1.Why JGears Framework was born?
    As many other developers around the world, we have been writing applications always using the very recent and promising technologies, frameworks, tools and standards. This approach guarantees that the applications would have more features and less architectural weaknesses. As a result we had to “talk” in different languages every time. We had to start building useful utilities and libraries almost from the scratch again and again for every language and platform. On the other hand, the requirements from our customers, were very similar all this time.
    Then we decided to change this senseless sequence, we decided to create a layer, which can give us transparency, following the Java main concept “Write Once – Run Everywhere”, we decided to start the design and implementation of JGears.

    2.What we want to achieve?
    JGears framework is focused especially to improve creating and managing reusable user interface components and models. The main idea is to encapsulate the functionality of components and to give ability to plug-in different renderers and mediators for every platform. Using this approach we can reuse not only the business methods of applications, but even the input forms and reports specific for a given business process across various clients. In the same time we can change not only the skin of the UI, but the whole technical architecture of the applications on the fly.

    3.Which are the features that make JGears different?

1. Specified descriptors for all UI dependent meta-data
2. Specified a transparent behavior and life-cycle management of the UI dependent elements
3. Inheritance in component descriptors
4. Variety of supported application architectures – implemented mediators for standalone, web, j2ee
5. Implemented renderers for html, pdf, swing
6. Improved library management
7. Implemented libraries for standard components
8. Pluggable architecture for renderer – at application, library and unit level
9. Plug-ins for Eclipse – editors, views, extension points
10. Graphical designer for drafts (UI models) – GEF based
11. WST based project layout

    4.How JGears will be positioned in my application?
    The position is on top of the business layer and just under the native client.



    5. How JGears projects are organized?
    There are 5 main subprojects depending on the functionality and usage:

Core - jgears_root/projects/jgears-framework/core. It contains the core functionality of the framework and as well the main interfaces and types.

Specific - jgears_root/projects/jgears-framework/specific. It contains the platform specific mediators, renders and others for web and standalone scenarios

Library - jgears_root/projects/jgears-framework/library. This is the main set of the components. It contains form controls, rowsets, charts and other useful components provided along with the framework itself

Drafter Plugin - jgears_root/projects/jgears-ide-drafter. It is the main IDE plugin for Eclipse. It contains the unit and application editors, wizards and many other components for RAD

Library Plugin - jgears_root/projects/jgears-ide-library. It contains the wrappers of the JGears standard components to be registered in the GEF based Drafter Editor