IBM VisualAge for Java

IBM(*) VisualAge(*) for Java(**) is an application development environment designed to make enterprise Client / Server Internet applications a reality. The underlying strategy of the VisualAge for Java toolset is to let you extend existing server applications out to the internet or intranet; rather than rewriting applications from scratch. Combining the power of a true 'Rapid Development Environment' for Java with the ease of visual programming, VisualAge for Java connects the thin Java client to existing enterprise applications to make web data the same data that exists within a business.

With the VisualAge for Java programming environment, you can build 100% Java Compatible applications, applets and JavaBean(**) Components which comply to the "write once, run anywhere" standard. Applets developed using VisualAge for Java will run in any Java-compatible browser. Applications developed with VisualAge for Java will run on any Java-compatible Virtual Machine.

VisualAge for Java is designed to assist Enterprise programmers with such mundane chores as:

1. Programming communication code. The Enterprise Access Builder component of VisualAge for Java connects a Java client (workstation or browser) to a server automatically. This gives the programmer the option of establishing an HTTP connection between the client and the server, or establishing a faster connection between the Java client and existing server applications. The programmer selects the middleware that runs between the client and the server, and VisualAge for Java generates the code. In Release 1.0 of VisualAge for Java, the ability to automatically generate code for Remote Method Invocation (RMI) and CICS(R) External Call Interface (ECI) will be supported. The benefit of the Enterprise Access Builder is that it allows the programmer to concentrate on the business logic within an application instead of the communications code.
2. Connecting the Enterprise to the web.
   A thin Java client does not have data software, transaction software or any pre-existing application software on it. All software that will run on the client must be downloaded from the server. To connect the client to an Enterprise server, VisualAge for Java generates Enterprise Access JavaBean Components that extend the reach of existing DB2(*) databases (or other JDBC databases), CICS transaction systems, C/C++ applications or Java code running on the server. The Beans generated by the Enterprise Access Builder are downloaded from the server to the client and are invoked through remote control proxies for the actual data call, transaction and application running on the server. The capability of the Enterprise Access Builder within VisualAge for Java to create CICS(TM) Transaction Beans, Application Server Beans and Data Access Beans provides component based access to the Enterprise. In VisualAge for Java Release 1.0 Bean Components are automatically generated for the following:
   
   • CICS Transactions
   • C/C++ Server Applications
   • Java Server Applications
   • Relational Database Access Beans using Java Database Connectivity (JDBC).
   
   So you can extend existing business applications out to the web and interoperate with thin Java clients, rather than rewriting applications from scratch.
3. Creation of user interface code.
   Rather than coding an applications user interface by hand, VisualAge for Java provides the Visual Builder, which allows the programmer to assemble Java Applets, Java Applications and JavaBeans from pre-selected parts on the visual builder palate. Programmers can drag Java Abstract Windowing Toolkit (AWT) controls from the palate and drop them on the canvas to generate user interface Java code. The programmer then connects the user interface to the business logic JavaBean components generated by the Enterprise Access Builder using the award-winning construction from parts programming paradigm. All builders within VisualAge for Java support the JavaBeans component model, allowing existing Java applets and applications to take advantage of the VisualAge*,s Enterprise data / transaction and application connectivity capabilities. This provides programmers with a fast and easy way of exploiting the increasing number of Bean components being made available by third party vendors.
4. Waiting for a compile. While in the debug or test phase of a program, programmers often want to add a class, add a method or change a method. VisualAge for Java allows you to modify the code while in the debug phase. The modified code is compiled and inserted into the application, without the need to exit the debugger and perform a complete compile. This allows programmers to focus on the program logic, without dropping back and waiting for a compile (and possibly losing their train of thought). This makes the VisualAge for Java development environment task-centric, not tool-centric.
5. Source code control. In Enterprise Client / Server computing, the code that will run on the client must be kept in sync with the code kept on the server. VisualAge for Java supports the ENVY(*) team environment, a repository-based source control mechanism that allows programmers to keep track of all source code changes made over time. The VisualAge for Java source code repository is automatically updated each time the programmer makes a change to the source code. A history of all changes made to the Java Application / Applet are kept within the repository, enabling the development team to back out any or all source code changes. The benefits of this environment are two-fold: first, it allows multiple developers to work on a project at any one given time while reducing the number of source code collisions that arise when two developers are working on the same source code. Second, it allows programmers to re-build to any current or previous level of code, which assists in the maintenance of applications, especially when custom application work has been performed to meet customer requirements.

VisualAge for Java will be available in the summer of 1997. For more information about IBM VisualAge for Java, or to register for the Open Beta Test program, please visit our web site at www.software.ibm.com/ad/vajava

* IBM, CICS, DB2 and VisualAge are trademarks or registered trademarks of IBM Corp.

** Java and Java-based trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems.

IBM's VisualAge products and services are not associated with or sponsored by Visual Edge Software, Ltd.

(C) Copyright International Business Machines Corporation, 1997.

All rights reserved.

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