx) or skinning CSS file, for example:
```
.ArticleHeading
{
   color:red;
   font-size:20px;
   font-weight:bold;
   text-decoration:underline;
}
```
HTML tag

For example, select Heading1 to apply the h1 tag.

You can use any combination of the above styling methods to determine the style of the text in the component. For example, you could specify a style class to use in combination with a particular HTML tag, or you could use a style class to specify the majority of the styling of the text, using an inline style to alter one particular aspect of the styling, such as the text color.

The order of precedence in which styling is applied, is as follows:

Inline Style
Style Class
Tag

So, for example, if the Style Class specifies a font size of 10px and the Inline Style specifies 12px, the inline style overrides the style class and the text will appear as 12px.

Content contributors cannot alter the styling applied to the text in a Styled Text component.

To add a Styled Text component to a page style or page:

Open the page style or page in the page editor:
- Editing a Page Style
- Opening a Page in the Page Editor
In the resource catalog, locate the Styled Text component and add it to the page style or page in the same way as you would add any other component. For information, see Adding a Component to a Page.

Tip:

You can find the Styled Text component in the default resource catalog under the Content Management folder.
To set the text styling:
1. Click anywhere inside the Styled Text component to select the component.
2. In the Styled Text component toolbar, click the View Actions menu and select Parameters (Figure 32-4).
  
  Tip:
  
  If you cannot see the component toolbar, it may help to hide the resource catalog by clicking Hide Catalog.
3. In the Parameters dialog (Figure 32-6), specify the CSS styling to apply to the text in the Styled Text component using any combination of the following:
  - In the Inline Style field, enter one or more CSS styles, for example:
```
font-size:16px; color:blue; font-weight:bold; font-family:Arial
```
  - In the Style Class field, enter the CSS style class to use to determine the styling of the text, for example:
```
ArticleHeading
```
  - From the Tag list, select the HTML tag that you want to apply to the text, for example, select Heading1 to apply the h1 tag.
  Figure 32-6 Component Properties Dialog - Styled Text Component
  
  Description of "Figure 32-6 Component Properties Dialog - Styled Text Component"
4. Click OK.
To provide your own text or some placeholder text:
1. In the Styled Text component toolbar, click Edit Content (Figure 32-3).
2. Enter the text that you want to use.
  
  This could be the actual text to be published, or some placeholder text to indicate to content contributors what type of text is expected.
  
  For more information, see Contributing and Publishing Text with Predefined Formatting in Using Portals in Oracle WebCenter Portal.
When you are done with your changes, click Save.

Setting Content Contribution and Publishing Component Properties

This section includes the following topics:

About Content Contribution and Publishing Component Properties

Image, Text, and Styled Text components have associated properties that users with sufficient privileges can set to affect the content, appearance, and behavior of the components.

The View Actions menu in the toolbar of Image, Text, and Styled Text components in the page editor provides access to the properties dialogs: Parameters, Access, Display Options, Style, and Content Style.

Figure 32-7 View Actions Menu

For example, select Parameters to display the Parameters dialog.

Figure 32-8 Image Component Parameters Dialog

Description of "Figure 32-8 Image Component Parameters Dialog"

Parameters control the default component content. For descriptions of each parameter, see Image Component Parameters, Text Component Parameters, and Styled Text Component Parameters. Parameters can be wired to events, and can be used to facilitate the wiring of the component to page parameters and page definition variables. For more information, see Wiring Pages and Components.

The Access, Display Options, Style, and Content Style properties affect the appearance and behavior of the components for all users. These properties are common to all components and task flows. For more information, see Modifying Component Properties.

The Parameters and Display Options dialogs provide access to an Expression Language (EL) editor, which you can use to select or specify a variable value instead of a constant value. Click the icon next to a property, then select Expression Builder to open the editor.

Note:

When you enter EL in the Display Options dialog, the parser reports an error only if it detects invalid syntax, such as a missing closing bracket. Validation is performed only on syntax, not on the expression value. Generic display options are those cataloged in Table 10-1.

EL validation is not performed on non-generic display options.

If you need EL assistance, an application developer can provide an EL expression; see Expression Language Expressions in Developing for Oracle WebCenter Portal.

Image Component Parameters

The Image component provides several associated parameters that affect the content, appearance, and behavior of the component.

Table 32-3 describes the parameters that are unique to the Image component.

Table 32-3 Image Component Parameters

Parameter	Description
`Content Id`	ID to uniquely identify the content in the Oracle WebCenter Content Server repository. Note: Do not change this value.
`Horizontal Alignment`	Specifies how to align the image within the region. Valid values are Left, Center, and Right.
`Image Height`	Specifies the height of the image when it is rendered on the page. Specify the height as an absolute value, for example `150px`. Note: You must specify the unit of measurement (`px`) otherwise the value in the Image Height field is ignored. Do not specify the height as a percentage value.
`Image Width`	Specifies the width of the image when it is rendered on the page. Specify the width either as a percentage of the width of the component, for example `80%`, or as an absolute value, for example `300px`. Note: You must specify the unit of measurement (`%` or `px`) otherwise the value in the Image Width field is ignored.

For more information about using these parameters, see Adding an Image Component to a Page Style or Page.

Text Component Parameters

The Text component provides a single parameter that affects the content, appearance, and behavior of the component.

Table 32-4 describes the parameters that are unique to the Text component.

Table 32-4 Text Component Parameters

Parameter Description

Content Id

ID to uniquely identify the content in the Oracle WebCenter Content Server repository.

Note: Do not change this value.

Styled Text Component Parameters

The Styled Text component provides several associated parameters that affect the content, appearance, and behavior of the component.

Table 32-5 describes the parameters that are unique to the Styled Text component.

Table 32-5 Styled Text Component Parameters

Parameter	Description
`Content Id`	ID to uniquely identify the content in the Oracle WebCenter Content Server repository. Note: Do not change this value.
`Inline Style`	Specifies one or more CSS styles to apply to the text in the component. For example: font-size:16px; color:blue; font-weight:bold; font-family:Arial
`Style Class`	Specifies the CSS style class to apply to the text in the component.
`Tag`	Specifies the HTML tag to apply to the text in the component, for example: Paragraph Heading 1 Heading 2

You can use any combination of the style parameters to determine the style of the text in the component. For example, you could specify a style class to use in combination with a particular HTML tag, or you could use a style class to specify the majority of the styling of the text, using an inline style to alter one particular aspect of the styling, such as the text color. The order of precedence in which styling is applied is:

Inline Style
Style Class
Tag

So for example, if the specified Style Class defines a font size of 10px and the Inline Style specifies font-size:12px, the inline style overrides the style class and the text is rendered as 12px.

For more information about using these parameters, see Adding a Styled Text Component to a Page Style or Page.