Implementation of dynamic update of xform datainstance through XML data interchange

XForms is the next generation Web Forms Data processing technology, it through the data Instance (example), defines all the forms on the form and back-end application of the associated data information to achieve a variety of data processing, implementation of MVC in the data modle and View and Controller clear points From. This paper first introduces the IBM Lotus Forms, and then, combining with the author's project development experience, proposes a typical application scenario of the Dynamic data exchange in the actual form application of XForms. Aiming at the application scenario, we introduce the XForm XML data exchange to realize the dynamic update of datainstance, so as to achieve the need of using electronic form to handle back-end data flexibly and conveniently.

Brief introduction

In order to adapt to the rapid development of electronic form Application market demand, IBM introduced the Lotus Forms electronic form solution, through the use of electronic forms such as XForms, IBM Lotus forms to facilitate the implementation of back-end data processing and back-end application consolidation, Provide high security electronic forms for all public or private sector organizations to leverage existing resources and systems to better serve customers and improve operational efficiency.

The Workplace Forms family contains three products:

Workplace forms Designer is the primary tool for creating spreadsheets; Workplace Forms Designer provides a user-friendly, easy-to-use interface, such as a component that creates a table by dragging and dragging.

Workplace forms Server includes three components: Workplace forms SERVER-API provides integrated processing capabilities; Workplace Forms server-deployment Server a desktop power to the user The brain configures a small installation system of IBM Workplace forms Viewer (described below); Workplace Forms Server-webform Server is a service that translates XFDL into html/javascript -Side components and provides a small customer translation system.

The Workplace forms Viewer is a browser plug-in that provides enhanced features for users who use the Workplace Forms application. (Note: The Workplace Forms viewer is not necessary to use the Workplace forms application, and users can do this with other Web browsers, but Workplace forms viewer provides more features and functionality)

By using Workplace form Designer, the author of this paper simplifies the design and development of XForm form and accelerates the development speed.

The author of this article has participated in a number of early requirements analysis, example authoring, and application building related to IBM Lotus forms e-form projects. In the process of implementation, the author discovers that a complete electronic form is a complex XML file, which contains the XML description of the graphical control responsible for display, the client computing logic that the electronic form is good at, and the XML information describing the data. In such a complicated XML file, how to operate the business data in the form file conveniently and clearly is an important problem in the electronic form design and development process. By XForm's datainstance mechanism, the data in the form can be clearly separated from the View and Controller in MVC modle. Using this mechanism, we can dynamically generate local content in the form through the exchange of XML data. This requirement is often one of the most common design requirements in the application of electronic forms, and it is also one of the most widely used patterns in the use of Data Instance. A series of examples will be given below to elaborate on this issue.