Re: Managing Java web apps using CMS--One Solution

Dear Ethan,

There are CMSes designed to handle this. On example I've used is FatWire's
(www.fatwire.com) UpdateEngine (possibly with their UEStudio product, as
well). UpdateEngine (UE) sits on top of a conventional database (used in a
somewhat unconventional manner) and provides a rich user interface for
business users to manipulate data. It also provides a set of Java classes
that effectively provide an API to the CMS, so both dynamic and static pages
alike can access the data. No need to segregate your application, and ALL
your data can live in the CMS.

Best regards,

Marc
-- 
Marc C. Trudeau
Principal
M & T Solutions
2001 Donna Ave.
Endicott, NY 13760
Phone: 607-754-1500
Mobile: 607-761-0156
[email protected]

"...I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of
complexity." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes
--
On 16/8/03 3:00 PM, "cms-list-request-/[email protected]"
<cms-list-request-/[email protected]> wrote:

> --__--__--
> 
> Message: 3
> Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2003 09:03:34 -0700
> To: cms-list-/[email protected]
> From: Ethan Michaels <[email protected]>
> Subject: [cms-list] Managing Java web apps using CMS
> 
> At our shop we are using J2EE to build Web apps. For example, we have=20
> signup forms for some of our various programs implemented as servlet/JSP=20
> applications. We will soon purchase a CMS. I am wondering how those two=20
> things are going to go together. A lot of you probably know this already,=20
> but with a J2EE application, what you do is package the whole application=20
> into a ".war" file (.war : "Web archive") and place that into the annointed=
> =20
> directory of your application server (we're using JRun). Every part of the=
> =20
> app is inside this .war file =97 the program's servlets and other supporting=
> =20
> code in binary form (or the rough Java equivalent), and the JSP files which=
> =20
> are HTML pages with embedded Java code and tags. Page headers and footers,=
> =20
> nav bars, main content is all tied up inside the .war file.
> 
> This mode of operation does not seem like it would work in a CMS=20
> environment. From what I understand, a CMS stores all these page elements=20
> in a database and assembles them either at run time or in advance. But you=
> =20
> can't break a .war file apart and store the pieces in a database and still=
> =20
> have a working application.
> 
> I asked this question of a representative from Percussion about a year ago=
> =20
> and he said that we would keep our Web apps over here and our static pages=
> =20
> over there in the CMS and manage them separately. (They may have a better=20
> answer now. That was a while back.) However, the Web apps are supposed to=20
> share the appearance of the other pages on the site. So if we use the CMS=20
> to change the page headers we'll have to go in to all our Web apps=20
> individually and update the page headers. And if we change the navigation=20
> structure that's going to be an even bigger hassle.
> 
> There are many Web apps and they are scattered throughout the site. So what=
> =20
> we really need is to manage their page elements at the same time that we=20
> manage the elements of our HTML pages.
> 
> Any insight or information about this issue would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Ethan
> 
> 
> --__--__--

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