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Oracle9iAS Portal Release Notes
Release 2 (9.0.2)

Part Number A96191-02
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6
UI Issues and Workarounds

This section describes UI related issues and their workarounds for Oracle9iAS Portal.

6.1 Providing Translatable Images via the Portal UI

In 3.0.9, the file imginst.sql "flipped" the logo images for the Design Time Home Page and for the Navigator Pages. This script was mentioned in the Globalization Support Guide and was for Hebrew and Arabic Languages only.

This script is no longer supported. If the Portal administrator wants to provide the images for Hebrew and Arabic, they need to edit the Navigator Page and the Design Time Home Page (when logged in with these specific languages) and upload the "flipped" image for these languages.

There are no API's to support the provision of translatable images but the same functionality can be achieved via the Portal UI as described above.

6.2 Edit Banner not Displayed in Portlet Repository

The portlet repository banner is not public, and is only shown to privileged users, e.g. portal administrators. So, users with only 'Manage Content' privilege on portlet repository pages will not see the banner, which has the Edit link in it.

For this release, any user with Manage Content privileges that wants to edit content can do so by adding the string "&_edit=1" at the end of the browser URL.

6.3 Hiding Item Types, Page Types, Categories and Perspectives

This section describes what happens if you hide item types, page types, categories and perspectives in a page group.

6.3.1 Hiding Item Types

If you hide an item type it is unavailable for selection when a user creates an item in a region. The item type is not hidden when rendering the page.

6.3.2 Hiding Page Types

If you hide a page type it is unavailable for selection when a user creates a page. The page type is not hidden when rendering the Navigator.

6.3.3 Hiding Categories

If you hide a category it is unavailable for selection when a user is assigning categories for an item, i.e. it does not appear in the list.

Items belonging to the hidden category are only hidden in View mode, when the region is grouped by category.

Items are always visible in page Edit mode.

6.3.4 Hiding Perspectives

If you hide a perspective it is unavailable for selection when a user is assigning perspectives for an item, i.e. it does not appear in the list.

Items to which a hidden perspective is assigned, are not hidden. However, when the perspective attribute is rendered in a region, the hidden perspective is not rendered.

6.4 Cannot Select External Applications from LOV

When Oracle9iAS Portal and the Single Sign-On Server (SSO) are not on the same database instance, the External Application ID LOV does not work correctly (on Create/Edit Web Provider screens).

When you click the LOV icon next to the External Application ID field the LOV displays all available external applications but you can not select items from the list.

As a workaround, note down the External Application ID displayed in the LOV and then type the ID value into the External Application ID field manually.

The External Application ID LOV displays external application details in the format 'External Application ID: External Application Name'. For example:

102: My.Oracle.Com

101: OracleMobile

When entering the details manually you only need to enter the ID value into the External Application ID field, e.g. 101. The External Application Name is not required and if entered is not saved, or subsequently displayed.

Note: This is not an issue when Oracle9iAS Portal and the SSO Server are on the same instance.

6.5 Unable to Search in Selected Page Groups

For this release you can perform a custom search in all of the page groups, or a single page group only (for both submissions and auto queries).

When performing a custom search you are given the option to "Search In Selected Page Group". The online help for this option is as follows:

Choose Search In Selected Page Group to have the portlet search a subset of page groups. Select the page groups to search in and move them to the Selected Page Groups list.

When a subset of page groups are selected, auto query portlets will only search one of the page groups, not all of them. The runtime selection will not enable the user to search in all of the selected page groups.

6.6 Default Access Settings for Pages, Templates and Tabs

By default, a page template allows pages that are based on it to set their own Access Control List (ACL), i.e. the "Enable Pages To Have Different Access" property is initially checked when you create a new template.

When you create a page based on a template that allows different access details to be set, the default Control Access setting for the page is "Specify Access Setting".

If the page template contains tabs, these tabs are also available to pages based on the template. The default Control Access setting for the tabs on such pages is also "Specify Access Setting".

This information is summarized in the Table 6-1.

Table 6-1 Default Access Settings for Pages, Templates and Tabs
Type of Page Based on Template Specify Access Settings

Page

No

Yes

Tab on Page

No

Inherit from the Page

Template

N/A

Enable Pages To Have Different Access

Tab on Template

N/A

Inherit from the Template

Page

Yes

Yes

Tab on Page

Yes

Yes

These settings are just the defaults. You can change these settings via the "Control Access" screen of the template, page or tab.

Note: When setting properties for a tab on a page that is derived from tab on a template, the property displayed reads "Inherit Access Setting from the Page". In this case the text is misleading as the tab actually inherits from the tab on the template, rather than from the page.

6.7 Defining Default Template for Page Groups

When you create a page group you are prompted for a template. The template (if selected) is used to create the root page for the page group. However, this template is not automatically used as the default template for the page group.

An additional step is required to define a default template for the page group, i.e. via Edit Page Group Properties screen.

Note: The default template is not enforced, i.e. page creators can choose the default template, another public template, or no template at all.

6.8 Cannot Delete Subpages in Edit Page View

It is not possible to delete a subpage from the parent page's Edit Page view.

The workaround for this is to use the Navigator. This restriction will be removed in a future release.

6.9 Cannot Cascade Privileges to Subpages

It is no longer possible to cascade privileges to subpages. However, you may now use Bulk Actions in the Navigator to set privileges on pages.

6.10 Image References Break when Images Updated

If an image URL or uploaded image name is used to reference an image item in another item, the reference breaks if the referenced image is updated.

For example:

  1. Create an image item.

  2. Obtain the uploaded name of the image item (right click on the image, select Properties and note the uploaded name, i.e. the last element in the URL, e.g. 9999.gif)

  3. Create a text item.

  4. For the text item image attribute, enter the uploaded name of the image in the second field.

  5. Update the image item. Upload a new image and note that the new image receives a new uploaded name (e.g.10001.gif).

The text item image reference still points to the old image's uploaded name and now appears as a broken link (caching may still cause the old image to be displayed).

This restriction will be removed in the next release.

6.11 Search Result Attributes Used Only to Render Items

When setting 'Search Result Display Options' you can define a set of Search Results Attributes. These attributes are only applied when rendering Items within search results. They are not applied to Categories, Perspectives or Pages, i.e. you cannot customize how Categories, Perspectives or Pages appear within search results.

This restriction will be removed in the next release.

6.12 Problems If Too Many Search Submission Attributes Selected

Search functionality can become inconsistent if you choose to use a large number of attributes when submitting a search. This is due to URL size constraints.

Here are examples of issues that can occur when too many search attributes are selected:

6.13 Item Level Security Not Working for Items Placed on Tabs

When you create a page you can set 'Enable Item Level Security' for the page. If this feature is enabled, you can create items with a specific set of privileges assigned.

If such items are placed directly onto a region of a page, item level security works correctly.

If however such items are placed on a tab within a page, all item level security settings are ignored.

This restriction will be removed in the next release.

6.14 Relative Links Converted to Absolute Links

If you create a Text item containing a relative link, it is converted to an absolute link. This will cause problems if your content is to be exported to another site.

For example:

  1. Create a text item.

  2. Enter:

    <IMG SRC="/images/home.gif" ALT="Home" BORDER=0>
    
  3. Click OK.

  4. Edit the Text item.

    Note that the 'base' has been added to the URL, e.g. <IMG alt=Home src="http://webdbsvr1.us.oracle.com:5000/images/home.gif" border=0>.

This restriction will be removed in a future release of Oracle9iAS Portal.

6.15 Banner Title of Embedded Pages Uses Title of Containing Page

You can embed a page (published as a portlet) in another page. If you do this, the banner of the embedded page displays the title of the containing page, rather than its own title.

As a workaround, you can suppress display of the region containing the embedded page banner in the Portlet Customization/Edit Defaults screen.

6.16 Problems Clicking Subpages When Editing Page Portlets

You can embed a page (published as a portlet) in another page and these embedded page portlets can contain subpages. If, when editing an embedded page portlet you click on a subpage link, the entire containing page goes into Edit mode and the content of the page portlet is no longer visible. The subpage link is not displayed either.

The reason the content is no longer visible is because of bug 2246404 (read section 6.14 Relative Links Converted to Absolute Links). If the subpage uses the same template as its parent it will display.

6.17 Problems Switching Between Edit/View Modes in a Page Portlet

If you switch modes in a page portlet, i.e. from Edit to View, or View to Edit, the top level page is always displayed, even if a subpage is currently displayed.

This restriction will be removed in a future release.

6.18 Browser Language Should Match Oracle9iAS Portal Language for Bi-directional Support

If your browser language does not match your Oracle9iAS Portal language and you are using a language that reads right to left, then the user interface for providers does not display from right to left. To avoid this problem, ensure that your browser language matches your NLS_LANG setting for Oracle9iAS Portal.

6.19 Oracle9iAS Portal Language Different from Single Sign-on Language

The Oracle9iAS Portal language will not override the Single Sign-on language. Hence, when you pass from the Oracle9iAS Portal user interface to the OID interface, the language may change.

6.20 Unable to Create PL/SQL Functions and Procedures

PL/SQL functions and procedures can not be created using Oracle9iAS Portal (via the browser) while using languages other than English. To create functions and procedures in languages other than English, please use the SQL*Plus utility.

This restriction will be removed in a future release.

6.21 Problems Displaying Table/View LOVs When Creating Forms

When creating a form based on a table or view (for a Portal DB provider) you need to specify the table/view on which to base the form. Sometimes, if you click the LOV icon to display a list of available tables/views the following message is displayed instead:

No Response from Application Web Server 
There was no response from the application web server for the page you 
requested. Please notify the site's webmaster and try your request again 
later. 

The workaround is to enter the name (schema.objectname) directly into the 'Table or View' field, e.g SCOTT.EMP.

6.22 Cannot Create Items or Pages using WebDAV Clients

It is not possible to create or copy items or pages using WebDAV clients. This issue causes a duplicate item to be created with the same name with nothing in it (0 bytes). It is possible to browse all the standard pages and "file" type items created through the Oracle Portal UI.

To fix this, you need to apply a patch which will be available on Oracle Metalink.

This restriction will be removed in a future release.

6.23 Link to Portal Monitoring Services Not Working

(Applies only to Solaris installations, this problem does not exist on NT). The link to Portal Monitoring Services does not work, i.e. the link displayed on the Administer tab.

A workaround is to cut and paste the block below into a SQLPLUS session that is connected as sys or portal on the same database as the PORTAL schema. If the portal schema name is not PORTAL the script will need updating accordingly, see text highlighted in bold below:

/* 
* 
*  This patch script inspects and updates the Portal Service Monitoring 
* link (to the Oracle Enterprise Manager Portal Target) on the 
* Portal Administer Tab. It strips the link of redundant extra host 
* entries, if necessary i.e. the URL on 9.0.2 incorrectly has the 
* following parameters: 
* 

$target=<iASName>.<host>%5F<host>%5FPortal%3Aportal%3A7778$ctxName1=<iASName>.<h
ost>%5F<host>

*  it should be of the form: 
* $target=<iASName>.<host>%5FPortal%3Aportal%3A7778$ctxName1=<iASName>.<host>

* 
*  There is logic in the script to prevent it running twice. 
*  NOTE: if running against a PORTAL schema named something other than 
*  PORTAL please update the two PORTAL schema references accordingly 
*/ 
       DECLARE 
          CURSOR c1 is 
                SELECT url FROM PORTAL.wwptl_other_services_link$ 
                where NAME='MONITORING'; 
          workerURL VARCHAR2(2000); 
          newURL VARCHAR2(2000); 
          host   VARCHAR2(1000); 
          testIndex NUMBER; 
          indexOfStartClip NUMBER; 
          indexOfEndClip NUMBER; 
          urlLength NUMBER; 
       BEGIN 
             OPEN c1; 
             FETCH c1 INTO workerURL; 
               indexOfEndClip:= INSTR (workerURL,'%5FPortal%3',1,1) ; 
               urlLength := LENGTH(workerURL); 
               newURL := SUBSTR (workerURL, 0, indexOfEndClip-1); 
               indexOfStartClip:= INSTR (newURL,'%5F',-1,1) ; 
               /********************************* 
               *  Test to see if the patch has already been run 
               *  and if so don't do anything 
               *  if the ias$ string is present the extra host has 
               *  already been clipped 
               *********************************/ 
               host := SUBSTR (newURL, indexOfStartClip+3, indexOfEndClip); 
               testIndex := INSTR (host,'ias$',1,1); 
             IF testIndex = 0 
             THEN 
               newURL := SUBSTR (newURL, 0, indexOfStartClip); 
               workerURL := SUBSTR(workerURL,
       indexOfEndClip+1,urlLength-indexOfEndClip); 
               indexOfStartClip:= INSTR (workerURL,'%5F',-1,1) ; 
               workerURL := SUBSTR(workerURL, 0,indexOfStartClip-1); 
               newURL := newURL||workerURL||'?event=doLoad'; 
               update PORTAL.wwptl_other_services_link$ set URL = newURL where 
NAME =
       'MONITORING'; 
               COMMIT; 
             END IF; 
          CLOSE c1; 
       END; 
       /

Next you need to clear the modplsql cache and re-start Web Cache to flush out existing pages with the incorrect link. To do this:

  1. Change directory to the modplsql cache directory of the Oracle Home whose middle tier is servicing the Portal:

    cd $ORACLE_HOME/Apache/modplqsl/cache/plsql
    

    Where ORACLE_HOME is the Portal Middle Tier servicing Oracle Home.

  2. Verify you are in this directory:

    pwd 
    

    This should return $ORACLE_HOME/Apache/modplqsl/cache/plsql

  3. Empty the modplsql cache by deleting the contents of the plsql directory:

    rm -fr *
    
  4. Re-start the Web Cache:

    cd $ORACLE_HOME/webcache/bin
    ./webcachectl restart
    

Note: An alternative workaround is to go to the Oracle Enterprise Manager interface directly, navigate to the portal instance by selecting the appropriate Application Server that contains the Portal Targets and then select the Portal Target from the Application Server Page's list of components. The URL being:

http://host.domain:1810/emd/console/targets


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