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[jwt-dev] Extending JWT Plugin


Hi,

as I posted before in the news group I want to understand which extension points exists in the JWT Plugin. Let me try to explain some of my thoughts of extending the JWT.
I am not sure but I believe that I and my college Gaby Heinle meet some of you on Systems 2006 in munich?

Imixs.org is  a open source workflow project. We support different technologies to build a workflow engine or workflow applications. So we implement a JEE based Workflow Server (IX JEE Workflow) (http://www.imixs.org/websites/imixs-org.nsf/chapter/3000.0020.?OpenDocument) which for example can be used as a component in a JEE Application Infrastructure.
Also the project supports an Eclipse based modelling tool (IX Modeler) (http://www.imixs.org/websites/imixs-org.nsf/chapter/3000.0030.?OpenDocument).

So after I played around with the JWT Editor I think there are two different approaches. The goal of the JWT is - as I understood - a generic framework to support and integrate workflow engines. The IX Workflow is an individual implementation of a human centric workflow engine. As our workflow engine supports no monitoring tooling yet the JWT Monitoring would be also very interesting for us and one point of integration - or better cooperation. Open source projects should not integrate but extend and empower each other ;-)
From the modelling view I think you follow a generic way. Is XPDL the current modelling fundament?
The Imixs Modeller is more specific and focusing on the behavior of teh IX Workflow Engine. So the Imixs Modeller is also working with ProcessEntities and ActivityEntites an Transitions. But the main goal is to configure what should happen during a transition inside the workflow engine. So we model technical things like who should receive an email or who will be granted read or write access (granting access is one of the most important features in our implementation)
So on one Workflow Activity we model a lot of attributes (normally more then 50). So this can not be mapped through the datatype package from your model as I understood?  
So it would be interesting to combine this two modellers. The general approach of modelling is important to get an understanding what happens during the flow. but also the technical details should be modelled.
As our modeller extend the ProtperyView form Eclipse which an extendable dialog it is possible to combine the two modellers if you support an extension point to handle an Object from the class org.imixs.eclipse.workflowmodeler.model.ModelObject
This object implements the org.eclipse.ui.views.properties.IPropertySource and is the basic class of our technical representation of a ProcessEntity or an ActivityEntity.
But I know that graphical eclipse modellers are based on an individual domain object model and it could be problematic to find a way handle model objects from another plugin?

As I sayed before the monitoring part of JWT is also interesting for our project.
How is it possible to monitor an external Workflow Engine running in a JEE Container?
I am interesting in reading also more about this part of your project.

Ralph

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