Test Center: BEA WebLogic Workshop 8.1 Stands Out

Java developers now have an easier job because Workshop has abstracted the programming necessary to couple back-end resources, the controls that handle business logic and front-end interfaces. Essentially, JMS, EJBs and JDBC APIs now come under the framework's umbrella. The new programming model also allows developers to deploy and test source code iteratively via a proprietary code generator, which places annotations inside Java source code. Workshop's code generator can create complex Java Page- Flows, Web services and controls from a single statement in a source file. All the code required to parse and marshal XML, manage JavaBeans and connect to databases is created for the developer, allowing the developer to concentrate on business logic. Controls act as transports between the underlying XML messages that carry business logic and actual business rules.

At the front end of the application, Java PageFlows provide the same mechanisms using controls to access logic and resources by managing data binding. What's more, Workshop provides what's called XMLBeans, which can transform XML to and from Java source code safely.

The CRN Test Center found Workshop's visual programming model more intuitive than Microsoft's Visual Studio because the entire development process was presented with a single view.

In an April Web services roundup, the Test Center will examine and compare Workshop, Visual Studio and other Web services development tools.