Building Web 2.0 UIs with JSF, Realtime Updates with JSF and Ajax Push Taught at GIDS 2010

Question

JavaServer Faces is a Java-based Web application framework intended developed to simplify development integration of Web-based user interfaces. It is often mentioned together with Ajax, a combination of technologies that makes it possible to create rich user interfaces. Since JSF supports multiple output formats, Ajax-enabled components can easily be added to enrich JSF-based user interfaces. Oracle's Frank Nimphius says that Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) has become a reality in modern software development but Web services don't have a user interface. This is fine if communication is between machines. But what about human interaction like in data entry and work flow? Users need an application display they feel comfortable working with. So what about building Web 2.0 user interfaces for service oriented architectures? Does it work, or does it hurt - and if so, how bad is it? Frank is coming this summer to India's biggest summit for the software developer ecosystem - Great Indian Developer Summit (http://www.developersummit.com/) to show how JavaServer Faces can be used to build compelling Ajax user interfaces for Web Services models giving end users a comfortable working environment that includes client side validation and user interface customization.

In his second session at GIDS 2010, Frank addresses the topic of implementing automatic UI refreshes. To web application users, it must appear as if the Web reinvents itself once a year with more interactive UIs, increasing performance through partial page refreshes, and desktop-like usability patterns that allow users to become as productive using web applications as they are using real desktop clients. One technical detail, though, hasn't changed in the past and is unlikely to change in the near future: HTTP. Hypertext Transfer Protocol is based on the request-response principle in which the client sends a query to the server and the server responds with the requested data. Between requests, no connection is maintained between the client and the server that would allow server-side logic to send more data unasked. Any changes in the underlying data layer used by an application are first detected within the next client request. Hopefully, it doesn't come to you by surprise when we say that in the modern days of Web 2.0 and Rich Enterprise Applications (REA), the Web still is disconnected and stateless. So, in these modern days of Web 2.0 and Rich Enterprise Applications (REA), is the Web still is disconnected and stateless? Not really, because you frequently use some applications on the Web that update their client UIs with server-side changes without your needing to do anything. The question, therefore, is how this was accomplished and whether you can do the same in JavaServer Faces. In his session, Frank will guide attendees through the options that are available in AJAX and other implementation technologies of Rich Internet Applications (RIA) to implement automatic UI refreshes.

Frank Nimphius is a principal product manager for application development tools at Oracle Corporation since 1999. He actively contributes to the development of Oracle JDeveloper and the Oracle Application Development Framework (ADF). He represents the Oracle J2EE development team at J2EE conferences world wide, including various Oracle user groups and the Oracle Open World conference. The talk 'Building Web 2.0 User Interfaces for Web Service Models using JSF' will be co-presented by Jobinesh Purushothaman. Jobinesh Purushothaman is an enterprise Java specialist with 10+ years of experience in the industry. He is involved in design and architectural decisions of various products using ADF and JavaEE technologies. He is interested in developing more simplified enterprise technologies where developers can focus on their business solutions rather on the technology complexities.