Web Services in Seconds (SOAP/REST)

Don't blink...

1. open netbeans...



2. create a new Java Web Project



3. create a new Web Service





4. specify the implementation details of your new Web Service



5. deploy it!



6. go see  your newly created Web Service in action!

http://localhost:8080/MyTest/TimeService?wsdl

7. now to support  REST too!



8. test your newly created REST service!





Or just hit:

http://localhost:8080/MyTest/resources/timeserviceport/gettime/


That's it, hope you didn't blink...

Groovy in Action

I started my career with "dynamic languages" (we called them scripting languages then). I enjoy getting things done quickly with scripting languages, the power it gives you and the freedom to concentrate on the problem domain and not fight with the platform. With all the new languages that are available on the JVM alone, I'm having a lot of fun getting back to my roots. To this point I've mostly stuck to Ruby (JRuby) as I really like the syntax of the Ruby language. I've been aware of Groovy for quite some time... hearing Scott Davis and Andy Glover singing it's praises. But have just not given it enough attention... until recently.

I've been reading the Groovy in Action book from Manning. What a great title to get started with. When I get a tech book, I want to make sure it will pass the test of time... meaning: I don't want to read through it and then have to sell it or throw it away immediately due to it's uselessness. This book has a key component to it that makes it worth the money... the logical flow and organization of the book makes it perfect to work as a reference manual later on. If you are like me, you don't exactly remember EVERYTHING you read... reference abilities are VERY important to me.

With features like "FOR THE GEEKS", the layout stays interesting (as interesting as a technical book can be anyway... :) ) I also appreciate the effort taken not to go too far into Grails. Grails is very important to the Groovy language, but not everything. It's touched on in the back of the book, but just enough to give you an idea of it's potential benefit to your arsenal.

Google App Engine - JVM support

So of course most have heard Google App Engine now supports the JVM... and in doing that they have not only gone from just supporting Python, they now support Java and most of the other languages written to run on the JVM.

I find it interesting the first app I built for GAE with the new JVM support was simple Sinatra app using JRuby.  Like many other alternative JVM language implementers, the JRuby team leaped into action to make sure their stuff worked on GAE.  I have to admit I was amazed how things just seemed to work.  With some help from Ola Bini's post (for Bumble), I was able to build a simple application in no time at all.

Recently I was asked to look into implementation options for a project who's resources seem to have a skill set based in PHP.  Most of our work is based in the JVM so I went back to Caucho's Quercus PHP support for the JVM.  Based on a recommendation from the Twitterverse I started looking into the CodeIgniter PHP web framework as well.  This project seems to have a some momentum, the documentation at first glance appears up-to-snuff and video demonstrations are always a plus!

After playing around with CodeIgniter for a while running under oucho's Resin server, I figured someone had already run this framework on GAE... and of course someone has.  Caucho released a blog post about Quercus running PHP on GAE and this application seems to be proof of CodeIgniter on GAE.

Google had a ton of folks crying out to get their favorite language supported on GAE, Java was high on that list I'm sure.  But in supporting the JVM, Google has opened their App Engine cloud based platform to a miriad of developers to play around on.  Nice move Google.

Pick your battles

Random: Had a conversation today about when the right time to push for the things you want at work... in this case tools.  There is definitely a right and wrong time.  In this case, some of the push-back is due to the many deadlines hanging over everyone's head... and then again some may be posturing.  Requesting new tools to be installed/purchased/etc. during a period of stress at any level is futile.  The best advice I could give was to get things done first and document the different times during the push that this new tool could have come in handy.  After a "big win" or deployment, I'm not sure he'll have the same resistence to the tools he wants.