To the Authors: What tools support JSF well?

Hello.

I am looking for a combination of tools, preferably Eclipse Plug-Ins, that well support JSF, including GUI web-page design and generating JSF code from it (like Rational Software Architect (RSA) does), keeping the code and UML models in sinc (which no tool I know of, including RSA, does well), and of course using information about code, tests passed, requirements, and others in the Model/Project to generate useful views of status/progress etc.

Many tools do all this and more with UML to/from C++ and Java, but not JSF. Is there any reason this should be?

Thanks for any pointers, etc.

Jim

Jim,

Chapter 17 provides a review of a collection of the most popular Faces enabled IDEs. Each has their own strengths so I would definitely recommend maybe trying out a few and seeing what works best with you.

Several of the IDEs are free so that may be a factor for you..

-Chris

Excellent, thanks, Chris.

Since I don't have access to the book and only have urgent need for this one fact, would you mind sending the names of those "IDE's that support JSF", hopefully ones that support it in the manner I described?

Jim

Well, naturally we hope you buy the book, but just in case you don't my opinion of the IDEs that support JSF the best are, in decreasing order of quality of support.

Sun JavaStudio Creator
Exadel Studio
Oracle JDeveloper
NetBeans 5
Eclipse

I've used both Java Studio Creator and JDeveloper. In my opinion, they are the best free editors for JSF as they both support visual editing of JSF (both page flow and page layout).

NetBeans is good also, but doesn't support visual editing of pages yet (apparently this os to come though).

I haven't used Exadel or Eclipse (for JSF work), so I can't comment on those.

I've tried them all extensively and I think each editor has its certain strengths and weaknesses.

FYI in Chap 17, the book specifically reviews the experience of building the same simple app in the following IDEs:

Sun Java Studio Creator
BEA Workshop Studio
Oracle JDeveloper 10g
IBM Rational Web developer
Exadel Studio Pro

-Chris

p.s. My own personal preference is for JDeveloper naturally because I've worked on it

but I do definitely respect all the JSF enabled IDEs and am happy there is such strong vendor support.

For a large scale application perhaps every one would look at JDeveloper .
I prefer Jdeveloper over Creator.although I used Creator for some times but now that i am working with JDeveloper and its wonderfull ADF BC components I like to work with jdeveloper as long as i can.
Exadel is not free for use , netbeans / Eclipse /Jdevelopers /Creator are free of charge.
in term of productivity Jdeveloper is in top(imho) but you will have a more steep learning curve in comparesion with Creator .
netbeans for now has no WYSIWYG editor for JSF but they will let creator to run on top of netbeans 5.5 sooner or later.

i suggest you start with reading JSF basics and then try Creator and Jdeveloper.

Good stuff, thanks, all.

Another important feature I did not mention is maintainability.

I have heard that Java Studio Creator depends for its apparent magic on a huge collection of extensively specialized classes, and thus, though you can easily build an app, it is virtually impossible to edit, using normal editors e.g. in Eclipse, any of the resulting code (to change, for example, the color of a background) because the real Java / JSF is buried so deeply it cannot be found by normal means.

The code generated by the huge (4 GB plus) and expensive (but really good and well-supported) Eclipse Plug-In called IBM Rational Software Architect, on the other hand, generates absolutely standard, straightforward, easily maintained JSF code. I _think_ it preserves manual code edits thru successive GUI edits and re-generations (another requirement), but its support of "reverse engineering" is debatable.

Has anyone any significant experience with these concerns/features/lack thereof? Any agreement/disagreement on their relative value, or other ways within the IDE (again, preferably Eclipse) to achieve the goal of keeping the code and model in sync (not only for documentation of code but also of Requirements Management etc.)?

Thanks again for good discussion.

Jim

Replying to Ed Burns' Sep 12 post:

Thanks vey much for supporting the spirit of open discussion; it makes me really want to go buy the book, in fact.

But I have a couple of specific points about your IDE list "in decreasing order of quality of support [of JSF application development]":

Sun JavaStudio Creator
Exadel Studio
Oracle JDeveloper
NetBeans 5
Eclipse

1. Re Sun JavaStudio Creator, see my post of a few minutes ago.

2. Why is IBM Rational Software Architect, which many (including me) believe is by far the best tool in all respects, not even mentioned?

3. Eclipse alone is not much good. I would add at least something like MyEclipse (with its excellent collection of Plug-Ins, tested compatibility, fairly complete tool set for a Software Development Project, good support, etc.) to get a good start on collecting the editors, test managers etc. desired/needed. Is this what you had in mind, and if so, do you have specific Plug-In recommendations?

Same question (#3) for anyone.

Thanks again.

Jim

Is anyone aware of any new tools planned for JSF application development, or existing tools that plan to add JSF support?

Originally posted by Ed Burns:
Well, naturally we hope you buy the book, but just in case you don't my opinion of the IDEs that support JSF the best are, in decreasing order of quality of support.

Sun JavaStudio Creator
Exadel Studio
Oracle JDeveloper
NetBeans 5
Eclipse

add: MyEclipseIDE and Weblogic Workshop (former NitroX)

about the order one can always quarel ;)

Put it that way:
if you are the Netbeans-type go for JavaStudioCreator
if you are the Eclipse-kind of developer go for Exadel
if you are the point-and-click type JavaStudioCreator of Rational-products are better
if you like to see (and understand) the "real" sourcecode Exadel and MyEclipse are for you

regards
Alexander

Hi,

Is IBM Rational Web developer the same, or a part of
IBM RAD?

Bye,

Alex

rational web developer is a subset of RAD (rational application developer) which RAD itself is a subset or RSM and RSA.

rational web developer is the entry product of rational development studios.
it has no uml,no ejb diagrams ,....
but it has all features like jsf / struts development of RAD.