Here’s what Clickframes Java gives you out-of-the-box, before you write any Java code.
Create data, update it, display it in lists or individually, and delete it, right from your appspec. The generated code is easy to enhance for your particular workflows.
Database integration via JPA works with any database that provides a JDBC driver — or use the HSQL in-memory database without any additional setup (great for initial development).
Secure your application by declaring login requirements in the appspec. Page security, login, logout, and password hashing work automatically.
Input validations like minimum length, maximum length, postal code, e-mail, phone, etc., are wired automatically with client-side and server-side validation. Manage validation rules and error messages in one central file.
Define e-mail messages in your appspec, then assign them to outcomes of your users’ actions. Clickframes Java will generate all the code send the right messages at the right times, and makes it easy for you to customize with dynamic data.
Binary form input is automatically persisted and then subsequently downloadable.
Finally achieve the code quality possible with automated testing. Test thousands of minute software requirements in minutes. Only free-form requirements (facts) need advance customization.
The heart of the Clickframes framework is appspec.xml, which is the blueprint of the application. Code and artifacts are generated directly from this file by using a variety of provided plug-ins, then further customized by the developers and testers to produce the final application.
The appspec.xml file is written in Clickframes XML, a simple format – not too different from HTML – that describes the core interactivity and functional requirements of a webapp. There’s even an XML cheat sheet (PDF) to help you start out.
Clickframes works well in an Agile framework because it’s built around the idea of rapid iterations. In our Clickframes Project Lifecycle, we describe a slightly different kind of iteration than some teams practice, since our approach to software development is pretty heavy on user research and iterative design work. If you want to start from use cases and user stories, Clickframes supports that, too. Just iterate your truth.xml as desired and run the code and test generation plugins as often as you want.