OLAT Online Learning And Training

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OLAT - Online Learning And Training

• OLAT Development Framework
• Better than Struts, more than JSF
• for JUGS
• Felix Jost, Dezember 2005
• JGS goodsolutions GmbH

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Agenda

• What is OLAT
• Why build an own framework?
• Live-Programming-Demo
• Lessons learned in three years
• The future, Questions Answers, Discussion

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What is OLAT

• Strategic Learning Management System of the
  University of Zürich
• Used by about 11 Universities and about 8
  Fachhochschulen

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OLAT Development I

• 1.x Prototyp phase
• Projectstart Spring 1999
• Developed für Veranstaltung Einführung in
  Informatik I at IfI
• PHP, PHPLib, MySQL (LAMP)
• 2.x Migration phase
• Start Java Rebuild 2002
• Release 2.0 Frühjahr 2003
• New Java Framework new Java Code old PHP
  Funktionality

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OLAT Development II

• 3.x New Softwarearchitecture
• Release 3.0 Sommer 2004
• 100 pure Java
• Clean component based Architecture
• Simple but efficient Development-Framework
• Built to scale (Campus-Size LMS)
• Multilingual (de,fr,it,en,...), UTF-8
• 4.x (Current System)
• Konsolidating Framework, Extension Points (Spring
  FW)
• About 1400 Java classes
• Creation of JGS goodsolutions GmbH (official Uni
  ZH Spin off)
• A growing open source community

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OLAT Buzzwords
Kommunication
Technical
HTTP
WebDAV
Shibboleth (AAI)
XML
SSL
RSS
MySQL
Linux
Jabber IM
Client / Server
J2EE
Hibernate
Velocity
XStream
Content
IMS Content Packaging
CSS
UTF-8
SCORM
Docbook
IMS Question Test Interoperability (QTI)
Development
Java
MVC
HTML 4.01 Transitional
Ant
jUnit
JavaScript
Eclipse
WYSIWYG
OpenSource
ELML
Bugzilla
CVS
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Own Framework

• 2003
• Jpublish and Templates (good for a CMS)
• There was Struts, no JSF but simple page flows
• Existing good systems are not open source
• End of 2003 Crisis and parallel development
• Today like Java Server Faces, but much more
• This speech focuses on the GUI-Part of the
  framework
• More conzepts and code for
• Message Bus
• RSS, WebDAV
• own Virtual File System (VFS)
• ...

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OLAT Software Architecture
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Design decisions

• We wanted to have
• Fun while developing (quick development, but
  still control)
• Swing like coding (no URLs, no state worries, no
  Req/Res)
• Easy to debug (events, clear resposibilities, no
  bytecode-manipulation)
• Good look and feel (CSS, Usability guidelines)
• What we did
• Look und Feel mit CSS
• Program swing-like with Windows, Panels, Layouts,
  Forms, Tables, ...
• Event-based event -gt dispatch -gt rerender
• Layouter have their own files (HTML-Fragments)
• Language Translators have their own online tool
• Business workflows are reusable!

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OLAT System Architecture
Home
Groups
IMS CP
IMS QTI
File
Course
SCORM
IMS CP
IMS QTI
Forrum
Groups
SCORM
OLAT Application
Repository
Course
Data Managers
GUI Elements
Generic Controllers
WebDAV, RSS, Mail
OLAT Framework
XML xStreams
Hibernate / JDBC
J2EE Servlet API
Libraries
Java API
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Development framework
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GUI Elements
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Live Demo

• Develop some tasks the customer group set us
• Adapt to changing workflows
• no, the form comes here!..
• we need a confirmation dialog here
• Even do the english translation and some look and
  feel!

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Lessons learned

• A CMS Framework can never make a LMS
• Do not underestimate migration issues
• People first need to know that they are using a
  webapplication, not a website
• Always use or develop a good framework
• You cannot be a product manager -and- an
  architect guy

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The future

• LMS Features Release 4.1, see ww.olat.org
• Technical Features
• AJAX Integration
• Don't hype too much (WEB 2.0?!?)
• Drag Drop C/S
• Component reload for faster navigation
• Server push (e.g. Chat, shared screens etc)
• More flexible layouting of forms
• ...???

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Develop with us

• ww.olat.org Open Source Homepage
• About 20 downloads per day
• 3-4 posts a day on the mailinglists
• Technical documentation online

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Contact