DLM: DLM: The uPortal Pushmi-PullyuThe uPortal Pushmi-Pullyu

JA-SIG with Altitude, Denver 2007Susan Bramhall,Yale University

Jim Helwig, University of Wisconsin-Madison

DLM:DLM: The uPortal Pushmi-Pullyu The uPortal Pushmi-Pullyu

• History and Features of DLM

• A Description of DLM Concepts

• A Quick Walk Through of DLM Set Up

• DLM@Yale

• DLM@UW-Madison

History and Features of DLMHistory and Features of DLM

A Brief History of DLMA Brief History of DLMuP

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FeaturesFeatures

A users layout is a unified view of all applicable roles

Student Employee Student Employee

FeaturesFeatures

XML based configuration but easy to modify fragments

Layout owner Tab fragment

FeaturesFeatures

A user’s layout is updated each time they log in

FeaturesFeatures

A user’s layout is updated each time they log in

New channel

FeaturesFeatures

Variable restrictions

Completely locked down

Completely flexible

DLM 2.0 FeaturesDLM 2.0 Features

• Graceful fragment degradation (uPortal 2.6)

• Processor pipeline (uPortal 2.6)

• Subscribe Fragments

• Fragment Manager channel/DB based configuration

A Description of DLM ConceptsA Description of DLM Concepts

My Layout in YaleInfoMy Layout in YaleInfo

What is a layout?What is a layout?

tab

colu

mn

channels

A fragment is a piece of a treeA fragment is a piece of a tree

tab

colu

mn

channels

tab

colu

mn

channels

A predefined fragment including 2 tabs, 3 columns, several channels

How is the “tree of content” created?How is the “tree of content” created?

• Some content is pushed to the user

• Some is subscribed to by the user

• Some is allowed to go anywhere on the tree

• Some must remain is a certain place

That is the layout manager’s jobThat is the layout manager’s job

DLM: Distributed Layout ManagerDLM: Distributed Layout Manager

• Default in just released uPortal 2.6• Combines the functions of previous layout

managers

DLM allows: users make changes+ administrators to make changes = merged layout with both changes

Cool but how does it work?Cool but how does it work?

Your Layout As Your Layout As Your Personal LibraryYour Personal Library

tab

column

channels

uPortal Channel Registry like a LibraryuPortal Channel Registry like a Library

Layout vs. Channel RegistryLayout vs. Channel Registry

• Registry has all the channels you can use• Channels all contain permission attributes

determining which users can see and interact with them

• A layout contains channels the user gets at login time. Some may not be visible.

• User can add or use any channel in the registry that they have permission to view

The Portal Can Be Your LibraryThe Portal Can Be Your Library

tab

column

channels

Fragment

How is my layout created?How is my layout created?

As a user you can As a user you can

select a book,select a book,

check it out,check it out,

and bring it home.and bring it home.

Adding Content In YaleInfo Adding Content In YaleInfo

Required readingRequired reading

• Students should see :– Books out of the

library

– Homework assignments due

– Recent email

– College Events

Suggested readingSuggested reading

• Staff should see :– Workflow approvals

awaiting attention

– Status of back up for machine

– Recent email

– Upcoming meetings

– Messages to staff

The Layout Manager as LibrarianThe Layout Manager as Librarian

An administrator maintains the collection adding and

removing items

The layout manager helps users check items out of the

library or receive any changes to a collection

Push vs. pull

• User adds new channels, columns, or tabs

• User removes an element from her layout

• Portal administrators determine which channels, tabs, fragments to push into user’s layout

• Some can be moved or removed by the user

• Some come with restrictions

AudienceAudience

PriorityPriority

• Priority of the fragment tells DLM where to put it in relationship to other content in the user’s layout

My Layout in YaleInfoMy Layout in YaleInfo

A tab I created

“Home” fragment pushed

to me

A Quick Walk Through of DLM A Quick Walk Through of DLM Set UpSet Up

1. Define fragment w/ layout owner, precedence and audiences in dlm.xml

Academics Owner

Academics Tab Students, Instructors

owned by

published to

2. Log in as layout owner and create layout from a blank slate

3. Restrict tab/column/channel actions as desired

DLM@YaleDLM@Yale

Yale Use Yale Use

• Multiple fragments for the same tab

• Less content by default

• Easy to add additional content

• Easy to find and use what you need when you need it

Sample Student layoutSample Student layout

Fragments defined at YaleFragments defined at Yale

• Home – different for Students, Faculty and Staff

• Academics– Pushed to Students and Faculty but not Staff

• News– Pushed to everyone

• Extras– Pushed to everyone

Multiple Fragments Named HomeMultiple Fragments Named Home

• Prior version had – Student Tab for students, Staff tab for Staff and

Faculty Tab for Faculty

• New version renamed the tab in each of the three fragments as “Home”– Allowed user modifications to be carried

forward– Allows for different content for each group

Irremovable TabsIrremovable Tabs

• Home and Academics cannot be removed

• Extras and News can

DLM@UW-MadisonDLM@UW-Madison

My UW-MadisonMy UW-Madison

• Replaced existing portal

• Pages authorized for certain groups

• Portlets assigned a category

• Categories allowed on pages

• Default view configured by admin

Well defined organization,Well defined organization,limited customizationlimited customization

• Fixed set of tabs with content restricted to particular tabs

• Allowed remove and rearrange content

• Organization developed using card sort exercise

• Ease of support and marketing

• Users don’t seem to customize much

My UW-MadisonMy UW-Madisonhttp://my.wisc.edu

Separating content selection from Separating content selection from content rearrangementcontent rearrangement

DLM: DLM: The uPortal Pushmi-PullyuThe uPortal Pushmi-Pullyu

Susan Bramhall,Yale UniversityJim Helwig, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Questions?