CLICK TO ADD MAIN TITLE

1
My First Building Block as a Portal Module
Heather NatourSenior Lead EngineerBlackboard
Inc.September 29, 2005
2
Road Map

• What are Portals?
• Module Types
• Creating Modules
• API

3
Audience

• Building Blocks Developers that want to create
  Blackboard Community System Modules
• Java/JSP Programmers
• Some knowledge of Building Blocks Programming
• Or Just Interested to see whats possible with
  Community System Modules

4
What are Portals?

• Provides an Entry Point
• Provides a Customized User Experience
• Unites several sources of information and present
  them in one central place
• Sites can customize Portal for a specific type of
  user or market
• Student, Faculty, East, West
• Sticky

5
Example of a sticky Portal
6
Blackboard Community System Components
Tab
Contents
Layout
Module
Module Edit
Minimize
Delete
7
Module Types

• Code for the Module
• Every Module has an associated Type A Type
  could have more than one instance
• One or more JSP pages

8
Pre Built Module Types

• Include HTML
• Include URL
• RSS Channel

9
Module Type JSP Pages

• View
• What gets displayed when the module is rendered
• Admin
• Edit Global properties
• Edit
• User customizable properties

10
View

• Rendered Inline
• No HTML Header or Body Tags

11
Edit
Calls the edit page
12
Edit
13
Admin
Manage Modules Page
Admin Page for Global Configuration
14
Admin
15
Creating Module Types

• JSP is easiest
• Tags Provided for Edit and Admin Pages (more info
  in Dev Guide)
• modulePersonalizationPage
• modulePersonalizationReceipt
• moduleAdminPage
• moduleAdminReceipt

16
Portal API

• Java
• Class CustomData
• In package blackboard.portal.external
• Javadoc available in SDK

17
Portal API

• To get the Global CustomData for a module, use
  getModuleData(context)

• CustomData data CustomData.getModuleData(pageCon
  text)
• String text data.getValue(body.lunchMenu)
• String text data.getValue(body.type)

18
Portal API

• Can also save Global properties for a module
  using this same object

CustomData data CustomData.getModuleData(pageCon
text) String text data.setValue(body.lunchMenu
, Roast Turkey) String text
data.setValue(body.type,Entrée) data.save()
19
Portal API

• Similar Methods exist to set user specific data

CustomData data CustomData.getModulePersonalizat
ionData(pageContext) String text
data.setValue(userpref.display,
ALL) data.save()
20
Packaging the Module Type

• Put it in a System Extension Package
• JSPs in /module directory

• ltmodule-type ext-ref"smpl-module" title"Sample
  Plug-in Module Type" uicreatable"true"gt
• ltjsp-dirgtmodulelt/jsp-dirgt
• ltjspgt
• ltviewgtview.jsplt/viewgt
• lteditgtedit.jsplt/editgt
• ltadmingtadmin.jsplt/admingt
• lt/jspgt
• lt/module-typegt

21
Creating a Module

• Can specify a module type already in the system
  or in the same installation package
• Many modules can be created using the Bb supplied
  types
• Could leverage types that become available in the
  community

22
Creating a Module

• Module is packaged as a standard Building Blocks
  Package
• bb-manifest.xml
• module
• channel

23
Specifying a Module

• Manifest Entry (Module Def)

ltmodule type"portal/channel" isadmin"true"
useraddable"true" isdeletable"true"
title"Sample Channel Module"gt ltdescriptiongtSample
channel module. This module accesses the RSS
channel installed with this plug-in.lt/descriptiongt
ltExtraInfogt ltproperty key"channel.id"
type"String"gtmacnewslt/propertygt lt/ExtraInfogt lt/mo
dulegt
24
Specifying a Module

• Channel Manifest Entry (Channel Def)

ltrss-channel ext-refmacnews" titleMac
News"gt ltdata-urlgt http//www.macnn.xml/macnn.xml
lt/data-urlgt lt/rss-channelgt
25
Specifying a Module

• Can also optionally specify Institution Roles
  (Primary and Secondary)

ltmodule-groupsgt ltmodule-group idstudent"/gt
ltmodule-group idfaculty"/gt lt/module-groupsgt
26
Demonstration!

27
Thank you!