Portal Desktops 

Definition

For portal end users, a portal desktop defines the structural layout and design of the portal workspace displayed on the screen. It is a structured collection of iViews, pages, themes, and layouts, which can be personalized at runtime.

In the design time environment, a portal desktop is a collection of framework pages and portal themes, which is defined and customized by content administrators, and ultimately assigned to end users through portal display rules.

 

Use

Portal desktops combine personalization and scenario-based options for portal end user at runtime:

·        The openness and flexibility of framework pages enable administrators to design custom-made navigation layouts that suit numerous portal user experiences. For example, thin desktops can support dial-up connections, while customized framework pages support different navigational needs for a company’s employee intranet and customer-based extranet.

Portal end users automatically receive the appropriate framework page based on transparent display rules, which are predefined by the portal administrator. See Portal Display Rules.

·        Portal users have the freedom to choose a portal theme to personalize the look and feel of their portal desktop.

 

Structure

A portal desktop is a portal object comprises any number of framework pages and portal themes:

·        Framework page: Defines the layout of navigational and structural elements in the portal desktop. For more information, see Framework Pages.

A portal desktop may contain more than framework page. The administrator responsible for configuring the portal desktop object sets the active framework page. At runtime, end users currently do not have the option of choosing a framework page to personalize their portal desktop.

·        Portal Theme: Defines the overall look-and-feel of user interface elements in a portal desktop, such as aspect of font usage, color, and contrast. For more information, see Portal Themes.

A portal desktop may contain more than portal theme. The administrator responsible for configuring the portal desktop object sets the default portal theme. At runtime, users can personalize their portal desktop by choosing a portal theme to suit their choice of style and taste.

For information on creating your own portal desktops, see Creating and Editing a Portal Desktop.

SAP Enterprise Portal supplies a single default portal desktop, which includes a default framework page and default portal themes. For a detailed description, see Default Portal Desktops.