What is Oracle ADF?

Question

What is Oracle ADF?

On the Internet I found the following definition:

ADF integrates a mix of subframeworks to provide the key functions for object-relational mapping and other forms of service access, data bindings, and user interface, along with the functional glue to hold it all together. ADF stands for 'Applications Development Framework' and it's developed by Oracle. ADF is a framework and it'll help you build your applications easily as many of the redundant things that we do while we develop our applications are taken care by the framework.

But I still have a couple of questions with respect to understanding ADF:

1. ADF is an extension to the Java EE Framework, and can things that can be done using ADF (including SOA Development) be done by normal Java EE programming? (Please correct me if I am wrong.)

2. Is it mandatory to learn ADF for doing SOA applications?

Answer 1

It is a web development framework based on JSF. But heavier!!

If you plan doing web development with this, be warned that this framework is not very flexible. It feels like developing web software as in the 1999 with Visual Studio!!

You build everything in the Oracle IDE JDeveloper (incuding UI!) drag and dropping UI widget already made... If you can live with the default look and feel and do not want to include popular JavaScript libraries (jQUery) you should be fine. For example, building intranet applications could be OK. But if you want to do a public web application (Internet) I would not recommend this framework!

Answer 2

ADF is actually 4 "parts":

ADF Business Components is a declarative, meta-data based object relational mapping solution. It provides robust database read/write/update capabilities without the developer having to use Java (hence declarative) though the framework scan be extended with Java to add custom behavior.

ADF Model is a binding layer to bind the UI (ADF Faces based on JSF) without tight coupling UI components to the back end data model.

ADFController implements task flows, an advance on JSF page flows that allow you to break your application up into reusable sets of pages, called task flows, declarative transaction management.

ADF Faces is based on JSF and built on top of Trinidad, an open source JSF framework.

Yes, you can do almost everything ADF provides (not ADF C) in custom Java EE code. But it's a framework - it handles a lot of the repetitive, predictable, redundant code. Also, one can argue that once learned, you can be more productive in ADF than hand coding Java EE applications.

Answer 3

Oracle adf allows you to develop mvc applications that can support enterprise needs mainly. There are few specific things that you must consider here:

• entity objects

These are the core elements of database interaction. They correspond with model layer and business services. I.e.business logic is implemented here.

• view objects

These are the elements that are considered as display elements. View objects can be updatable or read only.

Updatable view objects are derived from entity objects as any changes in the view objects will reflect in entity object and then reflect in database.

Read only view objects can be developed using standard SQL queries.

• application module

These are the core parts of any adf application as they include the view objects those need to be displayed. Any view that needs to be displayed must be added to application module.

It can also be used for testing the business services as business services need to be validated for correct results before attaching them in the view part.

SOA (Service oriented architecture)

This helps you to develop web services using BPEL language and java . These web services contain business processes which can be used in adf application which further describe any enterprise application.

Pros:

• you can develop enterprise applications really fast as all the operations on the database tables are provided to you in data models itself.

• rich set of UI components which can interact in various ways.eg. panel splitter, panel tabbed, decorative box etc.

• web services can be consumed within adf easily.

• it makes the development faster.

Cons :

• heavier compared to other alternatives.

• cannot use popular JavaScript libraries like jQuery, Ajax etc.

• UI components look too old compared to latest frameworks like Bootstrap,jQuery etc.

Answer 4

ADF just makes development easier.

1. Yes, you can still develop what you need using the regular Java EE framework
2. It is not mandatory but it might make your life easier and your development time shorter

Please read http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/adf/overview/index.html

There's also an ADF overview video which may help you understand this technology better.

Answer 5

Oracle ADF (framework) + Oracle Jdeveloper(IDE) make web application very easy and in rapid way. 1.Oracle ADF is a framework on top of JEE stack.
2.it's not required.but if you want to work with oracle SOA suite yes it's required

Answer 6

You can think of ADF as an enhancement to standard Java EE. It has enhancements to multiple layers including data access, business logic and user interface.

SOA is more like a concept and you can implement it with or without ADF.

Answer 7

For your query on Oracle ADF,

In layman terms this is what it means...: 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.

1) It is possible to develop by normal Java EE programming, but the complexitity is reduced with ADF (Using jDeveloper IDE) as it follows an MVC architecture.

2) No, ADF knowledge is not that mandatory for SOA.

Answer 8

ADF is a framework to create complex enterprise application based on the JSF framework at easier pace. for some coding sample look at my blog below adf-webcenter.blogspot.com

Answer 9

Oracle ADF is an end-to-end Java EE framework to make in a simple way the application development using out-of-the-box infrastructure services.

As relevant information:

1. Use MVC pattern.
2. Developed (an easily) integrated with Java EE applications.
3. Some of the out of the box functionality doesn't need codification.
4. Similar to a BPM tool with TaskFlows

And about your questions:

1. ADF is an extension to the Java EE Framework, and can things that can be done using ADF (including SOA Development) be done by normal Java EE programming? Yes, you're right, also you can work with JavaEE 7 and JavaEE 6.

Is it mandatory to learn ADF for doing SOA applications? A user action or other activity in an Oracle ADF web application needs to invoke a SOA composite. The invocation is asynchronous and does not require a response. Inside the SOA composite, an Oracle Mediator component can provide routing and transformation, a BPEL component can provide business process orchestration, a human task service can provide workflows, and a decision service can provide complex business rules based decision making.

Answer 10

The Oracle ADF is a 4th Generation Language. In the sense one can create a full fledged Java Web Application in few seconds.

Everything is drag-drop behavior right from database table to modelling views in the pages.

The strong part of ADF is task flows. With task flows we can actually organize thousands of fragments in a single page/flow.

One no need to be an expert in any technology to build an application using jDeveloper/ADF. That will make any Web Developers work simple and easy.