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Below is a list of the workflow elements that are consistent throughout all channel types. Followed by the specific resource needs by each individual channel type.
Channel Type
The Channel Type defines the type of input that is used to populate the channel. For example, an RSS channel will use an RSS document as input, where as an Image channel will need some image format such as JPEG, GIF or PNG.
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Each different channel type has settings used to describe the location and types of resources needed for it. These are specialized to the channel type. After these are defined, some further settings are needed that are common to all channel types.
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Type
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Description
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Applet
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Renders a Java Applet in a uPortal Channel.
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Image
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A container for rendering media, not just graphic images. It supports any type of media that can be displayed or played through the browser including graphics, flash objects, movies and audio. Exactly which formats can be supported, ie PNG vs GIF or MOV vs WAV is dependant on the end user's browser.
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Inline Frame
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Similar to the Image Channel, the Inline Frame is a container for displaying HTML content. The content in an Inline Frame channel does not go through the uPortal framework, so it does NOT have to be well formed XHTML.
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RSS
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Renders an RSS document of type 0.90, 0.9x or 1.0. No support is provided for RSS 1.0 modules.
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Web Proxy
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Similar to the Inline Frame Channel Type in that it is a contain from HTML content. However, it requires well formed XHTML and can also render an XML application.
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WSRP Consumer
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Renders Web Services applications as defined by the Oasis WSRP v1.0 standard.
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XML Transformation
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Renders an XML fragment which is validated by an XSLT stylesheet.
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Custom
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See 11 Channel Types and their Use for discussion of the available channel types.
General Settings
The general settings define the name for the channel.
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- Channel Title - The Channel Title is the name of the channel that will appear in the header of the channel, "Word of the Day," when it renders in uPortal.
- Channel Name - The Channel Name is how the name of the channel will appear in the content subscriber channel.
- Channel Functional Name - The Channel Functional Name is used when searching for the channel using java or web services. This name should be unique to avoid conflicting results
- Channel Description - A description of the channel that renders in the channel manager when editing channels.
- Channel Timeout - The amount of time in milliseconds that is allotted for the channel to render before it cancels the action.
- Channel Secure - A checkbox that determines if the channel renders in a secured setting, such as HTTPS.
Channel Controls
Each Channel has three optional controls that can be added to it at the time the channel was written. If any of these controls are developed, then the appropriate button(s) will appear on the channel.
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Figure 2.15: Channel Manager - Channel Controls
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For more information, see Andrew Petro's blog post on Channel Controls. |
Categories
The category selection screen is where you decide the categories in which the new channel will be listed during content subscription. Below the 'Members' heading are all of the possible categories for this channel. To chose the categories for the new channel:
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Figure 2.17: Channel Manager - Select Categories B
Groups
The 'Groups' is a restriction setting for the new channel that defines who will be able to subscribe to it. Selecting the groups restrictions functions similar to selecting the categories.
Figure 2.18: Channel Manager - Select Groups A
Figure 2.19: Channel Manager - Select Groups B
Review
The 'Review' is a list of the settings for this channel. Each of the 'value' listings is a link that will go directly to the part of the channel workflow where that setting can be changed. Selecting the 'Finished' button at the bottom of the page will save these settings and publish the channel.
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