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Applications
The weblicon PIM is a combination of several individual server applications sharing a set of functionality through application modules. The different modules share common code embedded in various frameworks. All applications and frameworks are based on the WebObjects component architecture and use the WebObjects frameworks (WOF) for session management as well as the WebObjects Enterprise Objects Frameworks (EOF) for accessing the RDBMS, LDAP and IMAP storage.
HTML Server
The HTML server application provides access to the weblicon PIM using a standard HTML browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer of Netscape Navigator. It presents an attractive user interface using standard HTML tables, forms and images. The weblicon HTML server uses the WebObjects Framework for dynamic generation of HTML code when constructing the user interface and utilizes shared code of application modules and the data layer for accessing the databases and communication infrastructure.
Wherever possible, weblicon has avoided using JavaScript due to incompatibilities with various browsers on different platforms. Instead, weblicon uses standard HTML 3.2 elements for constructing the basic user interface resulting in a high level of compatibility as well as small page sizes leading to fast page-loads and low bandwidth consumption. Using the version-detection mechanism of the WebObjects Framework, the weblicon HTML server can easily generate browser-specific HTML to support vendor-specific features.
For a complete functional description of the weblicon HTML server application please refer to the document “HTML Server.pdf”.
WML Server
The WML server application provides access to the weblicon PIM with a WAP browser running on a WAP-enabled mobile phone or PDA. It fully supports all major functions including creation, modification and deletion of PIM data. The weblicon WML server uses the WAPObjects framework for dynamic generation of WML decks representing the user interface of the application.
Weblicon has chosen to implement the basic user interface using standard WML 1.1 resulting in a high level of compatibility with different versions of various WAP browsers implemented on different mobile phone platforms. Using a version-detection mechanism, the weblicon WML server can generate browser-specific WML to support vendor-specific features.
For a complete functional description of the weblicon WML server application please refer to the document “WML Server.pdf”.
Java Client/Server
The Java client application is a high-end desktop application for accessing the Weblicon PIM with a PC supporting drag&drop and other features common to desktop applications. It is installed on the user’s PC using the advanced Sun WebStart technology, which supports automatic installation of the required Java virtual machine and application code on the user’s machine.
WebStart checks the user’s configuration and only downloads components not yet installed on the local PC reducing unnecessary downloads of large installation packages. To ensure compatibility with updated application code, it supports a versioning mechanism, which automatically compares the application code versions and downloads updates on a class-file level, if newer versions are available.
The Weblicon Java client application uses the Sun Swing class library providing an advanced user-interface using standard components such as tables, combo-boxes and other controls. Since the Java client is executed on the user’s PC, it can provide a high level of interactivity including drag&drop, double-clicks and direct manipulation presenting a user-experience which is able to compete with well-known desktop applications such as Microsoft Outlook.
The Weblicon Java client application running on the user’s PC communicates with the Weblicon Java server application running on the server farm using XML over HTTP for accessing the centrally stored data and initiating server-side functionality such as sending of SMS messages. It uses the advanced architecture of the WebObjects Java client technology, which supports a distributed object store for transparently handling synchronization of local and remote object graphs. Changes applied to objects on the client side are transparently synchronized to the server, which applies the changes to databases and directories using data layer functionality.
For a complete functional description of the weblicon Java Client / Server application please refer to the document “Java Client and Server.pdf”.
VoiceXML Server
The Weblicon VoiceXML server features access to the weblicon PIM using a voice dialog user interface. Users can access the PIM functionality using an ordinary or wireless telephone by speaking commands, which are recognized by the system. The Weblicon VoiceXML server provides a VoiceXML interface to arbitrary 3rd party VoiceXML browsers, which handle user interaction such as Text-To-Speech (TTS) and Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR).
The 3rd party VoiceXML browser communicates with the Weblicon VoiceXML server application using VoiceXML over HTTP. The Weblicon VoiceXML server application uses the Weblicon VoiceXML framework for dynamically generating VoiceXML code representing the voice dialog user interface. Using the version-detection mechanism of the WebObjects Framework, the VoiceXML server can generate vendor- and version specific VoiceXML code supporting VoiceXML 1.0 and 2.0 as well as vendor-specific tags.
For a complete functional description of the weblicon VoiceXML server application please refer to the document “VoiceXML Server.pdf”.
J2ME Client/Server
The Weblicon J2ME client currently under development will deliver an outstanding PIM application to users of Java-enabled mobile phones and PDAs. It will provide an attractive graphical user-interface to the centrally hosted weblicon PIM system. The weblicon J2ME client can be pre-installed on Java-enabled mobile phones or downloaded to the devices from a PC or Over-The-Air (OTA) from a central server directly to the device.
The weblicon J2ME client is be based on the Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP), which is supported by most Java-enabled mobile phones. It is implemented as a MIDlet utilizing standard Screen objects for data input and custom Canvas objects for graphical display of schedule data. The weblicon J2ME client will support devices with and without pointer input devices to achieve maximum device compatibility.
The client will communicate with the centrally hosted weblicon PIM server using an XML protocol for live access to centrally stored user data. In addition, the J2ME client will also support offline storage of user data in the device enabling users to access their data in areas without network coverage. Synchronization of the offline device storage and the centrally hosted server will be ensured using the SyncML synchronization protocol.
The architecture diagram illustrates the dual protocol architecture; XML for live access to the centrally stored user data and SyncML for synchronizing the local device storage. Both, the XML API server and the SyncML server access the address book information stored in the central LDAP server and the schedule data stored in the RDBMS.
For a complete functional description of the weblicon J2ME client application please refer to the document “J2ME Client.pdf”.
SyncML Client/Server
The Weblicon SyncML Client / Server application delivers a complete synchronization solution for synchronizing the address book, calendar and to-do list of the centrally hosted weblicon PIM with desktop software, PDAs and mobile phones.
The weblicon SyncML server is a faceless server application for various synchronization clients. The server application and the clients communicate using the SyncML protocol utilizing HTTP for transport. The server application acts as a gateway to the centrally stored contact-, calendar and todo-data providing read and write access for different SyncML clients using a single protocol.
The Weblicon Palm SyncML client is implemented as a conduit for the Palm HotSync application and synchronizes the built-in address book, calendar and to-do list of the PalmOS device with the centrally hosted server.
The Weblicon Outlook SyncML client is a native Windows application installed on the user’s PC. It synchronizes the address book, calendar and to-do list of Microsoft Outlook and the address book of Outlook Express.
The Weblicon PocketPC SyncML client is a native PocketPC application which is installed on the PocketPC device. It synchronizes the Pocket Outlook database with the centrally hosted organizer using the SyncML protocol.
Wireless synchronization (OTA) is supported for SyncML-enabled mobile phones such as the Ericsson T68 or the Nokia Communicator 9210.
Weblicon has complete control over the source-code of the entire solution and does not depend on 3rd party synchronization software. The synchronization architecture is based entirely on the industry-standard protocol SyncML and has been officially certified for SyncML compliance in April 2002.
For a complete functional description of the weblicon SyncML client and server applications please refer to the document “SyncML Client and Server.pdf”.
Notification Server
The Notification Server application is a faceless background application or daemon responsible for sending SMS and Email notifications for calendar reminders. The application is invisible to the user. It is using the Noctor Consulting SMPP library for sending SMS messages and JavaMail architecture for sending Email messages using SMTP.
XML API Server
The XML API server is a daemon application invisible to the end-user. It provides an XML interface for 3rd party server-side applications to access data of the weblicon PIM via XML commands. The XML API server currently provides access to user and address book data and will be extended soon to form a full providing access to calendar, to-do list and messages.
For a complete functional description of the weblicon XML API server please refer to the document “XML API Server.pdf”.
Administration Server
The Administration Server application is the system administrator’s user interface for administering the weblicon applications. Using the administrator’s console, the system administrator can change various settings, such as the address of the SMTP server or encryption settings for user passwords.
For a complete functional description of the weblicon Administration Server please refer to the document “Administration Server.pdf”.
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