Interesting articles on various subjects

In this post I collect references to interesting articles on a variety of topics – Java, SQL, Business Intelligence, Web Services, HTML/CSS, JavaScript – that I have come across. This post was last updated on 4th November 2004.,

WebServices, Integration, SOA

Introduction to Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) by Jagadish Chatarji. Non-technical introduction to the concept of SOA as well as a brief discussion of technologies such as J2EE and .Net.

Java

Introducing JDesktop Integration Components, Part 1 by by Joshua Marinacci (14th October 2004) – An article on the JDIC project, a set of modules that gives Java developers access to native features through cross-platform APIs. JDIC includes:
* Desktop: Launches desktop programs to open, edit, print, and mail files.
* Filetypes: Sets desktop file type associations.
* Browser: Embeds a native web browser (Internet Explorer or Mozilla) into an AWT canvas.
* Packager: Command-line tools for converting Java Web Start programs into native installers.
* Tray API: Support for system tray icons and pop-up menus.
* SaverBeans: System screensavers in Java

Business Intelligence

Web Analytics Using Oracle Application Server Discoverer, by Timothy Cambier and Brian Carr – published on OTN, October 2004 – describes how you can load Apache log-files into a database structure and then analyze page-visits using Oracle Discoverer. Perhaps a nice workshop for a KC session on Discoverer?

Database, Oracle, SQL

An Alternative Approach to Summary Table Management Using Advanced Queues, by Arup Nanda, Spring 2003; this article describes a way to maintain Summary Tables from changes in detail-tables using triggers and Oracle AQ; in this case, the dependencies were too complex to make use of Materialized Views in Fast Refresh mode and a full refresh took 24 hours. A trigger-only solution did not fly in a multi-user environment. It looks like a custom implementation of what since Oracle 9iR2 is known as Changed Data Capture. The article could serve as an interesting yet straightforward example of using AQ. Perhaps either for a KC or the Oracle 7Up Expert workshop.

Mastering the WHERE Clause (excerpt from Mastering Oracle SQL, O’Reilly). Whether you are querying, modifying, or deleting data, the WHERE clause is the mechanism for identifying what data you want to work with. This chapter explores the role of the WHERE clause in SQL statements, as well as the various options available when building a WHERE clause. It seems introductory, yet useful as a refresher. Perhaps to be used for 7Up or article and KC session on Query Structure.

Web, HTML, CSS, JavaScript

Dynamic Page Elements-Cloak and Dagger Web Design by Christian Heilmann. There are not many aspects of web design that seem to ignite the same fascination in developers as making elements dynamic by hiding and showing them on user interaction. Collapsible lists, maps with hover elements and multi level drop-down navigations still seem to be hot and need to be part of a web site to make it “cool” and to “increase usability”. Much like the magician conjuring the rabbit out of the top hat for the tenth time in a row, this design stunt does gets a bit stale though. Maybe it is time to take a step back and look at what we do. This article presents an overview of techniques and pitfalls for using dynamic web-elements, using CSS and JavaScript. See also the next article:

YADM-Yet Another Dynamic Menu Christian Heilmann; YADM is an accessible DHTML dropdown/flyout/explorer solution with complete separation of CSS and JavaScript. YADM was developed to help you create navigations that make sense, not to create whizz-bang navigations that are there for the sake of being flashy. Dropdown navigations still seem to be cool and are part of almost every screen design these days. The fact that they cause a lot of accessibility and usability issues seems not to transpire, and clients keep asking for them. The amount of badly written, obstrusive, and bloated scripts is staggering. There are some very good ones though (Son of suckerfish, aqTree2, Gazingus), so why another one? See Examples of YADM for an online demo.

Animated Tree script + tutorial AnimTree is a menu tree script that features animated opening and closing of menus. You design your tree with valid HTML and CSS and add onclick event handlers to certain elements. The AnimTree script makes it come alive. There’s a structure that you must follow, though. See the tutorial for a more detaied explanation, or download the source code to learn how AnimTree works. Cookie persistence saves the tree state for your users, so the tree will “follow” the user around the site and when the user returns, the tree will be open where he left it. Try it — hit reload and watch the menus open.
Features. The HTML is accessible to all browsers, including GoogleBot. AnimTree uses CSS and JavaScript to control the look and feel, not to write HTML.

* easy to set up with a small amount of code
* use images or HTML
* Mozilla1+/Netscape6+, MSIE 5+ Mac & Win, Safari, Konqueror
* degrades to non-dhtml browsers
* infinite submenus
* predefined css
* highly customizable with images or css

jsTree Another dynamic Tree Element in JavaScript – only 12 Kb, look fairly smooth.

Designer and Forms

Oracle Designer 6i Standards and Guidelinesfrom Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management, Government of British Columbia, Canada. Oracle Designer 6i Standards and Guidelines for Environment Setup and Configuration Management (developed by one of my estemeed former colleagues Beatriz Stratton)