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- This is an idea for discussion, please feel free to edit, comment, etc.
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This explains the idea of easy tools in Sakai. These are simple tools which are effectively basic webapps which a user can write by adhereing to a set of conventions. The easy tool could be easily written and the Easy Tool Manager UI would allow the tool to be uploaded and activated on a running Sakai server. The remainder of the webapp code would be generated automatically and the user could download the full app and develop it into a more advanced Sakai app later if desired.
- Goals/Needs fulfilled
- Easy tools are meant to meet the need of being extremely easy to write and deploy
- Developers who have never really seen Java (only PHP or things like it) should be able to write an easy tool
- Minimal Java knowlege should be required
- No knowledge of maven should be required
- No understanding of Spring/Hibernate/etc. should be required
- Tools should be able to be controlled via a simple UI (probably admin users only)
- Tools will only be able to do simple things (display information, generate URLs, handle very simple forms)
- Easy tools would be able to be converted into a fully structured Sakai tool
- Sakai service/data access
- Access to data within Sakai would be provided via a simple master static cover (probably called Sakai) or via component name conventions
- The master cover would provide access to a limited set of Sakai services and data which are safe to access within Sakai
- Documentation
- Comprehensive easy-to-use descriptions of how to build a tool
- Clear explanation of service/data access
- Several examples of commonly used techniques
- Several examples of simple tools