Work with Page Builder
Page creation and customization is easier than ever before. You can create a page with a single click by using the Page Builder theme. Users can use the portal Page Builder feature to quickly and create, customize, and share pages with teammates and community members. They can add content to these pages using a variety of sources made available on the content catalog, such as portal portlets and shared pages. Other custom content sources that you can configure include Mashup Center feeds, widgets, and pages, and IBM Lotus Connections activities, communities, and social bookmarks.In previous portal versions, the process of customizing a page involved multiple user actions which involved many pages and portlets to perform regular tasks such as adding content, changing the layout and appearance of a page. Page Builder brings these capabilities to the forefront of a user's authoring experience, as it streamlines the process of modifying a page via editing tools found directly on a page instead of through alternative dialogs on disparate pages. To enable these new customization features, the user can go into Edit mode by clicking Actions -> Edit Page from the page header.
On pages with the Page Builder theme you can create pages and change the layout of pages. Use the Customize button to add content or change the style and layout of the current page. Select from a predefined list of styles and layouts. Use the Actions link in the page header for other options. You can also share pages that you created or customized with other users. To create new pages, click the New Page link in the navigation.
Key benefits to the Page Builder features include:
- WYSIWYG-style page editing tools
- Web 2.0 dynamics
- Performance improvements through fewer server requests
- User oriented interface.
Page Builder is available out-of-the-box in the Page Buildertheme. You can also add it to own custom portal theme, as the components are modular widgets that can be consumed directly.
Once you have created portal pages and added portlets, feeds, widgets, and social elements for teamwork, such as activities, communities, social bookmarks, you can change the style of pages by applying a lightweight theme. You can change the layout of pages by using a template or drag and drop components within a page. You can also search users and groups to share pages with and assign user access to view and edit pages. Users with whom a page has been shared can access the page by using the Share menu on the place bar below the page tabs. Users of shared pages can bookmark the friendly URLs of pages. You can manage portal content by managing shared pages and the portlets, feeds, widgets, and social components that they contain.
Determine which method of working with pages you want to use at site, Page Builder or the conventional page management.
- Page Builder: Use Page Builder to create portal pages containing portlets, feeds and social components that you add from the content catalog. You can also create mashup pages containing widgets. You can customize pages that you created by the following actions:
Add Content
Change Style
Change Layout
- To perform these tasks, you click the Customize button.
- Portal administration: For conventional page management and customization you can use the administration portlets available from the portal administration:
Manage Pages
Themes and Skins
Theme Customizer
Site Management
Note: The Page Builder theme does not use side navigation and does not recognize theme styles.
Create top level page tabs
Before you can create children pages, you need to create a top level page tab. Only the page title and privacy mode of the page can be customized from this dialog.
You can move page tabs to other locations.
You can create a new child page under an existing page. Only the page title and privacy mode of the page can be customized from this dialog.
You can move child pages to other locations.
Add content to a page by selecting a portlet for portal pages or a widget for mashup pages from the content source: Create, All, Administration, Collaboration, Tools.
Change the appearance of a page by selecting a style from the list of predefined themes. When you select a theme, it is previewed on the page. You can add custom styles to the list of page themes that are available for selection.
You can select a page layout from a list of predefined formats. Portlets and widgets are automatically positioned into the new layout. You can add custom layouts that you define to the list of page formats available for selection. Use drag-and-drop to move portlets around within the new layout.
Work with page builder navigation
Learn how the Page builder navigation widgets work and how to configure them.
You can hide portlets and widgets on a page so they are present but not visible in the page layout.
Users can share pages with other users. These users have to accept the shared pages before they can view them.
One of the features of the page builder is its drag-and-drop capability.
Learn how menus work in the Page Builder theme.
A list of all the iWidgets in the Page Builder theme and what they do.
By default, the portal uses Dojo Version 1.4.3 for its themes. If required, you can use a previous Dojo version.
Hints and tips for page builder
Learn about hints and tips and known limitations of page builder.
Set up a portal site
Related
Design a site using Page Builder themes and skins