Porcupine (web framework)

Infobox_Software
name = Porcupine


caption = The Porcupine desktop
developer = Tassos Koutsovassilis
latest_release_version = 0.5
latest_release_date = March 3, 2008
genre = Web application framework
license = LGPL License
programming language = Python, JavaScript
website = [http://www.innoscript.org www.innoscript.org]

Porcupine is a Python based web application server that provides an object oriented web application framework for developing Rich Internet Applications rapidly.

Many of the tasks required for building web applications as you know them, are either eliminated or simplified. For instance, when developing a Porcupine application you don't have to design a relational database. You only have to design and implement your business objects as Python classes, using the building blocks provided by the framework (datatypes). Porcupine integrates an in-process native object database along with the Porcupine Object Query Language; no mapping is required.

Another tedious task for web applications is the interface design, and the constraints imposed by HTML. QuiX, the server's integrated XML User-Interface Language, simplifies the interface design process. All you need to do is describe your application's interface in XML and write the appropriate event handlers. QuiX comes with a variety of ready to use widgets, accelerating the development process.

Generally, every Porcupine application consists of three distinct layers. The first is the business layer consisting of the business objects which encapsulate the business logic.The second layer binds the HTTP protocol with the first layer's business objects. This layer is implemented using Python Server Pages or Servlets. If using XML-RPC, one common approach is to directly map an XML-RPC method to a business object's method.The third layer, the presentation layer, usually consists of XML UI definitions and JavaScript event handlers.The first two layers are executed server side and the third layer is executed on the client (browser).