EASY-WEBFLOW Framework

1. Introduction
Easy-Webflow is a lightweight presentation layer framework for web applications. It gives user very simple and convenient mechanism for defining business flows including security concerns. Flow could be considered as series of steps, that user has to accomplish in order to complete some business action. It is wider than request and usually shorter than session.  
Application is build on top of JSF 2.1 and CDI 1.0. It uses CDI powerful mechanism for dependency injection and interception. 

Although it can be used with all kind of java web applications, it is mainly designed for webapp projects using CDI as 'glue' for its application layers and leveraging JSF 2 as MVC. 

2. Installation
Requirements:
- Gradle 1.0-milestone-3
- Apache Maven local repo

Installing jar:
-Download project sources 
-Scan through build.gradle file and optionally make some environment-specific changes  
-From main project directory run (to produce and install framework-[version].jar file in your local repo):
	<code>gradle</code>

or just download framework-[version].jar and manually put it in your maven local repository.
 
To see example how to use framework in your web project (including specifying dependencies) please visit easy-webflow-sample project on github https://github.com/MarekMaj/easy-webflow-sample and read README file.

3. Configuration file
During start, application will look for easywebflow-config.xml file in '/WEB-INF/' directory.
Configuration file is appropriate place to configure behavior of framework.
See XML Schema for configuration file in https://github.com/MarekMaj/easy-webflow/tree/master/src/main/resources/easywebflow-config.xsd. 

4. Definig a flow
See XML Schema for flow configuration file in https://github.com/MarekMaj/easy-webflow/tree/master/src/main/resources/easywebflow-flow.xsd.
This Schema is compatible with SCXML although framework does not support all its functionalities. Future work may concentrate on improving this support. 
To define a flow just create XML file according to the schema and specify it's directory in configuration file.

5. Integrate framework with JEE application
Easy-Webflow core uses CDI dependency injection mechanism, CDI AOP interceptors and @ConversationScope. While integrating your service layer beans, you should make them visible for CDI Bean Manager. The simplest way to do this is to put javax.inject.Named annotation on class with optionally resolution name. 
Easy-Webflow maintained flows can be accessed from application facelets. User after specifying conversation details in flow configuration file, should access the appropriate flow from his view layer by binding it with view components.         

It is recommended to use following approach while integrating framework with your view definition (facelet). 
<code><h:commandButton value="Start -example- flow" action="#{example.start}"/></code> 
for starting "example" flow.

<code><h:commandButton value="Invoke transition -next-" action="#{example.transitionTo('next')}"/></code> 
for invoke "next" transition.
It is required to include EL 2.2 (part of servlet 3.0) on your project path for this approach. Typically this requirement is satisfied when using newest application server eg Glassfish 3.1, JBoss AS 6+, Tomcat 7 etc.