Introduction

Introduction
This introduction contains the following sections:
About the ActiveGrid Studio
The ActiveGrid Studio provides a unique native XML development environment. It uses a consistent XML Schema and Web Services metaphor to integrate all data sources. The ActiveGrid Studio uses wizards for common tasks such as importing data sources into XML Schema and deploying applications.
The Welcome Dialog
The Welcome Dialog appears the first time you run the ActiveGrid Studio (Figure 1). The Welcome Dialog provides easy access to several pre-built demo applications.
Fig. 1 The Welcome Wizard
Before you begin the Tutorial, you might want to take a look at some of these demos. When you open the Googlezon demo, for example, the ActiveGrid Studio opens the Googlezon Project file and runs the Application (Figure 2).
Fig. 2 Googlezon Demo
An ActiveGrid Application consists of many different standard file types. The ActiveGrid project file (.agp) provides a high-level container used to organize all files associated with a current application.
Explore the Googlezon Demo
Spend some time familiarizing yourself with the ActiveGrid Studio (Figure 3). As you click through the Googlezon application notice the following:
If you select a file from the project, by double-clicking, the file becomes active in the Tree View in the lower left window.
Once a file is active you can change the files properties by editing the values in the Property Editor displayed on the right side, or by using one of the following editors: Data Model Editor, Page Flow Editor, Page Editor or Code Editor.
By default, applications are run within the ActiveGrid Studio, allowing for quick iterative development.
Fig. 3 The ActiveGrid Studio
ActiveGrid Supported File Types
The following table lists the different standard file types that you can include in an ActiveGrid Application.
 
File Extension
The ActiveGrid project file. Provides a high-level container for holding all of the files related to this application. One .agp file for each application.
The ActiveGrid Application process file. A BPEL file that handles page flow and service orchestration, as well as transactional boundaries.
The deployment file. Defines environment specific values (such as database connection parameters). Generated when you run a process or preview an Page.
Skin files. Groups presentation formatting and control widget selection, allowing look and feel to be applied consistently throughout an application.
Web Services Definition Language (WSDL) files. Describes both remote Web Services and local ActiveGrid services so that ActiveGrid Applications can access these services.
The ActiveGrid Web Services file provides a service reference for a Web Service. One .wsdlag file for each .wsdl file in the application.
Extensible Access Control Markup Language (XACML) files. Optional. Define roles and their associated rules.
Page files. Describes the presentation of a Web page, exposes a data model, declares events. The PageFrame.xform file acts as a stylesheet for the other Pages.
Data schema files. Provides a logical description of a database together with a binding to that database.
Using an External Web Browser
The ActiveGrid Studio is configured by default to render web pages within the ActiveGrid Studio development environment. Once you become familiar with building applications you can change your browser settings allowing applications to be run using an external web browser, the internal browser or both.
1.
Select the Tools Menu then, select Options.
2.
The Options dialog box now appears. Select the Browser tab.
3.
Under the Browser tab, select the Use External Browser option, or the Use Both option (Figure 4).
4.
To point the ActiveGrid Studio to your browser, click the Browse button and locate your browsers executable. Click OK.
Fig. 4 Browser Options
 

ActiveGrid
ActiveGrid Studio Tutorial
Version 2.0