DLM: The uPortal Pushmi-Pullyu JA-SIG with Altitude, Denver 2007 Susan Bramhall,Yale University Jim Helwig, University of Wisconsin-Madison

DLM: The uPortal Pushmi-Pullyu History and Features of DLM A Description of DLM Concepts A Quick Walk Through of DLM Set Up

History and Features of DLM

A Brief History of DLM uPortal w/ SLM Campus Pipeline develops DLM 1.0 AL developed as option Sungard contributes DLM uPortal 2.6 w/DLM as default uPortal 2.5 w/ DLM 1.0 as option Luminus w/ DLM 1.0 Luminus w/ DLM 2.0 Sungard develops DLM 2.0

Features A users layout is a unified view of all applicable roles StudentEmployeeStudent Employee

Features XML based configuration but easy to modify fragments Layout ownerTab fragment

Features A user’s layout is updated each time they log in

Features New channel

Features Variable restrictions Completely locked down Completely flexible

DLM 2.0 Features Graceful fragment degradation (uPortal 2.6) Processor pipeline (uPortal 2.6) Subscribe Fragments Fragment Manager channel/DB based configuration

A Description of DLM Concepts

My Layout in YaleInfo

What is a layout? tab column channels

A fragment is a piece of a tree tab column channels tab column channels A predefined fragment including 2 tabs, 3 columns, several channels

How is the “tree of content” created? Some content is pushed to the user Some is subscribed to by the user Some is allowed to go anywhere on the tree Some must remain is a certain place

That is the layout manager’s job

DLM: Distributed Layout Manager Default in just released uPortal 2.6 Combines the functions of previous layout managers DLM allows: users make changes + administrators to make changes = merged layout with both changes

Cool but how does it work?

Your Layout As Your Personal Library tab column channels

uPortal Channel Registry like a Library

Layout vs. Channel Registry Registry has all the channels you can use Channels all contain permission attributes determining which users can see and interact with them A layout contains channels the user gets at login time. Some may not be visible. User can add or use any channel in the registry that they have permission to view

The Portal Can Be Your Library tab column channels Fragment

How is my layout created?

As a user you can select a book, check it out, and bring it home.

Adding Content In YaleInfo

Required reading Students should see : –Books out of the library –Homework assignments due –Recent –College Events

Suggested reading Staff should see : –Workflow approvals awaiting attention –Status of back up for machine –Recent –Upcoming meetings –Messages to staff

The Layout Manager as Librarian An administrator maintains the collection adding and removing items The layout manager helps users check items out of the library or receive any changes to a collection

Push vs. pull User adds new channels, columns, or tabs User removes an element from her layout Portal administrators determine which channels, tabs, fragments to push into user’s layout Some can be moved or removed by the user Some come with restrictions

Audience

Priority Priority of the fragment tells DLM where to put it in relationship to other content in the user’s layout

My Layout in YaleInfo A tab I created “Home” fragment pushed to me

A Quick Walk Through of DLM Set Up

1.Define fragment w/ layout owner, precedence and audiences in dlm.xml Academics Owner Academics TabStudents, Instructors owned by published to

2.Log in as layout owner and create layout from a blank slate

3.Restrict tab/column/channel actions as desired

Yale Use Multiple fragments for the same tab Less content by default Easy to add additional content Easy to find and use what you need when you need it

Sample Student layout

Fragments defined at Yale Home – different for Students, Faculty and Staff Academics –Pushed to Students and Faculty but not Staff News –Pushed to everyone Extras –Pushed to everyone

Multiple Fragments Named Home Prior version had –Student Tab for students, Staff tab for Staff and Faculty Tab for Faculty New version renamed the tab in each of the three fragments as “Home” –Allowed user modifications to be carried forward –Allows for different content for each group

Irremovable Tabs Home and Academics cannot be removed Extras and News can

My UW-Madison Replaced existing portal Pages authorized for certain groups Portlets assigned a category Categories allowed on pages Default view configured by admin

Well defined organization, limited customization Fixed set of tabs with content restricted to particular tabs Allowed remove and rearrange content Organization developed using card sort exercise Ease of support and marketing Users don’t seem to customize much

My UW-Madison

Separating content selection from content rearrangement

DLM: The uPortal Pushmi-Pullyu Susan Bramhall,Yale University Jim Helwig, University of Wisconsin-Madison Questions?