Lets try this explanation again...
I'm new to polymer (and getting back into web dev after a relatively long absence), and I'm wondering what the recommended approach might be to more closely manage object state while employing 2 way databinding. I am currently consuming rest API (json) objects. My question is if polymer keeps a copy of the original object before initiating updates to the bound object's properties/attributes...so one might be able to easily undo the changes? While allowing 2 way databinding to work its magic is often desired, there are cases where I'd like to prevent / delay changes to the object / DOM until the user approves the changes (say via the paper-dialog component for instance). I suppose one could make a temporary copy of the object and bind fields to that version, and then only persist the changes back to the source object upon user approval. In any case, I'd be interested to hear thoughts and see an example or two of recommended approaches (especially if I am off-track with my ideas!)
I suppose one could make a temporary copy of the object and bind
fields to that version, and then only persist the changes back to the
source object upon user approval
This.
Consider that view-models are essentially different from pure data-models (sometimes called business-data). Frequently, the differences are irrelevant and one can use them interchangeably. However, be aware of scenarios where the view-model is distinct (uncommitted user edits are a good example).
The notion of a field editor that requires approval from the user is purely UI/View oriented. Whatever data is managed in that modality is purely in the domain of the view, and fetches/commits to the business-data should be discrete.
I guess I would need some really good explanation on some Model related concepts.
In general does the model, as described by frameworks like Robotlegs play the role of an application state holder, or a domain state holder? I originally thought that models are entirely domain based, i.e UserModel, LocationModel, which play the same role that DAO classes play on the server. The more source code I am looking at though, the more I see stuff like UserAccountModel, ShoppingCartModel, etc, full of properties and methods related to the state of the client application, not the domain state.
I see that the people do not bother to add complex relationships to the VO classes, i.e. if a User has a lot of photos, the photos collection is obviously omitted from the UserVO class. Instead, a bunch of PhotoVO objects are loaded from the server whenever necessary, based on a service call with the user ID. Is that some sort of a rule of thumb - in general keeping VOs as "bare" as possible? Doesn't that increase the possible number of calls that must be made to the server to fetch all the data? Moreover, doesn't that fragment the domain model in general? (an entity User class on the server will always have a photos property)
With so many calls to the server, it is normal to fetch some objects that might be already on the client storage. does it make sense to make a client side cache, and check if the object that is going to be fetched is already there, or in general, the overhead of getting it once again will be paid off by the benefits of getting a fully synced object from the server. Otherwise, every object stored on the client side cache must be cared for when a change occurs. I personally think that the overhead of getting an object from the server, which might have already been picked up before is not as big. Better have fresh and synced data I'd say.
I do not believe your question is answerable, because so many of the answers are "it depends." It depends on the application you're building and the needs of the UI.
I don't really understand your distinction between "Domain State" and "Application State." However, I believe that any "Value Object" style classes implemented in the UI should focus on holding the state of specific views. It is extremely rare that a single view is a one to one relationship to database tables. As such, my UI Data Objects may not be identical to server side data objects. Although, it is very common that I will map UI objects to server side objects using AMF. But, it doesn't mean that every object in the UI is implemented server side and every server object is implemented on the UI.
I see that the people do not bother to add complex relationships to
the VO classes,
I'm not sure where you see that; I will often do exactly this. However, it depends what the view is supposed to display. IF the view is not displaying a lot of photos related to the user, then I won't make a remote call to retrieve the user information with all their photos.
With so many calls to the server, it is normal to fetch some objects
that might be already on the client storage.
It depends. I would say that the apps I write, the calls to the server are done as needed; and attempts are made to limit them as appropriate. If I already fetched data and have it cached on the client, then I am going to try to use that cache instead of retrieving the data again.
I'll restate my original assessment: I think the answers to most of your questions depend on the situation, and depend on the app. You seem to start with overally broad generalizations about how things are done. However, I Do not believe they are universal truths. Developer's fight about application architecture issues all the time.
I was just learning how to use the LINQ/EDM combination to retrieve and update a simple user-thread-and-comment webapp as part of evaluating it.
When I turn on SQL Profiler, I rarely see a SQL statement executed by my app.
I'm starting to really like how well it keeps things cached, coz as soon as I add new data, it magically updates itself while I'm blinking.
But is that something I should be scared of?
My concern is when I use this to make a webapp with some traffic (whatever hit count that reaches this approach's par).
Should I keep a single context object at app-level, so that different sessions can benefit from each other's cache entries?
Or should I do the create-and-release on each page submission?
I know this sounds like an open-ended question, but I really have that as a question: how does the entity cache its data when using LINQ?
On the ObjectContext question you should use a lifetime of per-page-request cycle or smaller. It's designed for a unit of work and not for the application lifetime. Search SO for "ObjectContext lifetime" or "DataContext lifetime" and you'll see this is a common question.
The Problem
In the stack that we re-use between projects, we are putting a little bit too much data in the session for passing data between pages. This was good in theory because it prevents tampering, replay attacks, and so on, but it creates as many problems as it solves.
Session loss itself is an issue, although it's mostly handled by implementing Session State Server (or by using SQL Server). More importantly, it's tricky to make the back button work correctly, and it's also extra work to create a situation where a user can, say, open the same screen in three tabs to work on different records.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
There are workarounds for most of these issues, but as I grind away, all this friction gives me the feeling that passing data between pages using session is the wrong direction.
What I really want to do here is come up with a best practice that my shop can use all the time for passing data between pages, and then, for new apps, replace key parts of our stack that currently rely on Session.
It would also be nice if the final solution did not result in mountains of boilerplate plumbing code.
Proposed Solutions
Session
As mentioned above, leaning heavily on Session seems like a good idea, but it breaks the back button and causes some other problems.
There may be ways to get around all the problems, but it seems like a lot of extra work.
One thing that's very nice about using session is the fact that tampering is just not an issue. Compared to passing everything via the unencrypted QueryString, you end up writing much less guard code.
Cross-Page Posting
In truth I've barely considered this option. I have a problem with how tightly coupled it makes the pages -- if I start doing PreviousPage.FindControl("SomeTextBox"), that seems like a maintenance problem if I ever want to get to this page from another page that maybe does not have a control called SomeTextBox.
It seems limited in other ways as well. Maybe I want to get to the page via a link, for instance.
QueryString
I'm currently leaning towards this strategy, like in the olden days. But I probably want my QueryString to be encrypted to make it harder to tamper with, and I would like to handle the problem of replay attacks as well.
On 4 guys from Rolla, there's an article about this.
However, it should be possible to create an HttpModule that takes care of all this and removes all the encryption sausage-making from the page. Sure enough, Mads Kristensen has an article where he released one. However, the comments make it sound like it has problems with extremely common scenarios.
Other Options
Of course this is not an exaustive look at the options, but rather the main options I'm considering. This link contains a more complete list. The ones I didn't mention such as Cookies and the Cache not appropriate for the purpose of passing data between pages.
In Closing...
So, how are you handling the problem of passing data between pages? What hidden gotchas did you have to work around, and are there any pre-existing tools around this that solve them all flawlessly? Do you feel like you've got a solution that you're completely happy with?
Thanks in advance!
Update: Just in case I'm not being clear enough, by 'passing data between pages' I'm talking about, for instance, passing a CustomerID key from a CustomerSearch.aspx page to Customers.aspx, where the Customer will be opened and editing can occur.
First, the problems with which you are dealing relate to handling state in a state-less environment. The struggles you are having are not new and it is probably one of the things that makes web development harder than windows development or the development of an executable.
With respect to web development, you have five choices, as far as I'm aware, for handling user-specific state which can all be used in combination with each other. You will find that no one solution works for everything. Instead, you need to determine when to use each solution:
Query string - Query strings are good for passing pointers to data (e.g. primary key values) or state values. Query strings by themselves should not be assumed to be secure even if encrypted because of replay. In addition, some browsers have a limit on the length of the url. However, query strings have some advantages such as that they can be bookmarked and emailed to people and are inherently stateless if not used with anything else.
Cookies - Cookies are good for storing very tiny amounts of information for a particular user. The problem is that cookies also have a size limitation after which it will simply truncate the data so you have to be careful with putting custom data in a cookie. In addition, users can kill cookies or stop their use (although that would prevent use of standard Session as well). Similar to query strings, cookies are better, IMO, for pointers to data than for the data itself unless the data is tiny.
Form data - Form data can take quite a bit of information however at the cost of post times and in some cases reload times. ASP.NET's ViewState uses hidden form variables to maintain information. Passing data between pages using something like ViewState has the advantage of working nicer with the back button but can easily create ginormous pages which slow down the experience for the user. In general, ASP.NET model does not work on cross page posting (although it is possible) but instead works on posts back to the same page and from there navigating to the next page.
Session - Session is good for information that relates to a process with which the user is progressing or for general settings. You can store quite a bit of information into session at the cost of server memory or load times from the databases. Conceptually, Session works by loading the entire wad of data for the user all at once either from memory or from a state server. That means that if you have a very large set of data you probably do not want to put it into session. Session can create some back button problems which must be weighed against what the user is actually trying to accomplish. In general you will find that the back button can be the bane of the web developer.
Database - The last solution (which again can be used in combination with others) is that you store the information in the database in its appropriate schema with a column that indicates the state of the item. For example, if you were handling the creation of an order, you could store the order in the Order table with a "state" column that determines whether it was a real order or not. You would store the order identifier in the query string or session. The web site would continue to write data into the table to update the various parts and child items until eventually the user is able to declare that they are done and the order's state is marked as being a real order. This can complicate reports and queries in that they all need to differentiate "real" items from ones that are in process.
One of the items mentioned in your later link was Application Cache. I wouldn't consider this to be user-specific since it is application wide. (It can obviously be shoe-horned into being user-specific but I wouldn't recommend that either). I've never played with storing data in the HttpContext outside of passing it to a handler or module but I'd be skeptical that it was any different than the above mentioned solutions.
In general, there is no one solution to rule them all. The best approach is to assume on each page that the user could have navigated to that page from anywhere (as opposed to assuming they got there by using a link on another page). If you do that, back button issues become easier to handle (although still a pain). In my development, I use the first four extensively and on occasion resort to the last solution when the need calls for it.
Alright, so I want to preface my answer with this; Thomas clearly has the most accurate and comprehensive answer so far for people starting fresh. This answer isn't in the same vein at all. My answer is coming from a "business developer's" standpoint. As we all know too well; sometimes it's just not feasible to spend money re-writing something that already exists and "works"... at least not all in one shot. Sometimes it's best to implement a solution which will let you migrate to a better alternative over time.
The only thing I'd say Thomas is missing is; client-side javascript state. Where I work we've found customers are coming to expect "Web 2.0"-type applications more and more. We've also found these sorts of applications typically result in much higher user satisfaction. With a little practice, and the help of some really great javascript libraries like jQuery (we've even started using GWT and found it to be AWESOME) communicating with JSON-based REST services implemented in WCF can be trivial. This approach also provides a very nice way to start moving towards a SOA-based architecture, and clean separation of UI and business logic.
But I digress.
It sounds to me as though you already have an application, and you've already stretched the limits of ASP.NET's built-in session state management. So... here's my suggestion (assuming you've already tried ASP.NET's out-of-process session management, which scales signifigantly better than the in-process/on-box session management, and it sounds like you have because you mentioned it); NCache.
NCache provides you with a "drop-in" replacement for ASP.NET's session management options. It's super easy to implement, and could "band-aid" your application more than well enough to get you through - without any significant investment in refactoring your existing codebase immediately.
You can use the extra time and money to start reducing your technical debt by focusing new development on things with immediate business-value - using a new approach (such as any of the alternatives offered in the other answers, or mine).
Just my thoughts.
Several months later, I thought I would update this question with the technique I ended up going with, since it has worked out so well.
After playing with more involved session state handling (which resulted in a lot of broken back buttons and so on) I ended up rolling my own code to handle encrypted QueryStrings. It's been a huge win -- all of my problem scenarios (back button, multiple tabs open at the same time, lost session state, etc) are solved and the complexity is minimal since the usage is very familiar.
This is still not a magic bullet for everything but I think it's good for about 90% of the scenarios you run into.
Details
I built a class called CorePage that inherits from Page. It has methods called SecureRequest and SecureRedirect.
So you might call:
SecureRedirect(String.Format("Orders.aspx?ClientID={0}&OrderID={1}, ClientID, OrderID)
CorePage parses out the QueryString and encrypts it into a QueryString variable called CoreSecure. So the actual request looks like this:
Orders.aspx?CoreSecure=1IHXaPzUCYrdmWPkkkuThEes%2fIs4l6grKaznFGAeDDI%3d
If available, the currently logged in UserID is added to the encryption key, so replay attacks are not as much of a problem.
From there, you can call:
X = SecureRequest("ClientID")
Conclusion
Everything works seamlessly, using familiar syntax.
Over the last several months I've also adapted this code to work with edge cases, such as hyperlinks that trigger a download - sometimes you need to generate a hyperlink on the client that has a secure QueryString. That works really well.
Let me know if you would like to see this code and I will put it up somewhere.
One last thought: it's weird to accept my own answer over some of the very thoughtful posts other people put on here, but this really does seem to be the ultimate answer to my problem. Thanks to everyone who helped get me there.
After going through all the above scenarios and answers and this link Data pasing methods My final advice would be :
COOKIES for:
ENCRYPT[userId's]
ENCRYPT[productId]
ENCRYPT[xyzIds..]
ENCRYPT[etc..]
DATABASE for:
datasets BY COOKIE ID
datatables BY COOKIE ID
all other large chunks BY COOKIE ID
My advise also depends on the below statistics and this link details Data pasing methods :
I would never do this. I have never had any issues storing all session data in the database, loading it based on the users cookie. It's a session as far as anything is concerned, but I maintain control over it. Don't give up control of your session data to your web server...
With a little work, you can support sub sessions, and allow multi-tasking in different tabs/windows.
As a starting point, I find using the critical data elements, such as a Customer ID, best put into the query string for processing. You can easily track/filter bad data coming off of these elements, and it also allows for some integration with e-mail or other related sites/applications.
In a previous application, the only way to view an employee or a request record involving them was to log into the application, do a search for the employee or do a search for recent records to find the record in question. This became problematic and a big time sink when somebody from a related department needed to do a simple view on records for auditing purposes.
In the rewrite, I made both the employee Id, and request Ids available through a basic URL of "ViewEmployee.aspx?Id=XXX" and "ViewRequest.aspx?Id=XXX". The application was setup to A) filter out bad Ids and B) authenticate and authorize the user before allowing them to these pages. What this allowed the primarily application users to do was to send simple e-mails to the auditors with a URL in the e-mail. When they were in a big hurry, they were in their bulk processing time, they were able to simply click down a list of URLs and do the appropriate processing.
Other session related data, such as modification dates and maintaining the "state" of the user's interaction with the application gets a little more complex, but hopefully this provides a starting poing for you.
I'm building a Web Page that allows the user to pick a color and size. Once they have these selected I need to perform a lookup to see if inventory exists or not and update some UI elements based on this.
I was thinking that putting all the single product data into multidimensional JavaScript array (there is only 10-50 records for any page instance) and writing some client side routines around that, would be the way to go for two reasons. One because it keeps the UI fast and two it minimizes callbacks to the server. What i'm worried about with this solution is code smell.
As an alternative i'm thinking about using a more AJAX purist approach of using HTTP handlers and JSON, or perhaps a hybrid with a bit of both. My question is what are your thoughts as to the best solution to this problem using the ASP.Net 2.0 stack?
[Edit]
I also should mention that this page will be running in a SharePoint environment.
Assuming the data is static, I would vote option #1. Storing and retrieving data elements in a JavaScript array is relatively foolproof and entirely within your control. Calling back to the server introduces a lot of possible failure points. Besides, I think keeping the data in-memory within the page will require less code overall and be more readable to anyone with a more than rudimentary understanding of JavaScript.
i'm against Ajax for such tasks, and vote (and implemented) the first option.
As far as I understand, you won't create Code smells if the JS part is being written by your server-side.
From a user point-of-view, Ajax is an experience-killer for wireless browsing, since any little glitch or mis-service will fail or simply lengthen the interaction by factors of 20(!).
I've implemented even more records than yours in my site, and the users love it. Since some of my users use internet-caffee, or dubious hotel wifi, it wouldn't work otherwise.
Besides, Ajax makes your server-vs-client interaction code much more complex, IMO, which is the trickiest part in web programming.
I would go with your second option by far. As long as the AJAX call isn't performing a long running process for this case, it should be pretty fast.
The application I work on does lots with AJAX and HttpHandler, and our calls execute fast. Just ensure you are minimizing the size of your JSON returned in the response.
Go with your second option. If there are that few items involved, the AJAX call should perform fairly well. You'll keep your code off the client side, hopefully prevent any browser based issues that the client side scripting might have caused, and have a cleaner application.
EDIT
Also consider that client side script can be modified by the user. If there's no other validation occuring to the user's selection, this could allow them to configure a product that is out of stock.