What web frameworks do you use?

[hbf]

Dear all,

I am using Alfresco as the data-repository for a information platform website. We are using Alfresco's Web Client for the editors and reviewers of the content of the platform but for the front UI we need something else.

Our old system (prototype) was PHP-based, but now, with a Java repository backend, it seems obvious to move to another system for the end-user website. As to features, we need a dynamically built webpage for each node in a certain folder, plus some more section pages. A little bit of AJAX will be used, too, for instance to show a tree of a folder hierarchy (and we plan to use WebScripts for this). But that's more or less it.

There are many Java-based website frameworks available. Has anybody made any particularly positive or particularly negative experiences with

- Tapestry 4.x?
- Struts?
- …?

Currently, I tend for tapestry but lack any experience. So any feedback is more than welcome!

Thank you very much,
Kaspar

P.S. I do not mention WCM/WSF here because they seem to be in development.

[hbf]

We've selected Tapestry; I have added some documentation to configure Tapestry to work with Alfresco as the backing repository on the wiki.

Hope this helps others.
Kaspar

[dhalupa]

Hi,

I'm just curious.. Why JSF was not considered as an option?

Kind regards,

Denis

[sacco]

Mainly, I would suspect, because it doesn't speak URL, which means that,
although it's rather popular, it doesn't really construct Web
Applications:  rather, applications which happen to run in a Web
browser.

For example, bookmarking ranges from difficult to impossible, and using
your 'Back' button may have completely unpredictable consequences.
REST?  Only if you do it all yourself.  Accessibility?  With MyFaces, impossible.  You get the idea…

[dhalupa]

Mainly, I would suspect, because it doesn't speak URL, which means that,
although it's rather popular, it doesn't really construct Web
Applications:  rather, applications which happen to run in a Web
browser.

For example, bookmarking ranges from difficult to impossible, and using
your 'Back' button may have completely unpredictable consequences.
REST?  Only if you do it all yourself.  Accessibility?  With MyFaces, impossible.  You get the idea…

Well, since you had to express your suspicion, could you also elaborate your statements a bit? Bookmarking and back button are known issues, but I do not understand the link between REST and JSF and what kind of accessibility are you reffering to.

I asked the question because tapestry was selected which is conceptually quite similar to jsf, and you have to admit that jsf is mainstream in comparision to tapestry.

For sure, I would'nt ask if something like wicket or gwt was selected

[mt44555]

hi kaspar,

colud you please explain did you used WCM in your approch, if not how it is possible for you to manage information using alfresco which is a ECM.

Thanks in advance ..
Maruti

[hbf]

First of all I should say: I do not have a strong background in JSP/JSF. But after reading just a little bit about these two technologies, I got the impression that these are not "real" frameworks (as PHP is not a web application framework but just a core on which a framework builds). Tapestry gives us a little more.

We do not use WCM. Our editors edit content in the Alfresco Web Client. The end user sees only the Tapestry webapp (which is running on the same tomcat instance). Currently, most of what the Tapestry webapp does is reading content (read-only transactions) from the Alfresco repo.

We've also added a caching layer between Alfresco and Tapestry.

[mt44555]

thats great !!!
Thank you very much

[dhalupa]

First of all I should say: I do not have a strong background in JSP/JSF. But after reading just a little bit about these two technologies, I got the impression that these are not "real" frameworks (as PHP is not a web application framework but just a core on which a framework builds). Tapestry gives us a little more.

Well, JSF is a web apps framework just like tapestry is. The advantage is that JSF is kind of mainstream and there are a lot of open source component libraries (try google richfaces or icefaces). Nevertheless, tapestry is also a good choice..

Good luck with your project

Denis

[hbf]

Well, JSF is a web apps framework just like tapestry is. The advantage is that JSF is kind of mainstream and there are a lot of open source component libraries (try google richfaces or icefaces). Nevertheless, tapestry is also a good choice..

So you know more than I do 😉 ! Thanks for the hint. Next time, I'll consider definitely consider it.