Backbase, a provider of AJAX-based Rich Internet Application (RIA) software, has released Backbase AJAX Struts Edition. The company hopes to extend the life of existing Struts based applications by enabling the addition of AJAX features. How this process is accomplished is defined on Backbase's website:
Struts applications use the traditional multi-page interface (MPI) model. End-user interaction results in GET or POST requests. Struts routes the requests through its configuration file, invoking the action handler that matches the request. The server-side handler then triggers a response which generates a new view by parsing a JSP file. The model is highly flexible and allows dynamically determining the response. It does, however, result in a server roundtrip that generates a complete page for each request. It is also limited to plain HTML for visualization.The Backbase AJAX Struts Edition addresses this by:
- It allows rendering to the Backbase AJAX engine, allowing richer presentation through the use of pre-defined AJAX widgets and behaviors;
- It allows for partial page updates, i.e. a response that will update an area on the page instead of rendering a complete new page.
The Struts edition includes both Backbase Ajax technology as well as Struts-specific taglibs. The Ajax functionality includes enhanced form validation and support for single-page interfaces. Also included is an Eclipse-plugin that supports Weblogic, WebSphere, Orable 10g, JBoss, and Tomcat.