Re: [SPAM] Re: Google Widget Toolkit and OFBiz Widget module

[Jonathon -- Improov <jo...@improov.com>]

BJ,

You mean get OFBiz Widget module to generate Java UIs (SWT)? Won't be easy.

What we can do is craft a few Java-based "connector" classes to talk between Java UI and server. 
The current "form-to-server interface" is http and ajax, we should reuse that. Just a matter of 
compiling the parameters and contexts, and firing it through RequestHandler.

We could even consider that an interim measure for now, and create a JavaFormHandler that is a 
counterpart to the RequestHandler. "Counterpart" meaning it is not on same level as say 
JavaEventHandler, but 1 level higher.

The only question now: Do we urgently need to get OFBiz Widget to support Java UIs? Is that a 
popular need?

Jonathon

BJ Freeman wrote:
> I have a tool that creates SWT code.
> the problem with JAVA based UI is that the application runs on the
> client not the web server. So a interface has to be written to
> communication with the ofbiz.
> 
> Where I am going with this, is the Widgets xml is converted already in
> ofbiz. So I would liked to see more functionality built into the
> widgets, where possible, instead of having redundant functionality, in
> some other form.
> 
> For Java UI applications, I would like to see a standard interface
> fleshed out for communication to Ofbiz. Then each developer can use
> his/her favorite UI code to build on.
> 
> 
> 
> David Goodenough sent the following on 4/24/2007 8:24 AM:
>> I have not looked in detail, but given that OfBiz has an abstract
>> definition of the UI and the processing it should be possible to
>> have an xslt transform that generates a set of GWT java source that
>> can be compiled and then used by the browser.  Doing it dynamically
>> would not seem sensible, but the code only needs to be regenerated
>> when the UI definition changes.
>>
>> David
>>
>> On Tuesday 24 April 2007 16:11, Chris Howe wrote:
>>> In that case, what would be the likelihood of being able to create a
>>> renderer for it?
>>>
>>> --- David Goodenough <da...@linkchoose.co.uk> wrote:
>>>> Tim,
>>>>
>>>> I am not at all sure what you mean by "tight coupling with the HTML".
>>>> As you never (or should never) write any HTML as part of the GWT code
>>>> this makes no sense.  Yes the GWT controls are mapped to HTML, but
>>>> you
>>>> can make your own controls quite easily, and integrate them into the
>>>> GWT framework so you are not limited to what simple HTML widgets can
>>>> do.
>>>>
>>>> But I am merely a bystander when it comes to OfBiz, so it is for
>>>> others
>>>> to decide.  What I was reacting to was the thought that getting
>>>> Javascript
>>>> expertise into OfBiz might be difficult, and so doing things in Java
>>>> makes
>>>> a lot of sense.  Personally I find Javascript to be a problematic
>>>> language,
>>>> it is very powerful, almost too powerful - you can almost redefine
>>>> the
>>>> language as you go along - but being interpreted and not type safe in
>>>> the
>>>> way that Java is makes it a much more difficult language to use well.
>>>>
>>>> David
>>>>
>>>> On Tuesday 24 April 2007 14:39, Tim Ruppert wrote:
>>>>> David, we did a number of pilots with GWT (and other frameworks) in
>>>>> OFBiz and were much happier with the dojo toolkit.  The GWT, while
>>>>> having the bonus of being able to do everything in java, also
>>>>> required a bit more of a tight coupling with the HTML - which in my
>>>>> mind - made it less desirable.
>>>>>
>>>>> JSON is there in case you can show us all a better way of handling
>>>>> it!  Hope that helps.
>>>>>
>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>> Tim
>>>>> --
>>>>> Tim Ruppert
>>>>> HotWax Media
>>>>> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>>>>>
>>>>> o:801.649.6594
>>>>> f:801.649.6595
>>>>>
>>>>> On Apr 24, 2007, at 7:06 AM, David Goodenough wrote:
>>>>>> Jonathon,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Probably the best approach would be to write an xslt script which
>>>>>> would
>>>>>> parse the OfBiz XML descriptors and generate skeleton code which
>>>> could
>>>>
>>>>>> then be subclassed to put in specific processing (it may be
>>>>>> possible to
>>>>>> generate the whole thing, I have not looked closely enough).  I
>>>> am
>>>>
>>>>>> thinking
>>>>>> of something like the juic system used by QtJambi - the new Java
>>>>>> binding
>>>>>> for Qt that Trolltech have currently in beta (juic was actually
>>>>>> originally
>>>>>> part of kdebindings but that is another story).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It may sound odd, but actually it is best not to think about HTML
>>>> and
>>>>
>>>>>> Javascript when coding GWT, it just complicates things.  You can
>>>>>> include
>>>>>> explicit HTML or Javascript if necessary, but it is better to
>>>> start
>>>>
>>>>>> from
>>>>>> the position of doing it natively in GWT.  It may be necessary
>>>> (or
>>>>
>>>>>> desirable)
>>>>>> to write some GWT code to emulate specific OfBiz widgets, I have
>>>>>> not looked
>>>>>> closely enough to find out.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> David
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Tuesday 24 April 2007 13:22, Jonathon -- Improov wrote:
>>>>>>> David,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Seems to me the GWT will generate both the HTML (events) and the
>>>>>>> Javascript
>>>>>>> (event handlers). Is that correct? If so, I'd have to somehow
>>>>>>> translate the
>>>>>>> HTML output to OFBiz widgets. Still, GWT's support for coding in
>>>>>>> Java is
>>>>>>> cool.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Yes, OFBiz supports JSON (via json-lib). I've been using it
>>>> often
>>>>
>>>>>>> in Ajax
>>>>>>> work with OFBiz.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Jonathon
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> David Goodenough wrote:
>>>>>>>> You ask about whether there are Javascript experts around.  Of
>>>>>>>> course
>>>>>>>> if you were to use GWT (Google Widget Toolkit), you do the
>>>>>>>> programming
>>>>>>>> in Java and it is translated into Javascript.  That way you get
>>>>>>>> all the
>>>>>>>> strict typing of Java but the implementation on the browser
>>>> without
>>>>
>>>>>>>> addons.  GWT is of course now entirely open source and
>>>> integrated
>>>>
>>>>>>>> into
>>>>>>>> Eclipse quite easily.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> As I read it much of what is needed for using GWT is already
>>>>>>>> present in
>>>>>>>> Ofbiz, GWT can use JSON as its comms protocol and I think I am
>>>>>>>> right in
>>>>>>>> saying that JSON is supported by Ofbiz.  You could use SOAP but
>>>>>>>> JSON is
>>>>>>>> lighter weight and as the execution environment is javascript
>>>> is
>>>>
>>>>>>>> the more
>>>>>>>> native protocol.  GWT does have its own RPC protocol as well,
>>>> in
>>>>
>>>>>>>> which
>>>>>>>> case you would have to write the server end in its environment,
>>>>>>>> but there
>>>>>>>> is no requirement to use it, JSON (or even native HTTP) will do
>>>>>>>> perfectly
>>>>>>>> well.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> David
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On Tuesday 24 April 2007 04:33, Jonathon -- Improov wrote:
>>>>>>>>> I was actually looking to pump in my enhancements to the
>>>> Widget
>>>>
>>>>>>>>> module.
>>>>>>>>> I've incorporated some Ajax-facilitating or Ajax-related
>>>> features
>>>>
>>>>>>>>> directly into the Widget module, so I won't have to do HUGE
>>>> .ftl
>>>>
>>>>>>>>> (s).
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Imagine being able to use and reuse a widget-screen for 2 (or
>>>> more)
>>>>
>>>>>>>>> purposes: non-ajax operation and ajax operation (pulling down
>>>>>>>>> various
>>>>>>>>> sub-sub-parts of the screen).
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> In general, I was able to make all listings screens (with the
>>>>>>>>> Prev/Next
>>>>>>>>> hrefs) load via Ajax.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> But be warned that this Ajax approach, if carried further,
>>>> could
>>>>
>>>>>>>>> hark
>>>>>>>>> back to those times when you programmed Java AWTs for rich UIs
>>>>>>>>> (events
>>>>>>>>> and concurrency). Except there's lots of javascript involved
>>>> in
>>>>
>>>>>>>>> this
>>>>>>>>> case, not Java, and bad news is there's no concurrency
>>>> controls in
>>>>
>>>>>>>>> javascript. Which means, prepare to get wickedly good at
>>>>>>>>> acrobatics in
>>>>>>>>> javascript (obscure acquired taste, really), or deal with the
>>>>>>>>> potential
>>>>>>>>> mess and meltdown. Please let me know if there's any experts
>>>> in
>>>>
>>>>>>>>> javascript OO and programming here.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I'm willing to help with Ajax-ing OFBiz. Just let me know if
>>>> the
>>>>
>>>>>>>>> "nice
>>>>>>>>> addition" Andrew's talking about will go into Opentaps or
>>>> OFBiz,
>>>>
>>>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>>>> I'll follow. I only need to know if there's any anti-trust
>>>> case
>>>>
>>>>>>>>> against
>>>>>>>>> the body I'm contributing to.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Jonathon
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Andrew Zeneski wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> This sounds like it will be a nice addition to OFBiz, I can't
>>>>>>>>>> wait to
>>>>>>>>>> see the progress!
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Andrew
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> On Apr 23, 2007, at 4:59 PM, Si Chen wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> If there are any developers interested in working on a CRM
>>>>>>>>>>> system,
>>>>>>>>>>> we're looking for more help here at Open Source Strategies.
>>>>>>>>>>> We have
>>>>>>>>>>> both full-time openings and part-time paid opportunities,
>>>> and
>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> you can
>>>>>>>>>>> work from home and set your own hours.  You'll have a chance
>>>>>>>>>>> to work
>>>>>>>>>>> with us on a combination of client projects, our open source
>>> === message truncated ===
>>
>>
> 
>