The first step is to define your component contract, i.e. component service interface(s).

Our Hello World service will provide a single interface with one method "print" that will be used to print the message given as parameter.

The Hello World Service implementation:

package org.ow2.frascati.examples.helloworld.pojo;

/** A basic service used to print messages. */
public interface PrintService {
    void print(String msg);
}

The Server implementation is also a standard POJO. You just have to implement the previously defined service interface.

package org.ow2.frascati.examples.helloworld.pojo;

/** The print service implementation. */
public class Server implements PrintService {    
    private String header = "->";
    private int count = 1;
    
    /** Default constructor. */
    public Server() {
        System.out.println("SERVER created.");
    }
    
    /** PrintService implementation. */
    public void print(final String msg) {
        System.out.println("SERVER: begin printing...");
        for (int i = 0; i < count; ++i) {
            System.out.println(header + msg);
        }
        System.out.println("SERVER: print done.");
    }

    /** Set the Header property. */
    public void setHeader(final String header) {
        System.out.println("SERVER: setting header to '" + header + "'.");
        this.header = header;
    }
    
    /** Set the count property. */
    public void setCount(final int count) {
        System.out.println("SERVER: setting count to '" + count + "'.");
        this.count = count;
    }
}

The Client implementation is quite easy. It implements the java.lang.Runnable interface as this interface will be exposed as a service (used to run the example) and provides a private field and a setter for the required service: org.ow2.frascati.examples.helloworld.pojo.PrintService.

package org.ow2.frascati.examples.helloworld.pojo;

/** A print service client. */
public class Client implements Runnable {
    private PrintService s;
    
    /** Default constructor. */
    public Client() {
        System.out.println("CLIENT created.");
    }
    
    /** Run the client. */
    public void run() {
        s.print("Hello World!");
    }
    
    /** Set the reference of the service. */
    public void setPrintService(PrintService service) {
      this.s = service;
    }
}

An SCA composite assembles SCA components to form SCA applications. An SCA composite is defined in an xxx.composite file.

We will define a helloworld composite that will contain 2 components: our Client and Server components. The composite will promote the Runnable interface defined on the client component. This service will be used to start this example, i.e., call the print service on the server.

A composite definition can be basically written with the help of an XML editor but there is a nice alternative integrated in the Eclipse IDE: the Eclipse STP SCA project. This project aims to provide tools for SCA such as a SCA Metamodel, a composite designer, an XML editor, samples and is compatible with OW2 FraSCAti. The following picture is a screenshot of the SCA composite designer for our example:

Here is the related helloworld-pojo.composite definition:

  1 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-15"?>
  2 <composite xmlns="http://www.osoa.org/xmlns/sca/1.0"
  3            name="helloworld-pojo">
  4 
  5   <service name="r" promote="client/r"/>
  6   
  7   <component name="client">
  8     <implementation.java class="org.ow2.frascati.examples.helloworld.pojo.Client"/>
  9     
 10     <service name="r">
 11       <interface.java interface="java.lang.Runnable"/>
 12     </service>
 13     
 14     <reference name="printService" target="server/printService">
 15       <interface.java interface="org.ow2.frascati.examples.helloworld.pojo.PrintService"/>
 16     </reference>
 17   </component>
 18   
 19   <component name="server">
 20     <implementation.java class="org.ow2.frascati.examples.helloworld.pojo.Server"/>
 21     
 22     <service name="printService">
 23       <interface.java interface="org.ow2.frascati.examples.helloworld.pojo.PrintService"/>
 24     </service>
 25     
 26     <property name="header">--->> </property>
 27   </component>
 28   
 29 </composite>

The core XML element of a composite definition is of course, the composite element (line 2). The name attribute is the composite name and is mandatory. Inside a composite tag, you can define services (line 5), references, properties, and components (lines 7 and 19).

A service element defines a service by giving the service name (mandatory) and if the service promotes another defined service with the promote attribute. As an example, a service r is defined (line 5) as a promotion of the service r defined in the client component (line 10). In this case, no more information is needed.

A complete service definition (line 10) needs to specify at least the full Java name of the implemented interface. We can see that the r service defined in the client component implements the java.lang.Runnable Java interface (line 11).

A component element (lines 7 and 19) can contain the same definitions as a composite element except components definitions.The name attribute is the component name and is mandatory. We have to specify the implementation class of the component. For instance, the client component is implemented by the org.ow2.frascati.examples.helloworld.pojo.Client Java class (line 8).

A reference element is used to define an SCA reference (a service required by a component). Its definition (line 14) is quite the same as a service definition. You have to specify the reference name, the targeted service definition (both mandatory). The full Java name of the reference interface is also mandatory. The printService reference (line 14) defines a reference using a service implementing the org.ow2.frascati.examples.helloworld.pojo.PrintService Java interface. The reference will be wired to the printService of the server component as defined in the target attribute during the instanciation process.

Finally, an SCA property can be defined by a property element (surprising, isn't it?) by specifying its name (mandatory). The default value of the property is set inside the property tag as shown by the example line 26. In the example, we defined a property named header with the '-->> ' default value.

You can simply compile your business code either by using your favorite IDE (Eclipse, NetBeans, etc.) or by using your favorite build tool (ant, make). This operation will result in the production of an archive (jar file) with your business classes.

You can also use a script provided by OW2 FraSCAti by specifying the source folder and the name of the jar file that will be produced.

$ frascati compile examples/helloworld-pojo/ helloworld-pojo

Once compiled, you can run the OW2 FraSCAti runtime in order to

The following command shows you how to start your application by calling the method run of the r service on the helloworld-pojo composite.

$ frascati run helloworld-pojo -libpath examples/helloworld-pojo/target/helloworld-pojo.jar --service-name r --method-name run

Using SCA is very easy since business code can be fully implemented with standard Java objects (POJOs) with no SCA specific code. You just have to have in mind that your business application should be a set of components and wires between components.

The only SCA specific need is to describe your SCA application architecture in a composite definition. Hopefully, the SCA graphical modeler (integrated into the Eclipse IDE) is available to hide the XML syntax.