CSC/ECE 517 Fall 2007/wiki2/3 rl

Model View Controller

Model/view/controller. There are literally hundreds of pages describing MVC on the Web. If someone wants to learn about it, what should (s)he do? Look at the first few hits in Google? I expect we can do better than that. Write a review of the MVC sites on the Web. Which are best for learning about the concept? Which have the most instructive examples? Which are best for explaining how to use the pattern in Ruby and Java? If you choose this topic, you should be sure to peruse at least several dozen sites.

Best Sites for Learning the Model View Controller Concept

1. http://java.sun.com/blueprints/patterns/MVC-detailed.html : This is a very brief introduction to the MVC concept, ideal if you are in a hurry :). I really like the illustration they have used, it delimits the responsibilities of the components very well.
2. http://ootips.org/mvc-pattern.html : Nicely written introduction however it has ascii-art diagrams.
3. http://www.oreillynet.com/onjava/blog/2003/07/new_way_to_learn_mvc_view_a_si.html : The most innovative way to learn about MVC, through a song. Yes you heard it right, I would recommend this to everyone just because of the hilarious lyrics. Enjoy
4. http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/mv_controller.html : A fantastic article that details the three classes of MVC, benefits of the pattern, how the classes of MVC communicate, and class responsibilities.

Best Sites for Model View Controller Examples

1. http://www.enode.com/x/markup/tutorial/mvc.html : This is an awesome introduction to the concept. Short, sweet and to the point explained with the help of a contrived spinner example. This site does not give much details but is really good to get you started.
2. http://csis.pace.edu/~bergin/mvc/mvcgui.html : This article is written very well. It gives a detailed example of a temperature gauge, complete with source code in Java. I especially like it when the author explains how the components are interconnected, it really helps in understanding the communication between the model view and controller, as introduced in many of the MVC concept websites above.
3. http://www.caucho.com/articles/jsp_templates.xtp : An extremely detailed example of how to build a simple guestbook in JSP using the MVC pattern.
4. http://www.informit.com/guides/content.aspx?g=java&seqNum=117&rl=1 : Complete code example using Servlets as the controller, JSP files as the view, and JavaBeans as the model.

Best Sites for How to Use the Pattern in Ruby and Java

1. http://java.sun.com/blueprints/guidelines/designing_enterprise_applications_2e/app-arch/app-arch5.html : This is the design document for the pet store sample that come in built with Java EE. It goes into a lot of detail about how the MVC was used to design this sample. This page provides an excellent resource to understand the benefits of using patterns while working on a projects architecture. It bridges the gap between the theoretical concepts of the pattern and its practical implementations.
2. http://cristobal.baray.com/indiana/projects/mvc.html : A detailed introduction to the use of MVC with a Java view point which spans several pages, complete with source code. Warning: This site throws many pop ups, so keep your pop up blocker handy.

Sites that Suck

This will be deleted once we're done.... Include sites you've reviewed so we're not double reviewing.

1. http://www.site.uottawa.ca:4321/oose/index.html#MVC: Its very brief, more like a bundle of definitions, wont help in any kind of understanding
2. http://st-www.cs.uiuc.edu/users/smarch/st-docs/mvc.html : This one started off very well and I was about to put it into a good one for the concept but then it later delves into the details of mvc through a very small talk'y perspective, i dont think i can make much sense of it
3. http://www.themolehill.com/index.php/2006/08/14/beginners-guide-starting-with-the-model/ : I was trying to find a ruby introduction to MVC, but this one is more like a introduction to rails.