Servoy Review

Extendable Integrated Development Environment

Servoy delivers an integrated development engine that supports integration with the tools that users need in order to build and design applications without limitations. For instance, it has a Java plugin API that allows them to integrate any existing Java classes into Servoy’s IDE. They can also add frontend components to the environment. To share modules with their colleagues and incorporate them into other applications, the development environment provides users with the capability to split up their codebase.

Localize Applications

Servoy’s IDE makes it easy for users to localize their applications. Through the aid of its built-in tools, they can display versions of their applications in multiple languages all at the same time from a single server. Translated strings are saved in database tables, and they can be reused by other applications built within Servoy.

Connect To Any Data Source

Because business applications rely heavily on data, the RAD platform ensures that users are able to access and collect the data they need for their applications. Thus, Servoy can connect to different data sources such as SQL databases and REST services. As users are able to establish connections to databases, they will be able to switch from one database to another. For instance, they can build an application through MySQL and deploy it on Oracle. If they need to get data from a RESTful web service, they can specify the data structure they prefer and call the REST service. Then, the platform generates the data at runtime.

Cross-Platform Capabilities

The RAD platform is built with cross-platform capabilities. Thus, developers will be able to run their applications on different operating systems. They can develop the app on the operating system they are using and deploy it to the operating systems that their customers prefer. They can even run their applications on virtual operating systems such as Terminal Services, Citrix and VMware. When they run their application on multiple operating systems, they don’t have to modify the code of the application and make additional configurations.

Write Code Fast And Easy

With Servoy, writing code is fast and easy. It provides an enhanced scripting environment that enables developers to write JavaScript code efficiently. This environment delivers a feature called “solution model”. With this feature, developers can visually access the user interface and data objects within Servoy. When they double-click on an object, the correct code is connected automatically. As they code, the platform pinpoints runtime errors through the aid of code markers.

To make debugging applications and solutions a breeze, Servoy offers a powerful debugger which is built into its scripting environment. The debugger provides developers with the capability to add breakpoints, watch variables and data elements, evaluate code live, and utilize its step-in and step-out capabilities.

Servoy also has a built-in unit testing capability which lets developers test their JavaScript business logic. This capability is very useful for those who are frequently releasing software products, as Servoy reduces the burden associated with the execution of unit tests.

Code Reuse And Maintenance

Servoy is designed in such a way that it helps developers boost their productivity and maintain code effortlessly. With Servoy, developers can write and design code once and use it again as many times as they need. Servoy permits them to split the design of an application into multiple modules. Because of this, they will be able to develop, test, and validate the smaller pieces of functionalities. They can even combine the modules to form a new application or solution.

Extending user interfaces is another capability available in Servoy. This capability is also known as UI inheritance. Here, developers can create base functions or screens and extend them. The entire UI can also be extended. This way, functions are just written once, enabling developers to keep their codebase more maintainable. Likewise, Servoy enables developers to reuse UI patterns such as the sets of fields and labels used in displaying the company’s address. Thus, they can design UI patterns only once and reuse them in multiple locations.

Security Measures

Servoy incorporates security measures into its architecture, giving users the ability to define who should access their data and the user interface elements of their applications. They can specify and control access for every database, table, or column. They can also do this for each user interface elements.

In addition, they can configure the platform so that it will automatically log all changes made to the data. As a result, Servoy generates an audit trail that shows detailed information which includes the users who have made the changes, the old values that have been altered, the new values that have been entered, and information about the server. To wrap it up, Servoy makes sure that the source code is not sent to the client. Binary objects are encrypted so that security rules set up during the development stage won’t be bypassed on the client side.