Portal Express, Version 6.0
Operating systems: i5/OS, Linux, Windows
Create a new skin
Defining a skins involves creating a subdirectory using the skin name in the following directory:
Windows and Linux:
was_profile_root/installedApps/cellname/wps.ear/wps.war/skins/markup_type/
i5/OS:
: app_server_root/installedApps/cellname/wps.ear/wps.war/skins/markup_type
You must also create the supporting resources within that directory. The following steps describe one way to create a HTML-based skin using an existing skin.
- Create a new directory using the new skin name, for example:
- Windows and Linux:
was_profile_root/installedApps/cellname/wps.ear/wps.war/skins/markup_type/MySkin
- i5/OS:
app_server_root/installedApps/cellname/wps.ear/wps.war/skins/markup_type/MySkin
To avoid problems with the directory name, do not use DBCS characters.
- Windows and Linux:
- Copy all of the files and subdirectories from another skin directory into the new directory. For example, you could copy the files from the /IBM skin.
If you are using the portlet context menus then the portletContextMenu.jsp file from...
/themes/html/IBM
...should also be copied into the...
themes/html/your_theme
...for any themes you wish your skin to work with.
- Make updates to the following files according to the requirements of the portal site.
- JSPs
- Edit Control.jsp to create the title bar and border around individual portlets. The other JSPs, such as UnlayeredContainer-H.jsp and UnlayeredContainer-V.jsp, are used by the portal customization to arrange portlets within the page. See Skins for more detailed information about the JSPs that are used.
- images
- These are images that are used to create the portlet title bar or background images. You can modify these images or create a and add them to the JSPs.
- To add the skin, use the Themes and Skins portlet under Administration, Portal User Interface. The skin name that you add must be the same as the subdirectory name that you used for the skins. See Themes and Skins help for more information.
- Use the Appearance portlet to test and make changes to the new skins as you are working on them. See Managing pages, layout, and content for more information.
- When you are ready to provide the skin for general use, create a preview that users and administrators can see from the page properties.
- Create a screen capture of the skin.
- Reduce the screen capture image to fit in the preview box. The recommended size is 307 x 159 pixels.
- Name the image preview.gif. GIF files are limited to 256 colors.
- Copy the image to:
- Windows and Linux:
was_profile_root/installedApps/cellname/wps.ear/wps.war/skins/html/skin_name
- i5/OS:
app_server_root/installedApps/cellname/wps.ear/wps.war/skins/html/skin_name
In this example, the file and location are:
- Windows and Linux:
was_profile_root/installedApps/cellname/wps.ear/wps.war/skins/html/MySkin/preview.gif
- i5/OS:
app_server_root/installedApps/cellname/wps.ear/wps.war/skins/html/MySkin/preview.gif
- Windows and Linux:
- After the skin is fully developed and tested, update and redeploy the WebSphere Portal Express EAR file with the new skin. For more information, see Deploying customized themes and skins.
If the IBM theme directory is either deleted or renamed, the portal resource loader uses the themes/html/Default.jsp. In this case, you should also use the fallback skin. To do this, rename the skins directory. For example, the skins/html/IBM directory should be renamed skins/html/IBM1. If you have a broken theme, you can rename the theme and skin directories which are causing the problem to get to a working minimal theme.
Improving the performance of skins
WebSphere Portal Express includes a lightweight skin that demonstrates some of the design features that you could omit for better performance. For information about these features, see Performance guidelines for themes and skins.