proposals/pull-api

Work in progress.

This proposal outlines an implementation of the "Pull API" proposed
by Jon Stevens. What we would like to provide is an easy way for
designers to restructure the Information Architechure (IA) of
a web site without the need of consulting a software engineer.
A full explanation of the Pull Model is outline <a href="">here</a>.

- use the velocity service
- types of tools that could be made
  -> message manager
  
     This would allow the designers to create a single set
     of temlates and use the message manager to control
     localized message handling. Something like:
     
     $app.messageManger.WelcomeText
  
     This would also allow a division of labour for 
     the process of creating the text for a locale.
     The designers can concentrate on design and work
     with a single set of templates while the text people
     can work on making a set of properties files or
     resource bundles for each of the locales to
     be supported.
  
     Allow the reloading of message bundles so that the
     server doesn't have to be restarted.
     
     Hm. Maybe the tool itself could have a little
     configuration manager that checks for changes
     in the source configuration and sends events
     to listeners. That might be good for all tools,
     efficient operation but reload new values when
     needed and cache them again.

     Kav:
     
     We might also want to have simple interpolation
     in any of the messages that are localized.
     
     WelcomeText=Hi $username this is your $visit visit!
     
     This would be very useful. These little properties
     could be made little templates so the interpolation
     would work.

  -> ui manager
     
     Control all aspects of the UI with this context tool.
     Any part of the site that has a UI element can be
     controlled with this tool. By changing a properties
     file the skin of an application could be changed.
     
     $app.uiManager.TableColor
  
     The UI properties could be stored in a database or
     in properties files. Allow for the easy switching
     of skins and the reloading of skins on the fly so
     that you don't have to restart the web server
     to make UI changes take effect.
  
  -> security manager
     
     Perform security operations using the pull model because
     we need control of it here. Because the security is
     controlled in the screen. I wonder if we could have
     a security manager that would allow the controlling
     of each of the screens with a web admin tool.
     
     No reloading detection need as each security request
     requires a hit to live data anyway.
     
  -> datamanager

     Making it very easy for the designer to get information
     out of the database. They would need some sort of
     information based on the schema ... we could probably
     produce something from the schema that designers
     could use to extract information from the database.

     Have a tool that assembles a particular criteria
     object for a peer to use to grab a set of info.

     $app.dataManager.Companies

     Now what would this actually do. How can the designer
     actually control the IA if it involves changing
     the number of rows produced in a table.

     No reloading detection need as each security request
     requires a hit to live data anyway.

- creating a tool api in velocity with a little doclet
  that allows us to create documentation for the
  designers using the tools
  
- outline the creation of these tools in a little
  toolbox by creating a context that can be used
  over and over again by using context chaining.