Introduction to Building Blocks

1
Blackboard Building Blocks
Portal Modules and Module Types
Tom Joyce, Product Manager, Product Development
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
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Road Map

• What are Portals?
• Module Types
• Creating Modules
• API

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What are Portals?

• Portal Entry point
• Customizable for the user
• Can unite several sources of information and
  present them in one central place
• Sites can customize the Portal for a specific
  type of user or market
• Good portals are sticky

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Example of a sticky Portal
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Blackboard Portal Components
Tab
Layout
Contents
Module
Module Edit
Minimize
Delete
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Module Types

• Code for the Module
• Every Module has an associated Type
• One or more JSP pages

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Pre Built Module Types

• Include HTML
• Include URL
• RSS Channel

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Module Type JSP Pages

• View
• What gets displayed when the module is rendered
• Admin
• Edit Global properties
• Edit
• User customizable properties

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View

• Rendered Inline
• No HTML Header or Body Tags

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Edit
Calls the edit page
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Edit
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Admin
Admin Page for Global Configuration
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Admin
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Creating Module Types

• JSP is easiest
• Tags Provided for Edit and Admin Pages
• modulePersonalizationPage
• modulePersonalizationReceipt
• moduleAdminPage
• ModuleAdminReceipt

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Portal API

• Java
• Class CustomData
• In package blackboard.portal.external
• Javadoc available in SDK

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Portal API

• To get the CustomData for a module, use
  getModuleData(context)
• CustomData data CustomData.getModuleData(pageCon
  text)
• String text data.getValue(body.lunchMenu)
• String text data.getValue(body.type)

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Portal API

• Can also save module global properties

CustomData data CustomData.getModuleData(pageCon
text) String text data.setValue(body.lunchMenu
, Roast Turkey) String text
data.setValue(body.type,Entrée) data.save()
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Portal API

• Similar Methods exist to set user specific data

CustomData data CustomData.getModulePersonalizat
ionData(pageContext) String text
data.setValue(userpref.display,
ALL) data.save()
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Packaging the Module Type

• Put it in a System Extension Package
• JSPs in /module directory
• ltmodule-type ext-ref"smpl-module" title"Sample
  Plug-in Module Type" uicreatable"true"gt
• ltjsp-dirgtmodulelt/jsp-dirgt
• ltjspgt
• ltviewgtview.jsplt/viewgt
• lteditgtedit.jsplt/editgt
• ltadmingtadmin.jsplt/admingt
• lt/jspgt
• lt/module-typegt

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Creating a Module

• Can specify a module type already in the system
  or in the same installation package
• Many modules can be created using the Bb supplied
  types
• Could leverage types that become available in the
  community
• Entries in bb-manifest.xml file
• module
• channel

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Creating a Module

• Module is packaged a standard Integration Agent
  Package
• bb-manifest.xml
• module
• channel

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Specifying a Module

• Module Manifest Entry

ltmodule type"portal/channel" isadmin"true"
useraddable"true" isdeletable"true"
title"Sample Channel Module"gt
ltdescriptiongtSample channel module. This module
accesses the RSS channel installed with this
plug-in.lt/descriptiongt ltExtraInfogt
ltproperty key"channel.id" type"String"gtsmpl-g
amenewslt/propertygt lt/ExtraInfogt lt/modulegt
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Specifying a Module

• Channel Manifest Entry (Module Def)

ltmodule type"portal/channel" isadmin"true"
useraddable"true" isdeletable"true"
title"Sample Channel Module"gt
ltdescriptiongtSample channel module. This module
accesses the RSS channel installed with this
plug-in.lt/descriptiongt ltExtraInfogt
ltproperty key"channel.id" type"String"gtsmpl-g
amenewslt/propertygt lt/ExtraInfogt lt/modulegt
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Specifying a Module

• Channel Manifest Entry (Channel Def)

ltrss-channel ext-ref"gamenews" title"Game
News"gt ltdata-urlgt lthttp//www.palminfocent
er.com/feed.xml lt/data-urlgt lt/rss-channelgt
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Specifying a Module

• Can also optionally specify Portal Roles

ltmodule-groupsgt ltmodule-group
id"Student"/gt lt/module-groupsgt
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Demonstration!
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Thank You

Demos to Follow gt