Rich Internet Applications(RIA)
for Programming e-Commerce
Andrzej P.Urbański
Institute of Computer Science
Poznań University of Technology
PRESENTATION GOAL
What Students should use for e-commerce programming?

Choice



PHP/MySQL/HTML – todays laboratory equipment
Open Laszlo – adviced to my candidates for
master certificate, but they rarely wants to learn
unknown even during studies tool
Why choice is difficult?


PHP/MySQL/HTML is too much popular for being
seen as a tool for professionals
OpenLaszlo is easy to install on PC, but not easy
to manage as a laboratory server (Tomcat appl.)
How peole use e-commerce service?

before www (and iTunes now)



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download native code(.exe) from ftp
install program on our computer
call program which can use Internet
connections
www:universal browser already installed


put http address into browsers field
use the latest version of software not
bothering to install
Current www disadvantages - HTML
Browser
Server
Page
WWW server
page script
Page
Typically HTML page is updated as a one piece making great
redundancy in sending to browser many times the same data.
HTML page consist of typical components rather than basic
and general drawing instruction.
What is RIA?




one page resides for a long time enabling rich
functionality like WIN.EXE
suitable page parts can refresh on each
event, which influence on it
user can with the same page make some
attempts changing parameters when trying to
obtain requested results
EXAMPLES:


buying sport shoes
buying a car
Flash



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Flash plug-in to browser is additional
interpreter of data from Internet
rendering them on user’s screen
Flash scripts are multimedia rich
Flash scripts could be easily partially
updated
Flash could use vector graphics, but
even that typical application is rather
slow
XML



XML unlike HTML(which is a language
bind to browser) could be used for
case-specific communication
XML could be used as a language to
exchange data between server and
browser
This technique could be much more
flexible than sending HTML and even
make faster communication than native
Flash scripts
Flex 1.0 and 2.0



Flex uses browser’s Flash plug-in, but
adds XML communication
Flex is expensive, team oriented tool
Flex forces usage of Action Script
Open Laszlo



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Open Laszlo is an easy to install Tomcat
application
Open Laszlo is an open source
Open Laszlo has rich documentation
and easy to use tutorial introduction
Open Laszlo makes use of Flash plug-in
much easier and programmer oriented
Open Laszlo


Open Laszlo

Interactive introduction

Amazon in Laszlo
Laszlo in entertainment


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beer adverticing game: WIN-EXE, Laszlo
generalized Tick-Tack Toe
shop in rpg game
Frame-based site



HTML page is divided on subparts
partially covering browser window
using Java Script one can selectively
refresh any frame from event in
any(other) frame
OnChange=„parent.FunctionFrame.locat
ion.href=content.php?par=1”
AJAX
AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and
XML)
 ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTT
P");
 XMLHttpRequest();
AJAX software libraries



AdvancedAJAX 1.1
OpenRico
BackBase
Advanced AJAX


www.anakin.us
EXAMPLE: Lookup of the table
Open Rico

EXAMPLES
BackBase.com



SHOP
PORTAL
TRAVEL
What is appriopriate for my
students?



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Commercial are too costly
Tomcat-based are too much resource
consuming.
Flash plug-in based are not necessary
for students experiments
OpenRico is probably too much complex
Advanced AJAX is the most promising
Thank
you