NetWeaver, Web Dynpro, WebAS, J2EE enigine, BSP : putting it all together

[Former Member]

Hello Friends,

I am new to the developing environment of Web Dynpro. I just need a confirmation on my understanding. Please go through the following abstract and reply with a yes or changes if you dont agree.

Web dynpro is a component of SAP NetWeaver, which also offers many other components such as XI, MI, MDM and BI. All put together NetWeaver provides people, business as well as information intergration. Web Dynpro in itself offers an easy way to develop highly interactive web pages through the MVC architecture. The coding or the meta data is in Java and hence a JDK needs to be installed on the local machine for its compilation. For running it needs to be deployed on the J2EE engine on the Web Application server. The project object gets a URL and accessing this URL displays the web application developed.

Am I correct, till here ? If yes, then BSP initially used for making such web applications holds portability issues unlike Web Dynpro which can be used to develop applications in Java or ABAP, hence the reason why BSP is running off the road and Web DynPro is getting into the picture.

Thanx for yor patience.

Shiv Skanda Kasthala

[Former Member]

Hi Shiv,

first of all, welcome at SDN.

> I am new to the developing environment of Web Dynpro.

No problem, each one of us has been a newbie at the beginning.

> I just need a confirmation on my understanding.

> Please go through the following abstract and reply

> with a yes or changes if you dont agree.

> Web dynpro is a component of SAP NetWeaver,

No, Web Dynpro is basically a programming model and SAP's strategic approach for developing highly interactive business applications (it's not really or only a web framework, even if it's used mostly in conjunction with Web browser clients). The Web Dynpro runtime is part of the Web Application Server (until NetWeaver '05 available for Java only, followed by the ABAP runtime). So Web Dynpro is an integrated part of the application platform of SAP NetWeaver, but not a standalone component.

> which also offers many other components such as XI, MI, MDM

> and BI. All put together NetWeaver provides people,

> business as well as information intergration.

Ok so far.

> Web Dynpro in itself offers an easy way to develop highly

> interactive web pages through the MVC architecture.

> The coding or the meta data is in Java and hence a

> JDK needs to be installed on the local machine for

> its compilation.

The metadata is independant from possible target runtimes. At the moment, the metadata is used to generate Java classes only, but this is not mandatory. In case of the Web application server for Java, you need a JDK to run the server itself and as a logical consequence each kind of application hosted by the server (including Web Dynpro apps).

> For running it needs to be deployed

> on the J2EE engine on the Web Application server. The

> project object gets a URL and accessing this URL

> displays the web application developed.

Nearly correct. In fact, each Web Dynpro application is represented by an URL. A Web Dynpro project can contain multiple applications, so there might be multiple URLs for different applications contained in a single WD project.

>

> Am I correct, till here ? If yes, then BSP initially

> used for making such web applications holds

> portability issues unlike Web Dynpro which can be

> used to develop applications in Java or ABAP, hence

> the reason why BSP is running off the road and Web

> DynPro is getting into the picture.

Roughly spoken, BSPs are for the ABAP "world" what JSPs are for the Java world. You'll always need an ABAP environment to run BSPs as you'll always need a Java runtime to run JSPs. Portability is limited in both cases to the corresponding basic runtime environment. But, as already stated, this is not really the case for Web Dynpro, since it abstracts the information needed to build the UIs in a manner which is generally independant from the target runtime environment.

>

> Thanx for yor patience.

You are welcome.

Hope that helps.

Regards

Stefan

[Former Member]

Thanks Stefan. That cleared my understanding to an extent. Just a small clearification still needed.

Why do we have to install JDK on our local machine ? Is it because as if now the coding is being done in Java. When ABAP will be supported at runtime also, then will the code be interpreted at the server itself as its being done till now?

Once again, Thanks.

[Former Member]

Hi Shiv,

no, this is a misunderstanding, you don't need a JDK on the machine, which acts as a Web Dynpro client only, the JDK is only needed for server machines, where the Java personality of the WebAS is going to be installed and for clients, which should be used to develop Web Dynpro for Java applications.

For simply "using" WD apps, it's sufficient to have a newer browser with enabled Javascript on the client and of course an URL of a WD application, that's it.

Hope that helps.

Regards

Stefan

[Former Member]

Hi Shiv

If you are happy with the answer , you can show that by marking this question as answered and assigning points, by clicking on the star.

Stefan doesnt care about points, he has been secretly hired by SAP to keep the forum going.

Regards

Pran

[Former Member]

Hi Pran,

> Stefan doesnt care about points, he has been secretly

> hired by SAP to keep the forum going.

how did you get to know this? It's one of the best hidden secrets around, even the SAP icon which would decorate my name was chosen fully transparent to keep this secret

BTW, it's not quite correct, that i don't care about points, since i'm going to be fired again, if i don't get 1999 points until end of this year.

Kind regards,

Stefan