Developer Prerequisites: Required Tools and Languages
This topic provides a checklist of the tools and languages typically needed
to develop custom Process applications. The tools and languages that are required
will depend upon a number of factors, including:
- Web application: Requirements may differ depending upon which Process
web application you are using: FileNet Workplace, FileNet Web Services, or
FileNet Open Client.
- Development platform: Requirements may differ depending upon whether
you are developing for the J2EE, COM, or ASP.NET platform.
- Your development goals: Requirements may differ depending upon whether
you are extending the user interface of the sample HTML or Java Process applications
provided with the Process Development Environment, modifying Content integration,
or building your own custom applet or application from scratch. Additional
factors that affect knowledge requirements include: whether you are developing
an HTML or Java application, whether you are creating Work Performers (and
whether they are to be Component Integrator-based or daemon-based), whether
you are integrating your Process applications with existing, external, third-party,
and/or legacy applications, and so on. Note that regardless of your development
goal, all Process application development relies on a foundational understanding
of the Process Java APIs.
- Additional requirements: Additional requirements involve issues such
as which operating system(s) you are running your web services, Process Engine,
and other related components on, which underlying Process database you are
using (Oracle or MS SQL Server) how you plan to access database information
(e.g., SQL queries vs. using ADO to query database views, etc.).
Prerequisite tools and languages for Process Development include:
Java Development
If you are developing or customizing Java applets or applications, such as
custom Step Processors, Work Performers, User Inboxes/User Task Page/Personal
Work Managers, etc., you should be familiar with the following languages, tools,
and technologies:
- Java 2 Enterprise Edition programming methodology.
- Sun Microsystems Java Software Development Kit (SDK).
- Creating, signing, and deploying .JAR files.
- JSP architecture and objects (including JSP event and view pages).
- Remote Method Invocation (RMI).
- Java Native Interface (JNI) if developing for FileNet Web Services
or FileNet Open Client.
- HTML 4.0 (or higher).
- JavaScript.
- FileNet Web Services server-side includes (.ASP and .INC files).
- For Process Engine on HP-UX platforms, the HP JDK.
- For Process Engine on AIX, the IBM AIX JDK.
- Java Messaging Services (JMS) if developing Component Integrator-based
Work Performers using JMS for FileNet Workplace.
- Experience with an Integrated Development Environment (IDE), which can use
the Rapid Application Development (RAD) components shipped as part of the
Process Development Environment while not required, is helpful. Examples of
Java IDEs with RAD capability are Visual Café, Borland JBuilder, etc.
ASP and COM Development
If you are developing or customizing ASP components (e.g., for COM-based Process
applications, for example, for the FileNet Web Services web application), you
should be familiar with the following languages, tools, and technologies:
- ASP architecture and objects.
- Visual Studio development environment (Visual InterDev, Visual Basic, etc.).
- Javascript 1.1 (or higher) and VBScript.
- HTML 4.0 (or higher).
- FileNet Web Services server-side includes (.ASP and .INC files).
- FileNet Web Services client-side Javascript libraries (.JS files).
- XML.
- JiGlue COM Bridge.
ASP.NET Open Client Development
If you are developing Process applications for FileNet Open Client in an ASP.NET
environment, you should be familiar with:
- ASP.NET (including ASP and ASPX architecture and objects including
ASPX code-behind files).
- COM.
- HTML 4.0 (or higher).
- XML.
- Visual Basic (experience with VB programming with the ASP.NET SDK and Visual
Studio, or other ASP.NET-compatible languages including VB.NET, C#,
C++, Managed C++, and JavaScript while helpful, is not an absolute
requirement. Note that FileNet Open Client uses VB.NET for source code and
out-of-the-box samples.
- Java Native Interface (JNI).
- Visual Studio (recommended).
- Remote Method Invocation (RMI).
- Sun Microsystems Java Software Development Kit (SDK), if developing Java
applets or applications.
Additional Miscellaneous Tools and Language
Requirements
Additional miscellaneous tool and language requirements may include:
- LDAP directory services (either Microsoft Active Directory or Sun iPlanet).
- Database development/management (either Oracle MS SQL Server) using
ODBC or JDBC as appropriate.
- SQL
- Active Directory Objects (ADO) if used to optimize large-scale work
object queries on database views for FileNet Web Services or FileNet Open
Client..
- Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) - For Process applications using FileNet
Workplace.
- HTTP
- Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) if developing applications
for FileNet Web Services or FileNet Open Client.
- MS Windows 2000 server administration for Process Engine on an MS
Windows platform.
- Unix server administration for Process Engine on a Solaris, HP-UX,
or AIX platform.
- MQSeries if developing applications for FileNet Workplace requiring
access to external or other applications via Process Enterprise Application
Integration (EAI) using the IBM CrossWorlds Interchange Server.
- IBM CrossWorlds Interchange Server if developing applications for
FileNet Workplace requiring access to external or other applications via Process
Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) using the IBM CrossWorlds Interchange
Server.