Gary's Blog

We have developed a lightweightplanner.net in XAF called  lightweightplanner.net. It's very simple but we use it ourselves for our small projects.

We have finalized on using XAF to migrate a Mktg Application  written in Client / Server using ORACLE / D2K running for over 5 Years.

Our strategy is to retain the Processes in Oracle coded in PL/SQL but Migrate the UI for both Winforms, Webforms using XPO as persistent mapper and AJAX custom validator control on Client Side consuming the Web Services (we need to figure out this customization on XAF).

Initially we understood XAF(Nomenclature of 5 Projects ) and to map it old world of Tables,Columns , Row Locking and Validation in about One weeks time (the tutorial was very good). Then we did it prototype of a CRUD of our Table in Oracle and Not the Northwind. we did face some constraint handling issues, problems of compund key, Auto Uppercasing  of Text Items, Date Time along with Time zone Recording. We are yet to grasp the security features and implications on the object model.

I do not know how it will adopt the REST Model since Routing is provided as a Seperate Assembly in SP1. We wanted to use this for loading data from Excel directly.

Over the Period we have observed users that they are not interested in Entering data , it is generally available on Excel and wish cut and paste. We did study the clipboard format and studying how to integrate this to the Webform, Winform.

Another area we are studying is the programming right click to provide features on the browser just like the winform.

It is very productive and the look and feel of the screen in both will pass the customer test. Our estimate to Migrate 20 Forms would take 30 Days to Complete it on understanding the above issues.

On the whole it had been an excellent experience working with XAF and Devex Components.

Hope to hear from me again in about 2 months time.

Shankar at India, Chenai

Sounds good guys! If you are going to TechEd, stop by our booth and we can chat.