Xcelsius SDK – Lessons Learned
I had a project for a client which involved developing a custom component for use in Xcelsius / SAP Engage. While I didn't know much at all about Xcelsius I did know a few things. I knew that components could be developed in Flex and that Xcelsius in total is based on top of Flash/SWF.
As a flex developer I thought this is going to be easy... Create a Flex component, and export. Well, was I dead wrong:
If you are even considering developing an Xcelsius component here are my lessons learned:
- Flex SDK Version- I Initially started developing this component using the data visualization framework Axiis which is supported by Flex 3.x/4.x. Well I sure wasted alot of time. While I gained some great knowledge about these frameworks - Xcelsius components can ONLY be developed using Flex 2.0 SDK which is something like 4 years old. This also limits the possibility of leveraging any of the great 3rd party libs that exist.
- Debugging- Once you actually create the component you'll be disappointed that you can't use your Flex debugger as you're used to. Debugging capabilities are non existent. I relied on using Alerts and this handy component from Web App Solutions. The component basically is a simple logger using LocalConnection class.
- Lacking documentation or community- Documentation does exist and comes with the Xcelsius SDK, however, don't expect it to get you very far. It for the most part shows very basic components with extremely simple data models. The written documentation does a poor job explaining both the overall architecture of these components and details. Community is very basic however I would recommend this site EverythingXcelsius - they seem to have some knowledgeable individuals and examples in their blog (Thanks Guys).
While these are mostly on the negative side I think there are a few plusses:
- Possibility- My brain is already stewing with ideas of how Flex and Xcelsius could be integrated. From real time data to complex data visualizations there is no doubt an enthused individual or team could develop some amazing solutions with the combination of products.
- Separation of Concerns- The way SAP promotes the idea of 'property sheets' and 'component' is a good way of doing things. Basically, the property sheets control all the properties of your component while the actual component manages the rendering. The SDK is actually a proxy which handles the communication of these two entities. Once you have that understanding you're ready to roll.
Well guys and girls good luck developing your components and feel free to ask any questions.
Here goes nothing…
I decided it's long overdue that I start a blog. While I'm not 100%
sure what it's going to be about - I have some ideas. Here they are:
Technology including (mostly) flash/flex development, adobe livecycle,
J2EE, and whatever else I'm interested in at the time. Ill try to keep
a good depth of technical knowledge so my struggles can help others.
Business will be another large topic. Topics such as the adobe/apple
debate, new media, and startups are for the most part what I'll want
to talk about. I'm constantly thinking up ideas/innovations - I'll be
happy to share.
The new generation of IT. I'm 24 and might be the first crop of
technology workers to join the enterprise IT environment growing up
with Facebook. it's a different perspective than some of my more
experienced co-workers.
These are some of the major topics I'll hit but expect anything
between the lines as well.