Embedding web-based external applications within the framework.

My current project contained a requirement to embed an external application within the the CC&B framework and initiate calls to this application supplying a number of context elements to ensure that the correct information is displayed. The client also requested that the application be 'skinned' to maintain the CC&B look-and-feel.

This is how we implemented it..
  1. Defined a number of Business Object to manage retrieval of data from some of the base CC&B objects in a flattened format (ie. Characteristics mapped to descriptive elements, unused fields not defined, etc).
  2. Defined a UI map which forms the canvas for 'painting' the application within our framework.
  3. A Query Zone to ensure that the required data associated with the Context Zones are retrieved (using Zone type F1-DE-QUERY).
  4. A Business Service to wrap the call to the Query Zone into a usable service.
  5. A Script to initiate the call to the Business Service with the associated Context Identifiers (from the global context).
  6. A Portal used to render the solution within the Framework.
  7. An Application Zone to link the Business Service to the UI Map (using Zone type F1-MAPEXPL) and the Portal.
  8. A Navigation key to reference the Portals Service Program.
  9. A Navigation Option to link the new functionality into the Menu subsystem.
  10. Context Menu Items to link the new functionality to the Service Point and Service Agreement entities (our link to the external application is based on the Geographic Identifiers on the SP).
  11. The required User Group entries to ensure that access is provided to the new Application Service associated with the Menu defined above.
We also provided the application developer with cloned copies of the Oracle Utilities CSS files to ensure a consistent look and feel.

Resulting in the application being rendered as:




We have used similar methods to render our online bill viewer within a pop-up window (using an in-house developed webpage, which calls our CC&B Bill Extract algorithm, resulting in the use of common code for both the online bill view and batch bill extract routines with no need for additional software such as Business Objects or DOC1).

Feel free to drop me a message if you want any further detail.

Comments

Unknown said…
Stuart,

This is pretty cool stuff; I've built a few custom portals myself and am impressed how you used the UI Map to re-create the look and feel of CC&B tab pages within the Zone.

I'm curious how you accomplished that - did you use plain HTML or did you use Javascript to build the tabs? Or was there another method?

Thanks,

Brian McCaslin
brian.mccaslin@lionwerx.com
Stuart Ramage said…
Hi Brian,

The application displayed in our UI Map is the entire external application. We did supply the external application developers with our style sheets, cisDisabled.css and cisEnabled.css, to ensure that all page components aligned with our product. It could just as easily have been any other HTML page rendered within the framework.
parikshith@.0-0 said…
Hi Stuart,

Nice article..Even we use a similar apporch via cc&b.
Do you have any idea to use something like a get more option in the zone.(The zone is ftching huge records from the query and I need to capitalize 50 each at a time and then check out the other 50..at a time)..Dont know whether i confused..u..But if you come to knw it..could you please .. :)
Pari Bond... :)
pari0007@gmail.com
Vijay Anand said…
Hi Stuart,

Thanks for the article. Pretty interesting!

I have a question specific to te tab page portal. Is it possible to add tab page portal to a base standalone portal?

Thanks

Vijay
Stuart Ramage said…
Hi Vijay,

it is not something which I would recommend. Adding a new tab would require custom JSP which is a fairly simple thing to do, however integrating your new tabs content with the existing underlying Maintenance Object would be an extremely arduous task, and you would be better off simply developing a new portal and maintenance ui map to manage the additional components.

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