Over the years, AGI has provided recommendations for Java solutions for 4DX and the STK / Integration Module. Initially, AGI recommended a Windows-only implementation utilizing a third-party tool called J-Integra by Intrinsyc Software International, Inc. Due to increased production of customer Java applications that wished to utilize AGI's 4DX/STK technology on UNIX / LINUX platforms, AGI now offers its own STK Java API for this deployment environment. Production useable releases of this software first became available in 4DX for UNIX versions 6.1.3 and 7.0.1. To allow development of platform-independent Java applications utilizing AGI's 4DX/STK products, AGI has created the current Java API, available on the Windows OS. This latest Java API for Windows is based on the 4DX for UNIX 7.0.1 Java API with interface additions, improvements, and minor compilation changes for 4DX/STK 8.1. These changes will be ported to the next release of 4DX for UNIX, to provide a common platform-independent Java API. This platform-independent Java API will continue to be developed by AGI as the preferred technology for 4DX/STK Java application development. In the next matching release versions of 4DX for UNIX and 4DX/STK for Windows, this Java API will offer a truly platform-independent Java API to AGI's customers.
The advantages of this Java API are as follows:
AGI's STK Java API is a 100% internally developed solution. This means that all source code has been created and is owned by AGI, thus enabling AGI to improve and tailor the Java API as needed. Among other things, AGI can provide optimized documentation, samples and bug fixes for a customer's 4DX/STK Java applications.
Note: In contrast, a significant portion of J-Integra's code is compiled into DLLs and is hence inaccessible to AGI's software engineers in the event a defect in that code turns up.
Some customer Java application development projects require a platform independent development and production environment. Due to the lack of available off-the-shelf platform-independent java solutions that could be used for a 4DX/STK development environment, AGI determined that the best solution for meeting the requirements of its customers is to provide its own STK Java API. Since AGI now owns a cross-platform Java API, it now has the capability to provide a 100% platform-independent solution in the next matching releases of 4DX for Unix and 4DX for Windows.
AGI's Java API has been specifically developed to support the 4DX/STK development environment. Thus development effort has been and will continue to be directed to providing optimized documentation, performance, error handling, and overall 4DX/STK Java application development experience. Third-party tools may not be able to provide the same optimized features for 4DX/STK Java application development because they are oriented toward a generic solution. In addition, Javadoc API's are provided that match the binary Jar file implementation on a per STK/4DX release version.
Since AGI directly controls access to and release of the compiled binary Jar and native DLLs, every installation of STK and 4DX for any given release will be accompanied by the same binary Jar and native DLLs. For instance, if you install STK 7.1.1 on two separate machines, you can be assured that the Jar and native DLL's will be identical. The same assurance of consistency could not be given when AGI relied on 3rd-party tools over which it had no control.
In addition, the customer is spared the cost of procuring and maintaining licenses for a 3rd party product. The STK Java API is provided free with 4DX and the STK / Integration module.