JBuilder 2008 Introduces Application Factories - game changing technology that dramatically reduces the complexity of real world Java development The JBuilder 2008 story doesn't end with a few new features or a handful of improvements; CodeGear has reinvented the Java IDE with the introduction of Application Factories. Application Factories offers a new approach to software development and code reuse which can best be described as an application-centric methodology. This innovative development metaphor, and the associated collection of tools which are now part of JBuilder 2008, allows developers to focus more on the nature and purpose of the application, and less on the underlying platform, framework, and technologies being used.
Supporting Application Factories, JBuilder 2008 has a collection of tools to record the developer's intent as an application is being created so that the workings of the code can be easily ascertained at a later date. And while Application Factories will certainly yield higher levels of productivity during the development of an application, one of the biggest benefits may come when that application has to be modified or enhanced, which frequently is long after the original thought behind the application can be captured, or maybe even after the original developer is available to work on the project again. This is because the metadata created by the Application Factories tool sets, which stays attached to the code when it is created, can be opened by any subsequent developer to understand the context and purpose of code snippets, methods, and classes which are part of the application.
JBuilder 2008 comes with pre-built application modules including end-to-end data-aware Web application modules for Struts 2, Spring MVC, and JSF, an e-commerce application module, and template application modules for PetStore and Book Store.
Each of the following screencasts cover different aspects of JBuilder 2008’s Application Factory capabilities. To watch a presentation, download the zip file, extract it to your hard drive, and run it using the HTML file mentioned in each section below. We recommend that you watch the presentations in the order listed.
These screencasts were created with Camtasia and were rendered using Flash (SWF) format.
1) Introduction to Application Factories
Ravi introduces Application Factories, gives you a tour of the facilities inside the JBuilder 2008 IDE, answers the questions “What are Application Factories?” and “Why should you care?” After the overview, the presentation focuses on Application Factory Modules, Application Navigation & Organization, Logic Capture, and Module Export.
Download: http://video.codegear.com/jbuilder/2008/Presentation1-Intro.zip (134mb)
Presentation HTML file: intro3-new.html
Duration: 21 minutes, 25 seconds
2) Working with Tags and Diagrams
Ravi continues the Application Factories video series showing how to work with Tags and Application Diagrams. Tags and Application Diagrams allow easy navigation to facets of your application, and provide filtered views of project resources.
Download: http://video.codegear.com/jbuilder/2008/Presentation2-TagsAndApplicationDiagram.zip (65.9mb)
Presentation HTML file: TagsAndApplicationDiagram.html
Duration: 10 minutes, 9 seconds
3) Application Factories Scripting
Ravi focuses this Application Factories video on automation within an Application Factory using Scripting. Covered in this video is “the purpose of scripting” and “how to build scripts”. Scripts allow you to perform various application-specific tasks in an Application Factory. Application Factory scripting uses JavaScript and is built on top of Eclipse Monkey.
Download: http://video.codegear.com/jbuilder/2008/Presentation3-Scripts.zip (178mb)
Presentation HTML file: allinone.html
Duration: 20 minutes, 35 seconds
4) Data Aware Application Modules
In this fourth video, Ravi focuses on using “Data Aware Web Application Modules”. JBuilder 2008 includes three Application Factories for data aware web applications: Struts2, SpringMVC, and JSF. These modules are built on top of the AppFuse open source framework. Ravi demonstrates using the Struts Data Aware module to build an application. JBuilder 2008 also includes a BookStore reusable module built using the base JSF Data Aware Application Factory module.
Download: http://video.codegear.com/jbuilder/2008/Presentation4-DataAwareApp.zip (14.9mb)
Presentation HTML file: DataAwareApp.html
Duration: 9 minutes, 55 seconds
5) PetStore Template Module
Application Factory modules come in three flavors: “Bottom Up”, “Top Down” and “Template”. “Bottom Up” modules can be used as starting points for building applications. “Top Down” modules are full featured applications that you can customize to your needs and also add new features and capabilities. “Template” (or example) modules are somewhere in the middle between “Bottom Up” and “Top Down” modules. In this video Ravi showcases the Java PetStore template module.
Download: http://video.codegear.com/jbuilder/2008/Presentation5-PetStore.zip (17.7mb)
Presentation HTML file: PetStore.html
Duration: 8 minutes, 18 seconds
6) Eclipse MonkeyDom Module
This video takes a look at a different type of module, an Eclipse Plugin as a module. The “Eclipse Monkey DOM Plugin Factory” helps you create a skeleton Eclipse Plugin. The video shows how to follow the module’s detailed cheat sheet to create script code to guide Plugin creation.
Download: http://video.codegear.com/jbuilder/2008/Presentation6-MonkeyDom.zip (37.9mb)
Presentation HTML file: monkeydom.html
Duration: 3 minutes, 41 seconds
7) ECommerce Application Module
8) Producing and Consuming a Module for the Google YouTube API
9) End to End scripting for a pre-existing application
In this video, Ken walks through the process of script authoring. One script re-creates the skeleton of an application based on the Swing Application Framework. The second script is used to add features to the skeleton UI.
Download: http://video.codegear.com/jbuilder/2008/AF-End-to-End-Scripting.zip (136mb)
Presentation HTML file: AF-End-to-End-Scripting.html
Duration: 26 minutes, 58 seconds
10) Feature Introduction – the Script view
11) Feature Introduction - Adding Script UI elements
12) Feature Introduction – using Scripts to modify files
13) Feature introduction – the Recipe Editor
14) Feature introduction – Tags
15) Feature introduction – Focus
In this video, Helen showcases the focusing features for JBuilder 2008’s Application Factories. Focusing features are based on the Eclipse Mylyn implementation for tasks. Focusing allows you to limit the project workspace view to the resources that are associated with each Tag.
Download: http://video.codegear.com/jbuilder/2008/FeatureIntro-focus.zip (29.3mb)
Presentation HTML file: FeatureIntro-focus.html
Duration: 5 minutes, 48 seconds
16) Feature introduction – Archeology
In this video, Helen talks about the archeology features included in JBuilder 2008’s Application Factories. Archeology, in terms of Application Factories, is any project data (files edited, files deleted or added, etc) that we can get about a script run.
Download: http://video.codegear.com/jbuilder/2008/FeatureIntro-archeology.zip (3.79mb)
Presentation HTML file: FeatureIntro-archeology.html
Duration: 6 minutes, 34 seconds
