HERASaf - Rich Client Platform: Reference Architecture

In today‟s times the most applications are implemented using different user interface technologies, like Java Swing, C#.NET WinForms or further ones. This results in an increased development and maintenance effort. The use of a common platform is therefore an obvious topic, but brings some challenges. Beside the management and its continuous development, also problems, like missing flexibility and extensibility, are important issues. Therefore a solution would be desirable, which is characterized through a modular structure and modern software engineering principles. The goals for this bachelor thesis are for this reason the development of a reference architecture. This covers especially the following points: Development of a modular and service-oriented reference architecture based on OSGi and using Eclipse RCP for the user interface. Utilization of the Spring Framework and the Spring Dynamic Modules for the simplification of the implementation and the gain of flexibility. Definition and setup of a development environment including an automatic build process, based on Maven. Definition of development processes and best practices for future developers. Documentation of the solutions, alternatives, design decisions and a detailed developer‟s guide in English. The developed reference architecture allows a modular design and implementation of applications, supported through the service-oriented approach of the underlying OSGi framework. The provision of services allows the separation of the business logic from the platform-specific components. As a result, it is completely reusable. The platform-specific parts and especially the user interface are based on the Eclipse Rich Client Platform. It is also built upon OSGi, why it follows the same principles of encapsulation and modularity. Through the default components, Eclipse RCP provides solutions for frequently occurring problems. This covers simple user interface elements such as buttons as well as complex components, like a navigator or graphical editors. Through the use of the Spring Framework and the corresponding Spring Dynamic Modules, the wiring of the components and the whole applications is possible. Thereby, the OSGi characteristics are considered. This allows the registration and lookup of services in a declarative manner. Specific implementations of them can be omitted. The whole solution is supplemented with an automatic build process. Maven is its base, embedded in the OSGi environment through Apache Felix‟s Bundle Plug-in for Maven and the Spring DM testing framework. The integration of an automatic product generation using Eclipse‟s PDE Build completes the process.