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The initial release of DLM in uPortal 2.5.0 is DLM as it is used in Sungard SCT's Luminis product since 2002. For uPortal 2.6.0 focus will be placed on the following areas to enhance DLM. The information provided here represents the items that are anticipated to be for 2.6.0. Additionally, this information represents some intended designs. Such may change as implementation proceeds or requirements are clarified based in experience with the new pieceswas the version of DLM released in all Sungard SCT Luminis product versions released from 2002 through 2006. This is referred to as DLM 1.0. Luminis IV released in 2007 and incorporated many new features including the parameter pipeline, a Fragment Manager channel that replaces dlm.xml, subscribe-able fragments and a channel to manage subscriptions, and support for delegation of fragment administrative tasks. This version of DLM is referred to as DLM 2.0. Although the processor pipe feature is included in uPortal 2.6.0, more work is needed to roll the remaining new features from the snapshot repository area into the 2.x baseline to bring it fully up to the DLM 2.0 level. If you have suggestions or questions on these items or would like to assist in that effort please share them you thought on the uPortal email lists.
Fragment Manager
The In DLM 2.0 dlm.xml file is being replaced with a Fragment Manager channel allowing fragments to be defined via the portal user interface. A mock-up of this fragment manager is as shown no longer used. It is replaced with the Fragment Manager channel as seen running in Luminis IV in the image below. Most items currently configured using the dlm.xml file are visible. For example, precedence is a point value for fragments but even when two fragments are given an equal precedence, DLM then drops back to the ordering in dlm.xml with the first fragment of these two encountered during loading interpreted as having the higher precedence. So ultimately, there is no such thing as equal precedence in DLM. One fragment has greater or lesser precedence than any other fragment. This is depicted within the Fragment Manager by the ordering of fragments from top to bottom. Up and down buttons in the Precedence column enable an administrator with proper permissions to adjust the precedences of fragmentsclearly indicated by order in the list. Fragments at the top have highest precedence. The arrow buttons allow for increasing or decreasing precedence in a very straightforward manner. A new feature in DLM 2.0 is depicted by the green lamp indicator next to most of the fragments. Each fragment can be enabled or disabled at any time. Such functionality was only possible in DLM 1.0 by removing the definition from dlm.xml.
The name of each fragment corresponds to the "name" attribute of the <dlm:fragment> element. The magnifying glass button to the right of the Precedence column allows a user with proper permission to view and edit the layout of a fragment. Each fragment's layout will be protected by a layout editing permission. If a user is granted that permission then they will be able to use the fragment manager but will only see those fragments for which they have permission. The delete button is delete button is for deleting a fragment. The edit button immediately to the left of the fragment name allows an administrator to change the name and type of the fragment. DLM does not currently support "pulled" fragments, fragments that users can subscribe to. As can be seen this capability will be added. Both pushed and pulled fragments will be shown in the same Note that both pushed and subscribe fragments appear in the same view in the Fragment Manager. This is important since each type can restrict movement of tabs and hence those tabs may be competing for location in a user's layout. The ordering here with respect to each other clearly shows which will have greater precedence when competing in a user's layout.
The edit button audience selected for each fragment is shown to the right of the Type column will delegate over to a new channel being created as part of the permissions effort also under way for 2.6.0the fragment. Note the complex boolean expressions based on both user attributes and group membership constructs. Such will be the anticipated capability of the new permissions functionality. It is also anticipated that there will be a direct migration path for the constructs currently supported in dlm.xml by the currently defined set of evaluator factories.
Subscribe Fragments
As noted in the mock view of the Fragment Manager, subscribed fragment support will be added. The audience specified for subscribed fragments is the set of users who will have that fragment show up in the list of fragments that they can subscribe to from within their preferences area via a new link added for that purpose. The list of available fragments will be provided by a new channel that is brought into focus mode by selecting that link. Once a fragment is selected the focus will return to the preferences area and that fragment's tabs will be included at that timeThe exhibited expressions were created from a special Permissions Management infrastructure that is not slated to be contributed back to the uPortal codebase. So some work is needed to exchange that for support of the evaluation factories from DLM 1.0. Such functionality will then provide a straightforward migration path for DLM 1.0 installations to the DLM 2.0 version.
Miscellaneous
Attached to this page is a tool that can be useful for developers who are enhancing DLM or the uPortal user interface in general. DLM adds specific attributes to various pieces of a user's layout to keep track of certain characteristics: is this element part of a fragment, what is the fragment's precedence, what restrictions have been placed on this element, and so on. Additionally, when a user's layout is persisted only their owned portions and any changes to fragment elements are persisted. Changes to fragments are persisted via custom DLM elements in the layout known as directives. Hence the user's layout as viewed in the portal is a result of merging their personal or persisted layout fragment or PLF with the fragments that are to be integrated when they log in. As such the viewed layout is known as the incorporated or integrated layout fragment or ILF.
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