Mar
2008
We are witnessing a fundamental paradigm shift in the web application development. Developers around the world are feeling running in the middle of a new current. The server-side MVC frameworks of Web 1.0 are almost passé now. We are observing the growth of a new concept, the client or server architecture for the web. It is better known as the RIA+SOA. The RIA is representative of ‘rich user interface’ and the SIO would represent ‘consuming of backend services’.
Because of this shifting from Web 1.0 based frameworks to the RIA+SOA ,developers are facing new challenges while working with the new web development platforms with rich web applications. It is an opportunity to create a next generation web platform providing an end-to-end user based supports for developing web2.0 applications.
It is almost a year now that we witnessed the oncoming of “Appecelerator Platform” shifting the focus of developers across the world. This platform supports RIA+SIO.
Web 2.0 applications are becoming the favored choices of developers and users very fast. Web experts feel that these applications would not be complete in its totality if the next generation web platforms are not evolved and “fully integrated with RIA + SIO”.
The Background
Web development standards of today are mainly centered on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Web developers who intend to design on RIA basis would be required to assemble third party libraries and a suitable framework for creating specific rich user interface. Somehow this approach becomes an additional and extra load on the web developers just because of the RIA inclusions. The developer is unnecessarily compelled to invest a lot of time in searching, locating, integrating, and versioning several required aspects of their chosen RIA platform.
This is equally true with the SOA as well. It becomes necessary for a developer to figure out the right strategy for creating services and applications. He would also be required to finalize the exact manner in which he intends to integrate these services with their respective RIA front-ends. For this the web developers require a suitable platform helping in dealing with every minute aspect of the application development. It would be all the more important in ensuring the desired end results for creating applications.
Here comes the biggest challenge. It is about the future of web development. And the biggest question is what should be the face of this new next generation RIA+SOA platform? We will make an attempt to draw a picture of this future platform on this canvas and we will also try to make use of few working conceptual examples in order to help you understand the concept in better way.
Let us begin understanding with the initial activities that would be required for creating a RIA+SIO based user friendly application. Such types of initial activities are actually the basic foundation of such applications.
Giving a “Face” and “Look” to the Application Design
It is the starting point where everything revolves around conceptualization. It is all about general feel and look of the application. In other words it is the general appearance of the application and normally includes deciding on the aspects like color, fonts, graphics, and general page layout. At this stage the conventional tools like HTML, CSS, Images, and JavaScript’s are generally prove helpful for the web developer.
Widgets Integration
Widgets have become almost top desired application today. For a web developer the widget serves many purposes. It envelopes a complete set of common capabilities and that too with single component. A typical widget is an ideal expression of both the “look” and “feel” and it also signifies a “set of pre -defined dynamic behaviors”. Because of these clubbed advantages, widgets have become an almost necessary and basic building block for an RIA. Web developers could easily use the tools like ExUS, Dojo, Yahoo YUI, and many additional widget specific applications.
Introducing Dynamism in User Interface
Creation and development of dynamic behavior and adding this to the user interface is an important step which is basically divided in to two parts. The first part is “Event Handling” which is basically the capability to pre-estimate an event. This can better be understood with an example. When a user clicks any button or when a response is received for any service are some of these examples.
Second part constitutes the “Document Object Model (DOM) Manipulation”. Dom manipulation will facilitate a web developer to change the user interface with all dynamism depending upon the receipt of an event.
JavaScript libraries including JQuery, Prototype, and Scriptaculous are some of the common tools that can be used by web developers in this stage.
Consuming Backend Services
For an RIA the key capability is its consuming backend services. This specific capability enables a web developer designing and creating single page user interfaces. This facility provides an exchange application data with the services. This capability facilitates both the developer and the user to define a clear separation between the user interface and the service tier. “Ajax” is one such common method which is used for such separation and interacting with services.
Creation of Services
Creation of services is an important aspect which extends the application business logic. In addition to this the service also provides an interface to the data. A number of applications and frameworks are available to the web developers for creating services in their preferred programming language.
