exposing GPD in web applications

[jdriver]

I've read on the jbpm FAQ that in the future you are going to create a new eclipse perspective that will make the GPD have only those features needed by the analyst, and hide some of the developer features from the current eclipse perspective.

Also, in the User’s Guide: “A standalone installation of the designer tool is on the roadmap.�.

I have an existing web-based application built using the extjs framework and want to include a GPD in it. It may be possible to embed the business analyst GPD eclipse perspective inside a frame of my application, or I might prefer the standalone installation designer tool to be embedded (from user guide).

Is there any recent information on when either of those will be available? Can the eclipse business analysts perspective be embedded in a frame of a java-based application such as JSF or extjs?

Can the GPD eclipse perspective for business analysts be thought of as an SWT? Can it be embedded in a java application such as an SWT using JWS?

These are questions I am asking so that I don't spend alot of time developing my own designer if I can use yours.

Thanks!

Thanks!

[kukeltje]

A standalone installation of the designer tool is on the roadmap.

Correct, but this is nothing more than eclipse with lots of menu options turned of and e.g. a fixed perspective

It may be possible to embed the business analyst GPD eclipse perspective inside a frame of my application, or I might prefer the standalone installation designer tool to be embedded (from user guide).

Emded the GPD in a webbrowser? hmmm..... I would rather use webstart e.g. to install it. I would never try to run the gpd in a webbrowser...

Is there any recent information on when either of those will be available?

No. No effort is put into this. GPD has to be more complete first.

Can the GPD eclipse perspective for business analysts be thought of as an SWT? Can it be embedded in a java application such as an SWT using JWS?

An SWT? Eclipse is based on SWT, but a lot more... Embed it in a java application using JWS (Java WebStart?) I never new JWS can be used to 'embed' things. It's a web based way of downloading/installing/starting apps...

[jdriver]

I haven't used SWT, but saw this article:
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/opensource/library/os-jws/

[ibivibiv]

Take a look at mxgraph. It outputs xml on the backend and can easily be converted using xslt/xquery to a jpdl. It is unfortunately a "pay for" product, but if that is not an obstacle for you then it is well suited for your needs. It's nothing more than a huge javascript as well, which means GPD in a browser is not that impossible to accomplish. They have demo's of workflow UI interfaces in a browser that are very JBPM-ish. I contacted them early on and got a beta of the product and did some proof of concept work converting their xml output to jpdl some time ago. Unfortunately, people above me didn't want to spend money for licensing the product so we did not pursue it further. Hope that helps you some.

[kukeltje]

it is well suited for your needs.

'A' GPD in a browser is not that impossible to accopplish, but do not underestimate the amount of work it takes to develop a good full functional graphical designer for jPDL. Converting what mxgraph has done (which is btw really impressive) will probably leave lot's of open issues (jBPM/JPDL-ish is not JPDL). But I did not try, so I can only speculate.