Configuring the Display of Portal ContentLocate this document in the navigation structure

Use

The portal workspace viewed by any portal user comprises various user interface units that provide the interactive capabilities of the portal. The on-screen display of this workspace is governed by structural layout and design components that spatially arrange the navigational and content components in the workspace and provide their look and feel.

When users log on to the portal, the portal display that they receive is an integrated portal desktop - a combination of the user interface components described above.

The services and tools described in the topics that follow enable you to create and manage any number of portal desktops to suit your business scenario. Through the use of customizable display rules, you can allocate portal desktops with varying designs, branding, or layouts to different scenarios and departments in your organization.

You work with the following objects when configuring the portal display:

Object

Function

Description

Framework page

Defines the layout and structure of a portal desktop

A portal page comprising the entire set of user interface units required by a user to operate and navigate the portal

Portal theme

Provides the look and feel of a portal desktop

A portal object containing the definitions that describe the visual appearance of the control elements, font size, colors, and contrast of the user interface elements in a portal desktop

Portal desktop

Enables framework pages and portal themes to be assigned as a combined entity to portal users using scenario- and user-specific display rules

A container-type portal object comprising framework pages and portal themes

Rule collection

Provides a means for assigning portal desktops to users at runtime

A portal object containing the rules that describe the conditions for assigning portal desktops to users using either direct user-, group-, and role-specific parameters, or indirect platform-specific parameters, such as connection bandwidth, browser type, or browser version

SAP NetWeaver Portal supplies the following default portal display objects:

  • Default Desktop: The Ajax Portal Desktop , which comprises the default framework page ( Ajax Framework Page ) and a number of standard portal themes. For more information, see Default Portal Desktop .

  • Default Framework Pages: The default framework page is named Ajax Framework Page . For more information, see Ajax Framework Page . The portal also supplies additional framework pages for specific purposes. For example:

    • Headerless framework page: Supports the headerless navigation mode (see Headerless Navigation ).

    • Light framework page: For displaying light content for an external-facing portal (see Light Framework Page ).

  • Default Portal Themes: SAP NetWeaver Portal supplies several theme templates, which you can use to generate your own portal themes. For more information, see Working with Portal Themes .

  • Default Rule Collection: The Master Rule Collection is mandatory for the portal to function at runtime. It must not be deleted. For more information, see Master Rule Collection .

To manipulate these objects, you work with the following portal tools in the administration environment:

Tool

Default Navigation Path

Target Objects

Portal Content Studio

Start of the navigation path Content Administration Next navigation step Portal Content Management End of the navigation path

Framework pages (and other objects such as roles and iViews)

Theme Editor

Start of the navigation path Content Administration Next navigation step Portal Display Next navigation step Portal Themes Next navigation step Theme Editor End of the navigation path

Portal themes

UI Theme Designer

Start of the navigation path Content Administration Next navigation step Portal Display Next navigation step Portal Themes Next navigation step UI Theme Designer End of the navigation path

Portal themes

Desktop editor

Start of the navigation path System Administration Next navigation step System Configuration Next navigation step Portal Display Next navigation step Desktops & Display Rules End of the navigation path

Portal desktops

Portal Display Rules editor

Start of the navigation path System Administration Next navigation step System Configuration Next navigation step Portal Display Next navigation step Desktops & Display Rules End of the navigation path

Rule collections
Prerequisites

You have the appropriate portal permissions to access and maintain the relevant portal objects in their respective editors. For more information, see Portal Permissions .

Procedure

The typical workflow for setting up the appropriate portal display for your environment is as follows:

  1. Create a framework page to define the layout of navigational and content-based components in a portal desktop. See Creating and Editing a Framework Page .

  2. Create portal themes to define the look and feel of a portal desktop. See Creating and Editing Custom Themes.

  3. Create a portal desktop by combining the framework pages and portal themes. See Creating and Editing a Portal Desktop .

  4. Create portal display rules to assign portal desktops to users. See Defining Portal Display Rules .

Figure 1: Portal display: design and assignment
More Information

Understanding Framework Pages

Understanding Portal Themes

Understanding Portal Desktops

Understanding Portal Display Rules