4 WebSphere Studio Application Developer Version 5 Programming Guide Introduction WebSphere Studio Application Developer (hereafter called Application Developer) is one of the WebSphere Studio family of products that has been developed based on the Eclipse Workbench. The Eclipse Workbench platform was designed by IBM and released to the open source community. It is an open, portable, universal tooling platform that provides frameworks, services, and tools for building tools. In essence, the Workbench provides the tool infrastructure. With this infrastructure in place, the tool builders are able to focus on the actual building of their tools. The Workbench has been designed for maximum flexibility to support the development of tools for new technologies that may emerge in the future. Development environments written for the Workbench should support a role-based development model, in which the outcomes of the developers’ work will be consistent. The developers should not have to be concerned with how different individual tools may be treating their files. The WebSphere Studio product family is based on an integrated development environment (IDE) for developing, testing, debugging, and deploying applications. It provides support for each phase of the application development life cycle. Eclipse Eclipse is an open platform for tool integration built by an open community of tool providers. With a common public license that provides royalty free source code and world wide redistribution rights, the Eclipse platform provides tool developers with ultimate flexibility and control over their software technology. Industry leaders like IBM, Borland, Merant, QNX Software Systems, Rational® Software, RedHat, SuSE, TogetherSoft, and WebGain formed the initial eclipse.org board of directors of the Eclipse open source project. Visit the Eclipse Web Site for more information about the project: http://www.eclipse.org Platform architecture Figure 1-1 shows an overview of the Eclipse platform. Chapter 1. Introduction and concepts 5 Figure 1-1 Eclipse platform Eclipse is a platform that has been designed from the ground up for building integrated regardless of presentation technology and application development tooling. By design, the platform itself does not provide a great deal of end user functionality. The value of the platform is what it encourages: rapid development of integrated features based on a plug-in model. Eclipse provides a common user interface (UI) model for working with tools. It is designed to run on multiple operating systems while providing robust integration with each underlying OS. Plug-ins can be programmed to the Eclipse portable APIs and run unchanged on any of the supported operating systems. The Eclipse platform uses the model of a common Workbench to integrate the tools from the end user's point of view. Tools that you develop can be plugged into the Workbench using well defined hooks called extension points. The underlying platform runtime uses the same extension model to allow plug-in developers to add support for additional file types and customized installations, such as Web servers, workgroup servers, and repositories. The artifacts for each tool, such as files and other data, are coordinated by a common platform resource model. The platform gives the users a common way to work with the tools, and provides integrated management of the resources they create with plug-ins. 6 WebSphere Studio Application Developer Version 5 Programming Guide Workbench features The Eclipse Workbench provides a set of APIs, models, and frameworks for developing source editors and other user interfaces, as well as access to common services for resource management, debugging, and team programming. The main features of the Eclipse Workbench are: Plug-in based tooling Role-oriented development tools Vertical and horizontal integration Open standards Open team environment File based IDE Plug-in based tooling The Workbench provides a flexible plug-in platform. Different tools can plug in to the Workbench, with each tool providing new functionality to be added to the Workbench or to already existing plug-ins. Each plug-in integrates with the Workbench and with the other tools. Ideally the end-user should not notice any difference when moving from one tool to another. By programming to the portable Eclipse APIs, plug-ins can run unchanged on any of the supported operating systems using a common user interface model. The Workbench is designed to run on multiple operating systems while providing robust integration with each one. At the core of Eclipse is an architecture for dynamic discovery of plug-ins. The platform handles the logistics of the base environment and provides a standard user navigation model. Each plug-in can focus on performing a small number of tasks well, without having to provide the supporting infrastructure. Some examples of such tasks are defining, testing, animating, publishing, compiling, debugging, and diagramming. Because the Workbench is based on an open architecture, each plug-in development team can focus on their area of expertise. This enables the team management experts to build the back-end interfaces and the usability experts to build the end user tools. If these are well designed, and use the standard APIs, significant new features and levels of integration can be added to the Workbench and Workbench based products without impacting other tools. Chapter 1. Introduction and concepts 7 Role-oriented development with consistent look and feel The Workbench is designed to provide special support for a particular e-business development role, or for a set of roles. Within the Workbench based products, task-oriented perspectives filter out much of the overall complexity, and present the developer only with those functions that are relevant to the task at hand. Users can switch perspectives depending on what they are working on at any given moment, or depending on their current role in the project. Because different developers are accustomed to working in different ways, any perspective can be further customized. And because all tools and perspectives are built using the Eclipse Workbench technology, they share a common look and feel, which reduces learning curves and help maximize developer productivity. All development resources for all projects are stored in a single repository, therefore developers have consistent team support for their projects, and are able to easily share their work products. Vertical and horizontal integration Traditionally software vendors have provided vertical tools, forcing customers to do their own integration. The purpose of the Eclipse Workbench is to provide a platform that software vendors can easily extend. ISVs have already embraced this technology and are actively building tools on this base. As an example, every WebSphere Studio family of products that is built on the Workbench offers a set of already integrated tools, freeing you to focus on building applications rather than on integrating tools. Furthermore, you can easily integrate other tools (from other vendors or locally developed), as long as they conform to the Workbench standard plug-in protocol. Open standards The whole Eclipse Workbench, as well as all products of the WebSphere Studio family of products, are built on open standards and the code that they generate also complies with open standards. This allows you to build and deploy state-of-the-art, server-side applications that conform to the Servlet 2.2, JavaServer Pages 1.1, and EJB 1.1 specifications. 8 WebSphere Studio Application Developer Version 5 Programming Guide Open team development Application development teams are becoming more distributed, more diverse, and are under increasing pressure to deliver solutions quickly. In such an environment it is critical to have development tools that can support these needs, while at the same time addressing personalized requirements. The team development environment for all products based on the Eclipse Workbench supports pluggable repositories rather than mandating any proprietary repository, and support an optimistic concurrency model. File-based IDE The Eclipse Workbench is a platform for building file-based IDEs. All content is saved as files. Workbench resources, such as Java classes and HTML files, are stored in the file system, making them easy to access. WebSphere Studio products The WebSphere Studio product family is built on top of the Eclipse Workbench as a set of plug-ins conforming to the Workbench’s open standard APIs. The WebSphere Studio family of products currently has the following members (Figure 1-2): WebSphere Studio Site Developer Advanced WebSphere Studio Application Developer WebSphere Studio Application Developer Integration Edition WebSphere Studio Enterprise Developer These products provide support for end-to-end development, testing, and deployment of Web and J2EE applications. The WebSphere Studio product family provide integrated development tools for most e-business development roles including Web developers, Java developers, business analysts, architects, and enterprise programmers. The customizable, targeted and role-oriented approach of the Workbench will be a common characteristic of future products in the WebSphere Studio family. Chapter 1. Introduction and concepts 9 Figure 1-2 WebSphere Studio family WebSphere Studio Site Developer Site Developer is an IDE intended for Web developers who develop and manage complex Web sites. It is an easy-to-use environment that minimizes the time and effort required to create, manage, and debug multi-platform Web sites. It is designed according to the J2SE and J2EE specifications and supports JSPs, servlets, HTML, JavaScript, and DHTML. It further includes tools for developing images and animated GIFs. Site Developer enables Web developers to use their favorite content creation tools in conjunction with the built-in local and remote publishing capabilities. Using Site Developer, you can develop Web applications that use the following technologies. JSPs—A simple, fast, and consistent way to extend Web server functionality and create dynamic Web content. JSPs enable rapid development of Web applications that are server and platform-independent. Servlets—Server code that executes within a Web Application Server. Web services—Self-contained, modular applications that can be described, published, located, and invoked over the Internet or within intranets. WebSphere Studio Workbench Application Developer Application Developer Integration Edition IBM's commerically supported version of Eclipse Basis for IBM Tooling + + Enterprise Developer Eclipse Workbench Provides frameworks for tool builders to focus on tool building + Site Developer User: Web Developer Function: HTML/JSP/Servlet Struts Tools Web Services Tools XML Tools Java Visual Editor Target Runtime: WAS AE, WAS ND User: J2EE Developer Function: EJB Tools Performance and Trace tools Component Test tools ClearCase LT OEM Target Runtime: WAS AE, WAS ND User: Advanced J2EE Developer Function: Access existing EIS applications using JCA Visual Service Flow Choreography Target Runtime: WAS AE, ND, WAS E User: Enterprise Developer Function: Create new EIS applications as part of a J2EE app EGL Tools Develop/Maintain z/OS Apps COBOL PL/I ASM COBOL XML Enablement Target Runtime: WAS AE, ND, WAS E, z/OS 10 WebSphere Studio Application Developer Version 5 Programming Guide WebSphere Studio Application Developer Application Developer is designed for professional developers of Java and J2EE applications, who require integrated Java, Web, XML, and Web services support. It includes all of the features of Site Developer, and adds tools for developing EJB applications, as well as performance profiling and logging tools for both local and remote execution. Developers can quickly build and test business logic and enhance the presentation artifacts with built-in Web creation tools inside the Application Developer IDE before deploying to a production server. Using the performance profiling and tracing tools, it is possible to detect application performance bottlenecks early in the development cycle. Furthermore, the built-in test environment for WebSphere Application Server and advanced tools for code generation help shorten the test cycle. WebSphere Studio Application Developer Integration Edition Integration Edition includes all of the functionality in Application Developer, plus: Powerful graphical tools to help you quickly and easily build custom application adapters to integrate your J2EE application with your back-end systems, helping you save time and money by reusing existing resources. Visual flow-based tools that increase developers productivity by allowing them to visually define the sequence and flow of information between application artifacts such as adapters, Enterprise JavaBeans components and Web services. Wizards that help in building and deploying complex Web services out of adapters, EJB components, flows, and other Web services. Support for the full set of Enterprise services provided by WebSphere Application Server Enterprise Edition such as business rule beans, internationalization, and work areas that deliver additional integration capabilities, developer productivity, and business agility. WebSphere Enterprise Developer Enterprise Developer includes all of the functionality in WebSphere Studio Application Developer Integration Edition, plus among others: Integrating transactional environments such as CICS® and IMS™ Creating new EIS applications as part of a J2EE application Developing and maintaining z/OS® applications Supporting Java, COBOL, PL/I, and EGL (enterprise generation language) development Chapter 1. Introduction and concepts 11 Implementing Struts-based MVC applications using connectors and EGL. Here is another core technology that is integrated within Enterprise Developer: WebSphere Studio Asset Analyzer (WSAA)—Identifies application processes and connecting points, and provides the ability to generate components from existing code. Enterprise Developer provides a visual construction and assembly based environment supporting the implementation of enterprise level applications, including support for the multiple developer roles and technologies required by those applications. Some examples of technologies supported are HTML, JSPs, servlets, EJBs, COBOL, EGL, PL/I, and connectors. What is new in Application Developer Version 5 Application Developer Version 5 contains many new and improved features. For details about changes to specific product features, refer to the readme file located in the readme subdirectory of both the installation CD and the WebSphere Studio installation directory (Windows® users can also access the readme file directly from the Start menu, after installing WebSphere Studio). Here are some highlights of the new features: Support for J2EE 1.3, including EJB 2.0, Servlet 2.3, and JSP 1.2 levels Concurrent support for WebSphere Application Server V4 (J2EE 1.2) and WebSphere Application Server V5 (J2EE 1.3) Enables WebSphere Application Server Version 4 users to adopt the latest innovations from Eclipse Version 2, and enhancements from Application Developer Version 5 without server upgrade Numerous updates and new functions for Java, Web services, XML, Database, Test and Analysis, and Web components Specialized support for Struts, which is a set of Java classes and JSP tag libraries that provide a conceptual framework for developing Web applications New Visual Editor for Java (Java-based client for building GUI components with Swing or AWT) XSL source editor; new wizards to help you create your XSL files 12 WebSphere Studio Application Developer Version 5 Programming Guide Migration from previous versions The root directory of Application Developer’s installation CD contains a migration guide that is provided in the migrate.pdf and the migrate.html files. This migration guide discusses how you can: Target WebSphere Application Server Version 4.0.x versus Version 5 Migrate from WebSphere Studio Application Developer Version 4.0.x Migrate from WebSphere Studio Application Developer Version 5 Beta Migrate from WebSphere Studio Classic to WebSphere Studio Application Developer Migrate from VisualAge for Java to WebSphere Studio Application Developer Migrate from WebSphere Studio Application Developer for Linux Migrate enterprise beans from VisualAge for Java to WebSphere Studio Application Developer Migrate from EJB 1.0 to EJB 1.1 or to EJB 2.0 Migrate from VisualAge for Java Visual Composition Editor to Visual Editor for Java Convert from VisualAge for Java Persistence Builder to EJB 2.0 Build setup (library JARs, dependant project JARs, Ant builds) The migration guide also provides some migration examples that show you, step by step, how to migrate to Version 5 from previous versions. Tools The WebSphere Studio product family include the following basic tools: Web development Relational database XML Java development Web services development Team collaboration Integrated debugger Server tools for testing and deployment Enterprise JavaBean development tools (not in Site Developer Advanced) Performance profiling (not in Site Developer Advanced) Plug-in development Chapter 1. Introduction and concepts 13 Web development tools The professional Web development environment provides the necessary tools to develop sophisticated Web applications consisting of static HTML pages, JSPs, servlets, XML deployment descriptors, and other resources. Wizards are available to generate ready to run Web applications based on SQL queries and JavaBeans. Links between Web pages can be automatically updated when content is moved or renamed. The Web development environment brings all aspects of Web application development into one common interface. Everyone on your Web development team, including content authors, graphic artists, programmers, and Web masters, can work on the same projects and access the files they need. Such an integrated Web development environment makes it easy to collaboratively create, assemble, publish, deploy, and maintain dynamic, interactive Web applications. The Web development tools provide the following features: Support for latest Web technology with an intuitive user interface Advanced scripting support to create client-side dynamic applications with VBScript or JavaScript Web Art Designer to create graphic titles, logos, buttons, and photo frames with professional-looking touches Animated GIF Designer to create life-like animation from still pictures, graphics, and animated banners Over 2,000 images and sounds in the built-in library Integrated, easy-to-use visual layout tool for JSP and HTML file creation and editing Web project creation, using the J2EE-defined hierarchy Creation and visual editing of the Web application deployment descriptor (web.xml) file Automatic update of links as resources are moved or renamed A wizard for creating servlets Generation of Web applications from database queries and JavaBeans J2EE WAR/EAR deployment support (not in Site Developer) Integration with the WebSphere unit test environment . 4 WebSphere Studio Application Developer Version 5 Programming Guide Introduction WebSphere Studio Application Developer (hereafter called Application Developer) is one of the WebSphere Studio. (Figure 1-2): WebSphere Studio Site Developer Advanced WebSphere Studio Application Developer WebSphere Studio Application Developer Integration Edition WebSphere Studio Enterprise Developer These. migration guide discusses how you can: Target WebSphere Application Server Version 4. 0.x versus Version 5 Migrate from WebSphere Studio Application Developer Version 4. 0.x Migrate from WebSphere