Liferay Portal Integration

The Liferay Portal server offers a wide array of built-in Enterprise 2.0 functions which can be directly activated from FirstSpirit™. Some examples include:

• Forums
• Blogs
• Wikis
• Comments and ratings
• Tag clouds

These collaboration functions are fully supported by FirstSpirit™ portal integration for the Liferay Portal.

Advantage:

Using the powerful Enterprise 2.0 functions, you can implement employee portals, extranets, and interactive internet sites with ease.

A central paradigm of FirstSpirit™ CMS portal integration lies in an approach consisting of flawless integration of editing content from FirstSpirit™ in the portal server, in particular with respect to maintaining a "single source" appearance. Here the "native" portal server-specific mechanisms are also used to automatically publish the content and navigation elements using the portal's current look & feel.

• Creation of Liferay "Web Content Articles" for FirstSpirit content
• Support of Liferay's "Asset Publisher"
• Import of FirstSpirit documents into the Liferay Document Library (reusable throughout the portal)

Advantage:

Even complex layout scenarios can be fully accommodated, always using the defined corporate design as a basis.

The editing process must not be compromised by this flexibility in the portal appearance. Editors continue their normal procedures for managing their content without being required to take publishing logic into account.

Displaying of editing content and embedding it in the current Liferay navigation is a challenging task from a technical standpoint. Here such aspects as

• Seamless optical integration,
• Support for any desired designs, and
• Hyperlink-capability through special portal links

are mandatory features that make the added value of the integration solution plausible. The important thing is that the user does not even notice this technical complexity: The simplicity of the content management and optimal usability are the anchor points for FirstSpirit™ product development and are characteristic of the CMS.

Advantage:

An editor can focus entirely on the creation and management of his content without any portal know-how. Thus, for example, a link can be placed on another page easily and simply using a tree selection screen even though the portal references being generated in the background in Liferay are in fact rather elaborate technically. Here FirstSpirit™ ensures link consistency even in cases where the referenced element changes location.

Layout creation is also handled by FirstSpirit™ through its powerful template engine, while maintaining thorough conformity with the portal and without the editor being required to take this into account.

A truly deep portal integration of a CMS with the Liferay Portal Server stands or falls with the elegant integration of content into the portal's own navigation structure. For that reason, FirstSpirit™ generates "native" portal navigations.

Advantage:

Administratively generated Liferay portal menu items and content menu items from FirstSpirit™ are indistinguishable both from a visual and a technical standpoint. This automatically makes it possible to utilize all of the standard functionalities for FirstSpirit™ content as well, such as:

• Use of "Friendly URLs"
• Definition of Liferay meta tags
• Use of Liferay keywords

The Liferay portal server offers an ingenious user-, privilege-, and role administration feature which enables a personalized display of content and applications. FirstSpirit™ supports the privilege- and role management of the Liferay Portal by reusing the existing authorization structure. This way it is possible for editors to specify read privileges for content while the portal server checks for compliance with the runtime authorizations for each user.

Advantage:

Through the reuse of the portal infrastructure in the area of safety and authorizations, redundant data storage for users and roles is avoided while at the same time all management of privileges for content can be performed by editors in FirstSpirit™. Administrative interventions on the portal side are no longer required for authorization management.

The full capabilities of a company portal can always be realized when the work processes and editing content are optimally combined. To achieve this, FirstSpirit™ introduces a new role: the portal editor.

The portal editor not only has the option to create and manage traditional editing content, but at the same time can also position and configure applications (portlets) that are previously released by the portal administrator anywhere you like in the Liferay Portal directly with FirstSpirit™.

Advantage:

Portal applications and editing content can be freely combined and positioned by using FirstSpirit™. At the same time, the assignment of elements on the page can be specified by the FirstSpirit™ editor, as for example the selection of a single- or multi-column layout.

The portal administration process is thus enormously simplified because the integration of applications in the Liferay Portal, which is often undertaken for technical reasons, can be shifted to the portal editor in FirstSpirit™. Ultimately all content and applications in the portal can be comfortably managed by FirstSpirit™.