Linking Portlets
Overview
Many Rendering Portlets can be added to a single WebSphere Portal Server page, or a series of pages. Sometimes it will be necessary for different Rendering Portlets to interact with each other.
E.g., A WCM Menu Component could be placed in one Rendering Portlet, and a WCM Content item in another. If you would like the Content item to change when a different link is clicked in the Menu, "link" the two portlets. This type of behavior is enabled by setting different "broadcasting" and "receiving" parameters in the Links Section of the Rendering Portlet Configuration view.
Broadcasting Links
The state or context of a Rendering Portlet is not sent directly from one Portlet to another. Rather, Rendering Portlets can be configured to broadcast their current state or context to other Rendering Portlets on the same WebSphere Portal page, or to Rendering Portlets on other pages. Any information broadcast by a Rendering Portlet will only be received by Rendering Portlets configured to receive this information.
Note that you do not have to use a menu component to broadcast links. You can use two content items, with the first content item assigned to a site area and broadcasting links to the page.
Receiving Links
A Rendering Portlet can receive information on the state or context of the current WCM Content item or Component being displayed within it, or from WCM Content items or Components displayed within other Rendering Portlets that are "broadcasting".
Stand-Alone Components
Stand-Alone Components are WCM Components displayed within Rendering Portlets that:
If a Stand-Alone Component contains a link, when clicked the Web Content Management Component will be replaced by the Content of the link. The Rendering Portlet will then take on the behavior of the displayed Content. The originally displayed WCM Component will not be displayed again until a new Portal session is started.
- Do not Broadcast Links, and
- Receive Links from themselves.
When adding a Stand-Alone Component to a Rendering Portlet, it is possible to also select an Alternative Presentation Template in the Content view of the Content section. When a link is clicked in the Stand-Alone Component, the Content that is then displayed will use the Alternate Presentation Template.
For a complete example, see: Create Content using Web Content Viewer
Example 1 - Menu and Content
In this scenario, one portlet would contain a WCM Menu and another portlet would contain some WCM Content. Links would need to be created between the two portlets to enable the displayed Content to change when a different links in the Menu were selected.
Portlet Broadcast Links to: Receive Links from: Menu This Page None Content None Other Portlets and This Portlet
Example 2 - Navigator and Content
In this scenario, one portlet would contain a Item Views Navigator and another portlet would contain some WCM Content. Links would need to be created between the two portlets to enable the displayed Content to change when a different links in the Navigator were selected. The Navigator would also change to reflect the current state of the Content being displayed.
Portlet Broadcast Links to: Receive Links from: Navigator This Page Other Portlets and This Portlet Content This Page Other Portlets and This Portlet Parent topic: Portlet Links Section.
Parent topic: Displaying Content in a Rendering Portlet.
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