The document discusses JavaFX Mobile and provides an overview of its features and current status. It summarizes a speaker's presentation on designing a JavaFX Mobile application and examples shown, including calling JME code, posting content via HTTP requests, and loading resources via binding. While JavaFX Mobile was promising in 2009-2010, its future is uncertain given the dominance of Android and iOS. The speaker plans to research porting their application to Android and JME to catch platforms not adopting newer technologies.

1. Designing a
JavaFX Mobile
application
Fabrizio Giudici
Tidalwave s.a.s.
214

2. AGENDA
> Putting JavaFX (Mobile) in context
> My case study
> Main features of JavaFX (Mobile)
> JavaFX Mobile through a few examples
> Current status of JavaFX Mobile
> Conclusion
2

3. About the speaker
> Fabrizio.Giudici@tidalwave.it
> Senior Architect, Mentor, Technical Writer
> Working with Java (all the editions, plus exotic stuff) since 1996
> Working with Java ME since 1999
– First J2ME edition at JavaOne™ (Palm)
– Developed a couple of research projects with the University of Genoa
– Developed a couple of customer projects with my former company
– Consulting for customer projects
– Author of mobile FLOSS: windRose and blueBill Mobile
> Co-leader of JUG Milano
3

4. What's wrong with JME
> Everything was so good at the old, Palm times
– Small devices → no big expectations
– One reference platform
– One pervasive runtime
> With more devices, JME got fragmented
– JSR as extension points (e.g. bluetooth, location)
– Multiple combinations
– Harder and harder to test
– windRose pain
4

5. Hoping in Java FX Mobile
> JavaFX announced by Sun Microsystems in 2007
– A specific scripting language + a runtime
– Fight the “Ugly Java UI stereotype”
– Re-designed UI controls
– Integration with graphics designers workflow (e.g. NetBeans + Photoshop)
– Profiles for multiple targets (desktop / web, mobile)
> JavaFX Mobile profile
– Can sit on top of JME (MSA: Mobile Service Architecture, a.k.a. JSR-248)
– Maybe no more (or reduced) fragmentation?
> Oracle commitment after the Sun buy
> A fulfilled promise?
– Answers at the end :-) 5

6. My case study: blueBill Mobile
> “The field tool for birdwatchers”
– Records geotagged observations
– Reference guides with multimedia
– Social capabilities (à la Google Friends)
> Started in 2009 with JavaFX
> Currently the most advanced version is the Android one
– JavaFX version being redesigned (more later)
> Demo
6

7. Main features of JavaFX
> The languages is both imperative and declarative
– Imperative: for normal processing
– Declarative: mostly for the UI (no XML, no separate layout descriptor)
 Binding
– Has got closures, mixins
> Compiles to the same VM bytecode
– Can mix with Java code (e.g. reference a Java library)
– On the desktop, can be mixed with Swing (in addition to its own UI widgets)
– On the mobile, runs its own UI widgets
7

8. Some code examples
> Example 1: Calling JME code
> Example 2: Posting contents (REST)
> Example 3: Getting resources (REST)
> Example 4: Binding (if time allows)
8

9. Example: calling JME code
> Not much to say: it just works
package it.tidalwave.bluebillmfx;
import javax.microedition.location.Criteria;
import javax.microedition.location.LocationProvider;
import javafx.animation.Timeline;
import javafx.animation.KeyFrame;
import it.tidalwave.geo.mapfx.model.Coordinates;
public class PositionTracker
{
public-read var currentPosition : Coordinates;
def criteria = new Criteria();
var locationProvider : LocationProvider;
postinit {
locationProvider = LocationProvider.getInstance(criteria);
pollingTimeline.play();
}
9

10. Example: calling JME code
> Need to copy data in JavaFX classes if you want binding support
function getPosition(): Void {
def location = locationProvider.getLocation(5); // JME stuff
def coordinates = location.getQualifiedCoordinates();
if (coordinates != null ) {
def lat = coordinates.getLatitude();
def lon = coordinates.getLongitude();
currentPosition = Coordinates { latitude: lat; longitude: lon };
}
}
def pollingTimeline = Timeline {
repeatCount: Timeline.INDEFINITE
keyFrames: KeyFrame { time: 10s; action: periodicTask }
};
function periodicTask(): Void {
getPosition();
// update the map position, etc...
}
} 10

11. Example: posting contents
> HttpRequest provides a skeleton
public class ObservationRDFUpload extends HttpRequest
{
public-init var serviceURL = "http://myHost:8084/blueBillGeoService";
override public var method = HttpRequest.POST;
public var content : String;
override var output on replace {
if (output != null) {
output.write(content.getBytes());
output.close();
}
}
override function start(): Void {
location = "{serviceURL}/postObservation"; // REST call
setHeader("Content-Type", "application/rdf");
super.start();
}
} 11

12. Example: posting contents
> HttpRequest provides a skeleton
def upload = ObservationRDFUpload
{
content: // ... assemble the string with the contents
};
upload.start();
12

13. Example: reading resources
> The relevant model class
public class Taxon
{
public-read protected var id : String;
public-read var urlsLoaded = false;
var urlsLoading = false;
var imageURLs : String[]; // [] is a list (“sequence”), not an array
var images : DeferredImage[];
public bound function getImage (index : Integer): DeferredImage {
def dummy = loadImageURLs(); // assignment is a requirement for the bound function
return images[index];
}
public bound function imageCount(): Integer {
return sizeof images;
}
13

14. Example: reading resources
> Getting a JSON resource catalog
function loadImageURLs(): Boolean {
if (not urlsLoading and not urlsLoaded) {
urlsLoading = true;
def fixedId = clean(id); // get rid of/escape “bad” chars such as :, #, etc...
def url = "http://kenai.com/svn/bluebill-mobile~media/catalog/{fixedId}.json";
def request : HttpRequest = HttpRequest { // mere instantiation, not subclassing!
location: url;
method: HttpRequest.GET;
onInput: function (is: InputStream) { // hey, this is not a switch() label!
if (request.responseCode != 200) {
imageURLs = "media/black_glossy_web20_icon_012.png";
}
else {
try {
def parser = PullParser { documentType: PullParser.JSON;
input: is; onEvent: parseEventCallback };
parser.parse();
}
catch (e: Exception) {
println("Exception {e} while parsing {url}");
}
finally {
is.close(); 14
}
}
}

15. Example: reading resources
> Getting a JSON resource catalog
onException: function (e: Exception) {
imageURLs = "media/black_glossy_web20_icon_012.png";
urlsLoaded = true;
}
onDone: function() {
images = for (url in imageURLs) {
DeferredImage { url: url };
}
imageURLs = null;
urlsLoaded = true;
}
}
request.start();
}
return urlsLoaded;
}
def parseEventCallback = function (event: Event): Void {
if ((event.type == PullParser.TEXT) and (event.name == "url")) {
insert event.text into imageURLs;
} 15
}
}

16. Example: reading resources
> Loading an image
> JavaFX Image loads automatically when initialized
var imageCounter = 0;
public class DeferredImage
{
public-init var url : String;
public-read var progress = bind image.progress;
public-read var error = bind image.error;
def id = imageCounter++;
public-read var image : Image;
public function load() { // start loading only when load() is called
if (image == null)
{
image = Image {
url: url
backgroundLoading: true
}
}
} 16
}

17. Example: binding
> Introducing TaxonSearchController
– Manages a list of Taxons
– Produces a filtered list of Taxons whose names match a substring
– Provides a hint for autocompletion
 Eg. you type “He”
 That matches only “Heron ***”
 Hints is “Heron “
17

18. Example: binding
> Some relevant parts of Taxon
public class Taxon
{
public-read protected var displayName : String;
public-read protected var scientificName : String;
public-read protected var id : String;
override function toString() {
return "{displayName} ({scientificName}) ({id})"
}
}
18

19. Example: binding
> TaxonSearchController (1/3)
public class TaxonSearchController
{
public var taxons: Taxon[];
public var filteredTaxons: Taxon[];
public var selectedTaxonIndex : Integer = -1; // set from the UI
public var selectedTaxon = bind
if (selectedTaxonIndex < 0) then null
else filteredTaxons[selectedTaxonIndex];
// setting this property will trigger filtering
public var filter = "" on replace {
filteredTaxons = taxons[taxon | matches(taxon, filter)];
updateHint();
}
public-read var hint = ""; // the auto-completed hint
19

20. Example: binding
> TaxonSearchController (2/3)
protected function matches (taxon : Taxon, string: String) : Boolean {
if (string == "") {
return true;
}
if (taxon.displayName.toLowerCase().startsWith(string.toLowerCase())) {
return true;
// more complex in the real case, as it also deals with scientific name
// but not relevant now
}
return false;
}
20

21. Example: binding
> TaxonSearchController (3/3)
protected function updateHint(): Void {
def hintTry = commonLeadingSubstring(filteredTaxons);
//
// Sometimes it can't find a better auto-completion than the current filter,
//
hint = if (hintTry.length() > filter.length())
then hintTry
else filter;
}
}
21

22. Example: binding
> TaxonSearchScreen
public class TaxonSearchScreen extends Container // e.g. a UI panel
{
// warning: there are some simplifications, but the concepts are here
public-read def controller = TaxonSearchController {
selectedTaxonIndex: bind list.selectedIndex;
}
def list = ListBox { // the list widget in the UI
items: bind controller.filteredTaxons
};
def hint = bind controller.hint on replace {
if (hint != "") {
filter = hint;
}
}
var resetSelectionWhenFilterChanges = bind controller.selectedTaxon on replace {
if (controller.selectedTaxon != null) {
list.selectedIndex = 0;
}
}
TextBox { // a text input box in the UI
text: bind controller.filter with inverse
}
Text { // a label rendering a text in the UI
content: bind "{sizeof controller.filteredTaxons} specie(s)" 22
}

23. JavaFX mobile in 2009
> Development tools available (emulator, etc...)
> First capable phones at J1: LG Incite, HTC Touch Diamond
> Announced a “JavaFX Mobile player”
– Would run JavaFX on MSA (JSR 248) JME phones
> Looked very promising
– That's why blueBill Mobile started with it
23

24. Status updates in 2010
> Barcelona Mobile World Congress 2010
– “Feature phones” (Qualcomm and the Brew Mobile Platform OS)
– Sony-Ericsson in “upcoming phones”
> Recent phone status update (JavaFX forums, March 16, 2010)
– LG Incite, HTC Touch Diamond... still!
– “Unofficially” runs on any Windows Mobile 6.x device (e.g. HTC HD2)
> JavaFX 1.3 released on May 14, 2010
– Shares many improvements with the desktop/web profile
– Mobile emulator runs on Mac OS X
> JavaFX Mobile Player MIA (I mean, it's Windows Mobile only)
> No further manufacturer endorsements?
24

25. My view of Java-related mobile solutions
> We're in the climax of the “next generation mobile” war
– iPhone/iPad, Android leading on the growth rates
– Adobe Flash at stake, but if it survives will be relevant
> Is there still room for JavaFX Mobile? JME?
> JavaFX Mobile
– Still excites me, technically
– The Oracle-Sun deal might have slowed down deals – but...
– … timing out this Summer
–Hoping in a specific Android port/adaptation (using the Android UI/runtime)
 Hearing a few people talking about that
 Would bring-in e.g. the integration with graphic designer workflow
> JME still relevant for the “glorious old guard” (Nokia, etc..., BlackBerry)
– “Oldies but goodies” 25

26. My research for the Summer
> Two/threefold strategy
– Android (it delivers, short time-to-market)
– JME (catch the “old glorious guard”)
– JavaFX (if industry endorsements / Android support will show up)
> Study whether it is possible to reuse code
– Not thinking of “catch-all” frameworks
– Reusing only the models, writing ad-hoc UIs (no “GCD syndrome”)
– Maven for re-using artifacts
– Byte-code manipulation (e.g. RetroWeaver) for fitting JME Java 1.3?
– Follow my blog and my space at Dzone.com
> The “new” blueBill Mobile for JavaFX code is not yet available
– Under heavy refactoring, catching up with the Android version 26

27. Questions?
> Thanks for your attention
– http://javafx.com
– http://bluebill.tidalwave.it/mobile
– http://windrose.tidalwave.it
27

28. Fabrizio Giudici www.tidalwave.it
Tidalwave s.a.s. fabrizio.giudici@
tidalwave.it