Ar*@!+$es to this. getting IBM connections to do what you want

ICON UK 2013
"Ar*@!+$es to this"
getting connections to do what you want

Presenter: Mark Myers
Company: London Devloper Co-op
UKLUG 2012 – Cardiff, Wales

September 2012

Who am I? – Mark Myers
•

A Member of the London Developer Co-op
(londc.com) A group of UK based developers
•
•
•
•
•

•
•
•

Ben Poole
Julian Woodward
Mark Myers (me)
Robin Willis
Matt White

Developer from a support background
12+ years on Domino, 15+ years in IT
Speaker at 3x Lotuspheres, 4x UKLUGs, 1x ILUG,
1x BLUG


Why this presentation and why that
title?
• IBM have given us a new platform. And
with it a new framework.
• It still has a Beta feel about it,
• Due to its constructions is very much a
patchwork with some areas working
inconsistently and varying wildly
between versions


Fair Enough but Still, why that title?
• Support are using a “hot brick” tactic on
areas when you a forced to use
undocumented features e.g.
dojo.i18n.getLocalization
• Connections is designed for a certain
use case and just like Domino before it
clients are not sticking to it but you still
need to deliver on their needs.
We can hack domino to do what ever we want. Time
to do the same with connections

So what are we dealing with?
What is IBM Connections from a Developers point of view?


So what are we dealing with?
• An IBM Websphere server
• With N number of ‘normal’ apps on it
• Glued to a DB2 server (normally)

No need to get excited


A Websphere
server with
Connections
4.0 installed
(amongst other
things)


You can find out which URL’s match to
which applications

You would of course never use a Java Decompiler such as the one found
at http://jd.benow.ca/ to workout how these apps actually work


Loads of JDBC connections


I break customisation into 3 levels
• By GUI
• By XML (not done in this presentation)
• By Native app
Lets do this one


Tools (Your IDE)
• Rational Application Developer for
WebSphere Software (NEVER EVER!!)
• http://www03.ibm.com/software/products/us/en/
application/
• Myeclipse Blue
• http://www.myeclipseide.com/blue/


Native Websphere App time!!
• When all else fails this option will let you do
ANYTHING you want.
• A Necessity for Connections environments with no
Domino servers
• Other than a few IBM quirks, the following is all
standard java apps stuff, good to know and very very
reusable


What are WAR and EAR files
• A .War file (Web application ARchive) is a file used to
distribute a collection of JavaServer Pages, Java
Servlets, Java classes, XML files, tag libraries, static
Web pages (HTML and related files) and other
resources that together constitute a Web application.
• An .Ear (Enterprise ARchive) is Basically a normal
War file wrapped in a configuration wrapper.
• On the Ear file features remember you are on a
shared server and you can not make any
assumptions as to what is happening

Making a Native Connections App
In MyEclipse/RAD do “File”
 “New”  Web Project
Easiest way of ensuring
compatibility is to select a
matching Runtime

Just Accept defaults


In MyEclipse/RAD do “File”
 “New”  Enterprise
Application Project


Select the App(s) you
want to be packaged in
this Ear

Selecting this means that
unless you wish to
customize the deployment
you are done


This gives you the
following 2 project
structures


Select your EAR file project and do “File”  “Export”


The Questions Domino Developers ask
when starting Native Java Apps
• How do I connect to a database?
• Where is my “when Opened in a browser”?
• Agents!, I need them! Where are they?


The Great Database Chase
• When we moved from Domino to Connections we
went from the easy going world of NOSQL and
constantly being in a database context to Relational
databases and defining our own contexts (most likely
DB2)
• There are lots of different ways of linking your
applications to databases (in Java)
• Hibernate
• JPA
• EJB3
• I'm going to Use JPA (Java Persistence API) as I find
it the best and most easy-going
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_Persistence_API

Why Use all this? Why not read/write direct
using SQL?

• Eliminates all of the 'hand' mapping in Java from a
SQL ResultSet to a Java Object greatly reducing the
amount of mapping work.
• Avoids low level JDBC and SQL code. You just deal
with Java Classes
• Provides high end performance features such as
caching and sophisticated database and query
optimizations.
There are lots of fighting over if you should use a ORM
(Object-relational mapping) framework such as JPA,
but frankly, its quick, reliable and does not give you
grief

The Great Database Chase
JDBC Mapped
to
Persistence unit
In
Persistence.xml

JDBC config
on Server

Entity
Manager used
code to do
stuff

Entity
Manager
Calls Entity
Manaager

Persistence
Unit used by
Entity
Manager
helper


JDBC connections are setup on the WAS
server

This actually provides the
link to the database and
you don’t need to deal
with Authentication

Setting up a WAS db2 connection
Open up the
WAS admin
console, and
select “JDBS
Providers”


Make sure
“db2jcc.jar”
“db2jcc_license
_cu.jar”
Are on the
server, they
should be if
Connections is
on there


You can Check
the location in
“Websphere
Variables”


Create a Data source and link to the JDBC Provider


Create a Data
source and link to
the JDBC Provider
You will also want to
select a
authentication alias


This will mean
that the
application does
not have to
contain any
authentication
details
(meaning the
same app can
be deployed to
dev and live)


Persistence.xml

When dealing with websphere
the transaction-type will
always be
“RESOURCE_LOCAL”

Now we can link our application to the database
definition on the server

EntityManagerHelper.java


Table/Class Data Access Object


Finally use the data in code


Don’t worry this is all done with wizards


Lets have a Look at the Datbase


Where is my “when Opened in a browser”?

The Web.xml is the core of your application configuration, just
about everything is started from here


Agents!, I need them! Where are they?

• There are lots of different ways of providing this
feature, and lots of pro and cons for each way.
• I am going to show you Quartz from
http://quartz-scheduler.org/


Setting up a Scheduled Job

Down load the Quartz package from the website un zip it and
copy the Jar files in the /webroot/WEB-INF/lib



In the Properties of the Project, in the Java Build Path, add
the /webRoot/Web-INF/lib as a “class folder”



In your Web.xml add a new servlet, with the value
<load-on-startup> = 1



Setup a new Class that the servlet will call



In the “init” method for the new servlet you have made, add one
of the many varieties of Quartz Scheduler see http://quartzscheduler.org/documentation

Further Reading on Native Apps
As you are now just writing Native Java Apps + IBM
quirks the number of available libraries and tools you
can use is mind blowing
Some Recommended areas to read up on:
•Jersey: The easiest way to do REST services in pure
java. http://jersey.java.net/
•Annotations
http://javapapers.com/core-java/java-annotations/
•Abdera: Best Atom Service reader and generator http
://abdera.apache.org/


Questions?

?

If we have time then we can keep going!


None Native integration (Domino)


Tools
• DEV HTTP CLIENT
• https://plus.google.com/1040257982
50320128549/posts
• FireBug
• https://getfirebug.com/


Example: Java Agent Atom Feed
A few different Java feed parsing
libraries to choose from:
• ROME – http://rometools.org
• Apache Abdera –
http://abdera.apache.org
• Apache Wink –
http://incubator.apache.org/wink
All require several additional libraries
• Apache Commons libraries
• Java StAX support
• Etc.
Handles HTTP connections as well as
parsing
Authentication too

Example: Java Agent Get Atom Feed

© 2013 IBM Corporation

Example: Java Agent Submit Back to Atom Feed
 Most Atom services (particularly IBM) give examples of what XML they want rather than
examples of the code you should use, so we will do the same
 This is a IBM Connections Blog entry in raw XML:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<entry xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
<author><name>I Am Funny</name></author>
<title type="text">Great Duck Joke</title>
<content type="text">Q: What has webbed feet and fangs? A: Count Duckula</content>
</entry>


Example: Java Agent Submit Back to
Atom Feed

An amazingly useful line when you are debugging or testing
as it outputs the XML so you can check it against what you
should be sending


Example: Java Agent Submit Back to
Atom Feed

Getting this URL is often the hardest part of dealing with Atom


Example: Useful Extra Lines
Add “registerTrustManager”
and you can connect to SSL
Ports

Nice simple login, you just need the user name, password
and the root domain you are logging on to


Domino Integrating with IBM
Connections
Before we start we need to get a
database ready to call Java from
XPages
Move to Package Explorer


Connections
In The WEB-INF directory
Right click and create a new folder


Connections
Call it “src” in lower case


Connections
Next add this folder to
the projects build path
Right click on the root
of the project and
select “Properties”


Connections
On the “Source” tab
click “Add folder” and
add the folder you
have created


Connections
You will see the
Folder has
moved

Right click and
select “New” →
“Other”
Then Select
“Java” → “Class”


Connections

Create the new Java Class


Connections
OK, Java class created, lets get it
some libraries


Connections
If you are not allowed to
use the EXT directory on
the server, the you will
need to create a new
“lib” folder


Connections


Connections
Update (or ask your administrator to) the java.policy file on your server to contain the
following

grant {
permission java.lang.RuntimePermission "getClassLoader";
};


Domino Integrating with IBM Connections
Now we will add the
Atom client code
function

You need to pass the
session into this function
as it can’t get its own

If you need to you can
login here (as described
previously)


Connections

Create a New Script
Library


Connections
Set it as a Normal “Server JavaScript” Library


Connections
Create a SSJS function to call your Java and pass the results back

Pass the “sessionAsSigner” here to give yourself administrator rights


Connections – Pulling it together

Create a Custom
Control


Connections
Give it a Name


Connections
Now you can add a repeat control that calls the SSJS function, which in turn calls
the Java

The Rest of the surrounding boring code is in the demonstration db



Create a New Xpage
Library



Add the
duckstates_cc
custom control

Connections
Now that you have an
XPage, you need to
present it to
Connections as a Open
Social widget the
easiest way of doing
this is with a simple
domino page.


Domino Integrating with IBM Connections
Features like “dynamicheight” are harder to get
working using this
method (rather than a
embedding the widget
in connections) but if
you have a static sized
widget it is the simplest
and quickest


Integrating with IBM Connections
And add it to your
Connections
installation


Integrating with IBM Connections


And to just round up:
the Activity Stream
Its Just another Atom feed:
https://xxx.com/connections/opensocial/ba
sic/rest/activitystreams/@me/@all
Excellent example:
http://www.lbenitez.com/2012/05/how-topost-events-into-opensocial.html


The Activity Stream
{
"generator": {
"image": { "url": "/homepage/nav/common/images/iconProfiles16.png"},
"id": "demoapp",
"displayName": "Demo Application",
"url": "http://www.ibm.com/"
},
"actor": { "id": "@me" },
"verb": "post",
"title": “Example Title",
"content": " You have created a new Activity Stream.",
"updated": "2013-05-08T12:00:00.000Z",
"object": {
"summary": “rhubarb rhubarb",
"objectType": "note",
"id": “rr13",
"displayName": " rhubarb rhubarb ",
"url": "http:// rhubarb.com/rhubarb.xml",
},
}


Working Post Example
(for you to copy)

The Activity Stream


Questions?

?

How To Contact Me:
Mark Myers
Email: Mark@londc.com | Twitter: @stickfight |
Skype: Stickfight | Blog: stickfight.co.uk


Ar*@!+$es to this. getting IBM connections to do what you want

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (7)

Similar to Ar*@!+$es to this. getting IBM connections to do what you want

Similar to Ar*@!+$es to this. getting IBM connections to do what you want (20)

More from Mark Myers

More from Mark Myers (7)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Ar*@!+$es to this. getting IBM connections to do what you want