Apple WebObjects 5 - Manual (Page 7)

Integrated tools
To help you manage all these abstractions and their associated property lists, WebObjects
provides a comprehensive suite of tightly integrated tools. These tools are available for both
Windows 2000 and Mac OS X (v10.0), although the versions for Mac OS X are newer and take
full advantage of the Aqua user interface.
Project Builder
At the heart of the WebObjects development process is Project Builder, a multilanguage
integrated development environment (IDE) used extensively by Mac OS X developers. In
addition to helping you edit, compile, and debug WebObjects applications, Project Builder
organizes all your components (including localized resources for multiple languages); provides
templates and assistants covering the common application types; and, on Mac OS X, integrates
with source code repositories such as CVS.
EOModeler
Perhaps the most powerful tool in the WebObjects arsenal is EOModeler. EOModeler manages
the object-relational mappings used by the data access layer, and can even help you organize
your business logic. It can also be used to manage your database schema, either by reverse
engineering a model from the schema or by using a new model to create the schema. In
EOModeler, graphical entity-relationship diagrams aren’t just pretty pictures; they represent
the actual object relationships created and maintained by the data access frameworks.
WebObjects Builder
Although Web Components use standard HTML that can be edited with any text editing tool,
WebObjects also includes a comprehensive layout tool called WebObjects Builder (WOB) that
can manage the associated mapping files. WOB can be used for general HTML layout and
provides the usual preview mode and drag-and-drop palettes common in such tools.
However, the real power of WebObjects Builder is its support for mappings. You can drag a
dynamic element into your web page, specify the mappings, and set the properties. WOB
automatically generates the appropriate HTML and mapping information, letting you focus
on the aesthetics of your design. (And letting someone else focus on writing the associated
Java code to implement the mapped methods.)
Interface Builder
For the creation of rich Java client applications, WebObjects includes the award-winning Inter-
face Builder application, considered the crown jewel of the NEXTSTEP application environment
that gave it birth. In WebObjects, Interface Builder defines the layout and database connections
of three-tier Java client applications using a simple drag-and-drop paradigm. On Mac OS X, this
same technology can also be used to create native Cocoa clients that talk directly to a database.
7
Reviewer’s Guide
WebObjects 5