--- In [email protected], "Bruce Hopkins" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Yeah, I'm using HTTPService right now with E4X results. The for large data > results, however, XML is not desirable. > > I'd prefer to use some framework that uses AMF3 in order to get more compact > results. > > Bruce > > On 10/16/07, Jeff Schuenke <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > You can also just use HTTPService to do direct HTTP requests. I am > > using this for communications with a JAVA backend. > > > > --- In [email protected] <flexcoders% 40yahoogroups.com>, "Bruce > > Hopkins" <bhopkins@> > > > > wrote: > > > > > > Hi all, > > > > > > All I want to do is have my Flex client to communicate with my Java > > backend. > > > Due to licensing restrictions, LCDS won't be an option for us. So > > far the > > > biggest contenders are: > > > > > > 1. Granite Data Services > > > 2. OpenAMF > > > 3. WebORB > > > 4. Red5 > > > > > > Does anyone have any strong opinions, suggestions, or biases on > > either of > > > these solutions? > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > > > Bruce > > > > > > > > > > I can tell you what my experience has been so far with Granite Data Services: 1) I installed Granite Data Services and was able to get the Graniteds-pojo example up and running in no time. It is clearly what it says it is -- a good replacement for FDS, although I have not tried the EJB or Spring versions. 2) I am able to have integrated Flex apps with the web app or I can run my Flex app from my Flex builder and have it remotely invoke my bean methods in my web app running separately. This was cool. 3) MY PROBLEM (and I am open for suggestions for users of GDS) is that my production web apps (not the test pojo beans/methods I use for the GDS tests) are JSP/JSF applications with managed beans. My problem for using GDS with RemoteObject calls into my managed beans is that the methods expect there to be a FacesContext in the dependent methods that are utilized in other utility beans (why not -- it was built for JSP Pages after all.) This has caused me to spend several days trying to come up with a way to create a facescontext from nothing within the main bean I am calling remotely from Flex (with lifecycle, application, servletcontext, etc.) so that I can fool my utility beans that are being called to not throw nullargumentexceptions when there is no context. I have seen examples of how to do this in servelets, but I just can't come up with a way to do it in the bean. I could use HTTPservice calls to invoke jsp pages, but that's not quite as sexy as using remote object calls with RPC and Granite, and it ruins the ideal framework I was planning using Cairngorm-style delegates, etc.
So....I thank the wonderful folks at Granite that have provided insight, but they are in a catch-22. They are so busy it seems putting in features that they don't have time to make really good documentation, so I spend a lot of time doing full LOG4J debug traces and stepping through code (yes -- I can run my separate Flex app started from FlexBuilder in Debug mode and step through my Flex app to the remote bean and back -- ain't it cool?) If I ever am able to create a FacesContext on demand in my bean when invoked by a remote call from Flex through GDS, then I will cry from the mountaintops in favor of GDS and urge Adobe to throw LCDS into the open-source realm, because GDS rocks and LCDS is keeping too many people away from using Flex. I want to use my existing web apps and their dozens of beans without having to change them (and add only a facade bean to interface to them -- if I can do that, there is no limit.) My two cents. I'll post updates when I have more, but it is very promising.
