Best Practices for setting the number of Portal sections loaded at a time
What is lazy loading?
Lazy loading is a common web page feature that improves performance by only loading the parts of the page that the user can see. More loading occurs as needed, such as when the user scrolls further down the page.
In Portal, all tabs are loaded individually and only when the user opens the specific tab. Sections will now load three at a time until the user’s view is full. As the user scrolls through the portal, sections will continue to load three at a time.
Why was lazy loading implemented?
Lazy loading was implemented to address three main issues:
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Page timeouts from very complex conditional logic: By only loading three at a time, higher complexity conditional logic can be used as the portal is no longer trying to evaluate every section's conditions in the same process.
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Page timeouts from heavy traffic: When a Portal is under heavy traffic, on decision day, for example, more frequent smaller size loads prevent the portal from struggling under load. Performance is most impacted when many long-running loads are running from many users simultaneously.
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Faster initial load time: Users can start interacting with content at the top of the Portal faster.
Why are three sections the default number to load?
For lazy load to have the intended impact, the number of sections loaded per time must be small. Three sections will, on average, fill the page with new information.
Should I change this?
We do not recommend changing this. Any increase in the number of sections per load will increase the chances of page timeouts with complex section conditions and heavy traffic. Decreases to the sections per load will increase overall load times but provide more protection from timeouts during periods of heavy usage.
What if I encounter issues with my portal?
- Users are not interacting with the bottom sections in a portal:
Your most important information and calls to action should be in the upper sections of a portal. Users are less likely to take actions farther down the page, regardless of lazy loading.
- Load speeds are slower:
In the case of portals with thirty or more sections where many of the sections are hidden for the user, load speeds can appear slower. It is recommended to condense as many conditional sections into individual sections as possible (if a user will only see section A or Section B, the sections can be combined). If this does not help, the number of sections per load can be increased to reduce overall load times, but with the greater risk of timeout when the portal is under heavy load.