In this section, we will create a starter application using the AndroMDA plugin. We will later build on this application to incrementally add time tracking features. We recommend that you have the completed application (downloaded in the previous section) on hand in case you need to troubleshoot your version.

One caution before we start - please follow all instructions very carefully and precisely. DO NOT take any shortcuts because doing so will only waste your time. There is a good reason for every step in this tutorial. You will not find any fluff here!

Ok, we are now ready to start. Follow the steps below to create the starter application:

1. Open a Command Prompt and change its directory to a location where you would like to create the application folder. In this example, we have chosen the C:\ directory for this purpose. The application will be created in the directory C:\timetracker. Note: If you decide to create the application at a different location, make sure there are no spaces in your pathname - otherwise Maven will run into build problems.
2. Now execute the following command to generate the starter application. Answer the questions exactly as shown in the output that follows. You are allowed to enter your own name in response to the first question :-).

C:\>mvn org.andromda.maven.plugins:andromdapp-maven-plugin:3.3:generate
[INFO] Scanning for projects...
[INFO] Searching repository for plugin with prefix: 'andromdapp'.
[INFO] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] Building Maven Default Project
[INFO]    task-segment: [andromdapp:generate] (aggregator-style)
[INFO] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] [andromdapp:generate]
INFO  [AndroMDA] discovered andromdapp type --> 'richclient'
INFO  [AndroMDA] discovered andromdapp type --> 'j2ee'
Please choose the type of application to generate [richclient, j2ee]
j2ee

Please enter the location in which your new application will be created
(i.e. f:/java/development):
C:/

Please enter your first and last name (i.e. Chad Brandon):
Naresh Bhatia

Which kind of modeling tool will you use? [uml1.4, uml2, emf-uml2]:
Use the list below to enter the correct choice:
    ArgoUML:        uml1.4
    MagicDraw 9.x:  uml1.4
    MagicDraw 15.5: uml2
    RSM 6:          emf-uml2
uml1.4

Please enter the name of your J2EE project (i.e. Animal Quiz):
TimeTracker

Please enter an id for your J2EE project (i.e. animalquiz):
timetracker

Please enter a version for your project (i.e. 1.0-SNAPSHOT):
1.0-SNAPSHOT

Please enter the root package name for your J2EE project
(i.e. org.andromda.samples.animalquiz):
org.andromda.timetracker

Would you like an EAR or standalone WAR? [ear, war]:
ear

Please enter the type of transactional/persistence cartridge to use
[hibernate, ejb, ejb3, spring, none]:
spring

Please enter the Spring version to use (enter '1' for 1.x or '2' for 2.x) [1, 2]: 
2

Please enter the database backend for the persistence layer
[hypersonic, mysql, oracle, db2, informix, mssql, pointbase,
 postgres, sybase, sabdb, progress, derby]:
mysql

Will your project need workflow engine capabilities?
(it uses jBPM and Hibernate3)? [yes, no]:
no

Will your project have a web user interface? [yes, no]:
yes

Would you like your web user interface to use JSF or Struts? [jsf, struts]:
struts

Would you like to be able to expose your services as web services? [yes, no]:
no
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    G e n e r a t i n g   A n d r o M D A   P o w e r e d   A p p l i c a t i o n
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Output: 'file:/C://timetracker/app/pom.xml'
    Output: 'file:/C://timetracker/app/src/main/application/META-INF/jboss-app.xml'
    Output: 'file:/C://timetracker/app/src/main/config/timetracker-ds.xml'
    Output: 'file:/C://timetracker/common/pom.xml'
    Output: 'file:/C://timetracker/core/target/classes/META-INF/ejb-jar.xml'
    Output: 'file:/C://timetracker/core/pom.xml'
    Output: 'file:/C://timetracker/mda/pom.xml'
    Output: 'file:/C://timetracker/mda/src/main/config/andromda.xml'
    Output: 'file:/C://timetracker/mda/src/main/config/mappings/WebMergeMappings.xml'
    Output: 'file:/C://timetracker/mda/src/main/uml/timetracker.xmi'
    Output: 'file:/C://timetracker/pom.xml'
    Output: 'file:/C://timetracker/readme.txt'
    Output: 'file:/C://timetracker/web/pom.xml'
    Output: 'file:/C://timetracker/web/src/main/properties/messages.properties'
    Output: 'file:/C://timetracker/web/target/timetracker-web-1.0-SNAPSHOT/WEB-INF/web.xml'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    New application generated to --> 'file:/C://timetracker/'
    Instructions for your new application --> 'file:/C://timetracker/readme.txt'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] BUILD SUCCESSFUL
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] Total time: 3 minutes 45 seconds
[INFO] Finished at: Sat May 20 21:47:51 EDT 2006
[INFO] Final Memory: 9M/22M
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
C:\>

Examine the various folders and files created by the andromdapp plugin. You will notice files called pom.xml in various folders under timetracker. These files make up several Maven projects. In fact, the timetracker directory contains a hierarchy of Maven projects as shown below.

timetracker
     |
     |-- mda
     |
     |-- common
     |
     |-- core
     |
     |-- web
     |
     +-- app
 

• timetracker: This is the master project that controls the overall build process and common properties.
• mda: The mda project is the most important sub-project of the application. It houses the TimeTracker UML model under the src/main/uml directory. The mda project is also where AndroMDA is configured to generate the files needed to assemble the application.
• common: The common sub-project collects resources and classes that are shared among other sub-projects. These include value objects and embedded values.
• core: The core sub-project collects resources and classes that use the Spring framework, optionally making use of Hibernate and/or EJBs under the hood. These include entity classes, data access objects, hibernate mapping files, and services.
• web: The web sub-project collects those resources and classes that make up the presentation layer.
• app: The app sub-project collects those resources and classes that are required to build the .ear bundle.

You can find more details about these files in readme.txt under the timetracker folder. This file also contains a description of useful Maven targets for the project. As a matter of fact, developers frequently refer to this file for commonly used Maven commands. Open this file now and get yourself familiar with it.

Configure TimeTracker Application

We will make minor configuration changes to the project generated by AndroMDA to fine tune how TimeTracker is built, telling you the reason for each change as we go along.

Open the AndroMDA configuration file located at timetracker\mda\src\main\config\andromda.xml. Make the following changes:

1. Search for the property called enableSpringTransactionsWhenEjbsEnabled and change its value from true to false. Since we will be using EJBs, we do not want Spring to be controlling database transactions.
2. Search for the namespace called bpm4struts. In this namespace, add a property to change the default date format for the application so it matches that in the prototype. The property will look like this:
   <property name="defaultDateFormat">MM/dd/yyyy</property>
3. Add another property in the bpm4struts namespace as shown below:
   <property name="normalizeMessages">true</property>
   This property allows generation of smaller resource bundles with duplicate element names specified by a single message. This optimization is turned off by default for backward compatibility.
4. Save and close andromda.xml

Open the top level POM file located at timetracker\pom.xml. Make the following changes:

1. Search for the following line which specifies the JDBC driver used by the application:
   <jdbc.driver.jar>${jboss.home}/server/default/lib/hsqldb.jar</jdbc.driver.jar>
   Since we are using MySQL, change this line as follows (be sure to specify the correct version of your driver):
   <jdbc.driver.jar>${jboss.home}/server/default/lib/mysql-connector-java-5.0.4.jar</jdbc.driver.jar>
2. Search for the following two lines which specify the database username and password:
   <jdbc.username>sa</jdbc.username>
   <jdbc.password></jdbc.password>
   Change the username and password values to those used during database creation:
   <jdbc.username>timetracker</jdbc.username>
   <jdbc.password>timetracker</jdbc.password>
   
3. Search for <repositories> section. Here you will find a declaration for the AndroMDA Repository. Add a declaration for the Java.net repository. This repository will be used to dowload jars provided by Sun (such as jta.jar). The resulting <repositories> section is shown below:

   			    <repositories>
   			        <repository>
   			            <id>andromda</id>
   			            <name>AndroMDA Repository</name>
   			            <url>http://team.andromda.org/maven2</url>
   			        </repository>
   			        <repository>
   			            <id>maven2-repository.dev.java.net</id>
   			            <name>Java.net Repository for Maven 2</name>
   			            <url>https://maven2-repository.dev.java.net/nonav/repository</url>
   			            <layout>default</layout>
   			        </repository>
   			    </repositories>
   
   

4. Save and close pom.xml

Open the POM file for the mda sub-project located at timetracker\mda\pom.xml and make the following change:

1. Search for property called hibernate.db.showSql and change its value from true to false. This prevents verbose Hibernate messages to be printed on the JBoss console. We will still have the appropriate SQL messages in the JBoss log file, which is the better place to look at these messages.
2. Save and close pom.xml

Open the POM file for the app sub-project located at timetracker\app\pom.xml. Make the following changes:

1. Search for the following line which specifies the maven ear plugin version:
   <artifactId>maven-ear-plugin</artifactId>
   <version>2.1</version>
   To make the .ear compatible with newer jboss server versions it is needed to change the maven ear plugin version to 2.3: <artifactId>maven-ear-plugin</artifactId>
   <version>2.3</version>
2. Save and close pom.xml

What's Next?

Now that we have created the base application, it is time to start modeling. Click the Next link below to model your first entity.