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Collecting ideas for APEX 4.0 Plug-Ins...using Google Wave

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As you all know by now APEX 4.0 will have some new functionality regarding the creation of Custom Item Types and Custom Region Types. These types will be called "Plug-Ins". The idea is that there will be a public App Store like library where you can up- and download plug-ins.

A snippet from the Oracle Open World APEX 4.0 presentation:
  • Easy way to enhance the existing built-in functionality of Oracle APEX with new item types, region types, dynamic actions, etc.
  • Developers use in similar fashion to native widgets
  • Wizard support and declarative setting of attributes
  • Included in APEX application export
  • By providing this plug-in system in APEX, we want to engage the APEX community to create a rich ecosystem around Oracle APEX.
The APEX Development Team can’t possibly incorporate all the widgets that developers would like to utilize. By using plug-ins developers can readily incorporate additional item / region types to enhance the functionality, appearance and user friendliness of their applications. Once defined, plug-in based components are created and maintained very much like standard APEX components. We believe that the APEX community will build many plug-ins and make them available to others. Much like with the SQL Developer plug-ins it will be up to the contributors whether these are freeware, etc.

In the demo the APEX Dev Team is showing an Amazon style 'star rating' (as an Item Type Plug-In). (like the image above)

So maybe now is time to gather ideas for Plug-Ins (using this cool collaboration tool). So don't be shy and add your ideas about the Plug-Ins you think you could use (or even create yourself !) or are just very cool....

Custom Item Types
  • Amazon like star rating
Custom Region Types
  • Google Wave
  • Google Visualizations
So please add your own ideas to this wave, and let's make collaboration happen...

Comments

Martin D'Souza said…
Hi Roel,

Thanks for starting this. As soon as I can get my wave account I'll post some ideas.

Martin
6:47 pm
Unknown said…
Hmm I must be doing something wrong because I don't see the wave ...

Dimitri
9:59 pm
Tony Fatouros said…
Hi Roel,

Would love to contribute to the Wave but my Google account has not been activated for Google Wave.

Are you able to send me an invite if possible pls.

Thanks.
Tony.
11:31 pm
Roel said…
If I only had some spare invites...
9:24 am
Johannes de Jong said…
Great initiative Roel, pity you exclude non-wave users.
9:43 am
Roel said…
@Johannes: In the end we will all be Wavers... (one goal is also to examine the collaboration possibilities of Wave for these kind of things).
BTW: You can also add your ideas as a comment to this post, I'll take care that they'll be entered in the wave.
Cheers
Roel
9:53 am
Johannes de Jong said…
Hmm all Wavers, don’t let the “paranoids” amongst us hear that hear this.

Not a bad idea to test Wave with your initiative.

I’d like a Google Map (v3) plug-in, but if I look at the Apex 4.0 “brief” it looks like the built-in mapping will be so good that there might not be a requirement to use Google Maps.

Johannes
12:12 pm
Johannes de Jong said…
Hi Roel,

I'm not sure it it can be seen as a plugin but I want to suggest it anyway

How about a plugin for Apex "themes", something similar to Joomla's Morph Toolset, see http://www.joomlajunkie.com/templates/morph/morph.html

Or a plugin that converts Joomla templates to Apex templates

Johannes
8:59 am
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