Package javax.portlet

Interface Portlet

All Known Implementing Classes:
GenericPortlet
public interface Portlet
The Portlet interface is used by the portlet container to invoke the portlets. Every portlet has to implement this interface, either by directly implementing it, or by using an existing class implementing the Portlet interface. A portlet is a Java technology-based web component. It is managed by the portlet container and processes requests and generates dynamic content as response. Portlets are used by portals as pluggable user interface components. The content generated by a portlet is called a fragment. A fragment is a piece of markup (e.g. HTML, XHTML, WML) adhering to certain rules and can be aggregated with other fragments into a complete document. The content of a portlet is normally aggregated with the content of other portlets into the portal page. The portlet container instanciates portlets, manages their lifecycle and invoking them to process requests. The lifecycle consists of:
  • initializing the portlet using using the init method
  • request processsing
  • taking the portlet out of service using the destroy method
Request processing is divided into two types:
  • action requests handled through the processAction method, to perform actions targeted to the portlet
  • render requests handled through the render method, to perform the render operation
Version:
$Revision: 5441 $
Author:
Julien Viet

  • Method Summary

    Modifier and Type
    Method
    Description
    void
    destroy()
    Called by the portlet container to indicate to a portlet that the portlet is being taken out of service.
    void
    init(PortletConfig config)
    Called by the portlet container to indicate to a portlet that the portlet is being placed into service.
    void
    processAction(ActionRequest request, ActionResponse response)
    Called by the portlet container to allow the portlet to process an action request.
    void
    render(RenderRequest request, RenderResponse response)
    Called by the portlet container to allow the portlet to generate the content of the response based on its current state.

  • Method Details

    • init

      void init(PortletConfig config) throws PortletException
      Called by the portlet container to indicate to a portlet that the portlet is being placed into service.

      The portlet container calls the init method exactly once after instantiating the portlet. The init method must complete successfully before the portlet can receive any requests.

      The portlet container cannot place the portlet into service if the init method

      1. Throws a PortletException
      2. Does not return within a time period defined by the portlet container.
      Parameters:
      config - a PortletConfig object containing the portlet's configuration and initialization parameters
      Throws:
      PortletException - if an exception has occurred that interferes with the portlet's normal operation.
      UnavailableException - if the portlet cannot perform the initialization at this time.

    • processAction

      void processAction(ActionRequest request, ActionResponse response) throws PortletException, PortletSecurityException, IOException
      Called by the portlet container to allow the portlet to process an action request. This method is called if the client request was originated by a URL created (by the portlet) with the RenderResponse.createActionURL() method. Typically, in response to an action request, a portlet updates state based on the information sent in the action request parameters. In an action the portlet may:
      • issue a redirect
      • change its window state
      • change its portlet mode
      • modify its persistent state
      • set render parameters
      A client request triggered by an action URL translates into one action request and many render requests, one per portlet in the portal page. The action processing must be finished before the render requests can be issued.
      Parameters:
      request - the action request
      response - the action response
      Throws:
      PortletException - if the portlet has problems fulfilling the request
      UnavailableException - if the portlet is unavailable to process the action at this time
      PortletSecurityException - if the portlet cannot fullfill this request because of security reasons
      IOException - if the streaming causes an I/O problem

    • render

      void render(RenderRequest request, RenderResponse response) throws PortletException, PortletSecurityException, IOException
      Called by the portlet container to allow the portlet to generate the content of the response based on its current state.
      Parameters:
      request - the render request
      response - the render response
      Throws:
      PortletException - if the portlet has problems fulfilling the rendering request
      UnavailableException - if the portlet is unavailable to perform render at this time
      PortletSecurityException - if the portlet cannot fullfill this request because of security reasons
      IOException - if the streaming causes an I/O problem

    • destroy

      void destroy()
      Called by the portlet container to indicate to a portlet that the portlet is being taken out of service. Before the portlet container calls the destroy method, it should allow any threads that are currently processing requests within the portlet object to complete execution. To avoid waiting forever, the portlet container can optionally wait for a predefined time before destroying the portlet object.

      This method enables the portlet to do the following:

      • clean up any resources that it holds (for example, memory, file handles, threads)
      • make sure that any persistent state is synchronized with the portlet current state in memory.