OfficeFloor - True Inversion of Control

Four steps to build a OfficeFloor web application

Write some HTML

OfficeFloor dynamic web pages only require the following 3 non-obtrusive tags:

${bean ... $} , ${property} : allows dynamic content from POJOs (plain old Java objects) to be rendered on the web page
#{link} : allows indirection of web page links to enable graphical configuration of the web site navigation
 : segments the web page into functions

The reason for using non-obtrusive tags in the OfficeFloor web pages is to allow using WYSIWYG web design tools (e.g. Web Tools Platform, DreamWeaver, KompoZer) to create and edit the web pages.

Also reviewers can open the raw web pages in any web browser. This makes for faster feedback loops with the Web Designer enabling the right look and feel for the web application.

Write some methods

The application logic is written with POJOs (plain old Java objects) but with a slightly different focus to many dependency injection frameworks. OfficeFloor injects the dependency as a parameter into the method rather than into the object. This difference is key to OfficeFloor's simplicity yet power!

Dependency injection into methods is fundamental to True Inversion of Control as methods are the natural building blocks for managed code. The JEE API's highlight this:

Servlet has the service(...) method
JMS has the onMessage(...) method
Session Beans contain methods run within a context

OfficeFloor focuses on the method and its Dependency Injection and the invoking thread (Thread Injection).

Draw some lines

The web pages and POJO methods are connected together via OfficeFloor's function orchestration providing a cohesive web application.

OfficeFloor's function orchestration is configured graphically which improves application development by:

providing a visual representation that all stakeholders can use to understand and review the application
making OfficeFloor web applications self documenting, which is great for Agile and Support teams
simplifying application changes

No additional coding/configuration is required for function orchestration, as OfficeFloor is built from the ground up with Continuation Injection, allowing development teams to focus on the web pages and POJOs.

You're ready to go

The run anywhere flexibility provided by OfficeFloor's true inversion of control fundamentals means that web applications built with OfficeFloor can be deployed anywhere, including:

on the developer's workstation
as a stand-alone web application
within an existing JEE Application Server
by a Cloud Computing provider

The build once run anywhere capability of OfficeFloor provides flexibility to make the best deployment decisions for the web application - both now and in the future.