Marketplace portlet

The marketplace portlet is a new way for users to find content faster and easier.  Presented similarly to mobile app stores, users can search, review, and see more about an portlet than ever before.

This can be used in conjunction with the gallery/customize drawer or can serve as a replacement.

Screenshots of this portlet in action!

Initial View:

Intended feature: ability to filter by Category.

Intended change: replace "A-Z Index" with "See All", maybe in the number of results pull-down.

Intended change: defer "Most Popular" idea.

Clicking on the Title takes you straight to the portlet.  Clicking on details takes you to the entry page.

How to have portlet participate in entry page?

By Default, every app will have an entry page.  Check out these default entry pages...

Now take a look at a more robust entry page:

How to add screenshots

Add some screen shots in this format screen_shotx and corresponding captions as screen_shotx_caption.

Order doesn't matter, as shown below.  Captions are also optional.

<portlet-preference>
<name>screen_shot2_caption</name>
<readOnly>true</readOnly>
<value>One Stop Shopping</value>
</portlet-preference>
<portlet-preference>
<name>screen_shot1</name>
<readOnly>true</readOnly>
<value>http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/427597/141533524/stock-photo-marketplace-road-sign-141533524.jpg</value>
</portlet-preference>
<portlet-preference>
<name>screen_shot1_caption</name>
<readOnly>true</readOnly>
<value>The really cool marketplace</value>
</portlet-preference>
<portlet-preference>
<name>screen_shot2</name>
<readOnly>true</readOnly>
<value>http://thumb7.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/248635/135897425/stock-photo-a-vending-machine-with-the-words-buy-apps-here-and-many-app-tiles-and-icons-ready-to-be-bought-and-135897425.jpg</value>
</portlet-preference>

How to add versioning

Release notes is completely optional.  Not having these preferences will keep uPortal behaving the same as pre-marketplace.

Version History is added via portlet preferences in your portlet entity file.  See example values below.

<portlet-preference>
     <name>Release_Date</name>
     <readOnly>true</readOnly>
     <value>Feb 5, 2014</value>
</portlet-preference>
<portlet-preference>
     <name>Release_Notes</name>
     <readOnly>true</readOnly>
     <value>Responsive Design!</value>
     <value>Doesn't Break</value>
     <value>Adds the ability to have Screenshots</value>
     <value>Adds the ability for version notes</value>
     <value>Search works</value>
     <value>See your favorite apps</value>
</portlet-preference>

Release Date is optional.  Release date is a Joda Time DateTime field.  The value of it should be "dd-MM-yyyy HH:mm:ss".

Release Notes is optional and also can be of any length.  After 3 notes, the front end will not show until the more button is clicked on the entry page.  When clicked, all notes will be shown and the link will change text to 'Less'.  When clicked, this will once again hide the extra notes, and the text will once again display 'More'.  If any value is blank, a blank line with a dash will appear.

How to add Related Apps?

The entry page will show related portlets.  A related app is an app that belongs to the same category or is in a sub category of a given app.  The related app section only appears when there are any related apps (ie, no empty list will ever appear) and the list is limited to five (configurable via a java field).  The list of portlets shown is randomized, so it gives a little bit more life to the entry page.

Ratings!

Ratings are shown to the user on the entry page of a portlet.  User can select 1-5.  

Also, every portlet can be rated via the options menu!  1 rating per person per fname is allowed.  When the rating star system is displayed, it shows what the user had previously rated.  Of course, a user can always update their ratings and the appropriate places are updated.

Rating will (intended feature) also be included as a column in the portlets listing data-table so it can be sorted upon.

What's coming up next?

Where is the code so far?

https://github.com/Jasig/uPortal/tree/marketplace

Who is interested in this work?

The University of Wisconsin is currently in a redesign and is working towards the mockups pictured above (when they get there).

Timothy Vertein is actively working on this project at the UW.

Deferred ideas / features:

• "Popular", as a filter or sort, for some meaning of "popular" (most rendered? Most favorited?)