[jboss-dev-forums] [Design of JBoss Portal] - Re: Changing Layout and Regions

[PMN]

I am referring to getting a definition of a layout and a strategy for a "widget" to display, you may have a different strategy in different mode or a fit to size strategy. I am using the term widget to unerdline another point of choosing the correct granularity to decide whether or not a widget fit in a portlet or a portlet display several widgets. There are 4 questions: what is a layout, choosing a layout, distribute widgets and where to implement a strategy.

 I found the YUI approach of a layout very simple and fluid. It's what they call "grid". Put it with my abstract words, it 's controlling by width. The document generally control the total width (define header, main, footer and a left or right margin), a grid is a recursive definition of blocks ("lines") divided in columns. Of course you can customize things but they provide pattern of divisions : 1//2, 1/2 or 1/3,1/3,1/3 or 1/3,2/3 or 2/3,1/3 or 1/4,3/4 or 3/4,1/4. It's all controlled by CSS and play it simple and easy. A layout stay a jsp file as defined by Portal and to associate a portlet instance to a block, simply put the <p:region> tag into it.

Now, because it is controlled by width you run into this problem when a portlet renders differently in different modes. You need to have a strategy as choosing one size for all mode is inconvenient. Actually it is already what JBP is doing in the layouts.xml file when the URI has the attribute "state=maximized" to associate a layout to a window state. Where to control the layout should be in the event listener : when a portlet turns into EDIT mode change layout to give it more space if needed. If changing layout is necessary, it is not sufficient, you also need to put it on spot. Actually that what JBP does with the region "maximized" in the maximized.jsp layout.

Actually, with no new concept and minimal changes you can do a lot and let it all to the application to implement a strategy.

Is that better? 

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