IBM Workplace Forms: Guide to Building and Integrating a Sample Workplace Forms Application

12 IBM Workplace Forms: Guide to Building and Integrating a Sample Workplace Forms Application

1.3.1 XFDL

Extensible Forms Description Language (XFDL), developed by UWI.Com and Tim Bray, is an

application of XML that allows organizations to move their paper-based forms systems to the

Internet while maintaining the necessary attributes of paper-based transaction records. XFDL

was designed for implementation in business-to-business electronic commerce and

intra-organizational information transactions.

1

XFDL is a highly-structured XML protocol designed specifically to solve the body of problems

associated with digitally representing paper forms on the Internet. The features of the

language include support for a high-precision interface, fine-grained computations and

integrated input validation, multiple overlapping digital signatures, and legally-binding

transaction records.

What does XFDL add to XForms?

The benefits include:

򐂰 Document-centricity

򐂰 XFDL stores the data in the document, creating a single record

򐂰 Precision layout and printing

򐂰 Can faithfully reproduce paper forms

򐂰 Wizard-based, dynamic forms

򐂰 Can guide the user through filling process, change on the fly, and reduce errors

򐂰 Broad support for signatures

򐂰 Locks both the XFDL presentation and the XForms data

򐂰 Extension points for integration with other technologies

򐂰 Can embed .jar files in the form to extend the functionality

What does XForms add to XFDL?

The benefits include:

򐂰 New items

򐂰 Table, pane, checkgroup/radiogroup, slider

򐂰 XForms event handlers

򐂰 Value-changed, read-only, read/write, submit-error, etc.

򐂰 XForms functions

򐂰 Boolean-from-string, avg, min, max

򐂰 Device Independence

Common XML Data Model

Workplace Forms gives a common XML Data Model (based on the W3C XForms standard)

that can work in heterogeneous IT environments. These are common in most organizations

that can combine diverse J2EE, .NET, legacy, CRM, ERP, HRMS, Content, Document, and

Workflow environments. Also, this common XForms model within Workplace Forms provides

the ultimate flexibility in providing personalized, role-based “views” of this data for improved

user productivity (wizard is an example of this). This common XForms model also allows for

multiple system “views” or schemas necessary for straight through processing of this same

data as required for back-end integration.

1.3.2 XForms + XFDL in alignment with SOA

In addition to standardizing an eForm document model, XForms technology has excellent

alignment with both the principles and technical requisites of service-oriented architectures

1

XFDL: Creating Electronic Commerce Transaction Records Using XML: Barclay T. Blair and John Boyer

http://www8.org/w8-papers/4d-electronic/xfdl/xfdl.html

Chapter 1. Introduction to Workplace Forms 13

(SOA). XFDL + XForms provides Workplace forms with an enabler for Service-Oriented

eForm solutions; while strong technical alignment also reduces barriers.

At a functional level, one often sees a similar set of activities occur throughout different forms

applications and forms-based processes. Let us consider some of the most common

interactions that take place in Web and Portal eForm applications. Standard interactions in

eForm applications include:

򐂰 Server-side form prepopulation, that is, the merging of an empty form template with data

򐂰 Submission of a form into a Content Management system at various stages of a process

or workflow

򐂰 Submission of a completed, signed form to a Record Management System as a

transaction record at the conclusion of a process

򐂰 Presentation of a form to users on laptops (mobile computers), tablet, or handheld devices

both in online and offline modes

򐂰 Storage of form data into a database (often for reporting or for use by other systems)

򐂰 Transmission of form data into one or more Line-of- Business (LOB) systems.

򐂰 Validation of digital signatures as part of an approval process.

At a solution architecture level, SOA gives us a great story. Figure 1-6 provides a

representative example of how eForm application functionality can be effectively used within

the business tier of a larger Web application.

Figure 1-6 Example Service Oriented eForms Web Application

As you can see, a number of the services within the business tier are encapsulations of

specific form application-related functionality,

designed for reuse across multiple applications.

Adapter

Adapter

Service

Oriented

Portal

Application

Service

Oriented

Portal

Application

Service

Oriented

Web

Application

Service

Oriented

Web

Application

Client

Tier

Application

Tier

Business

Tier

Integration

Tier

Form Template

Pre-Population

Service

Form Template

Pre-Population

Service

Form

Submission

Service

Form

Submission

Service

Authentication

Service

Authentication

Service

Adapter

Adapter

Adapter

Adapter

LDAP

Content

Manager

Database

Record

Manager

Data and

Line-Of-

Business

Systems

Desktop

EForm

Application

Desktop

EForm

Application

Web

Browser

Showing

E-Form

Web

Browser

Showing

E-Form

An Example Service Oriented E-Forms Web Application

Form

Versioning

Service

Form

Versioning

Service

Adapter

Adapter

Adapter

Adapter

Line-of-

Business

System

LOB System

Related

Service

LOB System

Related

Service