PortletPreferences

The JSR-168 Portlet Preferences API can be used to manage simple String-based preferences for a portlet. Preferences saved via Config mode will be set for all instances of that uPortal portlet definition. Preferences saved via Edit or View modes will be instance-specific.

Querying portlet preferences

Preferences may be queried during either a RenderRequest or ActionRequest.

    PortletPreferences preferences = actionRequest.getPreferences();
    String myPreferences = preferences.getValue("preferenceName", "default");

Saving portlet preferences

Preferences may only be saved during an ActionRequest.

    PortletPreferences preferences = actionRequest.getPreferences();
    preferences.setValue("preferenceName", "preferenceValue");
    preferences.store();

Choosing a preference persistence mechanism

PortletPreferences

PROS	Cons
Easy setup, no configuration, convenient Standardized, (JSR-168) Great for saving a small number of values Low footprint (no extra libraries, jars)	Can be difficult to manage with a large number of preferences Only stores and retrieves String values Implementation may be different on different containers Hard to maintain relationships between values if they exist

Custom Preferences (Database, webservice, etc.)

PROS	Cons
Can manage limitless preferences, large or small Can store and retrieve any object type Can easily maintain relationships (e.g. inheritance between groups, users, multiple instances)	Generally requires custom persistance design & development Requires configuration and setup on the users and developers part Larger footprint (may require extra libraries, jars) Depending on the technology used, may not work on all databases (unsupported operations)