Oracle ADF With my spectacles

HI All, My name is Rohit Majithia and I am working with Jade Global Software pvt ltd as Sr. Consultant.

My motivation for writing this article is simple: I have worked with ADF. I have developed Java Web applications with a range of other frameworks and libraries. I have been part of ferocious debates about which tools, IDEs, frameworks and technologies to use in projects. I have seen the struggle of many Java developers to find their way in rapidly evolving Java frameworks and to become productive.

I have also worked in JSF and Spring frame works. From my  experience I can say ADF is best among all the frame works available (Though it is paid one  except ADF Essentials  ).

Please exeuse me if you find content of my article is copied from somewhere. What my idea is to go through most of available contents on internet and pick best of the contents available.

This article will first explain in brief what ADF is and its architecture.

In further articles I will also discuss when and why  you should use ADF applications, where ADF applications fits in etc.

Introduction

Java EE is a standard, robust, scalable, and secure platform that forms the basis for

many of today’s enterprise applications. Java EE provides a set of specifications for

building multi-tier applications using the JavaTM language. In the past, there was a direct

correlation between the robust nature of an application to the complexity required to

achieve it. However, with the advent of the Oracle ADF framework, you are able to

provide the implementation of extremely rich Java EE applications, adhering to standard

patterns and practices with greatly reduced effort.

Additionally, the increased need for organizations to build composite applications that

utilize Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) principles has forced developers to create

applications that are extremely agile. Implementing these best practices in agile

applications usually involves writing a significant amount of infrastructure code, adding

another obstacle for developers building their first Java EE application.

What is ADF

In computing, Oracle Application Development Framework, usually called Oracle ADF, provides a commercial Java framework for building enterprise applications. It provides visual and declarative approaches to Java EE development. It supports rapid application development based on ready-to-use design patterns, metadata-driven and visual tools.

Oracle Application Development Framework (Oracle ADF) is an innovative, yet mature Java EE

development framework available from Oracle and directly supported and enabled by

Oracle JDeveloper 11g.

Oracle ADF Architecture:

Oracle ADF lets developers choose the technology they prefer to use when implementing each

of the layers. The diagram below shows the various options available for developers when

building Oracle ADF applications. The glue that integrates the various components of Java EE

applications and makes development so flexible is the Oracle ADF model layer. EJB, Web

Services, JavaBeans, JPA/EclipseLink/TopLink objects and many others can all be used as

Business Services for the Oracle ADF Model. View layers can include Web based interfaces

implemented with JSF, Desktop Swing applications and MS Office front ends, as well as

interfaces for mobile devices.

Oracle ADF is based on the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern. An MVC application

is separated into:

1) a model layer that handles interaction with data-sources and runs the

business logic,

2) a view layer that handles the application user interface, and

3) a controller that

manages the application flow and acts as the interface between the Model and the View layers.

The Business Services layer - provides access to data from various sources and handles

business logic.

The Model layer - provides an abstraction layer on top of the Business Services layer, enabling

the View and Controller layers to work with different implementations of Business Services in

a consistent way.

The Controller layer - provides a mechanism to control the flow of the Web application.

The View layer - provides the user interface of the application.

Source: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/adf/

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                 http://docs.oracle.com