Java Portlets Expertise Required

Portlet Technologies Matrix 2-7 knowledge is optional, depending on the task you want to perform. Using Java portlets you can access any data source supported by the Java language.

2.3.4 Portlet Builder

If you want to use Portlet Builder, you must have a good understanding of relational database concepts. Depending on what you want to achieve, SQL and PLSQL knowledge may be required, as well. Using Portlet Builder, you can consume data from the local Oracle Application Server infrastructure database or remote databases using database links.

2.3.5 PLSQL Portlets

To build PLSQL portlets, you must know how to write SQL statements, code and debug PLSQL program units using SQLPlus or similar development tool that enables you to connect to the Oracle database. You should also know HTML and PLSQL Web Toolkit to generate the portlet content. Experience of coding the PLSQL Server Pages PSP is optional.

2.4 Deployment Type

Before a portlet can be consumed by an application, you must first deploy it, then register the provider you have deployed the portlet to. As shown in Figure 2–1 , portlets can be deployed to Oracle Portal through three provider types: ■ Web providers ■ WSRP producers ■ Database providers. Web providers are deployed to a J2EE application server, which is often remote and communicates with Oracle Portal through Simple Object Access Protocol SOAP over HTTP. Web Services for Remote Portlets WSRP, an OASIS standard, is supported in the Developers Preview of Oracle Portal. Database providers are implemented in PLSQL and deployed in the Oracle database where Oracle Portal is installed. Figure 2–1 Portlet Provider Overview 2-8 Oracle Fusion Middleware Developers Guide for Oracle Portal

2.4.1 Web Providers

Web providers are the most commonly used and flexible type of provider. They may reside on the same application server as Oracle Portal, on a remote application server, or anywhere on the network Figure 2–2 . A Web provider could be implemented using virtually any Web technology. However, the Oracle Portal Developer Kit provides a Java framework that simplifies the task of building Web providers. Web providers use open standards, such as XML, SOAP, HTTP, or J2EE for deployment, definition, and communication with Oracle Portal. Also, because Web providers can be deployed to a J2EE container, they do not put an additional load on the Oracle Portal Repository database. Figure 2–2 Web Providers There are several benefits when developing portlets and exposing them as Web providers. You can perform the following tasks: ■ Deploy portlets remotely. ■ Leverage existing Web application code to create portlets. ■ Specify providers declaratively. ■ Take advantage of more functionality than that with database providers. ■ Use standard Java technologies for example, servlets and JSPs to develop portlets of Web providers. To expose your portlets using a Web provider, you must create a provider that manages your portlets and can communicate with Oracle Portal using SOAP. To learn how to expose your portlets using a Web provider, see Section 6.3, Building JPS-Compliant Portlets with Oracle JDeveloper.

2.4.2 WSRP Producers

Web Services for Remote Portlets WSRP is a Web services standard that enables the plug-and-play of visual, user-facing Web services with portals or other intermediary Web applications. Being a standard, WSRP enables interoperability between a standards-enabled container based on a particular language such as JSR 168, .NET,