What is WebObjects 5?

WebObjects is an environment for developing interactive Web Sites. The Java language is being used to implement Server-side behavior; the client side is mostly HTML ...

WebObjects is much more than that. It also falls into the Application Server category. What is that? In the past, a “Server” would consist of just a Database. Nowadays a Server can also handle distributed transactions, multi-tier architecture, load-balancing, business logic, Enterprise JavaBeans, and other concepts and technologies involving more advanced server-side intelligence. An environment that helps with the development and deployment of such complex Servers is called an Application Server.

WO consists of multiple tools that are tightly integrated.

• Project Builder: lets you browse the source code and manage the project.
• WebObjects Builder: lets you assemble a Web Page.
• Enterprise Object Modeler: lets you connect your Web Application to a database,
• Interface Builder: lets you create Java applications and applets that connect to the WebObjects server for executing business logic and database access.
• Direct To Web: a wizard that create.s a complete database-driven customizable Web application.
• Direct To Java Client: a wizard that creates a complete database-driven customizable Java program or applet.
• Monitor: a remote task monitoring and performance analysis utility.

Other smaller utilities like a 'Diff' utility, debugging tools, etc. Other modules are included, yet they are not visible:

• Web Setter Adaptor: plugs into your Web Server to connect it to Web Objects.
• JDBC Database Adaptor; connects WebObjects to a database driver.
• The frameworks, which are powerful programming libraries. They support the whole WebObjects system. We refer to them as the Foundation, WebObjects and Enterprise Object Frameworks, The preceding tools make use of the Frameworks, and even generate some code that uses them ...

In a typical WebObjects application, the focus is the project file, which points to the different components of the application. The Project Builder manages this file. Then, to create the Web Components (Web pages), you usualiy run the WebObjects Builder program. When a component makes use of a database, you have to use a model to link the tables of the database to your system's objects. This model is created using the EO Modeler. To let a user connect to your site, you need a Web Server containing the WebObjects Adaptor. There's more on each of these parts later on.

Lastly, WebObjects also is an IDE for developing Cocoa and Carbon applications, hut this column deals only with Web applications.

Proulx, Emmanuel. (September 2001). Beginning WebObjects 5. MacTech. (pgs. 14, 16).

Download WebObjects 5 for Mac

Architecture

IBM PowerPC

Compatibility notes

Emulating this? It could probably run under: SheepShaver