HTML forms Next Generation
Google engEDU
53 min - Mar 5, 2007

Google Tech Talks
March 5, 2007

ABSTRACT

Web-based replacements for spreadsheets and simple forms

By Dave Raggett, W3C Fellow and Principal Researcher at Volantis Systems.

The ability to collect data from users and to submit it to servers has become a very important part of the Web. Forms are often supplemented by Web page scripts that enable the data to be checked as the user is filling out the form and before sending it to the server. These scripts can get quite complicated to develop and to maintain, making it interesting to explore ideas for replacing such scripts by equivalent declarative approaches.

XForms-Tiny is an incremental extension of HTML4 forms that can be deployed on today’s Web browsers using an open source cross-browser JavaScript library that works on Internet Explorer 6 and 7, Firefox 1.5 and 2, Opera 9, Konqueror 3.5, and Safari, When delivered via HTTP as a compressed file, the download size is only 6 Kilo Bytes.

XForms-Tiny provides authors with the means to use simple JavaScript expressions for validating field values and spreadsheet-like formulae for computed fields, but also the means to describe repeating groups of fields, e.g. for line items in a purchase order. XForms-Tiny further provides for suppression of irrelevant parts of forms and context dependent control over which fields must be filled out. All this is possible without the page author needing to write any lines of client-side script.

This talk will present XForms-Tiny and place it in the context of related work (Web Forms 2.0, XForms-Basic, and XForms full) as well as the challenges for dealing with the small displays on mobile devices.

You will also learn about new approaches for browser-based editors that avoid the pitfalls of designMode and which are paving the way for a replacement for spreadsheets, browser-based editing of slide presentations and much more.

If people are interested and there is time available, I could also give a brief summary of the impending W3C Ubiquitous Web Applications working group that applies markup and eventing to simplify the development of distributed applications across a wide variety of network appliances including desktop computers, office equipment, home media appliances, mobile devices (phones), physical sensors and effectors.

http://www.w3.org/2007/03/html-forms Read the rest of this entry »

Web Services Middleware: All Grown Up!
Google engEDU
47 min - Nov 8, 2006

Google Tech Talks
November 8, 2006

ABSTRACT
The term Web services carries the connotation of (slowly) doing RPC over SOAP. While many original SOAP toolkits supported and promoted that model (including Apache SOAP which I created), that is not at all what Web services are about. Apache’s history with Web services has seen three generations of efforts: Apache SOAP, Apache Axis and now Apache Axis2.

Axis2 is fundamentally different: instead of treating XML as a hot potato that must be replaced with a language structure immediately, it treats XML lovingly and offers a very clean processing model for XML. Of course it does support data binding for those that want to look a the XML as objects but the core of Axis2 is a pure XML processing architecture.

Axis2 is the basis of a new kind of enterprise middleware. Building on that core stack we have built support for the entire security protocol (Apache Rampart and Rahas) set as well as for reliability (Apache Sandesha) and transactions (Apache Kandula). Apache Synapse is providing ESB like message and service mediation capabilities on top of Axis2.

Axis2 supports both WS-* style services as well as XML-over-HTTP (POX) style services. We’re also working on JSON support and a host of other cool stuff. We support HTTP, SMTP and JMS with other transports on the way (including XMPP).

The Axis2 architecture is being implemented in both Java and C, with the C version bound to PHP and other scripting languages as well as Firefox, IE and other hosts.

In this talk we will introduce the new generation of Apache Web services middleware. Read the rest of this entry »

Developing JavaScript with Chickenfoot
Google engEDU
56 min - Jul 25, 2006

Google TechTalks
July 25, 2006

Rob Miller
Michael Bolin

ABSTRACT
Chickenfoot is a Firefox extension that embeds a JavaScript programming environment in the browser’s sidebar. Unlike a JavaScript shell that simply supplies access to the DOM of a webpage, Chickenfoot provides users with a high-level API, making web scripting accessible to end-user programmers as well as hackers. In this talk we will present the design and implementation of Chickenfoot; in particular, our novel technique of using keyword patterns to identify page components. We will also demonstrate how to use Chickenfoot for debugging webapps and creating rapid prototypes. In fact, we’ll write a Firefox extension in under a minute, or your money back. Read the rest of this entry »

Best Practices in Javascript Library Design
Google engEDU
1 hr 1 min - Aug 17, 2007

Google Tech Talks
August 17, 2007

ABSTRACT

This talk explores all the techniques used to build a robust, reusable, cross-platform JavaScript Library. We’ll look at how to write a solid JavaScript API, show you how to use functional programming to create contained, concise, code, and delve deep into common cross browser issues that you’ll have to solve in order to have a successful library.
John Resig is a JavaScript Evangelist, working for the Mozilla Corporation, and the author of the book ‘Pro Javascript Techniques.’ He’s also the creator and lead developer of the jQuery JavaScript library and the co-designer of the FUEL JavaScript library (included in Firefox 3). He’s currently located in Cambridge, MA. Read the rest of this entry »

Developing JavaScript with Chickenfoot
Google engEDU
56 min - 25-Jul-06

Google TechTalks
July 25, 2006

Rob Miller
Michael Bolin

ABSTRACT
Chickenfoot is a Firefox extension that embeds a JavaScript programming environment in the browser’s sidebar. Unlike a JavaScript shell that simply supplies access to the DOM of a webpage, Chickenfoot provides users with a high-level API, making web scripting accessible to end-user programmers as well as hackers. In this talk we will present the design and implementation of Chickenfoot; in particular, our novel technique of using keyword patterns to identify page components. We will also demonstrate how to use Chickenfoot for debugging webapps and creating rapid prototypes. In fact, we’ll write a Firefox extension in under a minute, or your money back. Read the rest of this entry »