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Enhance your J2EE presentation layer

Flash Remoting introduces an alternative J2EE presentation layer

By Joseph Shomphe, JavaWorld.com, 01/17/03

When selecting a presentation layer technology for any n-tiered architecture, Java developers are usually left with two choices: JSP (JavaServer Pages) or a Swing/AWT (Abstract Windowing Toolkit) solution. JSP gives Java developers the ability to create dynamic content that is extremely easy to distribute. However, developers must give up a certain degree of control over how their application will run when delivered in various browsers. Swing gives developers the ability to control most aspects of an application's behavior, but requires that users install a Java runtime. Cases exist where developers need to both distribute their applications as small, browser-based deliverables and maintain a high level of control over user interactions. In these cases, Macromedia Flash provides an alternative solution.

Traditionally, Macromedia Flash has excelled at delivering feature-rich applications with small footprints. Unfortunately, until recently, no standard method was available for integrating Flash applications into J2EE (Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition) architectures. That situation has changed with the introduction of Flash Remoting MX. Flash Remoting MX provides a standard communication layer for Flash applications to communicate with Java, .Net, and ColdFusion application servers. By utilizing Flash Remoting, a developer can distribute a small, browser-based presentation layer to a J2EE system, while maintaining plenty of control over the application's behavior.

This article will examine where Macromedia Flash fits in the recent evolution in presentation layers for n-tiered systems. I start by examining how presentation layers have recently changed, then compare Flash to existing standards, and finally examine how Flash fits into a J2EE system.

The evolution of presentation layers

Ever since Tim Berners-Lee created the first Web-based system, presentation layers for n-tiered systems have undergone a revolution. Before that time, developers were forced to create client systems tightly coupled with their corresponding servers. Using only the basic HTTP protocol, a Web server, and HTML, developers were able to deliver document-based applications to users, regardless of what hardware or software platform they used. This approach had some fundamental problems for application developers: while HTML succeeded at delivering document-based data, it proved unsuitable for creating rich applications—applications with ample real-time feedback for users.

To address these shortcomings, developers began exploiting some of the features available in modern (post Netscape Navigator 2.0) Web browsers, namely Java and JavaScript. For the first time, developers were able to leverage the Web browser platform as a delivery mechanism for rich, platform-neutral applications. The actual user experience of using applets, however, never really matched the expectations. Applets required users to already have the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed and a Java Plug-in for their Web browser. In addition to the steps needed to set up a client system to execute Java applets, the client machine needed to download the actual Java applet. This could often prove time consuming, especially over slower Internet connections.

 

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