Overview

Home

Features

History

Downloads

Users guide

Architecture

Demo applications

Plugins

Porting Guide

Reference

assembly.xml

config.xml

environment.xml

ClassMan

Lifecycles

Applcations

Application list

Project Info

License

Mailing lists

IRC

Source repositories

Issue tracking

Blog entries

Team

Misc

Sitemap

Feeds

• Site
• News

Who should read this guide?

The BDG is written for developers who want to create blocks for Loom. It is assumed that you are familiar with Java, XML, Avalon patterns and server side security issues. This book provides an overview of the underlying technology, Java classes and interfaces, component model, and behavior of server Blocks within Loom.

While this guide concentrates on server fundamentals, it should not be construed as a "dummy's" guide. Server side programming is complex because of the performance and security issues you must balance.

You should be well versed in the Java language and have some practical experience developing server solutions. If you need a stronger background on server side programming, I suggest finding a good book on the subject.

Organization

Here is how the information is presented. The first few chapters are foundational material, and describe the basic concepts you can use in your own blocks. The later chapters specify in detail the formal requirements of Block implementations.

• Component layers
• Creating a Block
• Application listeners
• Making compatible components