Edge Documentation

This section details how to create and maintain channels associated with a specific application.

Application Directory Conventions

Channel Packages, Applications, Channel Builders, and Channels for an Application all have representation within the virtual directory. While Channels and Channel Builders are actual objects in the virtual directory, the Channel Packages and Applications have home folders in the virtual directory where their associated components are stored by convention.
The following conventions are used for naming and storing system components:

• Channel Packages have home folders under the /channelpackages folder:

• Packages are named company.product_pim by convention, such as edge.nvision_pim.
• The periods in the package names translate to slashes ("/") in the folder structure, so edge.nvision_pim would map to /channelpackages/edge/nvision_pim.
• Most PIMs have a version associated with the name as an appended letter, such as edge.nvision_pimC.

• Applications have home folders under their respective Packages home folders.
• The folder name is the name associated with the Application when created.
• For Application named ServerA for the Package edge.nvision_pimC, the home folder would be /channelpackages/edge/nvision_pimC/ServerA.
• The Application home folder holds Channels created for that Application using the Channel Builders.
• Channel Builders are stored in the virtual directory in a hidden folder under the PIM’s root directory. This should only be accessed through the Manage Applications Tool’s popup actions menu.
• Package specific Channels are created through the Manage Applications Tool and stored inside the appropriate Application’s home folder.

Channel Packages

Channels and Applications in the portal are arranged in constructs called Channel Packages (or Packages). Packages provide a scope for Channel names and a container for Channels and Applications. For the purpose of configuring and maintaining Applications and their associated Channels, it is important to know the name of the Package for the PIM of interest (fairly intuitive) and the Directory Conventions used.

• Each PIM is associated with one Channel Package.
• Each Channel in a Package refers to an Application from the same Package.
• All packages should be named in lower case (convention borrowed from Java).

Channel Builders

Channel Builders are special channels installed by each PIM that provide easy creation of product-specific channels. Channel Builders are provided for specialized pages within a proxied product, such as charts or reports. The channels created by the Channel Builders have special knowledge of the content within the channel and provide easy configuration of product-specific parameters required to customize the content.

• A Channel Builder creates portal channels of a single channel type for a single PIM (and therefore, a single product).
• The created channel is usually for a single content type (such as a chart).
• The created channel is associated with exactly one Application (must be from the same PIM).
• The created channel has parameters to configure details of the displayed content.

Creating an Application-Specific Channel

The following instructions show how to create and modify Application specific channels.

1. Highlight the Application for which you want to create a Channel.
2. A context menu appears:
3. Click on the Channel builder for the type of Channel desired. Channel Builders start with Build.
4. The Channel Builder window appears:
5. Enter the Name of the Channel to be created.
6. Enter the Location where the Channel should be stored in the virtual directory. To use the standard naming convention, leave Location unchanged. The Channel will then be stored under the Application’s home folder.
7. Click Next. The Channel Editor window appears:
8. The selected tab displays Channel-specific parameters that can be set. Set the values as appropriate for the Channel type selected.
9. Click Next.
10. Choose which View, if any, the created Channel should be placed in. Depending on this selection, you may be presented with a View Editor window to customize the view display.
11. Click Ok. A notification window appears to confirm that the changes have been saved.
12. Click Ok.

Accessing Application-Specific Channels

The following instructions detail how to access Application-specific channels.

1. Once created, the Application-specific Channels are accessible in the virtual directory.
2. Open the Content Manager and open the Application’s home folder:
3. You can now right-click on the channel to edit, open, copy, or delete the application-specific channel.