4 Organizing Your Environment

4.2.1 Rearranging Page Content

Using drag-and-drop or a component's Actions menu (Figure 4-1 and Figure 4-2), you can rearrange the positions of components on a page.

Figure 4-1 Actions Menu on an Events Task Flow

Figure 4-2 Actions Menu on an OmniPortlet

Components moved by drag-and-drop can be moved into any open position on a page. Components moved using their Actions menus can be moved within the layout box that contains them.

This section describes how to personalize your page view by rearranging components on a page. It contains the following subsections:

• Section 4.2.1.1, "Rearranging Components by Dragging and Dropping"

• Section 4.2.1.2, "Rearranging Components Using the Actions Menu"

4.2.1.1 Rearranging Components by Dragging and Dropping

Dragging and dropping is arguably the easiest and least restricted way to rearrange components on a page. Simply drag the component over the spot you want to place it. A solid box indicates a receptive drop location (Figure 4-3).

Figure 4-3 Solid Box Indicating a Receptive Drop Location

To rearrange components by dragging and dropping:

1. Log in, and go to the page where you want to rearrange components by dragging and dropping.

2. Click and hold on the header of the component you want rearrange, drag it to its target position, and drop it onto the page.

   A solid box indicates where the component is placed when you drop it (Figure 4-4).

   Figure 4-4 Dragging an Issues List Above an Events Task Flow

   
   

4.2.1.2 Rearranging Components Using the Actions Menu

Within a given layout box, the direction that components can move is determined by how the box is oriented. A box can be oriented vertically or horizontally. Vertical orientation allows for moving components higher or lower in the stack of components contained in the layout box. Horizontal orientation allows for moving components further left or right in the line of components contained in the layout box.

A component's Actions menu (Figure 4-5) provides a convenient way to reposition the component relative to other components contained in a given layout box. The Actions menu may appear in the component header, or it may not appear at all.

Figure 4-5 An Actions Menu Invoked from a Task Flow Header

A component may be configured to hide its Actions menu, in which case, you cannot reposition the component through the Actions menu—though you may be able to reposition other components relative to it, provided those other components show their Actions menus.

To rearrange components using a component's Actions menu:

1. Log in, and go to the page where you want to rearrange components using the Actions menu.

2. Click the Actions icon on the menu bar in the component header (see Figure 4-5).

3. Select a Move option:

   The moves available on a component Actions menu depend on how the layout box that contains the components is oriented (vertically for Move Up/Move Down; horizontally for Move Left/Move Right). Additionally, the available moves depend on whether the component has any components left, right, above, or below it.

   • Move Up—Reposition over the component immediately above.

   • Move Down—Reposition over the component immediately below.

   • Move Right—Reposition to the right of the component to the right.

   • Move Left—Reposition to the left of the component to the left.

4.2.2 Changing Your Page Layout

Page designers can make a layout switcher available for changing your view of a page to a different page layout. If you see a Change Layout button or link on a page, you can personalize your page view by selecting a different layout model. This section tells you how.

To change to a different page layout:

1. Log in, and go to the page where you want to change your page layout.

2. Click the Change Layout link (Figure 4-6).

   Figure 4-6 Change Layout Link

   
   

   The link's default position is in the upper-right corner of the page. This may vary in your application. Page designers can hide this control, so it may not be available to you. Additionally, they can change the link label, so it may be something other than "Change Layout."

3. From the resulting pop-up, select a new page layout.

   The currently-selected layout is highlighted (Figure 4-7).

   Figure 4-7 Current Selection in Change Layout Pop-Up

   
   

   The page is rerendered using your selection for the new layout.

4.2.3 Removing Components from Your View of a Page

If you find a component, such as a task flow or portlet, is not useful to you and the component displays a Remove icon (Figure 4-8), you can remove it from your view of the page.

Figure 4-8 Remove Icon on a Component Header

You can restore a removed component with the Reset Layout command on the Page Actions menu (for more information, see Section 4.3, "Removing Your Page Personalizations")—provided the component was seeded on the original page—or by editing the page and adding a new component instance (for more information, see Section 10.1, "Adding Content to a Page").

To remove a component from your view of a page:

1. Log in, and go to the page where you want to remove a component from your page view.

2. Click the Remove icon on the component header (see Figure 4-8).

   The component is removed from your view of the page.

4.2.4 Resizing Components

The border and header surrounding a component, such as a task flow or a portlet, is also known as chrome. Chrome not only delineates the component, but also provides an access point for component actions, such as those on the Actions menu and those embedded in the chrome itself. In the latter case, the chrome includes a Resize handle that you can use to increase or decrease the height of the component (Figure 4-9).

Figure 4-9 Resize Handle on Task Flow Chrome

To use this feature, click and hold the Resize handle and drag it up to decrease the height of the component or down to increase the height of the component.

4.2.5 Collapsing and Expanding Components

With one click, you can collapse some components, such as task flows or portlets, so that they roll up like a window shade, leaving only their headers in view (Figure 4-10).

Figure 4-10 A Collapsed/Minimized Task Flow

With another click, you can expand a collapsed component.

Collapsing is useful for removing the visual noise of an unused component from your application view. Collapse is available when a component has a header on view.

To collapse and expand components:

1. Log in, and go to the page you want to personalize.

2. Click the Collapse icon on the component header to roll the component up like a window shade (Figure 4-11).

   Figure 4-11 The Collapse Icon on a Task Flow Header

   
   

3. Click the Expand icon on the component header to restore the full component to view (Figure 4-12).

   Figure 4-12 The Expand Icon on a Task Flow Header

   
   

4.4.1 What You Should Know About the Sidebar

The Sidebar offers quick access to your WebCenter Spaces mail, watched discussion topics and forums, worklist assignments, personal contacts, recent documents, enterprise applications, and other useful functions.

Everything that appears in the WebCenter Spaces Sidebar is personal. Your view of the Sidebar is unique to you.

You can view the Sidebar as an expandable list of task flows or as a set of individual task flow icons (Figure 4-14). Additionally, you can hide the Sidebar from view (for more information, see Section 4.4.2, "Toggling Sidebar Views").

Figure 4-14 Sidebar List and Icon Views

Table 4-1 lists the Sidebar icons and briefly describes the purpose of the task flow or application each icon represents.

4.4.2 Toggling Sidebar Views

The WebCenter Spaces Sidebar has three states: expandable panes, icons, and hidden. This section describes how to move between each of these states.

To toggle between the Sidebar panes, Sidebar icons, and a hidden Sidebar:

1. Log in, and, assuming you are starting with the Sidebar in icon view, click the Expand icon to the lower right of the Sidebar (Figure 4-15) to open the Sidebar in list view (Figure 4-16).

   Figure 4-15 Collapse and Expand Icons

   
   

   Figure 4-16 Sidebar List View

   
   

2. Click the Collapse icon to return to icon view (Figure 4-17).

   Figure 4-17 Sidebar Icon View

   
   

3. Click the Collapse icon to hide the Sidebar.

4. Click the Expand icon to return the Sidebar to icon view.

4.4.3 Hiding and Showing Task Flows in the Sidebar

Although your application administrator determines the task flows that appear by default in your Sidebar, you have the power to hide or show any task flow that is available to you. At different times, you may find some task flows more useful than others. WebCenter Spaces provides the means to place the ones that are not currently useful to you out of view.

It is easy to hide or show task flows in your Sidebar. Toggle to Sidebar list view (for more information, see Section 4.4.2, "Toggling Sidebar Views"), and select or deselect the task flows you want to hide or show from the Hide or show Sidebar panels list (Figure 4-18).

Figure 4-18 The Hide or Show Sidebar Panels List

When you toggle back to the Sidebar's icon view, the task flows you hid in list view remain hidden.

To hide or show task flows in the Sidebar:

1. Log in, and toggle the Sidebar to list view.

2. Expand the list of task flows at the top of the Sidebar (Figure 4-19), and click a task flow to show it (checked), or deselect it to hide it (unchecked).

   Figure 4-19 The List of Sidebar Task Flows

   
   

4.4.4 Opening Task Flows from the Sidebar

The task flows that appear in the Sidebar may be in a state that requires a simple step to move from closed to open. They might be collapsed, they might be displayed as icons, or they might be displaced by other open task flow panels. This section describes how to open a task flow from the Sidebar.

To open task flows from the Sidebar:

1. Log in to WebCenter Spaces.

2. If the Sidebar is rendered as a list, go to the task flow you want to view, and, if necessary, expand it by clicking its Show this panel icon in the panel header.

   See Also:

   For more information about the WebCenter Spaces Sidebar, see Section 4.4.1, "What You Should Know About the Sidebar."

   The task flow opens within the context of the Sidebar (Figure 4-20).

   Figure 4-20 The Documents Task Flow Opened in the Sidebar

   
   

   If the Sidebar is rendered as icons (Figure 4-21), click the icon associated with the task flow you want to view (for a description of task flow icons, see Table 4-1).

   Figure 4-21 Sidebar Icons

   
   

   The task flow opens in its own, undocked view (Figure 4-22).

   Figure 4-22 The Undocked View of the Recent Documents Task Flow from the Sidebar

   
   

   If the task flow is displaced by other open task flow panels, click the Show next panels icon to open and select from a list of displaced task flows (Figure 4-23).

   Figure 4-23 Show Next Panels List

   
   

4.4.5 Jumping to a Task Flow Main View from the Sidebar

Some Sidebar task flows provide instant navigation to a main task flow view. When the Sidebar is shown as a list of expandable panels, an icon may appear in the header of an expanded panel. Click the icon to jump to a main view of the task flow.

For example, Figure 4-24 shows the Open personal folders icon on the Recent Documents panel in the Sidebar.

Figure 4-24 The Open Personal Folders Icon on the Recent Documents Panel

With an undocked view of a Sidebar task flow, the navigation appears as a button (Figure 4-25).

Figure 4-25 The Open Personal Folders Button on the Recent Documents Panel

By default, the following task flows provide navigation to main task flow views from the Sidebar:

• Recent Documents—Navigates to the Documents page in your personal space.

• Saved Searches—Navigates to a dynamically-generated, top-level Search page.

• Tags—Navigates to the dynamically-generated, top-level Tag Center.

4.5.1 What You Should Know About External Applications

The Applications pane in the Sidebar (Figure 4-26) provides quick access to your most frequently-used enterprise applications.

Figure 4-26 The Applications Pane in the Sidebar

These can include such applications as your enterprise expense reporting system, human resources-related request applications, time-reporting, company directory, and the like.

The Applications pane is personal. The applications that are shown in the pane are those you can access using an application login.

External applications require login credentials, such as your user name and password. You can supply login credentials each time you access an application, or you can let WebCenter Spaces store and manage your login credentials (for more information, see Section 3.6, "Providing Login Information for External Applications"). After your credentials for a particular application are stored, you are logged in to that application automatically when you log in to WebCenter Spaces.

Your WebCenter administrator manages the presentation and range of applications available in the Applications pane. If an application you access frequently is not listed, ask your WebCenter administrator to add it for you.

4.5.2 Logging In to an External Application

To access and log in to an external application:

1. Log in, and, in the Sidebar, either expand the Applications pane or click the Applications icon (Figure 4-27).

   Figure 4-27 The Applications Icon

   
   

   See Also:

   For information about the Sidebar, see Section 4.4, "Working with the WebCenter Spaces Sidebar."

2. Click an application link.

3. If a login form opens (similar to that shown in Figure 4-28):

   Figure 4-28 Logging in to External Applications

   
   

   1. Enter your login credentials in the fields provided.

   2. Select Remember my login information to save your user name, password, and any other login credentials you have entered.

      The next time you launch the application from the Applications pane you login automatically.

      If you do not select the option Remember my login information, the login information you enter here is used for this session only. The next time you access this application through the Applications pane, you must reenter your login credentials.

      Note:

      If you change your application account information—for example, change your application password—you can update the login credentials you entered here through your WebCenter Spaces preferences. For more information, see Section 4.5.4, "Managing Your External Application Login Credentials."

   3. Click Login to log in.

4.5.3 Personalizing the Applications Pane

You may not want to see all the task flows and applications offered through the Applications pane. If this is the case, you can personalize your view by showing only the applications you use and hiding the applications you do not use. This section describes how.

To personalize the Applications pane:

1. Log in, and, in the Sidebar, either expand the Applications pane, or click the Applications icon (Figure 4-29).

   Figure 4-29 The Sidebar Applications Icon

   
   

   See Also:

   For information about the Sidebar, see Section 4.4, "Working with the WebCenter Spaces Sidebar."

2. In the Applications pane, click the Personalize applications icon (Figure 4-30) at the top of the pane.

   Figure 4-30 The Personalize Icon in the Applications Pane

   
   

   If your Sidebar is open in icon view, click the Applications icon and select Personalize applications from the resulting menu (Figure 4-31).

   Figure 4-31 The Personalize Applications Option

   
   

   The Personalize Applications window opens, listing all external applications available to you (Figure 4-32).

   Figure 4-32 The Personalize Applications Window

   
   

3. The next step you take depends on what you want to accomplish:

   • To hide an application link, clear its Show/Hide Link checkbox.

   • To show an application link, select its Show/Hide Link checkbox.

   Note:

   You cannot hide links to applications that your WebCenter administrator has locked. Locked applications always appear, and their Show/Hide Link checkboxes cannot be selected (they are grayed out).

4. Click Save to save your changes and return to the Applications pane.

   The applications you cleared no longer appear. The applications you checked now appear.

4.5.4 Managing Your External Application Login Credentials

WebCenter Spaces Preferences provide a central place for you to manage and store login credentials for all the enterprise applications you access through WebCenter Spaces. You need only enter credentials for your password-protected applications once. WebCenter Spaces stores your login details; so the next time you access the application through the Sidebar, you login automatically.

If you prefer, you can provide login credentials before you launch the application in WebCenter Spaces. You can also change your stored login credentials if you change them in the original application.

For more information, see Section 3.6, "Providing Login Information for External Applications."