Unified Task List Software requirements The information in this topic provides details about the software required to install or develop using the Unified Task List portlet. For information about supported operating systems and hardware requirements see the links provided in this topic that apply to the required software. IBM WebSphere Portal V7.0 Review the hardware and software requirements Review the product documentation IBM WebSphere Portal V.0 Solution Installer 1.2.0.4 Review the hardware and software requirements Review the product documentation IBM Web Experience Factory V8.0 Review the hardware and software requirements Review the product documentation IBM Business Process Manager 7.x, 8.x Review the hardware and software requirements for BPM Standard Review the hardware and software requirements for BPM Advanced Review the product documentation IBM WebSphere Process Server V7.0.0.4 Review the hardware and software requirements Review the product documentation IBM WebSphere Process Server V6.x Review the hardware and software requirements Review the product documentation. IBM WebSphere Lombardi Edition V7.2 Review the hardware and software requirements Review the product documentation WebSphere Lombardi Edition Community REST API Review the unsupported product documention
Unified Task List The Unified Task List provides a single point of integration between multiple systems and displays tasks that WebSphere Portal users must complete to advance workflows. The topics in this section provide information and instructions for developing and customizing the Unified Task List. The portlet features a service provider layer that accesses, retrieves, and formats workflow events from a back-end system. The service provider layer is coupled with a presentation layer that renders the data in a visually appealing user interface. The separation of the service layer and the presentation layer lets you develop, test, and deploy your own customized Unified Task List in a way that conforms with service-oriented architecture. Task providers Task providers are services that access back-end systems to retrieve tasks. The task providers also use a WebSphere Experience Factory Transform builder to provide a uniform data set that display in the Unified Task List user interface. You can create multiple task providers to aggregate tasks from several back-end systems. For example, you can create a task provider to access, retrieve, and format tasks from a particular back-end system. You can then create another task provider to access, retrieve, and format tasks from a different back-end system. The result of these two task providers is that a single set of tasks displays in the user interface, but originate from two different back-end systems. Task provider instance Task provider instances are services that access back-end systems to retrieve tasks. Task provider instances reside in the Task Provider Instance Registry (TPIR) and contain the parameters that you specify in task providers. Task Provider Instance Registry (TPIR) The Task Provider Instance Registry (TPIR) contains task provider instance configurations. A task provider instance configuration contains a set of parameters required to connect to a back-end system and a unique ID to map the parameters to the appropriate task provider. The TPIR service resides in WebSphere Application Server and stores the task provider configurations in an XML variable. The TPIR service also provides a service to get and modify task provider instances. Task dispatcher The task dispatcher acts as a link between the Unified Task List portlet and the task providers. When an action occurs in the portlet, the task dispatcher retrieves task provider instance configurations from the task provider instance registry service and calls a gettasklist service operation on each task provider instance configuration. You can also configure the Unified Task List portlet to use a cached task dispatcher if you do not want to access the back-end systems each time an action occurs in the user interface. The cached task dispatcher uses dynamic caching in WebSphere Application Server to store and retrieve tasks.
Task handler Task handlers define what the Unified Task List does when users select a task to advance a workflow. The task handlers determine how the Unified Task List connects to the tasks that the users must complete. You can configure task handlers to connect the Unified Task List to tasks in the following ways: Use the WebSphere Portal property broker to open a portlet where users can complete the task. The portlet that opens can reside on the same portal page as the Unified Task List portlet or a different portal page. Use dynamic portal pages, or task pages, to open task processing and task supporting portlets. Provide an external URL that launches a web application. You can also customize the Unified Task List in WebSphere Experience Factory if you want to provide functions for completing tasks. For example, if there is a task to approve or deny arequest in a Human Resources workflow, you can use WebSphere Experience Factory builders to provide a simple menu with approve and deny actions. Configuring your environment for the Unified Task List portlet This step involves setting up a single sign-on between WebSphere Process Server, WebSphere Lombardi Edition, IBM Business Process Manager and WebSphere Portal. Single sign-on (SSO) provides a secure method of authenticating a user within an environment and using that authentication to access other applications, systems, and networks for the duration of the session. In the context of the Unified Task List portlet single sign-on enables communication between WebSphere Portal, WebSphere Process Server and WebSphere Lombardi Edition Server. Because the SSO and LTPA configuration settings are WebSphere Application Server security settings, it can be applied to any server that runs on WebSphere Application Server. The following wiki article describes how to configure SSO and LTPA between two WebSphere Application Servers: Setting up single sign-on for WebSphere Application Server For more detailed security configurations refer to the WebSphere Application Server Information Center: WebSphere Application Server InfoCenter
Customizing the Unified Task List You can customize the Unified Task List at run time as a WebSphere Portal administrator. Customizing at run time involves accessing the deployed Unified Task List to configure the portlet settings. Customizing the Unified Task List at runtime The topics in this section provide information and instructions for customizing the Unified Task List for WebSphere Portal administrators. Accessing the configuration view The first step in customizing the Unified Task List is accessing the configuration view. The configuration view contains several windows that let you perform tasks such as editing settings, configuring task provider instances and task handlers, or adding and removing filters. Accessing the configuration view involves clicking the portlet menu icon from the Unified Task List after deployment to WebSphere Portal. 1. Log in to WebSphere Portal with administrative access to the Unified Task List portlet. The following steps provide instructions for accessing the configuration view in the Unified Task List. 1. Log in to WebSphere Portal either as an administrator or a user assigned to the Manager role for the Unified Task List portlet. 2. Navigate to the Unified Task List. 3. Hover your cursor over the upper right corner of the Unified Task List portlet title bar to access the portlet menu and select Configure. The configuration view opens. What to do next You are now ready to customize the Unified Task List. Editing the common settings The Unified Task List has several settings that are shared by all users. 2. Log in to WebSphere Portal with administrative access to the Unified Task List portlet. The following steps provide instructions for editing the common settings in the Unified Task List. 1. Access the Unified Task List configuration view and select Common Settings from the left navigation menu. The Common Settings window opens. 2. Provide values for the following fields to configure the common settings as desired: Show Menu Select this check box to display the filter menu in the Unified Task List. The filter menu displays a list of filters that segregate tasks from multiple backend systems.
Enable Person Card Integration Select this check box to show user details when hovering over the owner or originator in a task list. The Unified Task List uses the people-awareness features in WebSphere Portal to retrieve the user details from the corresponding profile pages.to show user awareness of the owner or originator in a task list, you must configure a IBM Lotus Sametime server to interact with the WebSphere Portal Server. Use Dyna Cache Select this check box to store and retrieve tasks in the WebSphere Application Server dynamic cache service. When you use the WebSphere Application Server dynamic cache service,the task dispatcher stores and retrieves tasks in the cache for faster task loading. Enable Claim-Release of Tasks Select this check box to let users perform claim and release operations on tasks. Users perform claim and release operations in the Unified Task List through the use of the Claim and Release buttons in the user interface.when users select a task and click Claim, they take ownership of the task and remove the task from the list of shared tasks.when users select a task and click Release, they no longer claim ownership of the task. The task then returns to the list of shared tasks.users can also perform claim and release operations through the drag-and-drop menu that is displayed in the user interface. Dynamic Page Extension Node UID This field is required if you have task handlers that use dynamic pages for task completion. Specify the ID for the dynamic page extension node in WebSphere Portal. Leave the default value in this field if you do not have task handlers that use dynamic pages. 3. Click Save and Back to return to the main portlet page.
Configuring task provider instances Task provider instances are services that access back-end systems to retrieve tasks. You can add, delete, enable, or disable task provider instances in the Unified Task List. You can also specify context variables for task provider instances, such as the host names and port numbers necessary to connect to back-end systems. At design time, developers create custom input forms for context variables in WebSphere Experience Factory. These input forms determine which context variables you must specify for specific task provider instances. Log in to WebSphere Portal with administrative access to the Unified Task List portlet. The following steps provide instructions for configuring taskhandler instances in the Unified Task List. 1. Access the Unified Task List configuration view and select Task Provider Instances from the left navigation menu. The TaskProvider Instances window opens. 2. To create a task provider instance, do the following: (a) Select Add. The Task Provider Instance Configuration window opens. (b) In the Provider field, select a task provider. (c) Enter a name for the task provider instance and select Enabled if you want to enable the task provider instance, then click Next. A new window opens an input form for the context variables. (d) Specify the context variables or connection parameters, as appropriate, and click Save. The Task Provider Instances window opens. (e) From the Task Provider Instances window, click Save. 3. To delete, enable, or disable a task provider instance, do the following: (a) Select the appropriate task provider instance from the Task Provider Instances window. 9 (b) Select one of the following: Delete, Enable, Disable. (c) From the Task Provider Instances window, click Save.
Adding and removing filters Filters provide specialized views for tasks. Filters let you separate tasks according to the back-end systems where the tasks originate or by a particular context. When you add filters, the Unified Task List displays tasks separated according to the task provider instance. For example, you can add a filter for tasks that come from WebSphere Process Server so that these tasks are not displayed with all other tasks in the Unified Task List. 4. Log in to WebSphere Portal with administrative access to the Unified Task List portlet. The following steps provide instructions for adding and removing filters in the Unified Task List. 1. Access the Unified Task List configuration view and select Filters from the left navigation menu. The Filters window opens. 2. To add a new filter, do the following steps: (a) Select Add. (b) Enter a name for the filter in the Name field. (c) In the Resource Key field, enter a resource key. (d) From the list select the task provider instances to include in the filter. Tip: You can apply the filter to multiple task provider instances.select the add icon to the right of the list to add additional task provider instances. (e) Select Submit > Save. 3. Optional. To remove a filter, select the filter that you want to remove then select Remove > Save.
Adding and removing task handlers Task handlers define the action that the Unified Task List takes when users select a task. You can configure task handlers to define three actions: open a portlet with the WebSphere Portal property broker, open a portlet with dynamic portal pages, or open an external URL to launch a web application. 1. Log in to WebSphere Portal as an administrator. The following steps provide instructions for adding and removing task handlers in the Unified Task List. 1. Access the Unified Task List configuration view and select Task Handling from the left navigation menu. The Task Handling window opens. 2. To add a new task handler, do the following steps: (a) Select Add. The Task Handling Configuration window opens. (b) Provide values for the following fields: i. Task Provider Instance ii. Namespace iii. Task Type iv. Connection Method, select one of the following connection methods for the task handler: Dynamic Portal Page, If you select Dynamic Portal Page, you must specify the unique ID of the portal page in the following field: Unique ID of Portal Page. External URL, If you select External URL, you must specify the URL in the following field: External URL Pattern. Property Broker Event, no other parameters are required if Property Broker Event is selected. (c) Select Submit > Save. 3. (Optional) To remove a task handler, select the task provider instance and select Remove > Save.
Showing and hiding table columns The Unified Task List shows tasks in a table that has several columns with information about tasks, such as priority,description, owner, and so on. You can show or hide these table columns. 1. Log in to WebSphere Portal as an administrator. 11 The following steps provide instructions for showing and hiding tables in the Unified Task List. 1. Access the Unified Task List configuration view and select Table Customizer from the left navigation menu. The Table Customizer window opens. A list of all the available columns shows on the left. 2. Select either Show or Hide for the appropriate columns. 3. Select Save. Editing the shared settings The Unified Task List has shared settings that are common to all users, such as the filters that display in the user interface.you can edit these settings by accessing the portlet menu. 5. Log in to WebSphere Portal with administrative access to the Unified Task List portlet. The following steps provide instructions for editing the shared settings in the Unified Task List. 1. From the main page of the Unified Task List, hover the cursor over the upper-right corner of the title bar to access the portlet menu and select Edit Shared Settings. The Configure List of Visible Filters window opens. 2. To add filters to the shared settings, select a filter from the list and click Save. It is possible to add multiple filters to the shared settings by selecting the add icon to the right of the list. 3. Optional. To remove filters from the shared settings, select the remove icon to the right of the filter name in the Available Filters list and click Save.
Changing the number of rows in the task list table The task list table contains rows of tasks that users can select.you can edit the task list table to display a specific number of rows per page in the Unified Task List. You can specify any number of rows per page, however, if there are less tasks than the number of rows available, the Unified Task List only displays rows that contain tasks. If there are more tasks than the number of rows available, the Unified Task List displays a link to another page for those tasks. 1. Log in to WebSphere Portal with administrative access to the Unified Task List portlet. The following steps provide instructions for changing the paging size in the Unified Task List. 1. From the main page of the Unified Task List, hover the cursor over the upper-right corner of the title bar to access the portlet menu and select Personalize. The User Interface Settings window opens. 2. In the Paging Size field, enter the number of rows that you want to display per page in the task list table. 3. Click Save. Configuring Dynamic User Interfaces for the Unified Task List To configure a dynamic user interface you should be familiar with the Dynamic UserInterface WebSphere Portal Server wiki article on this topic. Complete the following steps: 1. Create a page, give it a unique ID, for example, wps.utl and place the Unified Task List portlet on the new page. Important: This page should be set to use the Portal theme and not the new Page Builder theme. 2. Create the dynamic page template - give it a unique ID. Important: This page should be set to inherit parent theme in the page options. 3. Open a command window on the computer where the Portal Server is installed. (a) Navigate to IBM\WebSphere\wp_profile\ConfigEngine. (b) Enter the task to enable the Unified Task List page to launch dynamic pages, The PageUniqueName value is the unique ID given to the page created in step 1: ConfigEngine.bat action-enable-page-as-extension-node-wp.dynamicui.config -DpageUniqueName=wps.utl (a server restart is required when task completes) What to do next Create a task handler in the Unified Task List that uses dynamic pages. Enter the unique ID of the page created in step 2 as the input parameter for the new dynamic page task handler.
Configuring an IBM Business Process Manager task provider This task provider retrieves tasks from IBM Business Process Manager 7.x and 8.x and surfaces them in the Unified Task List portlet. 1. Log in to WebSphere Portal with administrative access to the Unified Task List portlet. 2. Single sign on with LTPA tokens should be configured between the WebSphere Portal and IBM Business Process Manager servers before beginning this task. In this task you configure a new IBM Business Process Manager task provider instance to allow the retrieval of tasks. 1. Open the page with the Unified Task List portlet on it. 2. Select Configure from the portlet menu. 3. On the Configure page, select the Task Provider Instances link on the left menu. 4. Select Add. 5. Select IBM Business Process Manager. 6. Enter a name for the new provider and select enable. 7. Select Next. 8. Modify the Hostname and Port fields to include the host and port number for your IBM Business Process Manager installation. 9. Enter one of the following values in the Filter Criteria field: 1. (STATE=8) 8 corresponds to tasks with a claimed state. 2. (STATE=2) 2 corresponds to tasks in a release state. 3. (STATUS='Received') 'Received' corresponds to tasks which are available to the current user. 10. Update the value in the Max results field if you would like to change the number of tasks which can be returned from the IBM Business Process Manager installation. 11. Select Apply.. What to do next Configure the Coach portlets included with the Unified Task List.
Configuring a WebSphere Lombardi Edition task provider This task provider surfaces tasks from WebSphere Lombardi Edition and shows them in the Unified Task List portlet. 3. Log in to WebSphere Portal with administrative access to the Unified Task List portlet. 4. Single sign on with LTPA tokens should be configured between the WebSphere Portal and WebSphere Lombardi Edition servers before beginning this task. In this task you configure a new WebSphere Lombardi Edition task provider instance to allow the retrieval of tasks. 1. Open the page with the Unified Task List portlet on it. 2. Select Configure from the portlet menu. 3. On the Configure page, select the Task Provider Instances link on the left menu. 4. Select Add. 5. Select Lombardi Task Provider. 6. Enter a name for the new provider and select enable. 7. Select Next. 8. Modify the URL to include the host and port number for your WebSphere Lombardi Edition server. 9. Accept the default value of Saved Search. 10. Select Apply. What to do next Configure the Coach portlets included with the Unified Task List.
Configuring the WebSphere Lombardi Edition Coach portlets There are two WebSphere Lombardi Edition Coach portlets provided in the Unified Task List war file. One for use on a dynamic portal page and the other on a portal page. Both coach portlet offer the same functionality in both page contexts. When a Lombardi or Business Process Manager task is selected in the Unified Task List portlet it will display the corresponding Lombardi Coach in the coach portlet. 1. Log in to WebSphere Portal with administrative access to the Unified Task List portlet. The Coach portlets included with the Unified Task List portlet must be configured with the details of your WebSphere Lombardi Edition server host name and port or the details of your IBM Business Process Manager installation before they can be used. 1. Place the Eventing Lombardi Coach portlet on a page. 2. Select Configure from the portlet menu. 3. Edit the URL field to include the host name and port of your WebSphere Lombardi Edition server or your IBM Business Process Manager server, replacing localhost and port. 4. Select OK. 5. Edit the page to create a portlet wire between the Unified Task List and the Eventing Lombardi Coach portlet. 6. Place the Dynamic Lombardi Coach portlet on a page making note of the page's unique ID because it is to be used in the task handling configuration for the Lombardi task provider and IBM Business Process Manager Standard task provider in the Unified Task List. 7. Repeat steps 2 4 for the Dynamic Lombardi Coach portlet. 8. You have now configured both Coach portlets. What to do next Configure task handlers in the Unified Task List to launch tasks to the newly configured Coach portlets.
Further Coach Integration Possibilities Further Coach Integration can be achieved by using Javascript events in both the Portlet Coach container and the contained Coach. This section explains briefly how this can be achieved. To enable communication between Coach events, the containing portlet and other portlets on the same portlet page, cross site javascript must first be enabled between both BPM and Portal Servers. Once this is enabled you can embed javascript function calls within Coach U.I. components using IBM Business Process Management Process Designer and include those functions on the portal page using IBM Web Experience Factory. When the components within the coach containing the javascript function calls are modified the javascript function is called and carries out some action like firing an event to cause other portlets to update. To catch the Coach submission event you can add an onload event to the iframe html element which in turn will call another javascript function to carry out some action like minimizing the containing coach portlet or updating the iframe url. Troubleshooting errors in the Unified Task List This section includes common issues which may occur when working with the Unified Task List and offers an explanation on how to resolve them. Symptom After deploying the Unified Task List there are no tasks displayed in the Unified Task List even with the demo task provider enabled and no task provider instances are displayed in the TPIR Configuration Viewer portlet. Error description No tasks are displayed in the Unified Task List from the newly configured Process Server task provider instance, no task provider instances are displayed in the TPIR Configuration Viewer portlet and in the log file there is the following error: TaskProviderInstanceRegistryConfigNotFoundException Possible cause The Portal server was not restarted after the solution installer was finished installing the Unified Task List. Action to take Restart the Portal server. Symptom Upon completion of task processing in the Coach portlet, the Portlet does not close the task completion message or if the coach processing was deffered the coach is displayed again upon page refresh and does not change until another task is selected for task processing.. Cause Cross site scripting is not enabled and further customization is required in order to allow Coach and containing portlet integration. Action to take See the following section for more information: Further Coach Integration Possibilities