RE: [jBoss-User] OpenSource EJB-Capable IDE

[Jeff McArthur]

I'll relay seed thoughts.

1)  I think of an EJB as a Java class inside a shell.  The shell forms an interface to allow for

mutiple client access, security, and transactions.  Given a class extending java.lang.Object, it is

possible to generate EJB files that will deploy and allow for remote invocation of any of the class'

public methods as well as access to its' variables.

2)  For a non-EJB class Foo, generate files FooRemote, FooHome, and _FooEJB.  Derive FooEJB

from _FooEJB by hand and implement business functions there.  This separates generated files from user

maintained files, keeping generation simple (don't need to parse old generated files).

3)  You can load a simple non-EJB class and get all information about it's methods and variables.  One

could use this as the data for generation.  See java.lang.Class.

4)  If this works, one could have the same Foo class deployed in a local client simulation and in an

EJB tier, with no hand coded duplication.

 

Here are some problem areas:

1)  Complex primary-keys need special attention.

2)  Inconsistency in ejb-jar.xml files across J2EE Application Servers

3)  Same with CMP implementations

4)  Intra-bean references.

 

To me, EJB programming should involve writing business methods and no more.  The work to generate

files will pay off manyfold.  I'm sure the IDE people know this, but it will be many moons before they

get it right.

 

Jeff Mc.

-----Original Message-----
From: Jay Walters [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2000 10:55 AM
To: 'jBoss'
Subject: RE: [jBoss-User] OpenSource EJB-Capable IDE

I'd like to hear more about what you are doing for management tools.  Are you generating the Home/Remote from the bean class?  I've been looking in the market at those types of things both COTS and Open Source in terms of generating EJBs and their associated deployment files, etc.

 

Cheers

-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff McArthur [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2000 1:38 PM
To: 'jBoss'
Subject: RE: [jBoss-User] OpenSource EJB-Capable IDE

From what I can tell, some IDEs make it cute to create, but not maintain EJBs. 

I am writing EJB management tools myself.  For example, I will generate my own

ejb-jar.xml, home/remote interface, etc.

 

A great tool idea, I think, is a "EJB-Jar Verifier".  This tool would take a .jar file

ready for deployment and verify all info is intact.  It seems like many issues

regarding get/set methods, finder methods, primary-key info are impossible to

verify until deployment (RuntimeMBeanException or DeployException). 

I'm currently researching such a tool to "integrate".

 

My "IDE" is [SlickEdit; Karmira debugger].  Works great and this pairing is available for

both Windows and Linux.  Sorry, neither are Open Source, but SlickEdit is top-notch.

 

Jeff Mc.

-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2000 5:34 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [jBoss-User] OpenSource EJB-Capable IDE

Does anyone know of an EJB-Capable OpenSource IDE?  I've tried several IDE's, and have been mostly coding my EJB's by hand, but I have a couple mid-scale open source projects coming up that I will be working on, and it would be nice to have an IDE that could understand EJB stuff (keep the interface/classes in sync, check for required methods, maybe even write the ejb-jar.xml file....).

What are others using?

-Jason