Select the Use Portal Template radio button, and select the Portal Template you

12-18 Oracle Fusion Middleware Users Guide for Oracle Portal context, such as when a user navigates away from the item content, then navigates back to it. When users click a tab on a Portal Template for items, the tab URL displaces the item URL and item content is not preserved. This means that users switching between tabs on a page assembled from an item template, may lose the context of the item whose URL rendered the item template. In such a case, users are likely to see the default placeholder item in lieu of the item that originally invoked the template. One way to circumvent confusing, though logical, situations like this is to keep item templates as simple as possible, with minimal in-page navigation. That is, with few if any tabs and sub-tabs. Whenever you place an item placeholder on a Portal Template, it becomes a Portal Template for items. This is true even when the item placeholder is in a non-active state, such as Draft, Pending, Rejected, Hidden, Expired, and so on. Note, however, that when the item placeholder is not in an active state, its default content or the content that replaces it when an item is rendered does not display. To create a Portal Template for items: 1. Log in to Oracle Portal.

2. Click the Build tab to bring it forward.

3. From the Page Groups portlet Work In drop-down list, select a page group to own

the template. By default, the Page Groups portlet is located on the Build tab of the Portal Builder page. If you plan to use the template across page groups, select the Shared Objects page group.

4. In the Layout Appearance section, click the Create link next to the Portal

Templates heading.

5. Enter a display name in the Display Name field.

Use any character, including spaces. For information on object naming rules in Oracle Portal, see Appendix D, Object Naming Rules in Oracle Portal .

6. Check the Make available for use in this page group check box if you want users

to be able to apply this template now. Consider leaving this check box blank until you have completed creating the template. Once this option is selected, the template displays on the relevant template pick lists. For example, if this check box is selected, once the template Note: Items on the template itself are not selectable as default content for an item placeholder. When items of the type URL with Display Options set to Item Displayed Directly In Page Area are rendered with Portal Templates for items, the item cannot point to a URL that requires HTTP authentication. Such items rendered as links have no such restriction. Note: In the Oracle Portal user interface, an asterisk indicates a field that requires a value. Providing a Standard Look and Feel 12-19 contains an item placeholder, it will be listed and available for selection on the Items tab of page properties. No matter whether this option is selected, an item template is always listed and available under the Portal Templates heading in the Page Groups portlet.

7. Select a navigation banner to display at the top of the page from the Navigation

Page For Banner drop-down list. Select None to forgo selecting a banner. 8. Click Create. The template opens in Edit mode. 9. Build the template. This consists of designing a layout with regions and adding whatever images and other content you plan to include on the template. For more information on working with page regions, see Chapter 10, Working with Layouts . For more information about adding different types of content, see Chapter 14, Working with Items and Chapter 15, Working with Portlets . 10. In at least one of the item regions, add an item placeholder:

a. Click the Add Item icon over the region that will contain the item placeholder.

b. From the Content Item Types drop-down list, select Item Placeholder.

If the Item Placeholder item type does not appear on this list, click the link configure the list of available item types , and add Item Placeholder to the list of available item types. If you do not see this link, ask your page group administrator to add this item type to the page group’s list of available item types. For information on making different item types available to a page group, see Section 5.2.2.3, Making an Item Type Available to a Page Group .

c. Click Next.

d. Click the Choose Item icon to browse to a list of available content.

Choose from all the available items that are uploaded to your portal. The only item you cannot choose is one that is already placed on the template. Once a Portal Template contains an item placeholder, it becomes a Portal Template for items and appears on the item template pick list on the Items tab of page properties. 11. When you create a new Portal Template, various properties, such as style and access settings, are defaulted to make the creation process quicker. After you have created your template you may want to edit the properties of the template to change some of these default settings. Note: Selecting this check box also allows all users to view the template. However it does not affect the security of pages based on the template. Note: For information about editing the properties of Portal Templates for items, see Section 12.2.2.4, Editing Portal Templates for Items.