Deployment of Java Beans (Jelly Beans)

used to interface web screens using ActiveLINC to

Host LINC systems (part 1)

How are these Java Bean generated?

There currently are two means to produce Java Beans. PCE and EAD (LDA) 3.1 release.

Where do the JAVA Beans go?

The generated JAVA Beans are typically located on the web server, or a PC on the same LAN segment, which is visible to the web server. The folder in which they are found is user-controlled but it is critical to synchronize with the environmental variable “ CLASSPATH” and the EAD31 Component Enabler values. The first step is to determine the value of the CLASSPATH.

How do I find out what the CLASSPATH value is or change the CLASSPATH value?

In this illustration the CLASSPATH value is:

C:\webshare\wwwroot\sample\

In what folder are the Java Beans deployed?

Actually determining the CLASSPATH is the first step. The deployed Java Bean path is the combination of the CLASSPATH along with the Java environmental values. These environmental attributes can be found in EAD/LDA 3.1 Component Enabler settings.

How do I find the Java environment values defined in Component Enabler?

Within the EAD3.1 Developer, open the
System Directory window.

Now with this information, the location
where the Java Beans will be generated by
EAD/LDA will be:
{C} + {B} + {A} + {D} + “ispecs”

The actual location where the Java Beans
will be deployed is:
CLASSPATH + {B} + {A}+ {D}+ “ispecs”

As illustrated in this example the Java Beans will be found at …..

and

Since the bundle name is involved in the naming string, other locations may contain Java Beans for this Business Segment.

Discussion on Folder Naming Conventions

The naming strings, at first glance, look to be confusing and over engineered. This is not necessarily the case.

The CLASSPATH in our illustration happens to be relative to the IIS directory (c:\webshare\wwwroot\sample). (note: typically IIS uses a path name of “..\inetpub\…”). We should note that the CLASSPATH really has no relationship to IIS or the web server other than visibility. This value could have been “c:\Beans”, “d:\jellybeans”, or “c:\webstuff”. It could also have been the same name used in EAD as the output directory “d:\alinc\output”. IEG uses EAD to test the ActiveLINC RATL environment. Using the EAD output directory, when the Java Beans are generated by EAD3.1, then new Java Bean versions are immediately deployed. This might be practical to generate new Beans into the CLASSPATH value in a test environment; however, in larger installation environments, generating Java Beans directly into the CLASSPATH value would not be advisable. This might be due to accessibility between the EAD server and the WEB server plus it would not be recommended to generate directly into a “production” environment. This means, the CLASSPATH specifies the location of where IIS expects to find Java Beans; therefore, would be a production environment.

The Package Prefix represents a Company ID or an organization. It would be critical to differentiate one organization from another for sites hosting applications for multiple companies. A convention suggested is “com” or “org” followed by a “.” (dot) followed by the {organization or company name}. This is only a convention and not a requirement. If the “.” (dot) is included, this creates two folders “com/ieg”.

The Application Name is just that, it is a name for the application being hosted. This helps organize information relative to one application versus another application also being hosted within the same network.

The Bundle Name is perhaps the most confusing. It is user-defined and therefore can be anything you want. Names such as “all”, “every” or “some” have been used in many examples but perhaps this is where the confusion begins.

When left to making up a bundle name of your own, the mind starts drawing a blank. IEG would suggest applying the same concept that LDA has with Functional areas and Activities. As a ”best practice”, IEG suggests to first define, in LDA, a functional area and call it something like “Stuff-on-the-Web”, “Web-Interfaces”. Then begin to define Activities under this Functional area that represent various interface types. This might be related to functions within the application or perhaps to represent various users types. Think about “Who will use this interface on the web?” or “Are all users equal?” or “What parts of this application are to be “exposed” to the general public?” These answers will help define Activity names.

Each activity should contain the collection of all painted GLGs and ISPECs that relate to this activity. Once this is started, bundle names are not as hard to come up with. Bundle names become ADMIN users, POWERUSERS, or RESTRICTED users. Perhaps the bundle names are TAXINQ for inquiry into Tax Assessment because these Inquiry ISPECs are the only ISPECs that are to be made available to the general “public”, or REGIS for online registration of members or users.

Other examples of the path strings of where Java Beans might be found:

generated                                                                                 deployed

d:\alinc\output\com\ieg\sample\admin\ispecs\…..         c:\webshare\wwwroot\sample\com\ieg\sample\admin\ispecs\…..

d:\alinc\output\com\ieg\sample\poweru\ispecs\…..      c:\webshare\wwwroot\sample\com\ieg\sample\ poweru \ispecs\…..

d:\alinc\output\com\ieg \sample\restrict\ispecs\…..      c:\webshare\wwwroot\sample\com\ieg\sample\ restrict \ispecs\…..

d:\alinc\output\com\ieg \sample\regis\ispecs\…..          c:\webshare\wwwroot\sample\com\ieg\sample\ regis\ispecs\…..

d:\alinc\output\com\ieg\sample\taxinq\ispecs\…..         c:\webshare\wwwroot\sample\com\ieg\sample\ taxinq\ispecs\…..

EADOutputDirectory     PackagePrefix     ApplicationName    BundleName(EAD Activity)   CLASSPATH

How are Java Beans related to a browser accessing a Host LINC application?

A browser user will access the host LINC application by going to some web home page, which contains a “link” to this host application. Upon clicking this link, communication is made to the hosting web server requesting that an ASP page be rendered. This first request initiates a “session” between this PC and the application. To initiate a “session” there is a routine named GLOBAL.ASA, which is invoked by IIS. GLOBAL.ASA has the responsibility of initializing the communication between the end-user browser and the ActiveLINC RATL front-end in to the LINC application.

In GLOBAL.ASA various environment variables are defined to control the connection flow. These variables include: PackagePrefix, ApplicationName, and BundleName

Gee do these sound familiar. By this time they should. These are the same values we have been discussing. As part of the IEG process a GLOBAL.ASA is automatically generated setting values for PackagePrefix, ApplicationName, and BundleName. GLOBAL.ASA sets these variables and ActiveLINC now knows where to find the Java Beans by using the same formula above: CLASSPATH + PackagePrefix + ApplicationName + BundleName + “ispecs/”… .

GLOBAL.ASA works in conjunction with another ASP routine that processes data to and from the browser and RATL. This routine may have any name, but IEG has named this routine DATATORATL.ASP. In short, the locations of ASP pages are known to DATATORATL.ASP and GLOBAL.ASA.

Brief flow of data from a browser to the host application and back to the browser.

When the end-user submits a transaction from the browser:

· The browser submits the ASP form with data to DATATORATL,

· The Java Beans are located to gain knowledge of the RATL buffer layout,

· Data is submitted through the RATL interface into host LINC,

· LINC processes the data, data is returned via the RATL buffer back to DATATORATL,

· DATATORATL initiates the ASP form,

· The execution of the ASP form, merges the data from the RATL buffer with the form (which might be the same form that was initiated or another form, was a RECALL done in logic), and

· The results are rendered into the user PC as a browser web page.

Information of how ASP pages are associated with the application is covered in more detail in the ASP pages section of this overview.

Deployment of Java Beans (Jelly Beans)

used to interface web screens using ActiveLINC to

Table of Contents:

C:\webshare\wwwroot\sample\

As illustrated in this example the Java Beans will be found at …..