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Procedure documentationHow to Build a Content Provider Locate this document in the navigation structure

 

A content provider is a PAR with the following parts:

  • Content Provider Service: A Java class that implements IContentProviderService, whose main task is to create the entities for this content provider.

    For HTTP connectivity, you may also need to create a class that implements IHTTPAuthenticationManager in order to provide authentication information (for example, user name and password) for the connection.

    For SOAP connectivity, you may also need to create a class that implements ISOAPMessageProcessor in order to process SOAP messages before they are sent and after they are received.

  • Content Provider Entity: A Java class that implements IContentProviderEntity and ITransformationProviderEntity, whose main task is to create the URL for the HTTP request or the message for the SOAP request that retrieves the XML source. A content provider generally has many entities, and one Java class may provide the implementation for more than one entity.

    Note Note

    You can create HTTP and SOAP entities for the same provider.

    End of the note.

  • Entity Transformer: An XSL file or SAX handler class that transforms the XML for rendering in an iView. Each entity must be assigned a transformer.

  • Entity Portal Component: A portal component that can issue a HTTP or SOAP request, retrieve an XML source, transform the XML and render the information in the portal. Each entity must be assigned to an entity portal component.

    You do not have to write any Java code to create an entity portal component. Your portal components are simply derived from the portal component defined in com.sap.portal.contentproviders.runtime.ContentProvidersComponent, and you create them simply by adding a <component> element in portalapp.xml.

The PAR file can contain any number of entities, transformers and portal components. However, for each XML data source provided by the content provider, you must assign one entity, one transformer and one component.

Prerequisites

  • You have created a skeleton portal application project, with at least the following folders and files:

    This graphic is explained in the accompanying text.

    In Developer Studio, you can create the project in the usual way: Select   New   Project  , and then select   Portal Application   Create a Portal Application Project  . After the wizard creates the basic skeleton, add the folders that will hold the XML transformers (the xml folder and subfolders), as shown above.

    For more information on the directory structure required for XML transformers, see Transformation Service.

  • You understand how to create XML transformers. The XML transformers that are to be used with this content provider implementation are defined in the same PAR that defines the content provider implementation.

    For more information, see Transformation Service.

  • You understand how to create SOAP requests. The content provider framework uses standard Java classes for handling SOAP.

  • The third-party content is in XML format and is exposed via the web, either via HTTP or SOAP requests.

Note Note

The content provider framework is shipped with the portal as of SAP Enterprise Portal SP Stack 12.

End of the note.

Procedure

The following are the steps required for creating a content provider:

  1. Creating a Content Provider Service

  2. Creating Content Provider Entities

  3. Creating Entity Portal Components

  4. Creating Transformers

  5. Creating a Content Provider Business Package