Developing ArcGIS Portlet Applications in RAD

This document was published with ArcGIS 9.2.
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Server Server

Creating the ArcGIS Portlet Project

You will start by creating an ArcGIS Portlet Application using RAD.   This sample ArcGIS mapping portlet uses the Faces portlet type and is based on the JSR 168 Portlet API. 
 
This sample ArcGIS Portlet Application displays a map, toolbar, table of contents, map overview, results, results details, and an empty task pane. 
 
 
 
 

Using the ArcGIS Portlet Project Wizard

To set up the framework for your ArcGIS Portlet Application, follow these instructions: 
 
  1. Create a new ArcGIS Portlet project.  From the RAD main menu, select File>New>Project.
 
 
 
 
  1. Navigate the New Project wizard to ESRI Templates and select ArcGIS Portlet Project from the list, and click Next. 
 
 
 
 
  1. In the Portlet Project window, name the project ArcGISPortletProject.  Select the Show advanced settings checkbox and select the appropriate target server.  Click Next to continue the wizard. 
 
 
 
 
  1. In the Project Facets window, select ArcGIS Portlet Project from the Configurations drop down menu.  This will select the ArcGIS Portlet Faces from the list of Project Facets.  Click Next to continue the wizard. 
 
 
 
 
  1. Accept the default settings in the Portlet Settings window and click Next. 
 
 
 
 
  1. Accept the default settings in the Advanced Settings window and click Next. 
 
 
 
 
  1. In the ArcGIS Server window, double click the Add GIS Server icon under Available Services.
 
 
 
 
  1. Input valid server information for the GIS Server Host, User Name, Password, and Domain.  If you set up your preferences from the toolbar menu at 'Window->Preferences->ArcGIS->Server'.  The connection information set there will be used by all ESRI project windows. 
 
 
 
 
  1. Click the OK button to connect to the GIS Server and see a list of valid server objects.  Double click on the server object you wish to use and the object will be added under Selected Services on the right hand side.  Click Finish to build the project. 
 
 
 
 
  1. If you are prompted to switch to the Web perspective to work on the project, answer yes. 
 
 
 
 
  1. The workbench will now show your newly created ArcGIS Portlet Project in the Web perspective. 
 
 
 
 
  1. The files for your project can be seen in the Project Explorer view on the left-hand side of the workbench. 
 
 
 
 
  1. Setting PARENT_LAST classloader mode for ArcGIS Porlet Project. 
    1. We have a custom implementation of Apache Axis which requires ESRI projects using ArcObjects based resources, ArcGIS Server local or remote, to use our included Axis libraries.  The default classloader setting in IBM Websphere Portal Server is 'PARENT_FIRST' which forces IBM libraries to be loaded prior to application libraries.  We need to change the classloader setting to PARENT_LAST, to ensure that the ESRI Axis implementation bundled in your portlet project will be used. 
    2. Open the application.xml file in the EAR project containing your ArcGIS Portlet Project. 
 
 
 
 
    1. Open the ‘Deployment’ tab.  In the ‘Application’ section look for the tree displaying the EAR and the portlet project and change the ‘Classloader mode’ from ‘PARENT_FIRST’ to ‘PARENT_LAST’. 
 
 
 
 
    1. While still in the ‘Deployment’ tab.  In the ‘Application’ section click on the portlet project war file and change ‘Classloader mode’ from ‘PARENT_FIRST’ to ‘PARENT_LAST’. 
 
 
 
 
  1. Your application is now ready for deployment in WebSphere Portal v6.0. 
 
References:
IBM:
For more in-depth information about IBM WebSphere Portal please visit the WebSphere Portal zone offered by IBM. 
For more in-depth information about IBM Rational Application Developer please visit the Rational Application Developer for WebSphere software site offered by IBM. 
 
Eclipse:
For more in-depth information about the Eclipse development environment please visit the official Eclipse web site. 
 
Standards: 
The Java Portlet Specification, Java Portlet Specification (JSR-168), defines a set of API’s for interoperability between a portlet container and a portlet application.