Thursday 16 October 2014

PeopleSoft Interwindow Communication

What is Interwindow Communication?

     Interwindow Communication (IWC) is a frame to frame messaging event  which enables field change as  they occur in the same browser window e.g. communication between different pages.     IWC can work in the same pagelet or in different pagelets.Pagelet can work as subscriber or publisher for some other pagelet.


Business Benefits
  •  Allow pagelets to pagelet interaction with each other  in Homepage/Dashboard,WorkCenter and Pivot Grid.
  • No Application designer changes involved
  •   A business analyst  can specify the fields required for using as subscriber or published
  •    Not dependent on Related Content, Workcenter or Integration Broker. 
    Sample Business Scenarios
  •      Recruiters can create IWC pagelets for applicants - like updating the candidate status will immediately reflect in the dashboard.
  •      Managers can create IWC pagelets for employees. There will be no need to change the values  again  and again in different pagelets, for viewing employee data like employee absence  request will immediately update the balances and can be seen on the dashboard.
     Development Pre Requisites:
  •      Pagelets should be registered in the current portal system.
  •      Pivot grids should be published as pagelets.
  •      Get the HTML Field Name for Publishing and subscribing field.
           As can be seen in the figure below the HTML Field Name is: RECRUITER_ID.


      Users can manually define the HTML field name of PeopleSoft fields in Page Field Edit Box Properties- General Tab


      Configuring IWC for Workcenter/Homepage/Dashboard

    1.1)     Configure IWC for publishing message.
                  Go to IWC Configuration Page.
                  Navigation: Main Menu>Peopletools >Portal>Interwindow Communication
                  Or alternate way to access IWC page is
                  Navigation: Main Menu>Portal>Structure and Content
                  


       HTML Field name should be same as what we got during inspect element.

1.2)   Configure IWC for Subscribing   message


     Configuring Workcenter for Pivot Grids

   2.1)  Configuring IWC for publishing pivot grids
            Navigation: Main Menu>Peopletools >Portal>Interwindow Communication
            Add a new value for pivot grid pagelet.



 2.2)   Configuring IWC for subscribing pivot grids
          Navigation: Main Menu>Peopletools >Portal>Interwindow Communication
          Add a new value for pivot grid pagelet.


       IWC is ready for test.
              
        Above diagram shows that based on the filter values selected in Frame: Kovaion IWC Test, Pivot      grid got updated in Frame: IWC Test
     
    
       Above diagram shows that based on the value selected in frame: Kovaion Interwindow Comm1, grid   in the second frame: Kovaion Interwindow Comm2 got populated with Job ID details.

      Best Practices:
  •      While creating PS query with prompts, always provide unique text id.
  •      Provide page field name in edit box properties will make the work easier while configuring IWC.

       Limitations:
  •     A subscribing pagelet should be completely loaded before it consumes a publishing message
  •     Works for fields at level zero only.

Author,
Madhur Mohini
Kovaion -Peoplesoft Consulting Practice