Swell Framework

Frameworks for Ajax and JavaScript based applications have been in existence since Ajax was introduced a few years ago. These frameworks were developed for one purpose: to make the development of Ajax applications easier. Instead of forcing developers to use JavaScript for Ajax, frameworks allow developers to drag and drop functions to develop an application.

This trend continues until this day. But there are few frameworks that wanted to make some significant changes in the world of framework. One of them is Swell Framework for JavaScript.

At first glance, Swell JS is almost the same as various frameworks. The framework consists of various functions based on various popular libraries. This will allow developers to choose which function to use and implement them without much effort. Developers should be able to build Ajax based applications without having to manually code in JavaScript.

But there's a special feature that made Swell JS a special framework. Aside from all the functions available in the framework, developers will be able to build applications that will allow users to interact their browser with the desktop. That means the functions in the browser can be part of the browser.

Of course, this is common in all frameworks but this Swell JS will allow developers to drag and drop objects and files from the desktop to the browsers. This feature was already offered by Google through Gmail but Swell JS will provide the next step by allowing objects to be dragged in the desktop.

Simplified API

This feat can be actually done by a simple API. A specialized API attached to the application will transform the online application a full featured file server. Dragging files out of the browser and placing them on desktop can mean a lot of things for the user. For example, a simple photo or file doesn't have to go through extra steps of downloading.

Using simplified API to transform an online application may seem like a drastic step and a very big responsibility for such a small API. Developers of Swell JS have acknowledged this problem. In fact, they enumerated quite a number of disadvantages in using a small API for drag and drop functions:

• Browser difference - This is an expected problem as the API will require a lot of functions that may not be provided by the browser.

• Dealing with complex information from browser and desktop - This can't be easily fixed by a simple API which means the API will have to require a lot of customization from developers.

On the other hand, using a simple API for developing such revolutionary function has its advantages. One of those advantages is increased accuracy of building functions in the application. Because of its simplicity, developers should be able to harness the API easily which will allow them to implement the API in any online application.

Swell JS have a small but very distinct advantage over other frameworks. But if they can easily deal with the deficiencies, they should be able to develop a powerful framework for JavaScript and Ajax applications.