The following steps assume that ConcourseSuite CRM has been deployed and that you want to tightly couple a portlet with the CRM.

The integrated portlets have access to the ConcourseSuite CRM database as well as the CRM application, system, and user objects. This allows the portlets to access key framework items and redirect to crm modules, something that is difficult with jsr-168 alone. This approach enables delivering a single application with embedded portlets that work on the CRM with supported web application servers.

Register the portlet for use with ConcourseSuite CRM

1. Add the contents of your portlet's web.xml file to the main web.xml file. You will see loads of examples of portlet deployment declarations there. (we are working with Tomcat 7 so that this requirement will no longer be necessary in a future CRM release)
2. Add the contents of your portlet's portlet.xml file to the main portlet.xml file. Again you will see many examples of this in the portlet.xml file.
3. If you want your portlet to be user-managable through the web interface, then add an entry for your portlet to icelet_(your language).xml file. You'll see examples in the existing icelet...xml file. This step is not required for typical portlets.
4. Explode your portlet's war file someplace. You'll need to copy every dependency for your portlet to the webapp directory. Following are the steps:
1. Copy all the JSPs to their proper location under the Tomcat root directory for the web app.
2. Copy all the libraries that your portlet needs to the WEB-INF/lib directory of the web app. You're on your own at resolving any class loader issues that get introduced by the inclusion of your portlet's libraries in the CRM classpath.
3. Copy your portlet's classes into the webapps WEB-INF/classes directory. That directory does not exist by default. Your portlet introduces it to the Tomcat class loader mechanism. (or use a .jar and place in WEB-INF/lib which does exist)
5. Startup Tomcat
6. If you registered your portlet for management by an Admin, log in as an administrator and go the to the Admin module where you must add your portlet to a dashboard or some custom tabs for a module.