Configure the Unified Task List portlet

Configure the Unified Task List portlet

Set page theme to Portal 8.0

The first step for configuring a page with the Unified Task List portlet is to change the default page theme to Portal 8.0,
Applications | Collaboration | Unified Task List | Actions | Edit Page Properties | Theme | Portal 8.0 | OK

Access the configuration view

Log on to portal as an admin, or a user assigned to Manager role for the Unified Task List portlet.

Navigate to the Unified Task List portlet.

Hover the cursor over the Unified Task List portlet title bar to access the portlet menu and select Configure.

Edit common settings

From the configuration view, select Common Settings.

Provide values for...:

Show Menu Display the filter menu to segregate tasks from multiple back-end systems.
Enable Person Card Integration Show user details when hovering over the owner or originator in a task list. The portlet uses people-awareness features to retrieve user details from profile pages. To enable user awareness, configure an IBM Sametime server to interact with the WebSphere Portal Server.
Use Dynamic Cache Have the task dispatcher store and retrieve tasks in the dynamic cache service.
Enable Claim-Release of Tasks When users select a task and click Claim, they take ownership of the task and remove the task from the list of shared tasks. When users select a task and click Release, they no longer claim ownership of the task. The task then returns to the list of shared tasks. Users can also perform claim and release operations through the drag-and-drop menu.
Dynamic Page Extension Node UID Required if you have task handlers using dynamic pages for task completion. Specify the ID for the dynamic page extension node. Leave the default value if you do not have task handlers using dynamic pages.

Click Save and Back to return to the main portlet page.

Task provider instances

Task provider instances are services that access back-end systems to retrieve tasks. Set task provider instances in the Unified Task List portlet. Set host names and ports for back-end systems. Create custom input forms using Web Experience Factory.

Create a task provider instance

Open the Unified Task List portlet.

Access the configuration view and select...
Task Provider Instances | Add | Provider | task provider

Enter a name for the task provider instance, select Enabled, then click Next.
A new window opens an input form for the context variables.

Specify the context variables (connection parameters) and click Save.

From the Task Provider Instances window, click Save.

Delete, enable, or disable a task provider instance

Open the Unified Task List portlet.

Access the configuration view and select...
Task Provider Instances | task provider instance | [Delete|Enable|Disable] | Save

Add and remove filters

Filters separate tasks based on the back-end systems where the tasks originate or by context. Tasks are separated according to the task provider instance.

Add filters

Open the Unified Task List portlet.

Access the configuration view and select...
Filters | Add

Enter a name for the filter in the Name field.

In the Resource Key field enter a resource key.

From the list select the task provider instances to include in the filter.
We can apply the filter to multiple task provider instances. Select the add icon to add additional task provider instances.

Select Submit.

Select Save.

Remove filters

Open the Unified Task List portlet.

Access the configuration view and select...
Filters | filter | Remove | Save

Localize task list filters

To minimize server restarts, IBM recommends creating filters all at once. Restarts update filter resource bundles on the file system with the new filters, and include them on the class loader. We also create a variable to define the name of the resource bundle.

Access the WAS admin console.

Navigate through...
Resources | Resource Environment | Resource environment providers | WP ConfigService | Custom properties | New | Name | processintegration.filtersetresourcebundle

Enter the name of the resource bundle in the Value field including the complete package name.
For example: If the file is stored under...
shared/app/your_company/filterlocales_en.properties

...you would enter...
your_company.filterlocales

Click...
Apply | OK | Save

Place the resource bundles in...
shared/app/your_company

Restart the portal server.

Open the filter configuration page of the Unified Task List portlet and add the new filters as they were entered in the English version of the resource bundle.
The Name field must match the value of the resource key and the Resource key field must match the key used for the property in the resource bundle.

Add and remove task handlers

Task handlers define the action that the Unified Task List portlet takes when users select a task...

open a portlet with the WebSphere Portal property broker
open a portlet with dynamic portal pages
open an external URL to launch a web application

Add task handlers

Open the Unified Task List portlet.

Access the configuration view and select...
Task Handling | Add

Provide values for...

Task Provider Instance
Application Name Name Space
Task Type

Select the Connection Method for the task handler

Dynamic Portal Page Unique ID in the Unique ID of Portal Page field.
External URL URL in the External URL Pattern field.
Property Broker Event No additional parameters are required when selecting Property Broker Event.

Select Submit.

Select Save.

Remove task handlers

Open the Unified Task List portlet.

Access the configuration view and select...
Task Handling | Task Provider Instance | Remove | Save

Expose Business Processes

To enable task handling for Business Process Manager...

Access the Business Process Designer and open a Business Process.

Select...
Overview | Exposing | Expose participant groups | participant group

Either select All Users or the group where the Unified Task List administrative user is a member.

Repeat steps for fields...

Expose business data
Expose performance metrics

Click Save.

Open the first Human Service in the Business Process.

Open the Overview tab.

Under the Exposing section click the Select button for the Expose to start field.

Select the appropriate group from the list of Participant Groups.

Click Save.

Repeat steps 7-10 for each Human Service in the Business Process.

Repeat steps 2-11 for each Business Process in the Designer.

Show and hide table columns

Task information presented includes priority, description, owner, among others. We can show or hide these table columns.

Open the Unified Task List portlet.

Access the configuration view and select...
Table Customizer | [Show|Hide] | Save

Edit shared settings

The UTL portlet has shared settings common to all users.

Open the Unified Task List portlet.

From the main page of the portlet, hover the cursor over the title bar to access the portlet menu and select Edit Shared Settings.
The Configure List of Visible Filters window opens.

Select a filter from the list to add to the shared settings and click Save.
Add multiple filters to the shared settings by selecting the add icon.

Select the remove icon to remove filters from the shared settings and click Save.

Change the number of rows in the task list table

Open the Unified Task List portlet.

From the main page of the portlet, hover the cursor over the title bar to access the portlet menu and select Personalize.
The User Interface Settings window opens.

In the Paging Size field, enter the number of rows to display per page in the task list table.

Select Save.

Configure dynamic user interface
Create a page, give it a unique ID, for example wps.utl and place the Unified Task List portlet on the new page.

Create the dynamic page template and give it a unique ID.
Set page to inherit parent theme in the page options.
Enable the Unified Task List portlet page to launch dynamic pages...
cd PROFILE_HOME/ConfigEngine 
./ConfigEngine.sh action-enable-page-as-extension-node-wp.dynamicui.config \
                  -DPageUniqueName=wps.utl 
Where -DPageUniqueName is the value of the unique ID
Configure a WebSphere Lombardi Edition task provider

This specific provider surfaces tasks for WebSphere Lombardi Edition in the Unified Task List portlet.
Single sign on with LTPA tokens must be configured between the WebSphere Portal and WebSphere Lombardi Edition servers before beginning this task.

Open the Unified Task List portlet.

Open the page with the Unified Task List portlet on it.

Select...
Portlet menu | Configure | Task Provider Instances link | Add | Lombardi Task Provider

Enter a name for the new provider and select Enable.

Select Next.

Modify the URL to include the host and port number for your WebSphere Lombardi Edition server.

Accept the default value of Saved Search and select Submit.

Select Save and Back.

Configure the Coach portlets

There are two Coach portlets already installed in WebSphere Portal: one for use on a dynamic portal page and the other on a portal page. Both Coach portlets offer the same functionality in both page contexts. When a WebSphere Lombardi Edition task and Business Process Manager task is selected in the Unified Task List portlet it displays the corresponding coach in the Coach portlet.
The Coach portlets included with the Unified Task List portlet must be configured with the specifics of the WebSphere Lombardi Edition server and Business Process host name and port before they can be used.

Configure the Coach portlet

Open the Unified Task List portlet.

Go to the Coach portlet which is placed on the page 'Unified Task List' under Collaboration.

Select Configure from the portlet menu.

Edit the Coach Hostname field to include the host name.

Edit the Coach port of the Lombardi Edition server and Business Process .

Select Apply then OK.

Edit the page to create a portlet wire between the Unified Task List portlet and the Coach portlet.

Place the Coach portlet on a page making note of the page's unique ID because it is to be used in the task handling configuration for the Lombardi task provider in the Unified Task List portlet.

Configure the Dynamic Coach portlet

Open the Unified Task List portlet.

Place the Dynamic Coach portlet on a page.

Select...
Portlet menu | Configure

Edit the Coach Hostname field to include the host name.

Edit the Coach port of the Lombardi Edition server and Business Process .

Select Apply and then OK.

Place the Dynamic Coach portlet on a page making note of the page's unique ID because it is to be used in the task handling configuration for the Lombardi and Business Process Manager task provider in the Unified Task List portlet.

Show Menu	Display the filter menu to segregate tasks from multiple back-end systems.
Enable Person Card Integration	Show user details when hovering over the owner or originator in a task list. The portlet uses people-awareness features to retrieve user details from profile pages. To enable user awareness, configure an IBM Sametime server to interact with the WebSphere Portal Server.
Use Dynamic Cache	Have the task dispatcher store and retrieve tasks in the dynamic cache service.
Enable Claim-Release of Tasks	When users select a task and click Claim, they take ownership of the task and remove the task from the list of shared tasks. When users select a task and click Release, they no longer claim ownership of the task. The task then returns to the list of shared tasks. Users can also perform claim and release operations through the drag-and-drop menu.
Dynamic Page Extension Node UID	Required if you have task handlers using dynamic pages for task completion. Specify the ID for the dynamic page extension node. Leave the default value if you do not have task handlers using dynamic pages.

Dynamic Portal Page	Unique ID in the Unique ID of Portal Page field.
External URL	URL in the External URL Pattern field.
Property Broker Event	No additional parameters are required when selecting Property Broker Event.