Oracle Application Development Framework

In computing, Oracle Application Development Framework, usually called Oracle ADF, provides a commercial Java framework for building enterprise applications. It provides visual and declarative approaches to Java EE development. It supports rapid application development based on ready-to-use design patterns, metadata-driven and visual tools.

Supported technologies

Based on the MVC architecture. Oracle ADF can support any combination of the following:

Model

EJBs
Web Services - both SOAP and REST
TopLink - and EclipseLink
Javabeans
POJO - simple Java classes (Plain Old Java Objects)
ADF Business components
Portlets
CSV and XML files

Controller

JavaServer Faces (JSF)
ADF Task Flows - extension of the JSF controller layer that adds complete process flow and reusability aspects.
Struts

View

Swing
JavaServer Pages (JSP)
JavaServer Faces (JSF)
ADF Faces - an Oracle implementation of JavaServer Faces^[1]
Facelets
ADF Mobile browser - based on Apache Trinidad
Excel through ADF desktop integration

The Oracle JDeveloper free Integrated Development Environment provides a graphical interface for creating data-management applications using ADF.

Oracle also offers Eclipse based tooling for ADF in Oracle Enterprise Pack For Eclipse.

Implementers can deploy Oracle ADF applications on Java EE-compliant containers.

Mobile application development

Mobile Application Framework (MAF) is Oracle's strategic direction for mobile application development. It is a rebranded product that was once known as Oracle ADF Mobile. The name change was a strategic decision to differentiate MAF from ADF. MAF is a hybrid framework for mobile development that enables development of a single source and generation of native applications for both iOS and Android devices. Coding of logic within mobile applications is done with the Java language. A UI layer can be developed with a set of components (AMX) that generate an HTML5 based user interface. In addition Oracle MAF can incorporate local HTML5 pages and remote HTML content generated from other servers.

Oracle MAF includes a controller layer based on the ADF Taskflow concepts, as well as support for the ADF binding solution for easy binding of UI to services. Oracle MAF support interaction with device features such as GPS, contacts, SMS and more.

History

Oracle Corporation has marketed parts of Oracle ADF since 1999 — specifically ADF Business Components — then known as "JBO" and later as "BC4J" ("Business Components for Java").^[2]

The current ADF architecture with the generic model/binding layer was introduced with JDeveloper 9.0.5.

In June 2006 Oracle Corporation donated the ADF Faces component library to Apache Trinidad. (ADF Faces, Oracle's JSF implementation, includes over 100 components.) In September 2012 Oracle introduced a free version of the core Oracle ADF technologies under the name "Oracle ADF Essentials". For more information, see http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/adf/overview/components-1844931.html.

Licensing

Oracle ADF Essentials is a free to develop and deploy packaging of the key core technologies of Oracle ADF. See the license terms for Oracle ADF Essentials: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/licenses/adf-essentials-license-1837221.html For the "full" Oracle ADF: The Oracle Application Server licence includes a component for a license fee for Oracle ADF. This means that all users who have purchased an Oracle Application Server licence may use Oracle ADF for free. Users who want to deploy ADF to a third-party application-server can purchase an ADF runtime license at their local Oracle sales office. Users can develop and test Oracle ADF applications free of charge declaratively within Oracle JDeveloper.

Oracle Corporation purchased WebLogic in June 2008, and thus no longer regards it as a third-party application-server, so ADF is included in every WebLogic license.^[3]

Supported customers can get access to the source code for Oracle ADF through a request to Oracle Support.

External links

References

↑ Desbiens, Frederic; Moskovits, Peter; Weckerle, Philipp (2009). Oracle WebCenter 11g Handbook: Build Rich, Customizable Enterprise 2.0 Applications. Oracle Press. McGraw Hill Professional. p. 47. ISBN 9780071629331. Retrieved 2014-08-06. ADF Faces is a complete overhaul of UIX in which the various components were redeveloped as JSF components.
↑ Dorsey, Paul; Koletzke, Peter; Faderman, Avrom (December 2002). Oracle9i Jdeveloper handbook. p. 932. Retrieved 2009-09-15. [...]Business Components for Java (BC4J)[...]
↑ Source: http://blogs.oracle.com/devtools/2008/08/announcing_oracle_weblogic_ser.html