Using App Builder for WebSphere sMash

The App Builder is itself a WebSphere sMash application, which means you'll acquire and manage it the same way you do other WebSphere sMash applications.

Prerequisites

• WebSphere sMash Command-Line Interface
• Firefox ver. 2

Getting started

From the <zerohome> directory, invoke startAppBuilder to install and start App Builder. startAppBuilder is a shell script provided with the WebSphere sMash command-line interface download. The App Builder is a WebSphere sMash application with a browser-based user interface. startAppBuilder will start both the application and the browser-based interface.

Note: After installation, startAppBuilder and stopAppBuilder can be used to start and stop App Builder, respectively.

Create a new application

The initial page in the App Builder includes instructions for creating a new application, as shown below:

Try the employee demo

1. From the "My Applications" view, click on "Copy from Repository."
2. Enter the following:
• Specify the module to copy: zero:employee.demo
• Destination folder: your choice; defaults to user.home
• Click "Copy"; the "employee.demo" application appears in your application list
3. Jump to "Working with an application."

Working with an application

1. From the "My Applications" view, click on an application from the list to open it for editing.
2. The application editor will be opened, with tabs for different views of your application.
• File editor - Click on a file to open it in the editor, or create new files
• Dependencies - Manage application dependencies
• Explore - Browse a tree-view of the files in your application
• Console - View log files or open a WebSphere sMash command prompt
3. Start the employee.demo application by clicking the "Run" link.
4. Open the employee.demo interface by clicking the "Open in browser" link.

Screenshots

My applications view

File editor view

Current limitations

• Single user, localhost operations