TOTD #39 explained how to create an Autocomplete widget (server-powered autocompleting of text fields, similar to Google Suggest) using Prototype/Script.aculo.us libraries with NetBeans, GlassFish and MySQL. This Tip Of The Day (TOTD) builds upon that project and shows how same functionality can be achieved using jQuery Library.

1. Use the NetBeans project created in TOTD #39. Right-clicking on the project, select "New", "JSP...", enter the name as "index2" …

There are several JavaScript libraries that can be embedded in your webapplication to create a visually appealing interface. Script.aculo.us is one of the popular ones and is built on the Prototype JavaScript Framework. The library provides an easy-to-use, cross-browser user interface JavaScripts that allows you to create fancy effects commonly visible on web pages these days.

This blog entry gets you started by using Ajax.Autocompleter that allows for server-powered autocompleting of text fields. Basically, you type a character in a text field and suggestions for possible correct values starting with that character are shown . This is achieved by by sending an Ajax request to the data source on server, passing the typed …

This TOTD (Tip Of The Day) shows how to create a Persistence Unit (PU) for a MySQL database using NetBeans IDE. This PU can then be used in any of Java EE artifacts (JSP, Servlet, EJB, ...) for database interaction.

1. In NetBeans IDE, create a new project
   1. Create a new NetBeans Web project and enter the values ("Autocomplete") as shown:
      
      
      
      and click on "Next".
   2. Choose GlassFish v2 as the deployment server and then click on "Finish".
2. Set up the database
   1. Start the database as:
      
      

      ~ >sudo mysqld_safe --user root Password:<YOUR …

NetBeans IDE 6.5 Milestone 1 is now available. The New and Noteworthy feature list certainly makes it worthy for the install - comprehensive PHP support (Editor Screencast and PHP Learning Trail), JavaScript Debugger, Groovy Editor, …

Are you deploying your JRuby-on-Rails applications on Solaris (or any variety of Unix) and not able to connect to the database ?

I experienced it last week so thought of sharing the tip here. Luckily it's really simple.

Here is the default generated "config/database.yml"

The only required change is to add "host: 127.0.01" for the required database configuration. The updated fragment is shown below (with change highlighted):
…

TOTD #30 explained how to create CRUD application using Grails and hosted using in-built Jetty servlet engine and in-memory HSQLDB database. Jetty and HSQLDB are built into Grails and allows to start easily. You can also use GlassFish and MySQL for deploying your applications in production environment.

This blog entry walks you through the steps of deploying a Grails application on GlassFish and MySQL.

1. If MySQL is already installed, then download …

NetBeans 6.1 Beta was released last week. Amongst the many improvements, one of them is the bundled JRuby 1.1 RC2 and Rails 2.0.2. The jMaki plugin used to work fine with Rails 1.2.3 but need to be updated because of changed file name extensions for the default generated views (".rhtml.erb" instead of ".rhtml"). With this release of NetBeans, jMaki plugin has been updated to work in this configuration as well.

This blog provide detailed steps to install jMaki plugin, create a simple Rails 2.0 application using NetBeans IDE and update the generated scaffold to use a Yahoo Data Table widget for displaying the …

This TOTD (Tip Of The Day) shows how to install Rails 2.0.x in JRuby 1.0.3 and JRuby 1.1 RC1. Then it describes how a simple Rails application can be created and deployed using WEBrick.

First, lets deal with installing Rails 2.0.x in JRuby 1.0.3 and JRuby 1.1 RC1.

Step 1: How to install Rails 2.0.x in JRuby 1.0.3 ?

• Download and Unzip JRuby 1.0.3. This creates "jruby-1.0.3" directory.
• Install Rails by giving the following command in the newly created directory:
  
  bin/jruby -S gem install rails --include-dependencies --no-ri --no-rdoc
Bulk updating Gem source index for: http://gems.rubyforge.org
Successfully installed rails-2.0.2
Successfully installed activesupport-2.0.2
Successfully installed activerecord-2.0.2
…

Back in my formative years, during the tail end of the S&L crisis, I spent quite a bit of time working on financal software, including asset-liability management, risk management, and pool selection for the securitization of assets.

Although I’m a ‘data’ guy, for a layman I have a fairly good understanding of risk management in the financial industry. A side effect of that understanding is that I’m been following the ongoing risk management fiasco with more than a passing interest. (The media might call it a ‘credit crunch’ or a ’subprime contagion’, but as far as I can tell, it all boils down to a lack of attention to risk.) It’s also turning out to be a good source of entertainment.

Last week, …

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