Re: [Fwd: [TM4J-users] TM4J and Software Architecture (3-tier)]

[Harald K. <sc...@ma...>]

Hi Andreas,

>=20
> Hi Harald,
>=20
> thanks a lot for your answer. I really appreciate it (same goes for Bret=
=B4s
> and everybody else=B4s help), as i really feel like stepping in the dark a=

> little bit at the moment.
>=20
> Thanks also for your inspiration on the software architecture. Another
> question, as you mentioned MVC.
> How do you think Panckoucke works together with this pattern=3F
>=20
> Could this be right:
>=20
> Model: The abstract model which is generated through Panckoucke
> View: The specific renderer e.g. Touchgraph
> Controller: Panckoucke itself (a little bit imprecise)

This is a good question really, I think that this is about right if you re=
ally want to squeeze Panckoucke into this seperation. =20

> > Are you allowed to tell us what you want to do / what kind of data you=

> > want to display and in which way =3F
>=20
> For sure, i want to display the relationships between Software Tools (th=
e
> files they create), which are used in order to get a certain work done.
> For example, one first uses Word for writing the concept of a certain
> problem, the produced Word File is then used as an "input" for a UML dra=
wing
> diagramm, like Rational Rose for example, this Rational Rose document is=

> then used for "input" for the generation of java files. So this whole
> process makes up "links" between all of this software tools and i want t=
o
> display those links and the corresponding software tools as an graph wit=
hin
> an eclipse plugin.
> The information for those links is already within a database, so i just =
need
> to transform them into a Topic Map and then feed this Topic Map to
> Panckouke.
>=20
> One thing that=B4s bugging me all the time and where i would really apprec=
iate
> an answer:
> Do you think it makes sense, to transform the Network Data, that is with=
in
> the Database at the moment into a Topic Map before i represent it as a
> Graph=3F Or do you think it might be more useful to directly produce the i=
nput
> file for a specific graph like Touchgraph for example.
>=20
> My point is, that i need a strong querying possibility for the data. Thi=
s
> means a user should be able to query the graph something like this:
>=20
> "Show me all Files which are are linked together, with the creation date=
 of
> those files being less than two days difference"
>=20
> I don=B4t know at the moment, whether Tolog can handle such a complex requ=
est
> (given that all of the needed data, like "creation date" is provided). A=
nd
> if Tolog is not capable of not handling it, i would therefore need to qu=
ery
> the data on the Database via SQL anyway...
>=20
> hmm... any ideas/thoughts on this=3F (i know it=B4s kind of off topic ;-) )

Well no problem, actually it is just a little bit off topic ...=20

This is really a difficult decision to make. In general, if you want to ma=
ke very specific queries (meaning that you know exactly which "questions" =
the user will ask) which mix only relationship information with data (like=
 which software created files not older than two days) then you probably a=
re better off with the sql solution. If you know which structure you need =
and the data you want to query is not that complex in terms of relationshi=
ps (associations / relations) between the different domains (topic types, =
entities) than you cant  beat a database.=20

In cases where you do not know what the user may want to ask or there are =
complex structures, topicmaps are your technology. IMHO this is the greate=
s advantage of TMs, you do not have to know what a user may want to do wit=
h it because TopicMaps modell  the knowledge / information they contain in=
 a network / graph like way which does not enforce any structural constrai=
nts.

There is one problem with your example as far as i understand the new tolo=
g. You cannot just build queries like a is older than b  [Kal please corre=
ct me if i am wrong]. You can modell the topicmap in a way which takes the=
se things into account, though.

> Hmm, Harald do you think it is possible to tell me a little bit more abo=
ut
> the TMNav Eclipse plugin=3F I really don=B4t know where to start at the mome=
nt.
> What i need is also a tree view of the data... do you think this is poss=
ible
> within Eclipse=3F

Mmm, this may sound rude, but if you never ever developed eclipse plugins,=
 then there is a book you should at least have a look at (everybody i know=
 how read this book told me that it is really worth it and i personally th=
ink that it is worth every cent and euro i payed for it): "Contributing to=
 eclipse by erich gamma".=20
Apart from that, it is quite easy to make tree views of some data with JFa=
ce and SWT. There is a TreeComponent which you only have to set a LabelPro=
vider and ContentProvider much like i Swing.=20


> I always dreamed about incorporating the Hypergarph into Eclipse, but
> thought of it as being quite tricky. And i only saw one other applicatio=
n
> (Metrics on Sourceforge), which implemented the Touchgraph as part of an=

> Eclipse plugin.

It is really quite simple to use TG in Eclipse, you just use it like in Sw=
ing and then embedd it into a=20
Composite using the SWT=5FAWT bridge (sorry guys, this is really off topic :=
) ).

If you want to know more technical details, then we should probably better=
 switch to private mail in order not to spam numerous people with eclipse =
development details ....

> Sorry for the long answers, and the wide range of topics (and questions =
;-)
> ) i addressed within this e-mail but you=B4re really the only people i can=

> turn to with my problems as nobody i know has a clue about all of this ;=
-)
>
No problem :) Hope i could help you a little bit...
=20
> greetings and a nice evening to all of you
> Andreas



Cheers,
Harald




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