Framework for Virtual Web Laboratory

I. PetkovićM. Rajković

Virtual Web LaboratoryPortal

About the VWL• Virtual Web Laboratory Portal as a

support in education• Provides various services• Most important service: online

laboratory exercises support

About the VWL• Intended for educational and

researching purposes in the fields of automatic controls, logic design, image processing, programming languages and Internet technologies

VWL Portal Architecture

Database

Web ServerVirtual Desktop

Web Portal User

Application Web Service Application

• Client side (user interface) and Web server tier are developed using the proposed Framework

• Application tier contains various Web services

• Application tier is accessible to other applications through Web services

Proposed Framework

• Utilize object-oriented approach• Web application is consisted of

the several elements:– modules– resources– scripts– contents

Web elements• Module – independent component

consisted of other modules (submodules), resources, scripts and contents

• Analogy to folders in the file system

• Can provide or use elements from other modules

Web elements• Resources:

– multimedia files (images, animations, audio,...),

– menus, – design templates

Web elements• Scripts:

– client-side scripts (menu implementations, user interface implementations,...)

– server-side scripts

Web elements• Contents – web pages, or textual

data stored in the database

Open-ended• The way how we use this Web

elements (resources, modules, ...) is not specified in the framework

• That means the framework is open to the various Web development methodologies, e.g. Fusebox.

Separated components• Contents are separated from the

design and behavior (Model-View-Controller pattern)

• That implies that more than one design templates are available to the user to choose, on the Web application scope.

Virtual Desktop

Virtual Desktop• Form of the user interface• Resides on the client side• Simulates real desktop (Windows,

or other)• Based on the proposed framework

Virtual Desktop• Has windows manager – one or

more windows can be opened at the same time with the separate contents (even with contents from the external Web sites)

• Windows can be manipulated by the user interactions

Features• Buffering• Faster loading• No redundancy• Windows management• Customizable

Buffering• Possibility of loading Web pages

into the buffer• Buffer as a hidden window• All other windows can use buffer’s

contents• Example: menu structure

Faster loading• Common elements (like layout

design, navigation menu, ...) are loaded only once

• Framework enables that common elements can be also buffered in the browser’s cache

• Seamless loading (every page is loaded in buffer first)

Windows management• Every window can open separate

Web page, which can also be a server-side script

• Possible interaction between windows (its contents)

Customizable• Visual appeal can by changed by

a single click• Desktop can be customizable

(every user can have personalized desktop, with unique graphic design, set of icons and menu options)

• User preferences are stored in the database

Conclusion

• Proposed framework introduces object-oriented approach to all tiers (client side also)

• Other frameworks used OO approach only on server-side and application tier

• Makes user interface more robust

• Makes Web application more portable

• Complete Web application can be viewed on PDA, cellphone or other mobile devices only by specifying one additional page design for the specific device!