Will StrutsWizard help me develop systems faster?
Our users are reporting tremendous productivity gains. Some users are
reporting 40 - 50 times increased productivity in developing programs. Programs
that would normally take 2 - 3 days to write by hand, can be built by StrutsWizard
in minutes - without any coding errors!
Using Item Extensions developers can specify different types of html form parts to
use for each item e.g. Text, Select (drop-down) list, Radio Button, Textarea (Multi-line Edit),
Check-box, etc. A pop-up html help file is also built.
Will it help to develop better systems?
StrutsWizard does more than just reduce the development phase of a
project, it can positively benefit all phases of a project's life cycle. Data
and Process Modeling provide an essential foundation for building today's
complex systems. But often the information gathering gets "bogged
down" in the very details essential to understanding the system. Users find
it difficult to understand complex Data and Process models and often 'sign off'
on designs hoping the system will be OK. Weeks, even months may elapse before
the users see any part of a working system. It is usually at this point the
users and developers begin to discover how far apart their understanding of the
new systems is!
Is StrutsWizard a RAD tool?
Rapid Application Development (RAD) allows users to participate in the design
and development of their system.
The theory is that prototypes are written during the requirements gathering
and refined as new information becomes available. Misunderstandings can be
spotted early and minor course changes be made to ensure that the system stays
on track. RAD for the most part has remained a theory, because it just takes
too long to hand write good prototype programs.
StrutsWizard puts the 'Rapid' in RAD by generating Java
programs in minutes. Using a Java IDE test facility, programs with fully
functioning I/O can be tested to ensure that both users and developers
understand the system. This approach can dramatically reduce the information
gathering elapsed time and greatly increase the quality of the system. The
generated code which on average accounts for 80% of the application is not
"throw-away", but forms the foundation to which the business logic can
be added.
Our systems are unique, templates wouldn't work, would they?
While your systems may be unique to your company, they will certainly contain
common code for navigation, User Interface presentation, error handling, etc. In
all our years in Data Processing we have yet to see an exception to this rule!
StrutsWizard builds this common code, allowing developers to concentrate on
the unique code of each application.
What about Testing?
Testing is greatly reduced because a large percentage of the application was
automatically built from pre-tested templates. The quality of testing increases
as users and developers concentrate on the business logic of the system.
Users could now test the programs in the IDE test facility, or the Client and
Server(s) could be generated for the target platform.
Business Logic can be added incrementally.
But will the code be maintainable?
The built code looks like the very best hand written code, incorporating all
site standards. The built code does not contain any black-box run-time
routines and may be treated as any other Java code. We ship full Java source
code for all utility classes that we supply. Maintenance is also reduced as all
the programs have the same 'look and feel' both externally to the users and
internally to the developers.
The indentation, style of comments, spacing, etc. are all customizable to
meet an installation's requirements. The error processing, cursor/ mouse pointer
positioning, field highlighting/focus is handled in the same way by every
application built from a template. Traditionally the task of enforcing 'coding'
standards is largely performed after programs are written. This has a negative
impact on productivity as code often has to be re-written. With StrutsWizard,
a pro-active approach is possible. By incorporating a site's standards in the
templates the built code is assured of meeting standards.
What are some of the major features/functions?
- Web transactions include multi-User update checking using time
stamps, counters or all columns is generated to ensure that one user's
updates do not overwrite changes made by another user.
- Application code to enforce Relational Integrity is optionally generated.
This ensures that foreign key columns entered incorrectly, result in
user-friendly error messages.
- Allowed value, date and range validation code is generated automatically
from values in the StrutsWizard repository.
- "Hooks" are built into every template, to allow developers to
add business logic to programs. If the application is rebuilt by StrutsWizard,
the developer added business logic remains intact.
- An open interface allows population of the StrutsWizard repository
from external sources e.g.: CASE tools or other repositories.
What are some of the benefits of using StrutsWizard for Java development?
StrutsWizard will build complete functioning I/O programs in a matter of
minutes. This can represent as much as 100% of the required code for table
maintenance programs, and the StrutsWizard built code will typically account
for 80% of the code required in an average business application. Developers are
able to concentrate on the business requirements (the other 20%) of the system.
The templates are completely customizable allowing an site's standards to be
incorporated in the templates.
All the programs have the same "look and feel", they only differ in
what business function they are performing. This can greatly ease the
maintenance effort, which can represent a large saving in support costs.
Because StrutsWizard builds complete functioning I/O programs in minutes,
it is ideal for prototyping and Rapid Application Development (RAD).
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