XML Tools
The final significant feature I want to mention is the XML
editing capabilities included in JDeveloper. Creating and
editing XML schema is a straightforward process, and like the
other processes in JDeveloper, you can do it either using the
visual interface or editing the schema directly. Drag and drop
new elements and attributes or manually type them in. Figure 3
shows the Dublin Core XML Schema Document.
Conclusion
Overall, I was quite pleased with everything that JDeveloper had
to offer. It is nice to see a comprehensive development
environment that is straightforward to install, configure and
get started. Once I finished downloading it, which took a little
while(it's no small package), it really only took me 10
minutes to be up and running with a new application workspace.
If this is any
indication of our evolution, it seems that the Java world is
finally getting rid of that oft-spoke-of "J2EE complexity".
However, keep in mind that this is an Oracle application, and as
such it will work best with Oracle's tools: database,
application server, applications. This can be a great thing if
you use these tools in your environment. Otherwise, you may want
to investigate other options. It appears that JDeveloper will
work with numerous versions of Tomcat, JBoss and BEA WebLogic,
but I did not test in those environments.
JDeveloper is a bit of a memory hog, so be
sure that you have a well-endowed machine to run it. My little
laptop was chugging away just trying to keep up and I don't
have any development versions of Oracle Application Server or
any such thing running in the background. All in all, if you are
using a compatible application server and especially if you
use Oracle (application server and database) I would recommend
evaluating this application. The development time it could
potentially save makes it a worthwhile return on your IT dollar.
More Information
Drew Falkman is
the author of the JRun Web Application Construction Kit and co-
author (with Ben Forta) of Reality ColdFusion: J2EE Integration,
both published by Macromedia Press. Over the past 6 years, Drew
has developed over 150 Web applications in all sizes using
ColdFusion and Java. Currently Drew consults, speaks at events,
writes for numerous publications, and teaches courses at
Portland State University. His latest project through his
consulting company, Veraison LLC, was a real-time cattle auction
using Flash Remoting and Flash Communication Server. In
addition, Drew is a member of Team Macromedia, a certified
ColdFusion Developer and a certified Macromedia instructor.
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