j2ee for oracle technologists
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TRANSCRIPT
Introduction to ADF Faces in JDeveloper 10g — Is it Oracle Forms
Developer Yet?
Peter KoletzkeTechnical Director & Principal Instructor
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Moi
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Vous• Forms development
– 1-2 years?– 3-9 years?– More than 9 years?
• Java development– 1-2 years?– 3-11 years?– More than 11 years?
• JDeveloper– 1-3 years?– More than 3 years?– 10.1.3?
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On the Positive Side…
If we do not find anything pleasant, at least
we shall find something new.
—Voltaire (1694-1778), Candide
Si nous ne trouvons pas des choses agréables, nous trouverons
du moins des choses nouvelles.
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Agenda
• Frameworks and ADF
• What is JSF?
• How does ADF Faces help?
• Is it Oracle Forms yet?
Rumor: There is a really good book about JDeveloper 10g for Forms Developers coming out
soon.
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What is a Framework?• Prebuilt architecture for solving a particular
problem– Provides a key service
• For example, Struts framework provides control of page flow in a web application
– Code library, development method, tools– An extension of good reusable code strategies
• Solve a problem once, use the code again in multiple projects
• Like an API
– Allows extensions• To replace or supplement functionality
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Benefits of a Framework• Promises increased productivity through code
reuse– Prebuilt code supplies functionality you would have
to build yourself• For example, connection layer to the database through
JDBC– You write less 3GL code
• Simplifies complexity of a high-level architecture– Complexity is hidden in the prebuilt code– Handles infrastructure and communication between
layers– You just hook into it
• Provides structure to the myriad number of technology combinations– The path to a particular goal is predefined
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Oracle Forms is a Framework
• It has key framework components– Code libraries (Forms runtime)– Documented methods (wizards and
editors)– Tools (Form Builder)
• Forms is a fast way to build a sophisticated user interface
• You can extend Forms (using Java)
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Oracle Application Development Framework (ADF)
• Attempt to meet the J2EE challenges– Lots of technology choices – No integrated tool– Database connectivity is difficult (JDBC)
• Available starting in JDeveloper 10g• A wrapper for other frameworks• An architecture with code libraries
– Implies a method and a tool
• Based on Model-View-Controller J2EE design pattern
Note: See Aug 2004 NoCOUG presentation for more about
ADF.
ViewView
ControllerController
ModelModel
Struts
ADF UIX
Swing visual aspect JSP
Swing model
ADF Bindings
ADF Data Controls
Application ClientWeb Client
Swing event
handlers
ADF JClient
ADF Architecture
Business ServicesBusiness Services
ADF Business Components
EJB Session Beans
Web Services Java Classes
JSF
JSF
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• Code layer for accessing data sources such as a database
• Responsibilities:– Persistence
• Data storage after the program ends
– Object-relational (OR) mapping• Translating database objects to object-oriented
structures
• Use this layer to code business logic
Business ServicesBusiness Services
ADF Business Components
EJB Session Beans
Web Services Java Classes
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• The main innovation of ADF!• Connects Business Services to the View layer
– Java local clients (heavy client)• Delivers data from Business Services to the View layer
– Web clients (light client)• Receives instructions from the Controller layer as requests
for data retrieval and updates
• ADF Data Controls– Interface components pre-bound to Model layer
• ADF Bindings– The method for accessing Model objects
ModelModelADF Bindings
ADF Data Controls
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• For web clients only• Determines what happens when user
submits page– Prepare next page to display– Can apply conditional logic– Can interact with data (Model)
• Struts - JDev 10g 9.0.5 and 10.1.2– Jakarta Project open source effort
• JavaServer Faces – JDev 10.1.3– Replaces Struts in JDev
ControllerController
Struts JSF
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• User interface technologies– Application client
• Java runtime on the client• Part of J2SE (standard edition)• Uses JClient framework to communicate with Model layer
– Web client• JavaServer Pages (JSP) technology
– J2EE standard, light-client, tag-based interface
• ADF UIX– Oracle-specific, XML-based interface
used by E-Business Suite applications
ViewView
ADF UIX
Swing visual aspect JSP
Swing model
Application ClientWeb Client
Swing event
handlers
ADF JClient JSF
• JavaServer Faces (JSF)– Java
community effort
– J2EE 1.5 (soon)
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Agenda
• Frameworks and ADF
• What is JSF?
• How does ADF Faces help?
• Is it Oracle Forms yet?
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Nothing Like a Good Drill
Man is a tool-using animal. ...
Without tools he is nothing,
with tools he is all.
—Thomas Carlyle (1751–1881), Sartor Resartus
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What is JSF?• JavaServer Faces technology• “New” technology (ratified JCP in 5/2004)
– Not part of J2EE yet– Offers reference implementation
• Effort to simplify JSP development– Component-ize it
• High-level components provide much functionality
– Integrate the controller• No Struts needed
– Write less HTML• Component handles HTML writing
• Development friendlier to Forms developers– Declarative programming
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JSF Features• Rich component set
– Core library – for application tasks– HTML library – for HTML tags, forms– JSP tag library included
• Can be implemented in other languages
– Include data binding properties
• Event-driven– Events on the component level– Think Forms triggers
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JSF Code• Can embed JSF in a “JSP page” (.jsp file)
– JSP tags and HTML tags
• Alternatively use a “JSP document” (.jspx file)
• JSF theoretically supports multiple client devices– Not dependent upon an HTML browser– Same code, different “render kit”– Current Reference Implementation
is JSP-only
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JSF Code Snippet<f:facet name="footer">
<af:panelButtonBar
binding="#{backing_Deptapp.panelButtonBar1}">
<af:commandButton
actionListener="#{bindings.First.invoke}"
action="First" text="First"
disabled="#{!bindings.First.enabled}"
binding="#{backing_Deptapp.commandButton1}"/>
<af:commandButton
actionListener="#{bindings.Previous.invoke}"
action="Previous" text="Previous"
disabled="#{!bindings.Previous.enabled}"
binding="#{backing_Deptapp.commandButton2}"/>
</af:panelButtonBar>
</f:facet>
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JSF Calling SequenceWeb Tier JVMBrowser
HTML
URL
JSF Servlet
Deptapp.jsp
HTML/JSP
JSF
Deptapp.class
Translate and compile
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Agenda
• Frameworks and ADF
• What is JSF?
• How does ADF Faces help?
• Is it Oracle Forms yet?
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ADF Faces• Oracle tag libraries
– Released to MyFaces open source project in Jan.– Available in JDeveloper 10.1.3
• Implements components available in UIX– UIX (User-Interface XML) is used in Oracle
Applications
• Adds even more functionality to JSF• Supports multiple platforms through “render
kits”– JSP document or page– Telnet– Wireless
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ADF Faces Features• Lots of Prebuilt stuff
– UI components• Master-detail
– Form-table, table-table, table-form, form-form
• Data navigation controls• Color picker• Button and link• Tab menu bar• Progress meter• Editable table, tree
– Layout objects – page, form, header– No need to manage images
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Some ADF Data Input Components
Text input
Tip item
Pulldown item
LOV item Read-only item
Date input with date
picker
Button
• Items include prompts• Bound to data model
object
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Some ADF Components
Tree
Shuttle
Tab menu bar with subtabs
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ADF Data Controls Using ADF Faces
Editable table
TeethSearch form
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Benefits of ADF Faces• “Smart” controls – partial page submit
– AJAX • Asynchronous JavaScript and XML• A.k.a., Partial Page Rendering
– JavaScript effects without JavaScript coding
• Support in JDeveloper– Drag and drop automatic binding– Property settings– Expression builders
Ajax provides a cleaner
user interface!
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Development Method
1. Create application workspace
2. Create Business Services and Model project
3. Create View and Controller project
4. Test and debug
• Use the same tools for development regardless of technology choices
Demo
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Agenda
• Frameworks and ADF
• What is JSF?
• How does ADF Faces help?
• Is it Oracle Forms yet?
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Short Answer
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It’s a Close Second• RAD for standard operations – a tie• RAD for complex functions – Forms slightly
ahead• Ease of extensions – ADF Faces
– 3GL is always present– Forms needs Java (PJCs)
• Highly interactive UI – Forms– Apples and oranges (light client vs. heavy client)
• ADF Faces is much better than plain vanilla HTML, though
• Prebuilt components – ADF Faces– Forms has 22 (8 of which are drawing shapes)– ADF Faces has nearly 100 (some are not visual)
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Other Comparisons
• Development experience– Forms = declarative and visual with some PL/SQL– ADF Faces = declarative and visual with some
Java (and Expression Language)
• Future– Forms’ future is solid – support to 2012
• Functionally stable, no new features• Still part of Oracle Applications (E-Business Suite)
– ADF Faces – very new technology• Likely to change much in short term• Nothing in J2EE lasts very long• J2EE is Oracle’s focus
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It is a Suggested Path
• JDeveloper is a J2EE tool– Supports any style of J2EE code– Less need to think about “plumbing”
• Before ADF Faces, little guidance for suggested path– “Productivity with
Choice”• The myth for Forms
developers
– How to choose?
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What Do You Need to Start?
• Language skills needed– Java is omnipresent
• But only at a scripting level• Still need a Java architect on the project
– XML is a handy skill• If you know “elements” and “attributes”, that’s
enough
– HTML is not really used in ADF Faces• Helps to know what an HTML table is
• ADF development method– ADF Business Components
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Can ADF Faces Help You?• It can help shops that have J2EE experts
– J2EE experts will be more productive– They need to learn the ADF process
• It can also help shops who have “traditional” non-J2EE Oracle developers– Forms and PL/SQL developers will be
productive with the declarative tools• With training, they can write Java extensions• Much of the complexity is hidden
– They need a J2EE expert to guide them and code the internal, complex stuff
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Summary• Frameworks help development
– Forms is a framework – Usually, not so easy for J2EE applications
• ADF is a framework and it also helps• ADF Faces comes close to Forms
– Nearly-equal productivity– Extremely rich component set– Support for declarative and visual programming– Requires a bit of ramp up time– It’s J2EE-compliant and you still
need a J2EE architect
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DesignerHandbook
DesignerHandbook
DeveloperAdvancedForms & Reports
DeveloperAdvancedForms & Reports
JDeveloper 3HandbookJDeveloper 3Handbook ORACLE9i
JDeveloperHandbook
• Founded in 1995 as Millennia Vision Corp.
• Profitable for 7+ years without outside funding
• Consultants each have 10+ years industry experience
• Strong High-Tech industry background• 200+ clients/300+ projects• JDeveloper Partner• More technical white papers and
presentations on the web site
http://www.quovera.com
Books co-authored with Dr. Paul Dorsey, Avrom Roy-Faderman, & Duncan Mills
Personal web site:http://ourworld.compuserve.com/ homepages/Peter_Koletzke
ORACLEJDeveloper 10gHandbook
Comingsoon