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Nuxeo RCP (codenamed "Apogee") is a rich client platform dedicated to ECM applications, based on the Eclipse RCP framework and the Nuxeo core document management services (Nuxeo SP).
Web-based (also called "thin client") ECM applications, such as Nuxeo EP, can usually provide a user interface that's good enough for most of the use cases, specially with the advent of rich web interfaces using Ajax techniques.
There are, however, business cases where a web-based application is not the best choice from a user interface standpoint:
When user productivity is tight to the amount and customizability of information that can be displayed on the screen (including multi-screens displays).
When the user interface needs to provide a high level of interaction between its various graphical components. For instance, updating data in one part of the screen needs to trigger an immediate update in another part of the UI.
When users need to edit content that is not well-suited for being edited in a browser, for instance, rich text or images, or not at all, for instance sound and video.
When users must interface the application with hardware connected to their computer, such as a scanner or audio/photo/video capture equipment.
When users need to take their ECM applications offline and keep on working on their document management tasks.
Nuxeo RCP is a platform dedicated to developing client applications with a rich user interface that can address these needs while still providing all the document management features of the Nuxeo ECM platform.
Nuxeo RCP currently provides the following features:
All the document management functions of Nuxeo EP are also exposed as RCP graphical components, including: document tree navigation, document editing, search, users management, etc.
An XHTML editor with advanced features such as custom spellchecking.
An image browser similar to Picassa or iPhoto.
An image editor, which supports multi-views (high def., full size, medium size, thumbnail), rotate/crop/resize, pre-defined sizes, size profiles, etc.
As it is based on the highly extensible, and industry-standard, Eclipse RCP framework, Nuxeo RCP can easily be extended to provide users with user interface components, or other functions, that fit the business needs of specific use cases, for instance:
Synchronous collaborative rich text editor: a text editor component that enables user to collaboratively edit a single piece of HTML content has been developed by Nuxeo and can easily be adapted to new projects.
Presence and instant messaging: a component, based on the Jabber protocol, has already been developed to enable workers across the world to coordinate their activities around one document or set of documents.
Teletext editor: a teletext editor has been developed for one of Nuxeo's customers, the Press Association.
Audio and video editing components could be created by encapsulating existing audio / video editing libraries into Eclipse plugins.
Etc.
Nuxeo RCP has been used in several mission-critical projects, including two projects for two of the leading news agencies in the World: AFP (Agence France-Presse) and PA (Press Association).
For more information about these two projects, please refer to the
case studies that have been published on the Nuxeo website on
http://www.nuxeo.com/.
