diff --git a/build/antclick/README.txt b/build/antclick/README.txt index 86372298..7254d628 100644 --- a/build/antclick/README.txt +++ b/build/antclick/README.txt @@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ On Unix systems open a terminal window, change to the Antclick directory and type ./hop.sh. If you manage to get it running you should be able to connect your -browser to http://127.0.0.1:8080/ (port 8080, that is). Now you can +browser to http://127.0.0.1:8080/ (port 8080, that is). Now you can set up and configure your antville site. @@ -33,89 +33,111 @@ set up and configure your antville site. ABOUT ANTVILLE ============== -Antville is an open source project aimed to the development of an -"easy to maintain and use" weblog-hosting system. It is not limited -to just one weblog, it can easily host up to several hundred or -thousand weblogs (the number of weblogs is more limited by the site +Antville is an open source project aimed to the development of an +"easy to maintain and use" weblog-hosting system. It is not limited +to just one weblog, it can easily host up to several hundred or +thousand weblogs (the number of weblogs is more limited by the site owner's choice and server power than software limitations). -Antville is entirely written in JavaScript and based on the Helma -Object Publisher, a powerful and fast scriptable open source web -application server (which itself is written in Java). Antville works +Antville is entirely written in JavaScript and based on the Helma +Object Publisher, a powerful and fast scriptable open source web +application server (which itself is written in Java). Antville works with a relational database in the backend. -============================ -ABOUT HELMA OBJECT PUBLISHER -============================ +Check out http://project.antville.org/ for more information. -Helma Object Publisher is a web application server. +=========== +ABOUT HELMA +=========== -With Helma Object Publisher (sometimes simply refered to as Helma or -Hop) you can define Objects and map them to a relational database -table. These so-called HopObjects can be created, modified and deleted -using a comfortable object/container model. Hence, no manual fiddling -around with database code is necessary. +Helma is a scriptable platform for creating dynamic, database backed +web sites. -HopObjects are extended JavaScript objects which can be scripted using -server-side JavaScript. Beyond the common JavaScript features, Helma -provides special "skin" and template functionalities which facilitate -the rendering of objects via a web interface. - -Thanks to Helma's relational database mapping technology, HopObjects -create a hierarchical structure, the Url space of a Helma site. The -parts between slashes in a Helma Url represent HopObjects (similar to -the document tree in static sites). The Helma Url space can be thought -of as an analogy to the Document Object Model (Dom) in client-side -JavaScript. +Helma provides an easy way to map relational database tables to objects. +These objects are wrapped with a layer of scripts and skins that allow +them to be presented and manipulated over the web. The clue here is that +both functions and skins work in an object oriented manner and force +a clear separation between content, functionality and presentation. +Actions are special functions that are callable over the web. Macros are +special functions that expose functionality to the presentation layer. +Skins are pieces of layout that do not contain any application logic, +only macro tags as placeholders for parts that are dynamically provided +by the application. +In short, Helma provides a one stop framework to create web applications +with less code and in shorter time than most of the other software out +there. =================== SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS =================== -You need Java 2 runtime version 1.3 or higher to run Helma. Helma has -been used successfully on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X platforms. +You need a Java virtual machine 1.3 or higher to run Helma. +For Windows, Linux and Solaris you can get a Java runtime or development +kit from http://java.sun.com/j2se/downloads.html. + +If you are on Mac OS X, you already have a Java runtime that will work +well with Helma. + +Unfortunately, there is no Java 2 interpreter for Mac OS Classic, so +you can't use Helma on Mac OS 9. ============================ INSTALLING AND RUNNING HELMA ============================ -Simply unzip the contents of the archive file into any place on your -hard disk. Start Helma by opening the file hop.bat or hop.sh, -respectively. +Simply unzip or untar the contents of the archive file into any place +on your hard disk. Start Helma by invoking hop.bat or hop.sh from the +command line, depending on whether you are on Windows or +Linux/Unix/MacOSX. If the java command is not found, try setting the +JAVA_HOME variable in the start script to the location of your Java +installation. + +You may also want to have a look at the start script for other settings. +You can adjust server wide settings in the server.properties file. For +example, you should set the smtp property to the name of the SMTP server +that Helma should use to send Email. Applications can be started or +stopped by editing the apps.properties file through the web interface +using the Management application that is part of Helma. If you manage to get it running you should be able to connect your -browser to http://127.0.0.1:8080/ (port 8080, that is). +browser to http://localhost:8080/ or http://127.0.0.1:8080/ +(port 8080 on the local machine, that is). -This version is set up to use its own embedded Web server and a very -basic embedded object database. For this reason it is able to run -virtually without installation on any platform with a Java 1.1 virtual -machine. +Helma comes with a version of Jetty, a lightweight yet industrial strenth +web server developed by Mortbay Consulting. See http://jetty.mortbay.com/ +for more information. While Jetty works well for deploying real web sites, +you may want to run Helma behind an existing web server. This is most +easily done by running Helma with the AJPv13 listener which allows you to +plug Helma into any web server using the Apache mod_jk module. See +http://jakarta.apache.org/tomcat/tomcat-4.1-doc/jk2/index.html for more +information on mod_jk and AJPv13. -On the other hand, the embedded Web server and object db are meant for -development work and not ready for prime time deployment. For that -you'd probably use an external relational database, the Berkeley DB -package and a full featured Web server like Apache. +Finally, Helma can be plugged into Servlet containers using Servlet +classes that communicate with Helma either directly or via Java RMI. +(Be warned that these options may be harder to set up and maintain though, +since most of the recent development efforts have been geared towards the +mod_jk/AJPv13 setup.) ===================================== DOCUMENTATION AND FURTHER INFORMATION ===================================== -Currently, a documentation-in-progress is available online only. -Please refer to http://helma.org/. +Currently, documentation-in-progress is available online at +http://helma.org/. We know that it sucks and hope to do some substantial +improvments within the coming weeks and months. -For further information http://helma.org generally is a good place. -There is also a mailing-list about Helma-related stuff available at -http://helma.org/lists/listinfo/hop. - -For questions, comments or suggestions feel free to contact -tobi@helma.at. +Your input is highly welcome. There is a mailing-list to discuss Helma at +http://helma.org/lists/listinfo/hop. Don't hesitate to voice any questions, +proposals, complaints, praise you may have on the list. We know we have +a lot to do and to learn, and we're open to suggestions. +For questions, comments or suggestions also feel free to contact +antville@helma.org. -- -This document was last modified on Friday 25 October 2002 by -hannes@helma.at +Last modified on December 5, 2002 by Hannes Wallnoefer