以ART平台為基礎的行動應用程式開發工具

Abstract

ART(Adaptive Remote Terminal)是一個可適性的行動應用程式開發平台，它結合了thin-client computing和mobile computing。從設計面來看，此平台能支援各種不同的手持裝置，程式設計人員所開發的應用程式只要寫一次，就能夠在各種不同的平台上執行，大大降低了開發與維護的成本；從應用面來看，程式設計人員在此平台上所開發出來的程式可以利用server強大的運算能力與豐富的資源來達成一般手持裝置所無法執行的功能。

在ART的架構中，client端只賦予程式執行結果的呈現能力，邏輯運算全都置於server端，兩端的溝通是透過網路傳遞非同步訊息來達成。然而，現今的行動裝置執行環境，無法使用或不便使用網路的狀況非常多，但是本身的運算資源，卻是越來越強大。故在此篇論文所提供的開發工具中，設計一套廣泛適用的轉換工具，能夠將以ART平台為基礎的應用程式自動的轉換至能獨立在client端執行的版本，讓使用者也能夠在不需要網路的環境下執行它們。

此篇論文定義一套符合XML的轉換語言Interface Mapping Markup Language，能夠記載不同平台之間API的轉換規則，包含邏輯程式碼以及使用者介面兩個部份。藉著使用我們提出的開發工具，除了能減少程式開發與移植的功夫外，還能夠根據使用者手持裝置的作業環境，發揮行動應用程式的最大效用。

ART (Adaptive Remote Terminal) is an adaptive framework for developing mobile applications. This framework, integrates thin-client computing and mobile computing, has many advantages of handheld devices. From designers’ point of view, the mobile applications can be written once and run on every platform. It can reduce providers’ porting effort and the cost of program maintenance. In respect of application capability, we can serve lots of work which cannot be supported just within the handheld devices by the stronger computing power and richer resources on the server side.

In ART’s architecture, ART-Client is responsible for displaying the execution results, and the ART-Server should execute all the computation logic. They communicate within the network by asynchronous message delivery. In the mobile executing environment nowadays, there are many situations that the network cannot work robustly. And, the handheld devices’ computing resources are becoming powerful. In this paper, we provide a general converting tool. It can convert the mobile applications from ART-based version into the version which can be standing alone worked on the client side even when network crashes.

We define a language, followed the XML standard, called 『 Interface Mapping Markup Language』. It can record the API mapping rules between different platforms, including the codes of program logic and user interface. By using our development kit, application providers can not only reduce the efforts of development but also lessen the porting cost. We make the mobile applications provide their most efficacy and functionality by using the handheld devices’ computing resources.