NU-CCS-99-04.ps [ Readme | Copyright | Tutorial | Download | Feedback ]

ContextBox: A BeanBox Environment for Design-time Assembly of BeanContext Components

David H. Lorenz     Predrag Petkovic
College of Computer Science
Northeastern University
Boston, MA 02115
{lorenz,predrag}@ccs.neu.edu

Technical Report NU-CCS-99-04

Abstract:

In this paper we map the assembly and design time and space of component manipulation in a visual builder, and propose concrete ways of also handling context components seamlessly. We present a Context Development Kit environment that allows BeanContext developers to test and evaluate JavaBeans components implementing the extensible runtime containment and service protocol. We enhanced the BeanBox from the Bean Development Kit (BDK) with new visual manipulation capabilities for nested beans, so that it is possible to drag and drop, serialize and de-serialize, group and ungroup, nested beans. By means of these visual manipulations, child beans can be visually put inside context beans. We report lessons learned in reusing the BDK software.