After being away from the GIS world for a while, I started working on a new project replacing the current used software by an open source alternative. The first small application that needed to be made was for an emergency phone call center to show the position of the caller on a map. After that a few prototypes should prove that it was doable to replace the current software stack by open source alternatives.

In this blog I will describe the tools used, a few of the problems I ran into and of course the solutions to the problems which involve coding and communication

The tools used where a Java based server called Geoserver and a client side JavaScript library called OpenLayers.

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Filed under Ajax, GIS, Java, Javascript, Opensource, Oracle | 1 Comment »

One of the challenges we are facing in our project is connecting antique display devices to the brand new travel information system we are building. If you have traveled by train in the Netherlands you are familiar with them: large displays with booklets for destinations and departure times. It contains a number of booklets which are controlled by a stepper engine. The devices are called CTA's, were developed in the eighties and are a solid piece of engineering. Behind the track indicator, which doubles as a door, is a temperature control for the heating, a power socket for connecting electrical equipment, a telephone socket and a connector for testing. Oh yes, did I mention it is heavy?

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Filed under Agile, Hibernate, Javascript, Project Management, Testing | 2 Comments »

I was trying to learn Adobe AIR and was looking for some good set of learning resources. I found the book "Adobe AIR for Javascript Developers" from Oreilly by and started reading it online. A cool book, the authors have done great job on presenting the topics as an easilit readable pocket guide. Soon after reading this book, i felt i got the right resource i want for now.
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Filed under Ajax, CSS, Flex, Javascript, XML | No Comments »

Bart Guijt introduces us to the world of RIA.
He lets us know where RIA came from, what it is and what it is not, delves into the catacombs of toolkits and gives some insight into the future of RIA.

Hosted by Robert van Loghem

So head on over to the show page or subscribe to our podcast!

Filed under Ajax, Flex, Java, Javascript, Podcast | No Comments »

Why do so many Java web applications write log messages from the Java code? A normal answer would be, to capture the information about operation of an application. This captured information can further be used for debugging, troubleshooting and auditing. JavaScript continues to prosper as top scripting language and AJAX has acted as icing on the cake.

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Filed under Javascript | 4 Comments »

If your job role involves activities like "web page scripting, AJAX, interactive user interface development, HTML content rendering, rich content website development and whatever that you do to get the webpage up and showing", then you might find this blog entry handy while setting up your PC for web application/UI developments.
This blog entry is not about web layout or image design & development.
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Filed under General, Javascript | No Comments »

The idea is to validate the username/password as soon as the user enters the data into the form input field of the browser.

The code snippets below will show how to do this using the XMLHttpRequest (XHR) object. The XHR (or so called AJAX) helps to do this without making the webpage reload after hitting the server.

Well, you can use famous JavaScript libraries like Prototype, dwr or Dojo to do this. Using them will also reduce the code size. But... if you are interested in knowing how this is really done using XHR directly, then read on...

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Filed under Javascript | 1 Comment »