jdf News

2013-04-01T12:34:44-03:00

JBoss Developer Framework 2.1 dives into data grids, with the addition of 6 quickstarts for JBoss Data Grid, and JBoss Data Grid used in TicketMonster to allow seat reservations to be held by users.

We've also added 7 quickstarts for Apache DeltaSpike, a useful library of CDI extensions. This allows you to use declarative transactions without EJBs, easily centralize your exception handling, and adds a whole load of useful tools for CDI extension authors.

Of course, there are BOMs for JBoss Data Grid, and DeltaSpike, and we've also added a RESTEasy BOM, to make it easy to get the right version of the RESTEasy client libraries.

We've moved our contributing guides into the repositories, giving you a handy tip when you try to send us a pull request. Hopefully this will make it much easier to see how to contribute to JDF!

Finally, I want to say thanks to the whole team for their hard work - especially Sande, Rafael, and Marius.

Pete

jdf News

2013-04-01T12:34:44-03:00

JBoss Developer Framework 2.0 is where we start to go beyond pure Java Enterprise Edition and start to explore how you can add some of the exciting new developments to your Java EE applications.

In 2.0 we add support for Apache Cordova, which allows you write native applications for phones and tablets. For now, we're just showing you how to get started with Cordova, and compile an existing HTML5 application to native. We'll revisit mobile in the next year, and look at how you can access native functionality.

Since JBoss Developer Framework 2.0 we've added JBoss Stacks, which gives you a view onto what BOMs and archetypes are available in the JBoss ecosystem, as well as letting you know what runtimes we recommend.

jdf News

2013-04-01T12:34:44-03:00

Normally we don't make much fuss about micro releases, which typically just fix a couple of bugs. However this release adds a couple of quickstarts:

inter-app, which shows you how to have two deployments communicate with each other, bridging the interactions through EJBs, whilst allowing you to use the CDI programming model
cluster-ha-singleton, which shows you how to create a cluster wide singleton with JBoss AS

But the highlight is Jack Wang's migration story, in which he shares with us his recipe for migrating apps from Seam 2 to Java EE 6.

jdf News

2013-04-01T12:34:44-03:00

One of the elements of JBoss Developer Framework that we are most proud of is the quickstarts. A quickstart is a tightly focused sample, that shows off one use case, or one API, and runs on JBoss Enterprise Application Platform or JBoss AS.

Let me give you an idea of the range of topics covered:

View layers: HTML5, Errai, RichFaces, JSF, JSP, Wicket, pure Servlet
Business logic: CDI, EJB, Bean Validation
Persistence: JPA, Hibernate 3, Hibernate 4, H2, Postgres
Transactions: JTA, JTS, XTS, WS-AT, Crash Recovery
Integration: JAX-RS, JAX-WS, JMS
Utilties, Packaging: Logging, JBoss Modules, Maven

For the full list, take a look at the quickstarts page.

All quickstarts work in JBoss Developer Studio (or JBoss Tools in Eclipse) - just import them using m2e. Some quickstarts come with OpenShift deployment instructions.

The quickstarts are a joint effort between many members of the JBoss Community, and we do rely on the community to help us understand what is missing, and help us fill the gaps. Check out the contributing guide if you can help us!

Roadmap

We already have new quickstarts in the pipeline, and will be adding a few around clustering and high availability. We also will be adding some Hibernate Search and Hibernate OGM quickstarts.

Keep the ideas coming!

jdf News

2013-04-01T12:34:44-03:00

We're looking to start building out a library of your migration war stories, as you migrate your apps from frameworks and platforms such as Seam 2, Java EE and Spring to Java EE 6.

We're looking for "stories from the trenches". We want to hear about the blind allies you took, and which path you decided was right in the end. We want to know the tips and tricks you would share with your colleagues after work over a beer, and the expert advice you might give to a new team member.

The story doesn't need to cover a complete application migration. We would be interested to hear about one particlarly thorny problem you had, and how you solved the problem.

If you're interested, then please send us an email, tweet us @jbossdeveloper, or comment on this blog. The stories will be stored here on the jdf site, so it can be written in markdown or haml.

jdf News

2013-04-01T12:34:44-03:00

An element of JBoss Developer Framework that we haven't explored so deeply is the JBoss BOMs project. The JBoss BOMs project is where we define the recommended and tested stacks that you can use. For example, if you want to use Hibernate Search in your application, you would want to use the jboss-javaee-6.0-with-hibernate stack, which adds Hibernate to the base Java EE stack.

We define the stacks using Maven BOMs (or Bill of Materials), which you can easily import into your project, defining the versions of dependencies to use. For example, if you are using Maven:

<dependencyManagement>
    <dependencies>
    <dependency>
       <groupId>org.jboss.spec</groupId>
           <artifactId>jboss-javaee-web-6.0-with-hibernate</artifactId>
           <version>1.0.1.CR1</version>
           <scope>import</scope>
        </dependency>
    </dependencies>
</dependencyManagement>

Currently, we offer the base Java EE stack, add add to it Hibernate, Errai, JBoss Transactions, and tools (such as Arquillian).

You can combine the stacks. For example:

<dependencyManagement>
    <dependencies>
    <dependency>
       <groupId>org.jboss.spec</groupId>
           <artifactId>jboss-javaee-web-6.0-with-hibernate</artifactId>
           <version>1.0.1.CR1</version>
           <scope>import</scope>
        </dependency>
        <dependency>
       <groupId>org.jboss.spec</groupId>
           <artifactId>jboss-javaee-web-6.0-with-tools</artifactId>
           <version>1.0.1.CR1</version>
           <scope>import</scope>
        </dependency>
    </dependencies>
</dependencyManagement>

This should take most of the onus for managing dependencies away for you, and we plan to add more stacks. If you have a favourite stack we don't cover, then let us know!

Roadmap

Beyond expanding the range of stacks, we are working on a Forge plugin, allowing you to easily define the stack in use:

jdf --stack jboss-javaee-web-6.0-with-hibernate --version 1.0.1.CR1

We also plan to add runtime compatilbity information, which will tell you the recommended stack to use with each version of JBoss Enterprise Application Platform or JBoss AS.

Java EE stack

The base Java EE stack is defined by the JBoss Spec project. Each of the jdf stacks expands on the base Java EE stack.

jdf News

2013-04-01T12:34:44-03:00

I've just added a consolidated contributor guide. Check it out!

jdf News

2013-04-01T12:34:44-03:00

In the past two weeks we have been working to improve our demos and tutorials. As a result, I'm happy to announce that a new and improved version of TicketMonster is available. The changes include:

the service layer has been refactored for handling concurrent requests better;
various fixes in the HTML5 application;
added pagination to the 'Bookings' view;
improved installation instructions;
tutorials have been updated to match the new source code.

You can see the new version of the application running in the cloud or download it from GitHub.

jdf News

2013-04-01T12:34:44-03:00

Welcome to JBoss Developer Framework!

JBoss Developer Framework exists to show you, the developer, how to make the most of JBoss and Java EE 6 technologies on JBoss Enterprise Application Platform and JBoss AS.

We have three ways to do this:

Quickstarts

We start small, with the quickstarts. Each quickstart is very focused, and shows you one API, or one use case. There are about 53 quickstarts today, ranging from JAX-RS CRUD to GWT to HTML5 to transactions.

If you can't find the quickstart you are looking for, then please tell us and, together, we'll see what we can do!

Examples

Quickstarts are great, but there comes a time in everyone's life when they want to write something other than a simple application! TicketMonster steps up to the plate at this point. Today, it's a full web-app written, with front-ends showing off the three approaches to view layers we like at JBoss - HTML5 + REST, Errai/GWT and RichFaces/JSF.

Over time, we plan to add much more to TicketMonster, as well as spin up other examples. Check out the Roadmap for more info on our plans!

Migrations

Fnally, we realise that there are lots of people still using older technologies such as Seam 2, Spring or Java EE 5. We've put together a comprehensive set of migration tutorials to show you how.

JBoss BOMs

To make all this possible, we've developed a set of BOMs. The BOMs start with Java EE 6, and build on that base API with JBoss extensions such as Hibernate (Search, Validator...), Errai and Arquillian. They're a great way to make sure you're using the same set of dependences that we test with!

Get Involved

If you want to ask questions, or help out, then visit our forums.

Enjoy!

jdf News

2013-04-01T12:34:44-03:00

Our first migration covered is the Open 18 application from Seam in Action by Dan Allen. Version 1.0.0.Final is a direct migration to Vanilla Java EE 6, with one CDI extension to create a replica of the JSF 2 ViewScope. It does not include any security (that's certainly a sore spot in Java EE) nor BPM integration. Look forward to other updates to the migration to include security and other features! Documentation of the migration has more information.

jdf News

2013-04-01T12:34:44-03:00

For a hands-on approach on getting familiar with the JBoss Developer Framework, you should get started with our showcase application, TicketMonster. You can find it running in the cloud on openshift here, you can download it from this site, or you can fork it on GitHub.

What's the goal?

Quickstarts are an excellent way for introducing narrowly focused topics. At the same time, making the most of JBoss and Java EE 6 technologies on JBoss Enterprise Application Platform and JBoss AS also requires getting them to work together in an optimal way. So a broader, more elaborate example was required.

Enter TicketMonster. Based on an online ticketing business scenario, the demo application of the JBoss Developer Framework shows you how to combine the power of Java EE 6 with a choice of three different UI layer technologies: HTML5+REST, Richfaces/JSF and GWT/Errai. It also shows you how to build applications optimized for desktop as well as mobile clients.

The business domain of the application is rich, and there are plenty of use cases to cover, ranging from the end-users requirements of being able to find events and book tickets easily, to the administrators' need of managing the master data of the application: events, venues, ticket prices, and monitoring the status of ticket sales.

As such, we use the three architecture variants to implement various parts of the application:

HTML5+REST is used for creating a flexible, desktop and mobile ready user site;
Richfaces/JSF is used together with Forge for rapidly creating a CRUD administration site;
Errai/GWT is used for creating a monitoring console that can receive notifications about server-side changes via CDI events.

Not only do these three technologies complement each other, but they also illustrate how the various parts of the application can jell together, consuming a common set of services and interacting through powerful Java EE mechanisms such as CDI eventing.

So there it is, a working example. But, what can you do with it?

Try it out

Seeing is believing! You can see the example running in the cloud or you can check it out from GitHub and run it locally.

Learn with it

Seeing the application at work is great, but understanding how it has been put together is better! To that end, we have created a series of tutorials that retrace our steps, showing you not only the mechanics but also the reasoning behind the design decisions!

Make it your own

Did we say check it out? We did, and we actually meant 'fork it'! Re-creating TicketMonster is a great venue for learning, but you can getting much further than we did. We would love to see you using TicketMonster as a starting point for trying out new technologies, or expanding it with you own use cases. Everything is put in place for that.

That's all that there is?

Actually, not. TicketMonster will be updated with each release of the JBoss Developer Framework. We have great plans for the future.

At the same time, feel free to contribute! As you saw earlier, one of TicketMonster's goals is to enable you to write your own demos based on it. If you would like to share them vit