smart client development with rcp

8/2/2019 Smart Client Development With RCP

1/38

2005 by IBM; made available under the EPL v1.0 | September 2005 | IBM Corporation

Nick Edgar and Pascal Rapicault

IBM Rational SoftwareOttawa, Ontario

Eclipse Platform Committers

To contact us: news://news.eclipse.org/eclipse.platform.rcp

Smart Client development

with the Eclipse Rich Client Platform


2/38

2 Smart Client Development with Eclipse RCP 2005 by IBM; made available under the EPL v1.0

What is Eclipse RCP?

Rich Client Platform

A Platform for building Client applications with Rich functionality

Eclipse is open-source, free

A Brief History of RCP

Eclipse 2.1 (2003): Eclipse is an IDE platform. Hackers (aka smart people) in the

eclipse community started building non-IDE apps based on Eclipse IDE technology.

Eclipse 3.0 (2004): We made this real by:

factoring out the IDE-specific aspects from the workbench

you get a blank slate: an empty workbench

but with a very rich set of features to fill it with

RCP-specific APIs for configuration and lifecycle notification integrating with the new OSGi runtime

cleaning up dependencies in other components (e.g. Help and Update)

Eclipse 3.1 (2005): improved tooling, some new APIs


3/38


What is in RCP?

While the Eclipse Platform is designed to serve as an open tools platform, it

is architected so that its components can be used to build just about anyclient application. The minimal set of plug-ins needed to build a rich clientapplication is collectively known as the Rich Client Platform.

A subset of the full Platform There are other subsets


4/38


Characteristics of a Smart Client Application

Desktop app (not in web browser)

Run on multiple platforms, devices, and configurations Rich UI with consistent metaphors

Tight integration with desktop OS (e.g. DnD, System Tray)

Easy deployment and server-centric management -> lower TCO

Makes use of local filesystem and other devices (printer, card reader)

Makes use of server-side resources and data too

Reduced round trips to the server

Responsive UI

Occasionally disconnected operation

Securely caching data, knowing when to invalidate

Indicating potentially stale data to user

?


5/38


Example RCP apps

Highlighting Smart aspects


6/38


IBM Workplace Client Technology, Client Administrator

Dynamic, user-based provisioningLocked-down desktopStrong security requirementsRestricted customizability


7/38


Maestro NASA Space Mission Management

Responsive UIOpen Platform for space mission monitoring

Bringing together different teams in NASA/JPL


8/38


Eclipse Technologies in action

RCP components (base and optional) by theme:

OSGi and Runtime

UI

SWT, JFace, Workbench, Text, Forms, GEF

User Assistance

Help, Intro, Cheat Sheets

Deployment

JNLP, Update Manager

Modeling

EMF

Reporting

BIRT Tooling (PDE, VE, WTP) Demo app and discussion

Look for the Smart icon:


9/38


Runtime Component Model

OSGi: Open System Gateway Initiative

Runtime: Extension / extension point model


10/38


OSGi Open System Gateway Initiative

Named, versioned bundles

Dependency management

Explicit imports/exports

Built-in security

Dynamic

References- www.osgi.org

- www.eclipse.org/equinox

Independent industry standard

Has become popular in cell phone system

management and other areas

These are exactly the characteristics wewant for advanced Smart Clients

Brings modularity to Java



11/38


Runtime: Extension / extension point model

Declarative extensibility mechanism

The extension-point defines the contract (markup and code) for the extensions

Metaphor: disc spindle



12/38


UI Components

SWT - Standard Widget Toolkit

JFace Framework providing higher-level UI abstractions Workbench Provides reusable and extensible UI metaphors

Text - Framework(s) for building high-function text editors UI Forms - Framework for building forms-based views and editors GEF - Framework for building rich graphical editors


13/38


SWT - Standard Widget Toolkit Platform-independent native widget toolkit

UI Components


14/38


JFace

Framework on top of SWT providing higher-level UI abstractions

Application window: menu bar, tool bar, content area & status line

Viewers (MVC pattern)

Actions, action bars (abstracts menu items, tool items)

Preference and wizard framework

UI Components


15/38


Workbench Defines reusable andextensible UI metaphors

Leverages extension point mechanismand JFace abstractions.

Provides:-Views-Editors-Action sets-Perspectives

-Wizards-Preference pages-Commands and Key Bindings-Undo/Redo support-Presentations and Themes-Activities (aka Capabilities)

-

Is Dynamic-aware: responds toregistry changes and adds/removesviews, action sets, etc. accordingly

UI Components


16/38


document infrastructure

text manipulation through text edits positions and linked position manager

template support

projection (aka folding) support

source viewer framework

provides Text-, SourceViewer and SourceViewerConfiguration concept of annotations, annotations painter, hovers

concept of content assist

incremental syntax coloring (presentation reconciler)

incremental outline update (model reconciler)

formatter infrastructure

text editor framework

leverages source viewer framework for use in workbench editors

provides AbstractTextEditor

no concrete editor is provided

UI Components

Text Framework(s) for building high-function text editors


17/38


UI Forms

Form consisting of multiple FormParts

Extra widgets:

FormText (marked-up text)

ScrolledForm

Section

MasterDetailsBlock

Extra layouts:

TableWrapLayout (HTML-like)

ColumnLayout (newspaper-like)

Flat look, lightweight borders

Forms-based multi-page editor

Used extensively in PDE

UI Components

Framework for building forms-based views and editors


18/38


GEF (Graphical Editor Framework)

Draw2D - structured graphics drawing framework

Graphical editor framework:

MVC architecture

Undo/Redo support

Palette and common toolsfor manipulating objects

Integration with Propertiesand Outline view

UI Components

Framework for building rich graphical editors


19/38


User Assistance Components

Eclipse Help - Help UI on top of an extensible help content model

Intro support Provides the welcome experience for your product Cheat sheets Provides guidance through complex tasks


20/38


Eclipse Help

HTML and XML based system

Context-sensitive (F1) help Dynamic content generation Search engine Dynamic-aware Highly scalable (used on ibm.com)

!

"#$

%&&%&'

%

plugin.xml guide.xml

Help UI

User interface and dialogs

Help CoreAPI to access the documents

User Assistance

Help UI on top of an extensible help content model


21/38


Eclipse Help UI

User Assistance


22/38


Intro support

Provides the welcome experience for your product

HTML / CSS or

SWT / Forms based

Can run actions todrive the UI

User Assistance

Full mode: Standby

mode:


23/38


Cheat sheets

Guides the user through a series

of complex tasks to achieve a goal

Content written in XML

Can run actions to drive the UI

User Assistance


24/38


Lifecycle issues

Deployment and Update (Update Manager, Web Start)

Modeling (EMF) Reporting (BIRT)

Security Tooling


25/38


Updating your application

Feature-based

Bundle-based

Update UIReusable dialogs

Update CoreAPIs to programmatically update

OSGi APILowest level API to install/update plug-ins

Deployment and Update


26/38


Updating your application Update UI

Reference- Eclipse.org article: How to Keep Up To Date (D. Glozic and D. Birsan)



27/38


Eclipse and Java Web Start

RCP apps can be Java Web Started

PDE Feature Export helpswith JAR signingand creating JNLP manifests



28/38


EMF (Eclipse Modeling Framework)

Input models can come from: by hand (using EMF model editor and Properties view)

from some existing design (e.g. UML from RAD or EclipseUML)

from annotated Java interfaces

some serialization schema (e.g. XSD, WSDL)

generates efficient model code (incremental, non-destructive) efficient dynamic API for manipulating EMF objects and their metadata notification of changes to model objects (great for MVC) change recording and summarization serialization, e.g. to/from XML or XMI

lazy-loading of objects linked across different resources

understands: relationship arity, inverse relationships, strongcontainment vs simple reference

framework for model validation

Modeling

Code generation from modelsSupports model-driven development


29/38


EMF (Eclipse Modeling Framework)

can generate supporting adapters for:

showing EMF models in JFace viewers (with automatic update)

enabling command-based (undoable) editing

editing model objects in the Properties page

can generate templates for JUnit tests can even generate a complete

RCP app for editing instances

of your model(good for rapid prototyping)

Modeling


30/38


BIRT (Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools)

Reporting

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools based on Eclipse Initially focused on embedded reporting for Java developers Proposal has 4 initial projects

Data

Report Engine

GenerationServices

PresentationServices

EclipseReportDesigner

Report Design Engine

Web BasedReportDesigner

CustomReportDesigner

XMLReportDesign

ReportDocument

HTMLPDFPrintXML

Data Transform.Services

ChartingServices

CustomServices


31/38


Security

Eclipse can run under regular Java 2 security manager Can use regular Java 2 security mechanisms:

JAAS (JavaTM Authentication and Authorization Service)

JCE (JavaTM Cryptography Extension)

In addition, OSGi provides:

Bundle-level signing and permissions

Dynamic permissions (changing as system runs)

Can dynamically install/uninstall bundles based on users role or othercriteria

Current work in progress:

Adding fine-grained permissions to RCP plug-ins for strict sandboxing

Tool to analyze bundles for required permissions (on IBM alphaWorks)

Have particular security requirements? Please participate in Equinox.

Reference- eclipse.org/equinox - ongoing work on security, OSGi and other issues


32/38


PDE (Plug-in Development Environment)

Tooling

New plug-in project wizard

with templates


33/38


PDE contdProduct configuration and branding editor

Can easily test and export from here

Tooling


34/38


VE (Visual Editor)GUI builder and framework for creating GUI builders

Tooling


35/38


WTP (Web Tooling Project)Tools for developing Web and J2EE applications

Tooling


36/38


Demo and Discussion

Go Wild Travel (Adventure Builder RCP Client Example)


37/38


Summary

Eclipse RCP is ready for Smart Client development Our smarts are your smarts

rich set of components available for use in your smart client apps not just black box components -- many comprise open, extensible frameworks with

well-defined APIs and extension points

components are often layered:

e.g. Help has core content model and Help UI layers

e.g. Update has core headless update API and UI wizards and preferencepage

if UI as provided via black box usage is not sufficient, you can roll your own on topof lower level APIs

Your smarts are our smarts

Eclipse is an open-source project with a healthy community behind it.

Do participate!

Eclipse is a Platform, and can be used to build open-ended platforms in your

own domain, not just closed-form applications


38/38


Pointers Eclipse RCP home page, app gallery, and newsgroup

http://eclipse.org/rcp

http://eclipse.org/community/rcp.html

news://news.eclipse.org/eclipse.platform.rcp

Eclipse Series books

Eclipse Rich Client Platform by Jeff McAffer, Jean-Michel Lemieux

The Java Developer's Guide to Eclipse by Jim dAnjou et al

SWT: The Standard Widget Toolkit, Vol 1 by Steve Northover, Mike Wilson

Official Eclipse 3.0 FAQs by John Arthorne and Chris Laffra Other recent Eclipse Projects and Proposals (http://eclipse.org/proposals/)

BIRT (Reporting and Charting)

Data Tools

JavaServer Faces Tooling

SOA Tools

Supplemental Widgets for SWT

IBM Lotus Workplace Managed Client

http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/lotus/library/wmc-toolkit/

smart client development with rcp

Documents