Recommendation for tool/framework that follows the naked objects pattern?

Question

I am searching for a tool/framework that follows the naked objects pattern and is written in Java. I know about tools like for instance JMatter, Naked Objects and Domain Object Explorer. That's not exactly what I am searching for, though.

Open source would be great, but doesn't need to be. My intention is to use that tool/framework for the purpose of model-driven software development to do the modeling part. Ideally, such a tool/framework would provide the option to use JPA to store/load objects.

I'd like to clarify a bit more, why the aforementioned tools are not exactly what I am searching for, although they do implement the naked objects pattern and thus save a lot of work developing a specific user interface: When using a modeling tool for model-driven software development, I find it really helpful, when the tool shows the relationships between objects in a graphical way (object graph), displaying relationships more than one level deep. However, I don't need (and don't want) the freedom to change the layout of an object graph in many ways, as opposed to what UML-tools allow you to do. As far as I know, none of the aforementioned tools is capable of displaying an object graph. What is more, I even would want to be able to define different views on the object graph, where each view defines a subset of object-types and relationships that should be visible in that view.

I hope this clarifies more than it confuses.

Answer 1

Does it have to be Java?

On Naked Objects for .NET (see www.nakedobjects.net) we are currently working on a brand new variant called Naked Objects MVC, which combines Naked Objects with ASP.NET MVC. This gives you a 100% generic HTML UI, which you can then customise as much as you want when you are ready to do that. We're a few weeks away from releasing the Beta.

Richard Pawson

Answer 2

The DnD viewer of Naked Objects does - through the tree viewer on the left-hand side of the form - allow the graph of objects to be viewed.

Rob Matthews has also been doing quite a lot of work on this viewer to make it more extensible for other views. We hope to push a new release out in May (probably called 4.1).

For my part, I've been working on a new HTML viewer using Wicket. Like Richard's .NET equivalent, this will also support customization, either cosmetically using CSS or more substantially by writing new Wicket components (to render an object, an object collection, a collection of objects, or what have you). The code is currently in sourceforge.net/projects/wicketobjects.

But in your question you said that really want is a tool to help you do the modelling part, not so much the deployment. In which case NO will let you develop your pojos, and then you can go deploy with a custom presentation and persistence layers if you want. There's discussion of this in my book (chapter 13 thru 15).

Cheers Dan

Answer 3

Can you be more specific as to how you want your views to be shown. Are there specific relationships that you want to show this way, or is it all of them?

As Dan said, I am currently working on the DND viewer and would be interested in providing other views, either to test the flexibility of the design or for inclusion if they are generic.

Regards Robert

Answer 4

Hi guys,

I'm no programmer but I'd like to define my domain model as a UML class diagram in a CASE tool like Sparxsystems Enterprise Architect and have Naked Objects generate the complete prototype application without writing a line of code.

Is this possible?