Portal Application Portlet Container Communication Layer
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Solution Overview
Problem
The Java Portlet Specification (JSR 286) does not provide a clear mechanism for communication between a portal application and a Portlet Container, leading to difficulties in integrating and modifying portal components, as well as limitations in building composite applications without predefined programming.
Innovation Solution
A communication layer is introduced between a portal application and a separate Portlet Container, utilizing additional APIs and SPIs that allow the portal application to invoke portlets and manage their lifecycle, configuration, and caching, while maintaining independence from the portal application, enabling flexible integration and administration of portlets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the Portlet Container is embedded within the portal application as the same component, then communication between them is simplified and handled internally, but modifications to either component require defining a new portlet container, causing significant hardship and difficulty in ongoing integration and modification
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the previously unified portal application and portlet container into two separate, independent components. The portal application and portlet container are decoupled through defined interfaces, allowing each to be modified independently without requiring changes to the other, thus resolving the contradiction between simplified communication and modification flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates universal interfaces that enable the portal application to communicate with any portlet container that implements the same interface standards. This allows the system to work with different portlet container implementations while maintaining consistent communication mechanisms, providing both simplicity and adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If additional communication definitions and operations are defined between separate portal application and portlet container, then flexibility to modify components is improved, but the complexity of communication mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces standardized interfaces as intermediary layers between the portal application and portlet container. These interfaces act as contracts that define communication protocols, allowing complex communication requirements to be managed through well-defined methods while keeping the actual implementation details encapsulated within each component.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure provides various embodiments for providing a communication layer between a portal application and a separate and independent portlet container. In one embodiment, a computer program product comprising computer readable instructions is operable when executed to expose an application programming interfaces (APIs) associated with methods permitting a portal application to invoke a portlet via the portlet container, where the portlet is run inside the portlet container. The computer program product exposes one or more service provider interfaces (SPIs) providing services implemented and used by the portlet container to obtain information about the portlet to be invoked. The computer program product further exposes an interface providing methods facilitating communications between the portal application and the portlet container during runtime of the portal application. The portal application running in combination with the portlet container implements the API, SPI, and interface during the portal application's runtime to allow for portal execution.