In addition to core control constructs and dynamic wrappers for core HTML tags,
AribaWeb includes a full complement of higher-level widgets, from tab sets,
client-side panels, wizards, and page wrappers, to buttons,
choosers, and menus, all the way to scrolling, sorting
data tables, tree tables, pivot tables, flash charts and
a rich text editor.
In addition, AW provides a rich validation framework that makes specifying
validation easy (and often automatic) and provides users easy navigation of any
errors on the page.
And all of this automatically get the benefits of "Auto AJAX"...
Auto AJAX
Traditionally, even with the best client-side JavaScript libraries, writing AJAX
applications can be complex and error prone; developers are usually forced to deal
with two languages (Java and JavaScript) and two programming models (one server-side
one client-side).
AribaWeb changes this equation. In AribaWeb,
you program with a singe simple, declarative, server-side programming model, and
AribaWeb automatically provides AJAX behavior. AribaWeb provides AJAX-style
incremental page refresh through a unique mechanism called Refresh Regions. Essentially,
your app processes a user action as if it were rendering a full new page in response,
and then AW figures out which parts of the response differ from the current browser
document and sends only those changes.
In addition to refresh regions, many AribaWeb widgets (Choosers, scrolling tables,
rich text editors) are JavaScript enhanced, so you get the benefits of rich AJAX
controls without ever writing (or maintaining) a line of JavaScript.
Bonus: AribaWeb also comprehensively solves the browser back button problem!
Enterprise Proven
AribaWeb has been deployed to literally millions of users for nearly 10 years.
AribaWeb is at the heart of every application in Ariba's
Spend Management solutions and Network services --
market leading web application used by hundreds of the largest corporations around
the world, both deployed behind their firewalls and hosted at scale as a multi-tenant
"On Demand" service. (See the AribaWeb release history).
AribaWeb has been designed from the ground up for enterprise-grade security. AW's
server encapsulated state model ensures that links cannot be tampered to gain access
content not already intentionally exposed to the current user.
Full Stack
AribaWeb pre-integrates a complete, best of breed, stack for building database applications:
The AribaWeb Core provides the core engine for request handling, component handling, and AJAX UI.
It builds on The efficient Ariba Util "FieldValue" property binding facility, and includes the
OGNL-derived AribaExpr expression parser.
The Widgets framework includes hundreds of pre-built components, as well as wrappers around some
excellent third part controls, including the Xinha rich text editor, and the
Fusion Charts Free charting package.
The MetaUI framework provides the technical underpinning for "Instant App": MetaUI includes
a CSS-like rule engine that take rules inferred from Java class introspection, annotations,
and explicit ".oss" rule files, and on the fly selects the best configuration of AW Components
to produce a UI for any context.
The MetaUI JPA Adapter bridges MetaUI with Hibernate and the
Apache Lucene-based Compass
search framework. (Other ORM frameworks can be used as well).
AW further includes a complete Ant-based build framework (which reduces app
build files to just a few lines) and bundles the Apache Tomcat Java Servlet
container. (AW is, of course, compatible with other servlet containers as well).
This stack is carefully modularized -- your apps can consume as much or as little of the complete
as you need -- but having it bundled and pre-integrated in a single download ensures that you
can get up and running without the endless configuration and component version dependency hassles
all too common with other solutions.
Way Less Code
AribaWeb is designed with the principal that less is more: less boilerplate,
less configuration, less rote coding, more functionality, more maintainability,
more fun. AW minimizes the code required to express your applications through:
- A rich component model for nested, repeated, stateful or stateless components
that supports extensive factoring of reusable code
- An extensive library of versatile pre-built components that means that most of what
you need has already been written (and tested) for you
- Declarative binding for input, output, and actions that means you'll never
write code to process form values or generate a URL
- Inferred configuration that means you just author your components; the configuration
is implied
- AW's Meta Data Driven UI that can derive forms, data tables, action menus, or even
a complete application purely from your domain object model.
X-Ray
With traditional tools, getting your arms around a large web application can be
chore. AribaWeb substantially eases this burden with Component Inspector,
an integrated, in-process development tool that provides an x-ray view through
your running application. You'll never again need hunt for the source of some
element you see in the UI.
And, whether it's a component identified in Component Inspector, or (heaven forbid)
a line number listed in an exception stack trace, with AribaWeb's IDE Integration
you're always just one mouse-click away from editing the file.
Rapid Turnaround
UI development is most fun when you can rapidly try out alternative ideas.
With AribaWeb, whether you're editing your component template (.awl file),
or your Java or Groovy source file, AW will automatically spot the change,
compile (if necessary) and reload your changes, all without restarting your
server or even losing your session (and no IDE is required).
AW further increase productivity through its IDE Integration --
whereever a component appears in an exception stack trace or in Component Inspector
it's a clickable link that will automatically direct your Eclipse or IntelliJ IDEA IDE
directly to your target.
