diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 5e206f53..f1f56f16 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -1,50 +1,51 @@ -## Spring Web Flow +# Overview -Spring Web Flow facilitates building web applications with guided navigation use cases such as a shopping cart, flight check-in, a loan application, and many others. In contrast to stateless, free-form navigation that's naturally suited to the web, what these use cases have in common is a clear start and end point, one or more screens to go through in some pre-defined order, and a set of changes that are not finalized until the end point. +Spring Web Flow facilitates building web applications that require guided navigation -- e.g. a shopping cart, flight check-in, a loan application, and many others. In contrast to stateless, free-form navigation such use cases have a clear start and end point, one or more screens to go through in a specific order, and a set of changes that are not finalized until the end point. -A key element of the framework is the ability to define a flow definition consisting of states, transitions, and data. View states for example represent the individual screens of a flow while transitions are caused by events resulting from the click of a button or a link. Data may be stored in scopes such as flash, view, flow, and others where scoped data is automatically cleared when a view state or a flow definition is exited. +A distinguishing feature is the ability to define a **flow definition** consisting of *states*, *transitions*, and *data*. For example, view states correspond to the individual screens of the flow while transitions are caused by events resulting from the click of a button or a link. Data may be stored in scopes such as *flash*, *view*, *flow*, etc. and is cleared when it goes out of scope. -In REST terms a flow represents as a single resource. The same URL that is used to start the flow is also used to go through all remaining steps of the flow, along with an execution key that uniquely identifies the current flow instance. As a result individual views remain shielded from the details of navigation and simply point to the flow URL. +In REST terms a flow represents as a single resource. The same URL used to start the flow is also the URL used to step through the flow (there is also an execution key uniquely identifying the current flow instance). As a result of this approach navigation remains encapsulated in the flow definition. -Some of the benefits of using Spring Web Flow: -+ A flow abstraction to model "long conversations" in a web application -+ Well encapsulated navigation rules -+ Multiple scopes in which to store data without having to remove it explicitly -+ Built-in use of POST/REDIRECT/GET pattern to avoid browser warnings -+ Not possible to return to a completed flow session via back button -+ Rapid prototyping of flow definitions with changes picked up on the fly in development mode -+ Flow definition vizualization -+ and much more... +Some benefits of using Spring Web Flow: -### Downloading artifacts ++ A flow abstraction to model *long conversations* in a web application ++ Proper encapsulation for navigation rules ++ Multiple scopes in which to keep data ++ Automatic use of the POST/REDIRECT/GET pattern avoids browser warnings ++ Impossible to return to completed flow session via browser back button ++ Rapid prototyping in dev mode with flow definition changes detected on the fly ++ IDE visualization of flow definition ++ Much more... + +# Downloading artifacts Instructions on [downloading Spring Web Flow](https://github.com/SpringSource/spring-webflow/wiki/Downloading-Spring-Web-Flow-Artifacts) artifacts via Maven and other build systems are available via the project wiki. -### Documentation +# Documentation See the current [Javadoc](http://static.springsource.org/spring-webflow/docs/current/javadoc-api/) and [Reference](http://static.springsource.org/spring-webflow/docs/current/spring-webflow-reference/) docs. -### Samples +# Samples The `./spring-webflow-samples/` sub-directory contains several samples that can be built with Maven. More samples can be found in the spring-samples repository: [webflow-showcase](https://src.springframework.org/svn/spring-samples/webflow-showcase) and [webflow-primefaces-showcase](https://src.springframework.org/svn/spring-samples/webflow-primefaces-showcase). -### Getting support - -Check out the [Spring forums](http://forum.springsource.org/forumdisplay.php?36-Web-Flow) and the [spring-webflow tag](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/spring-webflow) on StackOverflow. [Commercial support](http://springsource.com/support/springsupport) is available too. - -### Issue Tracking +# Issue Tracking Spring Web Flow's JIRA issue tracker can be found [here](http://jira.springsource.org/browse/SWF). If you think you've found a bug, please consider submitting a reproduction project via the [spring-webflow-issues](https://github.com/springsource/spring-webflow-issues) repository. The readme provides simple step-by-step instructions. -### Building from source +# Getting support + +Check out the [Spring forums](http://forum.springsource.org/forumdisplay.php?36-Web-Flow) and the [spring-webflow tag](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/spring-webflow) on StackOverflow. [Commercial support](http://springsource.com/support/springsupport) is available too. + +# Building from source Instructions on [building Spring Web Flow](https://github.com/SpringSource/spring-webflow/wiki/Building-From-Source) from source are available via the project wiki. -### Contributing +# Contributing [Pull requests](http://help.github.com/send-pull-requests) are welcome; you'll be asked to sign our contributor license agreement ([CLA](https://support.springsource.com/spring_committer_signup)). Trivial changes like typo fixes are especially appreciated (just [fork and edit](https://github.com/blog/844-forking-with-the-edit-button)!). For larger changes, please search through JIRA for similiar issues, creating a new one if necessary, and discuss your ideas with the Spring Web Flow team. -### License +# License Spring Web Flow is released under version 2.0 of the [Apache License](http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0).