Apache Beehive
Encyclopedia
Apache Beehive is a Java Application Framework designed to make the development of Java EE based applications quicker and easier. It makes use of various open-source projects at Apache
like XMLBeans
. It leverages the latest innovations in Java 5 which includes JSR-175
which is a facility for annotating fields, methods and classes so that they can be treated in special ways by runtime tools. It builds on the framework developed for BEA Systems
Weblogic Workshop for its 8.1 series. BEA later decided to donate the code to Apache, so that a wider audience could get an opportunity to use Beehive.
which helped programmers to develop Java EE based applications more quickly. This was significantly better than 7.0 with more advanced features and also won several awards and gained a lot of critical acclaim. However, a new revolution was brewing in the Java
universe in the form of Eclipse and it seemed like everyone was moving towards it. Although Workshop 8.1 did not succeed as much as it intended to, the Weblogic Workshop Framework which was developed for 8.1 version Workshop was recognized as a good solid framework. In order that it can be used with other Java EE based application servers, BEA decided to open-source the project under the purview of the Apache Software Foundation
.
to a complex set of application APIs. In essence a control to a legacy EJB 2 bean ensured that the developer could simply use the control and call any business method of the EJB, using it in the same way as any other Java
class. When EJB 3 came around, such simplification was already provided by the EJB specification itself, and Beehive controls were of little further use here. The Controls come with a standard set of controls wiz EJB Control, Webservice Control, Database Control and JMS Control. Custom controls can also be developed which in turn could make use of the controls already built-in.
which builds on JSR-175
.
Apache Software Foundation
The Apache Software Foundation is a non-profit corporation to support Apache software projects, including the Apache HTTP Server. The ASF was formed from the Apache Group and incorporated in Delaware, U.S., in June 1999.The Apache Software Foundation is a decentralized community of developers...
like XMLBeans
XMLBeans
XMLBeans is a Java-to-XML binding framework which is part of the Apache Software Foundation XML project.-Description:XMLBeans is a tool that allows access to the full power of XML in a Java friendly way...
. It leverages the latest innovations in Java 5 which includes JSR-175
Java Community Process
The Java Community Process or JCP, established in 1998, is a formalized process that allows interested parties to get involved in the definition of future versions and features of the Java platform....
which is a facility for annotating fields, methods and classes so that they can be treated in special ways by runtime tools. It builds on the framework developed for BEA Systems
BEA Systems
BEA Systems, Inc. specialized in enterprise infrastructure software products known as "middleware", which connect software applications to databases and was acquired by Oracle Corporation on April 29, 2008.- History :...
Weblogic Workshop for its 8.1 series. BEA later decided to donate the code to Apache, so that a wider audience could get an opportunity to use Beehive.
History
Version 8.1 of BEA's Weblogic Workshop includes a number of significant enhancements to version 7.0. The previous version was more focused on creating industrial-strength web services quickly. However, 7.0 did not have many customers, and it failed to create a stir in the market. However, for version 8.1, BEA created a whole new IDEIntegrated development environment
An integrated development environment is a software application that provides comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software development...
which helped programmers to develop Java EE based applications more quickly. This was significantly better than 7.0 with more advanced features and also won several awards and gained a lot of critical acclaim. However, a new revolution was brewing in the Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
universe in the form of Eclipse and it seemed like everyone was moving towards it. Although Workshop 8.1 did not succeed as much as it intended to, the Weblogic Workshop Framework which was developed for 8.1 version Workshop was recognized as a good solid framework. In order that it can be used with other Java EE based application servers, BEA decided to open-source the project under the purview of the Apache Software Foundation
Apache Software Foundation
The Apache Software Foundation is a non-profit corporation to support Apache software projects, including the Apache HTTP Server. The ASF was formed from the Apache Group and incorporated in Delaware, U.S., in June 1999.The Apache Software Foundation is a decentralized community of developers...
.
Netui Page Flows
This is an application framework built on top of Apache Struts which allows easier tooling and automatic updating of the various Struts configuration files.Controls
This is the heart of the Beehive framework. A control can be defined as a program which can be used by the developer to quickly gain access to enterprise-level resources such as Enterprise Java Beans (EJBs), web services etc. For example consider accessing an old legacy EJB 2 bean. It involved a lot of boiler-plate code like getting access to an home interface, then creating/finding an EJB using finder methods and then accessing the remote methods of the bean. Using a control simplified this because it did most of the boiler-plate or routine coding for the developer, who could then concentrate more on business logic rather than worrying about the inner-details of Java EE technology. If the developer was sufficiently advanced, even then it was useful because then the developer could concentrate on more useful things like constructing a FacadeFaçade pattern
The facade pattern is a software engineering design pattern commonly used with Object-oriented programming. The name is by analogy to an architectural facade....
to a complex set of application APIs. In essence a control to a legacy EJB 2 bean ensured that the developer could simply use the control and call any business method of the EJB, using it in the same way as any other Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
class. When EJB 3 came around, such simplification was already provided by the EJB specification itself, and Beehive controls were of little further use here. The Controls come with a standard set of controls wiz EJB Control, Webservice Control, Database Control and JMS Control. Custom controls can also be developed which in turn could make use of the controls already built-in.
Webservices
This is the third component of Beehive and it enables a developer to create webservices using meta-data/annotations quickly. In essence by using meta-data/annotations one can create complex web services utilizing features like conversation, state etc quickly and since all the meta-data/annotations are in one file, it is easier to debug and maintain. Using this approach any plain Java class can be converted into a web service just by the addition of annotations into the Java source files. This is based on JSR-181Java Community Process
The Java Community Process or JCP, established in 1998, is a formalized process that allows interested parties to get involved in the definition of future versions and features of the Java platform....
which builds on JSR-175
Java Community Process
The Java Community Process or JCP, established in 1998, is a formalized process that allows interested parties to get involved in the definition of future versions and features of the Java platform....
.
External links
- Apache Beehive home site
- Weblogic Workshop
- Pollinate Project (An Eclipse plugin for Apache Beehive, now archived and inactive)