When you switch from 3 column layout to say 1 column layout, we show the portlets in center column which I think is a good default behavior. Although we don't show the other two columns, the portlets in that column are still operational in terms of rendering. 1. Should we not give a warning to the user/admin when changing layout where information gets hidden? 2. If we keep this approach, should not our rendering logic be smart not to go through the render call? View the original post : http://www.jboss.com/index.html?module=bb&op=viewtopic&p=4186823#... Reply to the post : http://www.jboss.com/index.html?module=bb&op=posting&mode=reply&a...