Re: [ecf-dev] Radical proposal

[Scott Lewis <slewis@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Tim,

Tim Terlegård wrote:
> ECF is cool, no doubt about that. But the API is, IMHO, a bit verbose
> and complex. I made a simple xmpp client that joined a chat room and
> said hi. Here are three pieces of code. The first is using just the
> Smack library. The second uses ECF. The third is how I would like it in
> ECF.
>
> <code>
>
> Smack
> -----
> XMPPConnection conn = new XMPPConnection("jabber.org");
> conn.login("tim", "password");
> MultiUserChat chat = new MultiUserChat(conn, "timtest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx");
> chat.join("santa");
> chat.sendMessage("howdy");
>
>
> ECF
> ---
> IContainer client = ContainerFactory.getDefault().createContainer("ecf.xmpp.smack");
> ID server = IDFactory.getDefault().createID(client.getConnectNamespace(), "tim@xxxxxxxxxx");
> IPresenceContainer presence = (IPresenceContainer) client.getAdapter(IPresenceContainer.class);
>
> client.connect(server, ConnectContextFactory.createPasswordConnectContext("password"));
>
> IChatRoomManager chatmanager = presence.getChatRoomManager();
> IChatRoomContainer chatroom = chatmanager.createChatRoomContainer();
> ID roomID = IDFactory.getDefault().createID(chatroom.getConnectNamespace(), new Object[] {"tim","jabber.org",null,"timtest","santa"});
> chatroom.connect(roomID, null);
> IChatMessageSender chatSender = chatroom.getChatMessageSender();
> chatSender.sendMessage("howdy");
>
>
> A not so complex ECF
> --------------------
> IContainer client = ContainerFactory.createContainer("ecf.xmpp.smack");
>
> ID server = client.createID("jabber.org");
> client.connect(server, new Auth("tim", "password"));
>
> IChatRoomContainer chatRoom = client.getAdapter(IChatRoomManager.class).join("timtest");
> chatRoom.sendMessage("howdy");
>
> </code>
>
> Note that I'm no well-known super architect and don't know the ins
> and outs of ECF, so this might be crazy. What are your reactions?
>   

Four reactions:

0) Thanks for the thoughts
1) Some of the suggested simplifications can/could be made...and it 
would be very worthwhile to do so
2) Some of the suggested simplifications would make the API very 
specific to (xmpp) IM/chat...which would not be appropriate for ECF as a 
whole.  Much of the reason for the extra complexity in the ECF core API 
is to be able to handle other (non-im, non-chat) asynch comm protocols 
with a single API
3) Some of the suggested simplifications would be in violation of some 
Eclipse platform conventions (e.g. the use of getAdapter...which has a 
very specific contract...and ECF should use it in a consistent manner)

I would suggest a strategy of us creating utility classes (in 
org.eclipse.ecf.presence...the presense API specifically) that 'wrap' 
ECF core APIs with IM/chat-specific functions...in a way more like 
you've suggested above...e.g. the 'Auth' class...or a 'custom' adapter.  
That way the IM/chat APIs can be simpler/shorter, but the core can be 
used outside of the context of xmpp IM/chat without a 'force fit'.  What 
do you think?  This would allow an API very much like what you've 
presented as the 'not so complex ECF', but still allow the core API to 
remain sufficiently general.

I began the creation of a few of these utility classes in 
org.eclipse.ecf.example.clients...but they could/should be generalized 
and then they could be moved/exposed via org.eclipse.ecf.presence when 
they are sufficiently done.

Scott