Re: [Springframework-developer] Component Centric Web Framework for Spring

[Seth L. <set...@gm...>]

> Yes, you need to restart the application and regenerate the code as you
> make changes to the pages. But:
> 1. I use jetty as an embedded server which is very practical and rapid
> way to develop application. It does not take to much time to restart the
> server.

Then might I recommend that if it doesn't already exist, provide an
ant runtime for your application, and bundle Jetty.  That is, make it
*insanely* easy to start a new wedge runtime.  Part of what a modern
Java web framework must do, imho, is provide everything you need to
get started out of the box. This includes the scripts to start and
stop the app.  In other words, wedge should be a self bundled and
integrated package, not Yet Another Servlet with XML Config.  See how
Rails works with its 'ruby scripts/server'.  There should be something
like 'ant server'.

> 2. I've made the ANT task only for generating the pages. The generation
> requires all the application to be on the class path such that I start a
> new java process to do that. This takes time, about 5 sec for my 5 pages
> app. With the following code the time reduces to 1 sec.

What about 250 pages?  Does it only generate code for pages that have chang=
ed?

> About defaults and conventions, I have been thinking to introduce them.
> But still, I need a way to figure out which spring beans are wedge
> components and which are not. More, you are not bound to spring, you can

For simplicity's sake, I would bind it to Spring.  Why make it
optional?  The more conventions the easier it is to learn and build
things.  If someone wants to rip out Spring, they can do the work.  I
wouldn't err on the side of pluggability at this stage in the game, I
would focus on ease of use and quickness of development.

> specify any kind of path that XmlWebApplicationContext can manage. The
> file name is not always suitable for being an id

This is where conventions kick in.  First, you look for the bean in
the ApplicationContext.  If you don't find it, you can delegate to
some sort of Resolver that knows how to do the mapping.  The important
part is, you first try the rule.

> Unfortunately I do not see how I can make the wedge framework to work
> without any kind of information source.

I know you can do it. :)  If anything, don't introduce Yet Another XML
File.  Use Spring 2.0's new XML Schema aware XML files.  You can write
your own namespace handlers, and thus it's like you are making your
own XML file, yet you get to use all of the Spring XML definition
framework.

Seth