Pier Fumagalli wrote:
>
> There are some core problems with the Avalon APIs which are
> orthogonal to blocks deployment...
>
> As a first, all selections are based on real-java-objects
> (tell me how to "require" a block that has no components,
> like a Forrest Skin and I'll be happy).
>
> Second of all (but I think this is solvable) component
> selection is kinda weird and goes totally against the IOC principles.
>
> A block should require another block, it should not by any
> means "select" a block as we do now with component selectors)...
>
> It's kinda mixed at the moment, I'm given a logger, I'm given
> a configuration, but I have to ask for a component?
>
> Cocoon did a _VERY_ good job in implementing component
> selection by extending the ECM itself and having all its
> blocks to be given things (I'm given a SourceResolver, from a
> Generator point of view), but if you take one step back, well...
>
> And (of course) this is related to the second problem I
> outlined in my longish email before...
>
> The Cocoon approach can be used in the new framework, and we
> can have Cocoon itself (only central point knowing what's
> going on both in Avalon and Kernel) to merge those two worlds
> and make them work together...
>
> And, Carsten, I too still think it's bad if we don't somehow
> reuse all that code that we have out there built on Avalon...
> I don't like to re-write stuff when it's not absolutely needed...
>
:)
With Fortress you can implement your own lifecycle interfaces. I'm
not sure but I think we can solve your problems from above with
that. It is even possible to use setter injection, so something like
class BlockA {
void setBlockB(Block blockB);
}
could be done (it's a dump example which should just express my
thought, don't take it for the real solution).
I'm confident (although I haven't really looked deep into it) that
with own lifecycle interfaces and a lookup mechanism that takes
class loading into account, we have everything we need. The first
one is already supported by Avalon and I think we can add the
second one to Avalon as well.
Carsten
