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User Guide
The information contained in this section applies to IBM WebSphere Commerce Version 7.0.0.9 and Feautre Pack 8. The documentation also applies to all subsequent releases and modifications until otherwise indicated in new editions.
Developing
The topics in the Developing section describe tasks performed by an application developer.
Presentation layer
WebSphere Commerce uses Java Server Pages (JSP) to implement the view layer of the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern. The view layer is in charge of retrieving data from the database through the use of data beans and formatting it to meet the display requirements. The view layers determines whether the request is sent to a browser or streamed out as XML. JSP files present a clean separation between data content and presentation.
WebSphere Commerce integration with WebSphere Portal
You can integrate WebSphere Commerce, a Business Application Service with WebSphere Portal, an Interaction Service. The Interaction Service provides core portal services (WebSphere Portal) that aggregate applications and content and deliver them as role-based applications. The Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) pattern is used for communication, mediation, transformation and integration with external systems. Using an ESB to integrate the Web services exposed from WebSphere Commerce to the WebSphere Portal promotes a loosely coupled design where the ESB manages the interactions styles between the WebSphere Commerce services and the presentation layer. You do not need to alter your presentation layer to support the protocol and format used by the WebSphere Commerce services. Instead, you rely on the ESB to perform tasks such as message transformation and protocol mediation. Neither WebSphere Commerce nor WebSphere Portal needs to change in order to communicate with one another. The ESB is used to act as an interpreter between the two systems and will translate the messages into a format the receiving system understands.
WebSphere Commerce Portal integration architecture
WebSphere Commerce supports multiple presentations layers; you can use an appropriate presentation layer based on your business requirements. For example, if your business processes are represented by WebSphere Commerce business logic and data, then Struts is an appropriate choice for your presentation layer. However, if you want to aggregate business processes from WebSphere Commerce with those from other (not WebSphere Commerce) applications, then it is appropriate to use WebSphere Portal for the presentation layer.

WebSphere Commerce Portal integration architecture

WebSphere Commerce supports multiple presentations layers; you can use an appropriate presentation layer based on your business requirements. For example, if your business processes are represented by WebSphere Commerce business logic and data, then Struts is an appropriate choice for your presentation layer. However, if you want to aggregate business processes from WebSphere Commerce with those from other (not WebSphere Commerce) applications, then it is appropriate to use WebSphere Portal for the presentation layer.

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Both the Struts and WebSphere Portal presentation layers follow the model view controller (MVC) design pattern. The consequent separation of the presentation logic and the business logic enables a Web designer to develop the presentation layer at the same time as an application developer implements business logic.

In the Struts framework, a browser request is routed to a servlet that acts as a controller. Using local Java calls, the controller calls the model for processing. The controller then dispatches the appropriate view to render data. The model encapsulates all business logic implemented using the command pattern. The JSP pages retrieve data from the database using data beans, then format the output.

In the WebSphere Portal framework, the browser request is routed to a portlet that acts as a controller. The portlet calls client libraries (Java classes). The client library sends a service request to WebSphere Commerce business logic for processing. When the portlet renders the data, it dispatches it to a JSP page in the portlet container. The JSP pages use tags that delegate to the client libraries to retrieve data from the WebSphere Commerce system.

Samples are provided to demonstrated how to use portlets with WebSphere Commerce.