Only caveat...We should not let him use "dms" as his apache id :) too close to "dims" :) :)
On 8/18/05, Davanum Srinivas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Team, > Dennis has been a long time contributor to Axis...Let's welcome him > with open arms to Axis2. > > Here's my +1 to Dennis for Axis2 committer. > > thanks, > dims > > > On 8/18/05, Dennis Sosnoski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I've been having some off-list email exchanges on the issues of better > > tools for going between Java and XML. This is relevant to both > > start-from-Java approaches to web services, and handling schema > > versioning. Since these issues are important for Axis2 I'll get this > > thread going here, assuming nobody objects to us using the Axis2 list > > for this purpose. I'm copying the jibx-devs list on my own emails on > > this topic just so that people monitoring that list are also aware of > > the discussion. > > > > While we have a number of tools for generating Java object models to > > (more or less) match a schema, most of these tools either cannot work > > with pre-existing Java classes or can only work with existing classes > > using their own built-in correspondences. This limitation makes it very > > difficult for users to take a start-from-Java approach to developing web > > services, since the users then have little or no control over the > > schemas used by the web service (as seen with the JAX-RPC 1.0-style > > doc/lit mapping). It also makes it very difficult for users to work with > > evolving schemas, since their data model will need to be regenerated > > every time the schema changes. Because of this, users often end up > > writing a translation layer into their applications to take the data > > from the schema-centric model and convert it into structures actually > > used by their main application code. > > > > There are some libraries which provide more flexible conversions between > > Java and XML, including Betwixt as well as my own JiBX framework. JAXB > > 2.0 is also taking steps in this direction. The subject of the email > > exchanges has been the desirability of better GUI tools for working with > > frameworks which support such flexible conversions. > > > > Betwixt seems to offer very good support for starting from basics and > > refining the mapping as you go. It basically offers defaults for > > everything, then lets you override the defaults. JiBX takes almost the > > opposite approach, requiring the user to specify everything (though > > there is a tool which will generate a default binding automatically, > > with a variety of overrides). I can certainly see the benefits to > > providing a tool that allows an interactive approach to building a JiBX > > binding, basically starting with Betwixt-like defaults and allowing > > overrides at every step of the way down to a detailed JiBX binding. The > > way I envision it this should show sample XML output (or the current > > schema, for those developers able to understand schemas) at every step > > of the way - when you change the binding, you immediately get the change > > reflected in the schema/sample XML. Ideally you should even be able to > > go the other way - modify the schema, and have the binding automatically > > reflect the change (or replace the schema with a new version, and have > > the binding adjust as best it can and then flag the mismatches). I've > > been adding hooks to JiBX for some time with the intent of moving it in > > this direction. > > > > Much of the off-list discussion has revolved around the possibility of > > building a generic tool of this type, one able to work with different > > frameworks. On thinking it over, it seems to me that at least the > > general framework of the tool should be reusable - say the IDE > > integration and XML/schema display and manipulation. That would leave > > the need to write plugins for each binding framework to handle XML > > instance and schema generation from a binding and set of classes, and to > > handle editing the actual binding definition (in whatever form that > > takes - an XML file for Betwixt and JiBX, annotations for JAXB, etc.). > > > > What do people think of this? Anyone want to jump right in and start > > putting this together? ;-) > > > > - Dennis > > > > > -- > Davanum Srinivas : http://wso2.com/ - Oxygenating The Web Service Platform > -- Davanum Srinivas : http://wso2.com/ - Oxygenating The Web Service Platform
