Java development for Panagon Web WorkFlo and WorkFlo Services does not require any particular development environment. All programming discussions and procedures for compiling the supplied samples contained in this guide assume that you are using the appropriate JDK (for details, see Configure the Java SDK).
When developing and testing Java applications for Panagon WorkFlo Services, you must have an installed and configured WorkFlo Services server with at least one initialized region to test the applications.
If you are developing customized workflow processing applications (sometimes called "work performers") for deployment on a client workstation, the pw.jar file, which contains all of the eProcess API classes, must reside on each client system. As part of the development process, the client workstation must also include any custom classes that a customized workflow processing application requires to run. Typically, you create a single Java ARchive (JAR) file that contains the eProcess API classes and your custom classes.
Note Developers who are used to earlier versions of the Visual WorkFlo APIs should keep in mind during development that there is not a one-to-one correspondence between each Visual WorkFlo API and eProcess API class. Generally, the two API sets have the same functionality; however, the eProcess APIs do not have the sequenced mode feature. For developers familiar with earlier eProcess API versions, see What's New in 5.0 for information on changes from the last Panagon eProcess release.
This section provides information on the following topics:
Panagon WorkFlo Services requires that the Remote Method Invocation (RMI) mechanism be built into the Java environment. If you develop with Microsoft Visual J++™, install the Microsoft RMI patch before compiling your application code.