This document is written for application developers who want to build WebLogic Server e-commerce applications using the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) from Sun Microsystems. It is assumed that readers know Web technologies, object-oriented programming techniques, and the Java programming language.

WebLogic Server applications are created by Java programmers, Web designers, and application assemblers. Programmers and designers create modules that implement the business and presentation logic for the application. Application assemblers assemble the modules into applications that are ready to deploy on WebLogic Server.

WebLogic Server implements Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) version 1.3 technologies (http://java.sun.com/j2ee/sdk_1.3/index.html). J2EE is the standard platform for developing multi-tier Enterprise applications based on the Java programming language. The technologies that make up J2EE were developed collaboratively by Sun Microsystems and other software vendors, including BEA Systems.

WebLogic Server J2EE applications are based on standardized, modular components. WebLogic Server provides a complete set of services for those modules and handles many details of application behavior automatically, without requiring programming. J2EE defines module behaviors and packaging in a generic, portable way, postponing run-time configuration until the module is actually deployed on an application server.

J2EE includes deployment specifications for Web applications, EJB modules, Enterprise applications, client applications, and connectors. J2EE does not specify how an application is deployed on the target server—only how a standard module or application is packaged. For each module type, the specifications define the files required and their location in the directory structure.

Note: Because J2EE is backward compatible, you can still run J2EE 1.3 applications on WebLogic Server versions 7.x and later.

Java is platform independent, so you can edit and compile code on any platform, and test your applications on development WebLogic Servers running on other platforms. For example, it is common to develop WebLogic Server applications on a PC running Windows or Linux, regardless of the platform where the application is ultimately deployed.

Download pdf Developing WebLogic Server Applications