Ajqvue Version 2.0
Copyright 2016-2018
by Dana Proctor
http://dandymadeproductions.com
What is Ajqvue?
Ajqvue provides an easy to use Java based interface for viewing,
adding, editing, or deleting entries in the Derby, H2, HSQL, Microsoft SQL,
MSAccess, MariaDB, MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, and SQLite databases. All
tables and fields are available for access in the selected database.
Ajqvue is the result of a condensed version of a larger project
that was needed to access an inventory database. The project from its
inception was to be constructed from code that could be run on most
OS, Operating Systems, platform independent. In addition the selected
database, MySQL, was also deemed to be chosen because of its open source
nature. The final key was network enabled. The application would need to
be able to connect to the database either locally, same machine, or a
server anywhere that was Internet accessable. Java and MySQL fit these
needs.
Ajqvue has expanded beyond the scope of MySQL and now supports
alternate databases and plugins. The application only needs two other
pieces of code, the JRE, Java Runtime Environment, and a JDBC, Java Database
Connectivity, driver. The JDBC provides the driver interface between the
Java SQL, structured query language, statements, and the database. As of
the release of this version of Ajqvue the application has been tested
with the Apache Derby, H2, HSQL, MS SQL, MSAccess, MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL,
and SQLite databases. The application once installed can provide a much quicker
access/update to a database than a web based interface frontend and Ajqvue
supports transaction locking. If your small business, scientific community,
government agency, or educational institute wants to quickly access one of
the supported databases for viewing, adding, editing, searching, and analyzing
data Ajqvue provides an alternative that is simple and easy to use.
Dana M. Proctor
Project Manager
Features:
Requirements:
Ajqvue is a stand alone application. To get started
download and unzip the release file to your local hard drive using a program
such as WinZip, 7-Zip, Tar or similar compression/decompression program.
Extract the Ajqvue files to the desired location on the hard disk. On a
Windows system this may be any location, but on a Unix or Linux system it will
be in the home directory of the user. If multiple users are to access
the application then consult with the system administrator of your
workstation. The likely location will be in the /usr/local or a public
directory, which all users have access to for application execution.
Ajqvue updates need no special attention. Just install the latest release into your existing directory. The only other major concern of a new release that might be of interest is obtaining new connection parameters. Each new release that supports a additional database will have an example configuration for the connection parameters in the advanced login parameters. Likely changes will be included in the reference ajqvue.xml file located in the installation directory. Often the Driver, Protocol, SubProtocol, and Port parameters will be different for the various database servers. To gain access to any new connection parameters one may just open the reference ajqvue.xml file and copy and paste any additional entries desired into your own working copy of the ajqvue.xml file. See the General Setup Instructions below for locating this file.
General Setup Instructions
The Ajqvue application is a Java based program and does
require the JRE, to be installed. The minimum runtime environment needs to be
JRE-1.8. In addition to the JRE an extension, JDBC, needs to be installed that
allows Java to communicate to the database. The programs are available on the
Internet free of charge. Check with the sites
MS SQL,
mariadb.org,
dev.mysql.com,
oracle.com,
jdbc.postgresql.org, and
the jar file for these extensions needs to be installed to the JRE /lib/ext
directory. On a Windows system this JRE directory in normally under C:/Windows/java.
On a Linux/Unix system the directory is normally under the /usr/lib directory,
and is most easily found by typing the command "which java" in a console.
Please consult with each vendor for specific installation instructions for these
JDBC pieces of code. Similarly if other databases are to be accessed via the
application then again installed the recommended driver(s) to the Java Runtime
/lib/ext directory. The exceptions to JDBC installations are for the Derby, H2,
HSQL, and SQLite databases. Derby requires the derby.jar, derbynet.jar, and derbyclient.jar
files to placed in the Java Extension directory. H2, and HSQL use an integrated JDBC
built into the application. Ajqvue includes these databases so no additional
installation need take place. Likewise the SQLite JDBC need also not be installed
as it is a included library along with native libaries for the SQLite database.
The new login interface and Connection Manager use
a XML configuration file for saving user preferences. Upon first running
Ajqvue a reference XML file, ajqvue.xml, located in the installation
directory is read then copied to the users home directory under a newly created
directory, .ajqvue. DO NOT MODIFY THIS REFERENCE FILE! The newly
created directory On Windows ® 98 will be 'C:Windows\.ajqvue'. On
Windows ® XP, Vista, and Windows 7 the new directory will be in the user's
home folder. On a Linux system the new directory will be '/home/user/.ajqvue'.
All saved changes performed in site management will be stored in the XML file located
in the above referenced directory. The user is encouraged to make a backup of this
file occasionally. The Ajqvue application also supports internationalization.
The .ajqvue directory in addition to retaining the XML configuration file
will also house the file ajqvue_locale.txt which holds the entry that allows
control of language support.
Ajqvue requires a database to be setup to communicate with
in order to work. It is beyond the scope of this document for installing and setting
up a database, but remember you must have user rights to the database tables
you are trying to access. Please consult with your database system administrator
for proper grant rights.
Adding a Shortcut
To add a Ajqvue icon to your desktop, right click the mouse pointer on an unused
area of your desktop to display the pop up menu and select New | Shortcut. Choose
Browse, find and double click on Ajqvue.jar, then click on Next.
Type in "Ajqvue" for the name of the shortcut, then click Finish. To run
Ajqvue, either double click on the new Ajqvue icon or use the Start | Run
command.
On a Unix or Linux system a shortcut may be created in the KDE Desktop environment
by right clicking on the desktop and selecting Create New | File | Link to Application.
Give the application a name such as "Ajqvue" in the General tab. Next select the Application tab
and fill in the description desired then browse to the location on the disk where Ajqvue was installed
and select the Ajqvue.jar file for the Command entry. The Command entry is still not complete and must
contain the Java command. Place before the quoted Ajqvue.jar entry, "java -jar ". Do not place quotes
of any kind around this command, the quotes only contain the Jar file location. Example: java -jar
'/home/~user/Ajqvue/Ajqvue.jar'. Finally select the Work Path as the directory where installation
took place.
The Ajqvue application may also be run directly from a command/console window by typing in the command
"java -jar Ajqvue.jar" while in the installation directory. A Linux/Unix environment will require the
file location to be specified by "./Ajqvue.jar", remember this must be done with a console that is running
within a X Window environment like KDE or Gnome.
Copyright Notice:
This program is licensed under the GNU GPL.
Credits (in chronological order):
Version History:
Production (2016-09-17):
Version 1.0 | Code Review and Cleanup. Libraries and TableFieldProfiler Plugin Updated. Bug Fixes for Query Bucket Feature. |
Version 1.11 | Minor Release to Mainly Highlight Updated QueryBuilder Plugin. |
Version 1.15 | Maintanence With Some Minor Fixes. Review/Testing Current Revisions of Supported Databases. |
Version 2.0 | Major Maintenance, Cleanup, and Consolidation of the Code Base Driven a DB_To_FileMemoryDB Plugin and SQLite Affinity. |