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Java Studio: For those who don't want to write a line of code

Sun delivers Java authoring tool for non-programmers

By Jill Steinberg, JavaWorld.com, 11/01/97

On Monday, October 27, Sun Microsystems Inc. announced the availability of Java Studio, a dynamic Java authoring tool that was developed specifically for non-programmers -- actually, for anyone who doesn't want to do a bit of scripting or HTML tagging. Java Studio allows users with no coding experience whatsoever to create and test applets and applications. Sun officials say they took great pains to provide users with a tool that obviates the need for programming, giving Java Studio an intuitive, straightforward user interface and component-based architecture.

The beauty of beans

So how can non-programmers develop Java applications with no coding experience? With Java Studio, with a click of the mouse, you wire together preexisting components in the form of JavaBeans. In a conversation with JavaWorld, Joe Keller, director of Marketing and Support for Sun's Authoring and Development Tools, said the component-based nature of Java Studio lets "you treat interactive content like clip art." Java Studio currently boasts more than 50 JavaBeans components and includes beans that allow you to add diverse and high-level functions such as database connectivity (for live spreadsheets and documents that update automatically), charting and graphing, and multimedia (sound and animation). E-mail and calendaring capabilities also are a part of Java Studio.

The beans supplied with Java Studio were developed by various third-party vendors. The base set of beans includes those from KL Group, Ludens, Object Design Inc., and THOUGHT Inc. Additional beans are being developed by Argent Software, Athena Design, Halcyon Software, Object/FX Corp., and Stingray Software.

High-level functionality through beans: An example
The JavaBeans included with Java Studio allow users to do fairly sophisticated things. One bean lets you incorporate Visual Basic script in your application. Once Netscape completes its JavaScript bean, this will be added to the package.

Keller pointed to another example of a powerful bean in Java Studio from a Mexican company called Ludens, S.A. de C.V. Ludens originally built a drawing tool for programmers that would allow them to do custom animation, said Keller. The company then created "Montage," a version of the animation tool for non-programmers. One step further, it turned Montage into a JavaBean ("MontageLite"), which, as part of Java Studio, gives users access to a full, 2D drawing package through tools, colors, and fonts. With the Montage bean, maps and diagrams can be used as a front-end to Java applications or databases.

So, while Java Studio was designed with non-programmers in mind, experienced users will find the possibilities for creating advanced applications appealing, said Sun officials.

Asked if Java Studio users would have access to new beans as they become available, Keller described the scenario: Users will go to the "Java Component Depot" on Sun's Web site and automatically "lift" new beans provided by independent software vendors. These beans have been optimized for use with Java Studio and Java Workshop. (See Resources for the link to the Java Component Depot.)

 

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