Accessing a database and GUI Components

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Wolfgang Eibner - 23 May 2004 17:50 GMT

Hello!

I've the following question:

Which technology would you use for a "medium size" application that consists
of a lot of tables, lists and forms for showing and editing customers, bills
and so on? The database is a Postgresql-DB and the application should be
implemented as a normal Swing-Client and not as Webservice.

- pure JDBC and self-developed/filled Swing-Components: Does anyone use this
in fact of the high effort?
- prepared components (Oracle JDeveloper, Borland JBuilder): Are these
components/tools compatible with the Postgresql-DB? How simply are they to
use (especially for complex tables/lists)?
- Java-Objects (via a persistency-layer) and standard Swing-Components:
Which layer should be used (JDO, Hibernate,...)? Can these objects be used
in Swing-Components easily (also especially for tabels)?

The development should be backed by tools which avoid manual programming and
configuration. And another goal of course is a rapid development.

Thanks for your replies and excuse me if my English is not so good because
i'm from Austria.

Yours,
Wolfgang

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Mladen Adamovic - 24 May 2004 09:49 GMT

> - pure JDBC and self-developed/filled Swing-Components: Does anyone use this
> in fact of the high effort?

I used it that way and did a couple of forms and find it possible, but
I must admit - it is very high effort. BUT you can have another expirience
if you try :).

> - prepared components (Oracle JDeveloper, Borland JBuilder): Are these
> components/tools compatible with the Postgresql-DB? How simply are they to
> use (especially for complex tables/lists)?

I personaly read tutorial about JBuilder and didn't find it OK
for me for design database app, but you could try it.
You could also try to use NetBeans or some Eclipse plugins.

It also exists Gestalt (www.gestalt.com). Alex Molochnikov (guy from
Gestalt) announce it as a free in c.l.j.announce about half year ago,
but I wasn't sure it will stay free and didn't think about going to use
it - and I had right - Gestalt now is not free. But I must say that it
looks promising. Alex read this newsgroup from time to time, so I think
that it will say something about this thema :).

To Alex: heh, this is kinda advertation for Gestalt, so may I now get free
copy of Gestalt :D

> - Java-Objects (via a persistency-layer) and standard Swing-Components:
> Which layer should be used (JDO, Hibernate,...)? Can these objects be
> used in Swing-Components easily (also especially for tabels)?

I didn't see that Hibernate can help you puting data in JTables,
AFAIK.

> The development should be backed by tools which avoid manual programming
> and configuration. And another goal of course is a rapid development.

I deeply understand how it is important. I worked for couple of months for
one local company where I used Oracle developer(Forms&Reports) and did 50K
PL/SQL code, about 20 forms and 20 reports and they didn't find it
excellent (and to pay me good after that first period of time I worked for
them) so I changed my working position - now I work at the University and
don't must to put so much effort in my work.

> Thanks for your replies and excuse me if my English is not so good
> because i'm from Austria.

I'm from Bosnia so excuse me too :).

Signature

Department of Computer Engineering
Faculty of Electrical Engineering
University of Banja Luka

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Alex Molochnikov - 25 May 2004 05:26 GMT

> > - pure JDBC and self-developed/filled Swing-Components: Does anyone use this
> > in fact of the high effort?
>
> I used it that way and did a couple of forms and find it possible, but
> I must admit - it is very high effort. BUT you can have another expirience
> if you try :).

This is how STEP FORWARD is built: with JDBC and Swing. It "only" took 4
years to develop, and it came on the top of an earlier version that ran in
OpenStep and was written in Objective-C, with another 5 years of development

:-)

> It also exists Gestalt (www.gestalt.com). Alex Molochnikov (guy from
> Gestalt) announce it as a free in c.l.j.announce about half year ago,
> but I wasn't sure it will stay free and didn't think about going to use
> it - and I had right - Gestalt now is not free.

Actually, it's status never changed. A feature-limited demo is (and was)
free. A single-user version ("Explorer") is $99.

> But I must say that it
> looks promising. Alex read this newsgroup from time to time, so I think
> that it will say something about this thema :).

Only in the way of thanking you for putting in nice words about our product,
even though you never used it.

> To Alex: heh, this is kinda advertation for Gestalt, so may I now get free
> copy of Gestalt :D

Yes. A positive reference is worth something :-). Download and install it,
and give it a try. Use the Tutorial and sample database setups to get up to
speed quickly. If you are happy with it, let us know and we will send you a
license key for Explorer.

Alex Molochnikov
Gestalt Corporation

Reply to this Message

Alex Molochnikov - 25 May 2004 05:10 GMT

Well, I was not going to cease on your post, but Mladen Adamovic mentioned
Gestalt and my name, so I guess this puts me in the spotlight...

First of all, STEP FORWARD (the name of the product; Gestalt Corporation is
the company that developed it) supports 5 relational databases, but not
Postgresql. If Postgresql is fully SQL92-compliant (supports BLOBS, views
etc.), then it can be added within 3-5 working days. I haven't looked at it,
so I do not know off-hand.

STEP FORWARD creates database tables, input forms, reports and processing
logic graphically, without manual programming, although the user can write
his own code in Java and incorporate it into STEP FORWARD as a plugin.

To quickly get an idea of how STEP FORWARD does it, visit www.gestalt.com,
click on "See It" tab and watch the video clips. If you think that it can do
the job for you, use the Contact page to let us know.

Regards,

Alex Molochnikov
Gestalt Corporation

Reply to this Message

Will - 25 May 2004 13:57 GMT

Alex,

Your saying:

> STEP FORWARD creates database tables, input forms, reports and processing
> logic graphically, without manual programming, although the user can write
> his own code in Java and incorporate it into STEP FORWARD as a plugin.

Very interesting but without any coding... I just don't believe it or
does it generate the business logic as well? :)

Will
www.coderight.nl

> Well, I was not going to cease on your post, but Mladen Adamovic mentioned
> Gestalt and my name, so I guess this puts me in the spotlight...
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> Alex Molochnikov
> Gestalt Corporation

Reply to this Message

Alex Molochnikov - 25 May 2004 16:54 GMT

> Alex,
>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Very interesting but without any coding... I just don't believe it or
> does it generate the business logic as well? :)

1. Obviously, you don't believe it.
2. The user creates the business logic by constructing a graphical
flowchart. STEP FORWARD then compiles the flowchart into executable code
"behind the scene". Some business logic is pre-built into table templates
(e.g. linked fields resolution).
3. The process is described on our website, as per my previous post (video
clips etc.)
4. You can write your own code in Java and add it as a plug-in to STEP
FORWARD. This should make up for any deficiencies of the graphical
programming.
5. Seeing is believing. The demo is free.

Regards,

Alex.

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Fredrik Bertilsson - 31 May 2004 16:43 GMT

Have a look at http://butler.sourceforge.net. It has a number of
database-aware swing components for finding and editing records.

/Fredrik

Reply to this Message

Alexandr Molochnikov - 31 May 2004 19:36 GMT

The original poster inquired about a database-centric tool that would
require no manual programming.

Regards,

Alex.

> Have a look at http://butler.sourceforge.net. It has a number of
> database-aware swing components for finding and editing records.
>
> /Fredrik

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Accessing a database and GUI Components

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