Hi,

We have an Enterprise JSP application. Our company needs to customize this out-of-the-box application to meet its business needs.

I am new to JSP programming and we don't have the necessary tools to view the .jar and .class files.  I recently downloaded cocoon but still cann't view the class files.  Is there other utilities I have to download in order to view and modify these files?

I would appreciate any advise you may provide.

Thanks,

KiwiCC (CA,USA)

.class files are compiled Java classes. You can't really view them or modify them. To make code changes you'll need to get hold of the original .java files which these were compiled from.

Incidentally, a .jar file is simply an archive file and can be opened using WinZip or similar.

When you say you need to customize an 'out-of-the-box' application, I take it that the licence for that software allows for this?

Any further help is beyond the scope of your initial post. We would need to know more about the 'Enterprise JSP Application' and the kind of modifications your after to be of any more help.

Tim

Thanks for the tips.  

The out-of-the-box application we're to customize is called MAXIMO, an enterprise facility management system. The licence for this software does allow customers modify the application to meet their business needs.

The manufacture does offer professional service for customization; however, because of budget issue, our company does not have the fund to hire professional service. Ultimately, it comes does to us, the technical support to do all the dirty work.

The version of MAXIMO we're dealing with is a JSP application with manufacture custom PSDI tags and classes. Our company has developed business rules that out-of-the-box application does not include/handle. We have to add more fields and modify the SQL query strings. We have no problem adding more fields to the interface.  It is the SQL query string a big challange because it all come from the .java file from what I know and understand.

Sorry for the long explaination. I would appreciate any advise you may provide.

Thanks!

KiwiCC (CA,USA)

I sympathise with you KiwiCC.

I've never come across the MAXIMO system myself, however. I suppose you'd have to locate the .java files which encode the SQL strings. They could even be in an external resource file, maybe in a .jar file.

I can't really do much without going through the MAXIMO Sytem myself which is obviously beyond the scope of a forum. Maybe if someone else has used MAXIMO before, they might offer some advice.

One thought. This forum is really for JBuilder problems. Your problem is more JSP related, so I'd recommend you repost it in forum695. Someone there may have more to say.

Tim

Tim,

Thank you very much for the advise.

The reason I post the thread in this forum was because I heard from some Maximo administrators that they use JBuilder to customize their Maximo application.  One thing I am sure is whether they use JBuilder to customize the interface or the .jar files.

I will try repost to forum695 and see if I can get additional help there.

Thanks again!

KiwiCC (CA,USA)

JBuilder is simply an IDE for Java programs. It's got no special features to handle Maximo particularly. Any application written in Java for which you have the .java files can be worked on using it (or any of the other Java IDEs available). You'd make modifications to the .java files and compile them. The compiled java files (.class) are then gathered together into a .jar file for deployment.

The knowledge you're after is which files to modify. Does the Maximo documentation not give any clues?

Tim

The Maximo documentation does not provide clues to how we can modify the .java files.  In fact, they don't recomand we make modifications to them.  They prefer us hiring professional service from them.  It's all the money game.  

Since our company doesn't have the budget.  We, the tech support, have to figure it out.  

So, from what you advised, I should make changes to the .java file.  However, I don't have the tools to do that.  I don't have JBuilder.  I downloaded Cocoon but I don't know how to use it.

Have you used Cocoon?

KiwiCC (CA,USA)

You need to know Java as a language first and foremost. Armed with this knowledge, you could make changes to .java files with a plain text editor like Microsoft Notepad if you so desired. You'd then compile at the command line using Sun's Java SDK.

JBuilder just makes everything easier by colour-coding the code according to syntax. It offers various tools for managing the code and has some wizards for building bare-bones classes for various specific technologies built on top of java. It doesn't substitute for lack of Java knowledge.

I've got to say this though. If you don't have any Java skills in-house, then you're likey to be very hard pressed to make the changes you want. Java is not easy for beginners (no insult intended here - I simply don't know your capabilities) and a complex application written in it can be daunting. Tools like JBuilder won't know about Maximo per-se. They will allow a person experienced in Java to take applications like this and modify them purely because they are written in Java and offer the source files for modification.

I haven't used Cocoon but I believe it is a framework written in Java which facilitates web publishing. You wouldn't use it to compile other .java files. Rather, you'd write .java files which hook into it. This would be done with Notepad+SDK or JBuilder or Eclipse or NetBeans or ... etc.

I'd definitely post this question in forum695. You need someone who has direct experience of Maximo and (assuming Maximo uses JSP/Servlet technology) there's a chance someone there will have this.

Tim

Tim,

I am, in deed, a Java beginner and know little about Java lanuage. I mostly program in vb script. I'm learning my way to Java programming.

Your advises have been very useful.  NetBean can be download from Sun's website.  I'll test and experiment making .java file and hopefully I can learn my way through.

Thank you very much for all your help!  I really appreciate you taken the time to guide me.

KiwiCC (CA,USA)

One thing. I've never used NetBeans. Nor is there a forum on this site that I can find. Eclipse is very popular, free and there is a forum for Eclipse issues (forum1442).

If you have problems with your Java rather than with the IDE tool, post on forum269.

Anyway, good luck and I hope you get it all sorted out.

Tim

Tim,

Thanks again for the tips!

KiwiCC (CA,USA)