New Designer and Other Modules

This document describes design document at module level, provides an interaction of new Designer module with supporting Embedded Browser module and its interaction to other modules using it. It also provides a design of Embedded Browser module API and SPI, and also Designer API.

Overview of the New Modules

The picture shows the interaction of the newly suggested modules. It is divided to couple of layers:

• Browser Binaries (Mozilla/Firefox, IExplorer, Safari) The first level provides the various browser native binaries. For the moment we plan to use the Mozilla/Firefox only. Later, however, there might come also the others into attention.
• Modules Embedding Specific Browsers (MozSwing) The next level consist of modules which provide the Java layer on top of the individual browser binaries and also implement Embedded Browser SPI in order to make that browser is available to the other NB modules. For now we plan to have MozSwing embedding only. Note, one of the most important tasks is to provide the browser component as a Java Swing component, i.e. to solve the heavyweight to lightweight issues.
• Module Defining Embedded Browser API/SPI (Embedded Browser) This module defines both API which other modules including the new Designer will use in order to use the Browser capabilities, or as for the Designer, provide the editing layer on top of it. Also it defines SPI, which allow the modules like MozSwing to plug the specific binaries to the NB. This module will allow any potential browsers to be used by other NB modules in a generic way.
• Modules Using Pure Browser Capabilities (Any Module Using Browser) Here are the modules which will use the Embedded Browser only for the browsing capabilities, i.e. without editing support. We are not going to focus at them, but we just need to keep in mind they also exist.
• Module Providing Editing Capabilities on Top of Embedded Browser (Designer/Editing Layer) This module is the new designer, which will use Embedded Browser in order to enhance its functionality with the editing layer, and also provide new Designer API allowing the other modules needed the editing capabilities to use it.
• Modules Using Ediging Capabilities of Embedded Browser (HTML/XHTML Support, JSF Support) Those are modules which will be consumers of the new Designer with the editing capabilities, as for the old impl the JSF module, maintaining the model (currently tight to insync), or the Winston's XHTML support module.

Picture No 1 Shows the interaction between the Embedded Browser and new Designer modules and also other relevant modules.

Overview of the new API's

Note, there are also new API's specified in the Picture No 1. Those are following.

• Embedded Browser API This API defines a way how to retrieve browser component and interact with it in order to provide basic browsing capabilities for the interested modules; and also it provides enhanced support, currently to be used in the new designer in order to implement the editing layer on top of it.
• Embedded Browser SPI This SPI provides interface to be implemented by individual module embedding specific browsers, like for now MozSwing module, which will allow such browser to be used by the other NB modules in generic fashion.
• New Designer API This API will provide the interaction for the modules, which need to use the editing capability on top of the embedded browser.

Outstanding Issues

There are various obstacles on the way to successfully implement the editing layer on top of the browser component. There are two major approaches. We will need to decide which approach to undertake. Both of the approaches have their advantages and disatvantages. Those approaches are:

• Heavyweight Browser Component Using the browser component directly. Major advantage: true browser component (with all dynamic effects); Major disadvantage: Coping with heavyweight vs. lightweight component problems, and impossibility to have transparent layer component on top of it.
• Lightweight Browser Component Using the image of the browser component creating lightweight component (doppleganger). Major advantage: Smooth integration in Swing IDE; Major disadvantage: Static browser plus (at this moment) unreliable repainting, resizing, scrolling etc.

Table Summaries

Modules:

API's:

Outstanding Issues:

Tasks in NB Issuezilla

• Provide Embedded Browser Task -> Dependency Tree

Attachments

newDesigner.jpg

51625 bytes