Hello Web, I am Desktop!

Dekoh opens desktop platform for RIA developers : Dekoh blogs

2007-10-16T23:03:00.001-07:00

Dekoh opens desktop platform for RIA developers : Dekoh blogs

Pramati Technologies has announced the release of Dekoh platform 0.5.

With this the Dekoh platform is hereby released under open source and the source for the base platform with complete applications like Dekoh photos and Dekoh books can be downloaded from http://www.dekoh.org/wiki/view/SourceArchive

Also one of my major concerns, i.e. lack of documentation has been addressed with lots of documentation release at http://www.dekoh.org/wiki/view/Main and the full JavaDoc API at http://www.dekoh.org/wiki/v0.5/api/javadocs/index.html

This release adds a host of features like RSS support and Dekoh music for streaming audio.

Every dekoh user should upgrade!

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Dekoh Inline Menu

2007-08-17T03:36:00.001-07:00

As a follow up to the previous inline tray example and actually implmented as a extension to it, Dekoh provides the functionality to create a Inline Menu.
You an see a sample here:

May no be obvious, the menu drops down on clicking the arrow and provides all standard menu functionality, like element hover highlight, on click callback, etc.

So how do we get it in our Dekoh Apps. It is as easy as getting the Inline tray to work, prehaps simpler ;)

1. Include the inlinetray.js from portal

2. Create required CSS classes for the menu

.dekoh_inlineTray_menu {
    width: 120px;
    color: #fff;
    border: 2px #A3BA83 solid;
    background: #999;
    position: absolute;
    z-index: 200;
}

.dekoh_inlineTray_menubackground {
    width: 100%;
    height: 500px;
    background: #000;
    filter: alpha( opacity = 1 );
    -moz-opacity: 0.01;
    opacity: 0.01;
    overflow:hidden;
}

.dekoh_inlineTray_menuItem {
    font-family: inherit;
    font-size: small;
    color: #ccc;
    cursor: pointer;
    border-bottom: 1px #A3BA83 solid;
    background: #2A6F66;
    position: relative;
    height: 20px;
    padding-left: 5px;
}

3. Create a array to hold the menu items

var dekoh_MenuArray=new Array();

4. Add all the items to be displayed, ideally using a for loop like this. Basically, you have to create new "menuObj" passing it a title (to display) and callback method (to call on click)

        for (var i = 0; i <= noOfItems; i ++) {
            dekoh_MenuArray[dekoh_MenuArray.length] = new menuObj(someArray[i].title,'menuAction();');
        }

5. On the oclick event handler of your action element call
        inlineTray.prototype.createInlineMenu(dekoh_ILT_MenuArray, this.id);

6. And onclick of any item the method you had specified for it will get called

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Inline tray in Dekoh

2007-08-02T10:50:00.001-07:00

Dekoh comes with lots of bells and whistles packed in which let you get a Web 2.0 application look and feel with extreme ease.

One such feature is the "inline tray"

From Dekoh Photos - Tray appears for creation of "New Collection" attached to the button.

An internal app - Tray comes when the user selects "New Collection" from the drop down.

As you can see, may be not realize immediately, inline tray is a Tray that comes attached to an element.

Now basically, we would achieve this by creating a div and placing it at the elements coordinates, which we have to retrieve in someway and then take care of cross browser coding and stuff.

Instead if you are building an application for Dekoh it is as easy as 1,2,3,4,5 :)

1. Include the inlinetray.js from portal

2. Create a CSS class for the tray

.dekoh_inLineTray {
    padding: 10px;
    color: #ccc;
    font-family: inherit;
    font-size: small;
    background: #286D64;
    border: 1px #83A6A1 solid;
}

3. Create the content to be displayed in the tray

var tContent='<div style="padding:10px;"><input type="text" size="15" id=\"inline_newcollextioneName\"> <input type="button" class="snip_button_light" value="OK" onclick=\"setNewCollectionName()\" style="width:60px;">  <input type="button" class="snip_button_light" value="Cancel" style="width:60px;" onclick=\"cancelNewCollectionName()\"></div>';

4. Create the tray

innerTrayObj = new inlineTray('shareTray', {title:'Enter name for the collection',content:tContent,clickedElementId:'snip_collection',width:330});

5. To close the tray you can call inlineTrayObj.closeinLineTray(); in your event handler

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Dekoh Tips and Tricks

2007-07-22T00:17:00.001-07:00

http://blogs.dekoh.com/dev/2007/07/20/tips-and-tricks-for-dekoh-developers/

I have published a few tips and tricks for Dekoh developers at the Official Dekoh Dev Blog. Visit it and you'll definitely find them useful.
These days I am very much busy with my work and my SOA initiative, so probably won't be able to give much time to this blog and project for a few weeks.
I call upon any volunteers to join in. Even if you are new to this, I am here to help you out, and if you are a veteran, it will be a pleasure having you on board.

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How to use the embeded JavaScript libraries with Dekoh

2007-07-11T01:53:00.001-07:00

First itme I built my Dekoh app, included Script.acu.lous and prototype libraries in my application war itself, but then it left me wondering what it means to have it included in Dekoh platform. Whay do I need to have another copy in my application to when there is one already in the platform.

I have the answer and I am sharing it now... It just clicked late that other's might be wondering too ;) You don't need to include a copy of those libraries and can directly refer to the preinstalled ones.

Here is the code that does it for you :)

<script type="text/javascript" src="<url:portal-context type="dwr"       location="/engine.js"/>"></script>
 <script type="text/javascript" src="<url:portal-context type="dwr"       location="/util.js"/>"></script>
 <script type="text/javascript" src="<url:portal-context type="common"    location="/init.js"/>"></script>
 <script type="text/javascript" src="<url:portal-contexttype="common"   location="/prototype/prototype.js"/>"></script>
 <script type="text/javascript" src="<url:portal-contexttype="common"   location="/prototype/scriptaculous.js"/>"></script>
 <script type="text/javascript" src="<url:portal-contexttype="common"   location="/prototype/effects.js"/>"></script>
 <script type="text/javascript" src="<url:portal-contexttype="common"   location="/prototype/builder.js"/>"></script>
 <script type="text/javascript" src="<url:portal-contexttype="common"   location="/prototype/window.js"/>"></script>

You may include the libraries you need and skip the ones you don't :)

So till next time happy coding!

technorati tags:Dekoh, WEB2.0, RIA, AJAX, JavaScript, Java, JavaEE

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A Dekoh Presentation

2007-07-05T10:13:00.001-07:00

Dekoh announces public alpha at Web 2.0 Expo « Software (Ad)Venturing

Though it is old, on second thought, decided will be something nice to have it listed here... This shows a presentation about Dekoh

technorati tags:Dekoh, Photos, Books, Music, Calendar, Flickr

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What way do you use Dekoh?

2007-07-05T09:51:00.001-07:00

I have put up this poll to get an analysis of what are the people, who are using Dekoh, using it for? And what way the are using it...

These are the categories I have put up:

Casual User: Use for Photos/music sharing, or any purpose out of self interest with ready made application
Power User: Not only use Dekoh, but also have started developing your own application for your and friends use on it
Developer: Developing Dekoh Applications for others/wider distribution.
Enterprise: Your company uses a product based on Dekoh
What is Dekoh: You don't know about the Dekoh Platform!

Please cast your vote and let me know what is the highest priority category to be catered by your very on Dekoh-Apps

technorati tags:Dekoh, User Poll, Poll, Type, Developer, casual, enterprise

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Very nice introduction of Dekoh Photos

2007-07-04T21:24:00.001-07:00

Distributed Senses: Dekoh Tips: Sharing Photos

This is a introduction of Dekoh, by my colleague Pramatian, Mayank Mishra. He has very nicely explained the Dekoh Photos Application with all the screenshots. So all you guys waiting, still not sure whether to use Dekoh, visit this and get a visual experience of the same :)

In his other articles he has explained how to use JPA from Dekoh and few other Dekoh things. I'll put it up as a Must Visit for all Dekoh fans!!!

Also he has quite some tech info there people... Routing, Service Discovery and Broadcast, Radio . . . Check this out, I say . . .

technorati tags:Dekoh, Photos, P2P, RIA, Web 2.0, Sharing, Technology, JPA

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Dekoh Photos - Collaborative for UI/Graphics profesionals

2007-07-01T02:43:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I was talking to Shyama, a friend at my prior company, and one of the best in his work, He is an "usability engineer". I showed him Dekoh Photos and he was impressed by tech.

But an important thing came a moment later . . . We discussed the usage of Dekoh in his field . . . Usability/UI/Graphics :)

And we came to this:

You create an UI, and add it to your collection and your boss, or whoever reviewer is in some other place not having access to your local network. Anywhere, just can connect to the internet...

From Dekoh you send him a sharing invitation and he checks your collection and can leave comments to it. Without even having his own Dekoh account or installing anything on his computer. So he can review even fom a kiosk :)

Based on the comment, you can again update your collection, and he can again check it . . .

and you can have different collections, may be per project wise shared with specific people that should have access to it.

and no more need to keep a track of it in the mails... all things, the images, the comments and discussions are all there in the same ui and all very secured and private. Your own VPN without a VPN Server/client or any efforts.

And no one even on your own network can access those collections without you giving access to them . ..something that is a major disadvantage in windows shared folders... which are anyhow unreliable and with that permission crap very bugging to maintain . . . .

So people? What's your opinion about it? Do you think Dekoh photos in its current state be used as a Graphics Designers Collaboration tool? What features will make it better???

technorati tags:Dekoh, Collaboration, Usability, Engineers, Graphic designer, UI, P2p, VPN, Secured, Collaborative Workspace, Ajax, Web2.0, Web 2.0, Photos

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I missed out Jay's comment - Dekoh is for you to share :)

2007-06-28T09:38:00.001-07:00

Jay Pullur, co-founder of Pramati, commented on my blog :) and I missed it out :(

During my transition from the last job, I simply missed it. Today while creating this, I noticed that comment.

Pramati is the company that makes Dekoh and many apps for it, and now the company I work for. So Jay is also my Boss now :)

Here is what he said -

"One of the interesting things about Sharing on Dekoh, is the ability it gives developers to build and test market their apps, cutting out lot of difficulties.

A developer can have the app deployed on his/her PC where it is being developed and start sharing with friends, co-workers to get feedback quickly, without needing a hosting provider, or handling differences in a new hosting environment. Also useful when you want to test a new version or variation, while the earlier one is public.

We are planning on ways to let developer community build and expose apps to a like-minded user base. Allow others to tryout early apps, rate and discuss on them, till the apps reach a certain level of confidence and acceptability. Popular apps can then go on to the Dekoh Applications Gallery. Ideas are welcome."

So people, that's the stand, and that is not only a commitment, I know it is all true, because I am working right in here, seeing it all come up around me :)

So do keep looking for updates! and yes most important Ideas are welcome and from my side, applications too :)

"Let's make Dekoh apps!"

technorati tags:Dekoh, Web 2.0, Ajax, Pramati, Sharing, P2P

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Hello Web, I am Desktop

2007-06-28T08:50:00.001-07:00

Hi! friends,

Whoever read mytechrantings knows I loved Dekoh! And now I work officialy for Dekoh :)

So here is a blog totally dedicated to it . . .

And this site also will be the official blog for Dekoh Apps project that I had launched . . .

To begin I am listing my earlier blogs about Dekoh in here,

So people begin sharing!

technorati tags:Dekoh, Desktop, Web, Web 2.0, AJAX

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