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Selecting the Capture AreaLocate this document in the navigation structure

Prerequisites

Context

This procedure describes how you choose which area in the targeted Web page is displayed in the iView at runtime. You can choose to display either the entire Web page or a selected area within it. The portal provides you the tools to capture a selected area in its built-in browser window.

Note that when you select a restricted area in a Web page, you are selecting an HTML element or structure, not static text. At runtime, the iView displays fresh content which exists in the selected HTML element or structure.

The capture mechanism enables you to create iViews that adapt themselves on-the-fly to structural, formatting, and content changes that may occur in most Web pages. When a URL iView defined by a captured area is displayed, the portal can detect, with a high probability, if the element retrieved from the Web page matches the area originally captured. If there is no match (normally as a result of a change to the targeted Web page), the portal attempts to resolve the mismatch and rebuild the iView to display the intended element. This is a complex, but rapid process, which is virtually undetectable by the portal client.

Note

The built-in browser does not support Web sites that require you to log on. You will not be able to use the capture tool to select a specific area in a Web page. In other words, you can display only an entire Web page in the iView.

Procedure


  1. Open the URL iView in the URL iView Editor.

    The Content to Display in iView box specifies the type of captured area currently selected:

    • Full Web page: The entire contents of the selected Web page will be displayed in the iView at runtime.

    • Captured area: A restricted area within the Web page will be displayed in the iView at runtime.

  2. To modify the captured area, click Capture . The portal's built-in browser window opens.

  3. In the Capture tab you choose which area within the selected Web page to display in the iView at runtime. Do the following:

    Task

    Description

    Capture an area within a Web page

    1. Move the mouse cursor over the area you want to select. As you move the mouse, stable HTML elements are highlighted within a peach-colored marquee. The Selected Element box indicates the type of element currently selected in the Web page-an element refers to a standard HTML unit, for example. TABLE , DIV TR , TD .

    2. When the area you want to choose is inside the highlighted marquee, click once. The selected area is marked in a peach color. This is the primary capture area.

    3. If you want to select a smaller element within the primary capture area, move the mouse again within this area. As you move the mouse, internal HTML elements are highlighted in orange. Click again to select the area. This is the secondary capture area.

      Note

      Choosing a secondary capture area is not mandatory. However, if you do select one the primary capture area will be ignored.

      Recommendation

      You can also use the icons available in the Capture tab to adjust the capture area (see descriptions in this table); this is useful when hovering or clicking with the mouse does not allow you choose the exact element you want.

    Choose a sibling of a selected area

    Use the following icons in the Capture tab to choose an HTML element that is a sibling of the currently selected area.

    Chooses the previous sibling of the selected HTML element

    Chooses the next sibling of the selected HTML element

    Note that if the selected element does not have siblings, but has children, then clicking this icon will choose the first child element.

    If a sibling does not exist for the selected element, then the appropriate icon is disabled.

    Choose the child or parent of a selected area

    Use the following icons in the Capture tab to increase or decrease the focus of the currently selected area.

    Chooses the parent of the selected HTML element

    Chooses the first child of the selected HTML element

    If a parent or nested child does not exist for the selected element, then the appropriate icon is disabled.

    Deselect a captured area

    To deselect a captured area, click Clear Selection , or click outside the highlighted area.

    Note

    If no area is highlighted, the iView displays the entire Web page within the iView at runtime.

    Preview the captured area

    To preview the selected area of the Web page, click Preview Selection .

    This feature is intended as a means to verify the borders of the selected area and the HTML elements it contains.

    This preview does not suppress scripts running in the targeted Web page nor does it remove client events. Therefore, you may see artifacts in the preview of the selected area. If you correctly configure the advanced properties in the iView (see URL iView Properties ), these artifacts should not appear in the iView at runtime.

    Note

    To preview the selection area as it would display for end users at runtime, use the Preview option in the iView Editor or use the Look and Feel screen. This preview renders the iView content in the portal look and feel, and also applies advanced properties you have enabled. See Defining the Look and Feel of the iView Content .

    Close the browser without applying changes

    Click Cancel in the Capture tab.
    Note

    In the capture mode, all hyperlinks and navigation controls present within the displayed Web page are deactivated. To modify the URL and to activate any present hyperlinks, go to the Browse tab. You can toggle freely between the Browse and Capture tabs.

  4. Once you have selected the content to display in the iView, click OK in the portal's built-in browser window. If you read and accepted the onscreen disclaimer, you are returned to the URL iView Editor. The Content to Display in iView box specifies if the entire Web page or a restricted area has been selected.

  5. Click Save .