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61

answers:

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Hello,

I'm working on a system for graphically querying data from a database of parasite specimens, in this case, these worm-like ones called Trematodes.

Specifically, I'm looking at how to do the front end. It needs to be web based, so I'm looking at using Java.

The way I envision it working is much like Mr. Potato Head. Users would select an outline of the body, and then drag and drop various pieces in, like testes, suckers, etc.

Does anyone know of a good starting point for this? Are there any general purpose applets out there I could build onto, rather than having to write this from scratch? Thanks.

*PS -- I'm not married to Java. If something like this exists in another form, I can probably work with that too. But I should point out I don't have access to any Flash dev tools.

EDIT -- Based on the advice presented and skills I actually have at the moment, I've decided to go with a Javascript/Ajax type solution. Google's Web Toolkit looks cool, but I think jQuery probably suits my needs a little better, particularly regarding Drag And Drop functionality. Thanks again.

+1  A: 

I would suggest trying Google Web Toolkit (GWT). You can create very sophisticated Java programs that run in the browser without a plugin.

http://code.google.com/webtoolkit/

You can see some amazing examples here:

http://code.google.com/webtoolkit/examples/
http://www.smartclient.com/smartgwt/showcase/

Adam Goode