JScaffold: A Rapid Application Development Solution for Java MVC Applications

Abstract

Rapid application development (RAD) is used to save time in the development process of new applications. While RAD can be used for a variety of applications, it is especially useful in database-driven applications designed on a large scale, where repetitive code can severely lengthen the development time of the project. The effectiveness of a RAD tool can be affected by architectural factors, such as programming languages and frameworks.This thesis describes a Java framework known as Spring and explains how Spring is well suited for RAD. Spring is a popular extension to Java Enterprise Edition, a framework for developing multi-tier, distributed applications. Its simplicity leads to faster development of software applications, and easier integration with RAD and other tools. Scaffolding is a process in which data is exposed and manipulated by HTTP clients in a distributed, networked environment. Spring is complemented by an existing RAD tool named Roo, which is able to generate scaffolded applications with fully-functional web interfaces and database-driven classes that can be modified to suit the domain in which they operate. Roo's most prominent setback is the lack of a graphical user interface. Without it, Roo is less likely to attract new developers, more likely to slow the development processes, and more likely to produce error conditions that are difficult to correct.This thesis presents a software application, named JScaffold, that addresses this and several other problems in Roo, and provides an enhanced user experience where users can be comfortable in developing their applications. The results of JScaffold, supported by several developers familiar with database-driven applications, show that this software tool can improve the usability of the Roo tool, making Spring and Java a more attractive platform for RAD. Its functionality resembles the features of other RAD tools which generate scaffolded applications. The results show that with JScaffold, Spring-based RAD becomes more effective and attractive for application developers.