JavaScript Rapid Application Development on the NetBeans Platform

Platypus Platform is a new software platform for quickly building cross-platform JavaScript client-server applications. Platypus Platform supports HTML5 or desktop Java client and any Java EE compatible server to run business applications made completely in JavaScript.

The main idea is to provide an all-in-one tool with maximum possible automation of routine development tasks. The powerful designer tools are available for every step of application creating, running, debugging, and the deployment process.

The database diagram tool enables creating and management of database structure in a visual way. You can create tables, columns, indexes, foreign keys and more. The following popular databases is completely supported: Oracle DB, SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, DB2 and H2. Database migrations allowing to store database schema snapshots and transfer schema configuration to any other supported database.

The application data access level in Platypus is built of SQL queries. The Application Designer supports visual creating and editing of complex queries. Named parameters is SQL and reuse of queries in other queries is also a very interesting features of Platypus Platform.

In JavaScript module editor you can use general and platform's APIs specific code completion and navigation.

At the module level the data model is the definition of persistent data is also to be defined by drag-n-drop and configuration. The data model has an interesting ability: after the data have been loaded to it and you change them (insert new data or change something) the changes can be automatically saved to the database.

There is some more interesting features: for example you can apply links and filters to data in entities, and there is auto resolving for parent-child relations to JavaScript objects (you can write something like parentEntity[0].childrenEntity[0] or childrenEntity[0].parentEntity for entities backed by database tables connected by a foreign key link).

The Platypus form designer enables creating of sophisticated user inteface with almost no coding. You also don't need to know anything about HTML and CSS. If you want of course you can use low-level controls and build your UI in JavaScript. Here you can define you presentation logic and invoke server-side modules methods transparently.

And here is why we've chosen NetBeans IDE and the NetBeans Platform over Eclipse for our project:

• We had our original application made in Swing and we didn't want to rewrite everything to SWT.
• In our opinion, NetBeans provides a more friendly and logical user experience. Some Eclipse concepts like "perspective" or "workspace" still seem not to be very intuitive for us.
• NetBeans works much faster, it starts faster too.
• We like NetBeans Platform's APIs.

Now we think that choosing NetBeans is a good solution and NetBeans is definitely worth being considered as the leading platform for creating complex cross-platform development tools.

More information:

www.platypus-platform.org