Learning to Drive with a Channel Archive

Mark Boyd

Software Engineer/Architect

mboyd@sct.com

2

What We Will Cover

What is a CAR and how is it installed?

What is the Development Impact?

How do you build them?

What new models are coming?

Questions?

3

What is a CAR? CAR = Channel Archive

Jar file format

Extension of “.car”. Is case sensitive.

Contains all channel artifacts used by the channel.

Contained files should be in package relative sub-directories.

• Class files

• Images

• Stylesheets

• Stylesheet Lists

• XML files

• Properties files

• Other resources

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A Look Inside

jar tf carlot.car

<META-INF/…>

<Directories….>

com/sct/pipeline/uportal/channels/carlot/car.jpg

com/sct/pipeline/uportal/channels/carlot/Channel.java

com/sct/pipeline/uportal/channels/carlot/channel.jpg

com/sct/pipeline/uportal/channels/carlot/channel.ssl

com/sct/pipeline/uportal/channels/carlot/stylesheets/channel.xsl

com/sct/pipeline/uportal/channels/carlot/Channel.class

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Non-CAR Channel Installation

uPortal Root Directory

WEB-INF

media

stylesheets

Stylesheets and Stylesheet lists

Classes

Configuration files

classes

Note: package relative sub-directories not shown

Images

6

Non-CAR Channel Installation

uPortal Root Directory

WEB-INF

media

stylesheets

Stylesheets and Stylesheet lists

Classes

Configuration files

classes

Note: package relative sub-directories not shown

Images

7

Non-CAR Channel Installation

uPortal Root Directory

WEB-INF

media

stylesheets

Stylesheets and Stylesheet lists

Classes

Configuration files

classes

Note: package relative sub-directories not shown

Images

8

Non-CAR Channel Installation

uPortal Root Directory

WEB-INF

media

stylesheets

Stylesheets and Stylesheet lists

Classes

Configuration files

classes

Note: package relative sub-directories not shown

Images

9

Channel Installation with CARs(non-warfile deployment)

uPortal Root Directory

WEB-INF

media

stylesheets

Stylesheets and Stylesheet lists

Classes

classescars

Images

MyChannel.car Configuration files

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Channel Installation with CARs(deployed as warfile or custom car location required)

SomeDirPath

Stylesheets and Stylesheet lists

Classes

Configuration files

cars

Images

MyChannel.car

protal.properties

org.jasig.portal.car.CarResources.directory=SomeDirPath/cars

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Channel Installation with CARs

1) CARs can be located in any sub-directory of the “cars” directory.

2) The name of a car has no impact on its internal classes and artifacts nor on the publishing or subscribing processes.

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What We Will Cover

What is a CAR and how is it installed?

What is the Development Impact?

How do you build them?

What new models are coming?

Questions?

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<xsl:variable name="mediaPath">media/org/jasig/portal/channels/Cbookmarks</xsl:variable>

Non-CAR Images Approach

uPortal Root Directory

WEB-INF

media

stylesheets

Stylesheet

classes

Tight Coupling

Installation Dependant

…/...gif

<img src="{$mediaPath}/folder_delete.gif“……

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CAR Images Approach(New functions)

ChannelRuntimeData.java:

getBaseMediaURL( Object aChannelObject )

getBaseMediaURL( Class aChannelClass )

getBaseMediaURL( String resourcePath )

Returns: “media/” if not deployed as a CAR

Base URL for extracting resource from CAR. Resource path internal to jar should be appended.

Path of resource internal to CAR

Channel object or class loaded from CAR

Note: only supports gif, jpeg, jpg, jpe in 2.1.x.

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CAR Images Approach(Channel Java Source)

if ( mediaBase == null ) {

mediaBase = runtimeData.getBaseMediaURL( this );

String cls = getClass().getName();

String pkg = cls.substring( 0, cls.lastIndexOf( '.' ) );

mediaBase = mediaBase + pkg.replace( '.', '/' ) + '/';

} // ie: mediaBase = base + com/sct/pipeline/uportal/channels/carlot/

…

XSLT xslt = new XSLT (this);

xslt.setStylesheetParameter( "mediaPath", mediaBase );

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CAR Images Approach(Channel Stylesheet)

Stylesheet

<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0“ …>

<img src="{$mediaPath}/car.jpg“……

<xsl:param name="mediaPath"></xsl:param>

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Car Images Approach(Carlot Channel)

Media Base URL = “tag.idempotent.worker.carRsrc.target.n43.uP?carRsrc=“

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CAR Images Approach

Stylesheet

<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0“ …>

<img src="{$mediaPath}/car.jpg“……

<xsl:param name="mediaPath"></xsl:param>

Java

Source

Code

Lighter Coupling

Internal To CAR

Installation Independant

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Stylesheet List Aspects

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<?xml-stylesheet title="CarListStyleSheet" href="stylesheets/channel.xsl“ …>

<?xml-stylesheet title="CarListStyleSheet" href="com/sct/pipeline/uportal/channels/carlot/stylesheets/channel.xsl" …>

Carlot’s channel.ssl stylesheet list file.

Note: Use fully qualified jar file resource paths or be certain that the path used is relative to calling document.

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Stylesheet Aspects

<xsl:variable name="palette" select="document('v2colors.xml')/*/color"/>

<xsl:import href="bookmark_tree_html.xsl" />

<xsl:include href=“com/sct/uportal/channels/accnt/edits.xsl" />

Include, Import, and document follow similar guideline.

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What We Will Cover

What is a CAR and how is it installed?

What is the Development Impact?

How do you build them?

What new models are coming?

Questions?

22

How Do You Build Them?

Short Answer: jar cf fileName.car…

Long Answer: Dependant on internal development policy.

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1) Uses top level directory for each channel.

2) Includes appropriate elements in directory structures mimicking uPortal deployment directory structures.

3) Uses package relative directory structures beneath mimicked deployment directories.

4) Provides build and deployment tool with channel.

JA-SIG’s portal-channels

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Bookmarks

source

mediastylesheets

UBC_Webmail

webpages

properties

build.xml

build.properties

portal-channels

Package relative sub-directories

ANT

bookmarks.car

Intermediate

jasigorg

portalchannels

bookmarks*.java, *.ssl,*.gif, *.xsl, etc.

Portal-channels CAR Building

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SCT’s Development Policy

1) Use package-relative development directory structure.

2) Use directory naming scheme to differentiate channel base directories.

3) Provide build/deployment tool separate from channels.

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SCT’s Directory Structure

channels project

sctcom

pipelineuportal

channels

Institution

Division

Build tool used portion

carlotbanneremailmyaccount

Channel Base Directories

edu

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SCT’s Ant Based CDK Tool

ant list

[listFiles] --- Channels in development:

[listFiles] com/campuspipeline/uportal/channels/cpAttributes[listFiles] com/sct/pipeline/uportal/channels/carlot[listFiles] edu/wasatch/college/uportal/channels/example1[listFiles] com/sct/uportal/channels/banner

Also shows channels deployed as CARs, channels with web-visible or class resources (traditional deployment), and configuration information

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SCT’s Directory Structure

channels project

sctcom

pipelineuportal

channels

carlotbanneremailmyaccount

edu

ANT

carlot.car

Intermediate

sctcom

pipeline

channelscarlot*.java, *.ssl,*.gif, *.xsl, etc.

uportal

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SCT’s Ant Based CDK Toolant car

car:[selectFile] Select the channel directory to be archived:[selectFile] (0 com/campuspipeline/uportal/channels/cpAttributes,[selectFile] 1 com/sct/pipeline/uportal/channels/carlot,[selectFile] 2 edu/wasatch/college/uportal/channels/example1,[selectFile] 3 com/sct/uportal/channels/banner)1[mkdir] Created dir: /cdk/tmp/com/sct/pipeline/uportal/channels/carlot [javac] Compiling 1 source file to /opt/cp/sdk/ui-sdk/cdk/build[jar] Building jar: /cdk/tmp/carlot.car[move] Moving 1 files to /opt/pipeline/webapps/luminis/WEB-INF/cars[delete] Deleting directory /cdk/tmp

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Laws to Follow

•Always use globally unique, package relative directories as specified in Java Language Specification, section 7.7.

Com.sct…., org.jasig…., edu….

•Develop an internal policy on channel development practices and provide tools to make life easier for developers thereby encouraging adherence to the policy.

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What We Will Cover

What is a CAR and how is it installed?

What is the Development Impact?

How do you build them?

What new models are coming?

Questions?

32

New Models (Features)

1) * Documentation.

2) * Services & Channel Types deployable from CAR.

3) * Support of more browser accessible file types.

4) Automatic Recognition of new* or updated CARs.

5) Replacement of CarResourceWorker?

6) Semi-automatic & Automatic publication.

7) Third party library support.

* Available in 2.2.

Mark Boyd

mboyd@sct.com

Questions?

* See next slide for car-lot instructions.

Car-Lot Demo

If you wish to deploy the Car-Lot demo download from http://luminis.sales.teamp.com/cars/carlot.car

and drop it into the cars directory as outlined in this presentation. Once it is there bounce the web-server and

then publish as a custom java channel, class name of

com.sct.pipeline.uportal.channels.carlot.Channel

with no channel controls and suitable values for all other parameters.