Patent ID: 7788340

Claim:
A method for configuring a plurality of portlets for detecting events, the method comprising: parsing a configuration file stored on a computer readable storage medium by a server, wherein the configuration file defines portlet specific event files, global portal event files, a filter and a handler for each event; whereupon parsing the configuration file, the server employs the portlet specific event files to associate a portlet specific response with an event for each of the plurality of portlets by specifying the handler for the event, employs the global portal event files to include event management instructions utilized by each of the plurality of portlets, wherein the configuration file includes priority information for managing conflicts between the global portal event files and the portlet specific event files, generates the handler for the event, the event indicating a change in a web portal environment, wherein the handler includes an event identifier of the event, and creates the filter, the filter indicating whether one of the plurality of portlets on the server responds to the event; detecting a performance of the event; filtering the event as defined in the filter, wherein each filtered event triggers a notification; transmitting to one of the plurality of portlets the notification for each filtered event, the notification including a notification identifier corresponding to the filtered event; detecting a conflict between the portlet specific event files and the global portal event files, and using the priority information to resolve the conflict; matching the notification identifier with the event identifier, wherein the one of the plurality of portlets is configured to perform the portlet specific response to the filtered event upon matching the identifiers, the portlet specific response indicating an action to be taken by the portlet in response to the event; and wherein performing the portlet specific response to the filtered event by the one of the plurality of portlets triggers a second event for a second portlet such that the second portlet performs the response associated with the second event.