The second of the articles on developing VoiceXML applications is now available:

In this second article of a four-part series, you learn to develop a voice-enabled calendar. Save the data of the calendar as XML; then to modify calendar entries, have the application read VoiceXML that contains your specified commands. The calendar can also output VoiceXML to speak your daily tasks back to you.

Everyone needs a good calendar tool during these busy times, so why not a voice-enabled one? With VoiceXML, you can create a calendar that you can manipulate using your own speech. Along the way you will also learn to:

• Create a menu-based application
• Accept input
• Write the input to a script for further processing
• Read a data file and output VXML

Read: Voice enabling XML, Part 2: Develop a voice-enabled calendar

You may also want to read the first in the series: Voice enabling XML, Part 1: Develop a voice-enabled RSS reader.

Have you ever wondered whether the system you are using is the same as the one that you originally configured?

Making sure that the configuration and setting information that you configured is the same as when you configured it should be a basic part of any security procedure. After all, if an unscrupulous person has changed the configuration of your system, you want to know about it.

Tracking that information though can be difficult. You can’t expect to check the contents of every single file. Even if you automated the process, the potential quantity of information to be checked could be enormous and often what you want first is a quick indication of where to start looking.

In my new article, System Administration Toolkit: Testing system validity I show you a number of techniques for recording and verifying this information, and include sample scripts that will automate the process for you.

Read: Systems Administration Toolkit: Testing system validity

The next part in the series on using WS-RT in your grid applications is available to read.

In this second part of the series we get into the meat of the implementation and look at how to integrate the information that you create within WS-RT with a backend database solution.

From the intro:

In this five-part “Building a grid system using WS-Resource Transfer” series, we look at the use of WS-Resource Transfer (WS-RT) in different areas of the grid environment — from using it as a method for storing and recovering general information about grid-to-grid monitoring and management, and security. We will also examine how WS-RT can be used for the distribution and division of work. In any grid, there is a huge amount of metadata about the grid that needs to be stored and distributed. Using WS-RT makes sharing the information, especially the precise information required by different systems in the grid, significantly easier. Here in Part 2, examine how this information can be shared, how to integrate a WS-RT interface with a database solution, and how to employ WS-RT to support key operations of the grid, such as in node registration.
In this tutorial

In any grid, there is a huge amount of metadata about the grid that needs to be stored and distributed. Using WS-RT makes sharing the information, especially the precise information required by different systems in the grid, significantly easier. In this tutorial, Part 2 of the series, we look at how to store the grid information and how that relates to the structures we’ll need for WS-RT. We also look at the mechanics of the Apache Muse solution and at the WSDL we need to write to support a WS-RT application. And finally, we use the basic methods of WS-RT for registration of nodes into the grid.

Read: Building a grid system using WS-Resource Transfer, Part 2: Share information and integrate with a database solution

Read: Building a grid system using WS-Resource Transfer Series

I have just started a new series on using the new WS-Resource Transfer (WS-RT) standard. WS-RT is a simpler replacement for the original WS-Resource Framework and WS-Resource Properties solutions. In fact, IBM’s own WS-RT implementation is built around an existing WS-RP/WS-RF implementation in Apache Muse.

This new looks at how you can apply the technology behind WS-RT within a grid system. Certain areas of the typical grid solution will benefit from the ease of use offered by WS-RT. The bulk of the functionality is a simple XML document that you can access through a structured interface.

Over the series I’ll be looking at different ways of taking advantage of this simplified interface, but the first piece looks at the basics of WS-RT and how it integrates into the typical grid system. This piece was written by Tyler Anderson while I was busy moving house.

The series intro:

In this five-part “Building a grid system using WS-Resource Transfer” series, we will look at the use of WS-Resource Transfer (WS-RT) in different areas of the grid environment - from using it as a method for storing and recovering general information about the grid to grid monitoring and management, and security. We will also examine how WS-RT can be used for the distribution and division of work. Part 1 examines the WS-RT standard and looks at how to develop a WS-RT solution using Java technology and Apache Muse.

And for this piece:

The WS-RT standard provides a new method for accessing and exchanging information on resources between components. It is designed to enhance the WS-Resource Framework (WSRF) and build on the WS-Transfer standards. The WS-RT system extends previous resource solutions for Web services and makes it easy not only to access resource information by name but also to access individual elements of a larger data set through the same mechanisms by exposing elements of an XML data set through the Web services interfaces.

Read Building a grid system using WS-Resource Transfer, Part 1: Grid services and WS-RT

I have a new series of articles available, this time on using and consuming VoiceXML. VoiceXML is a hugely simplified method of using and working with voice-interactive services, just like those that you might use when calling your bank or other service.

They’ve always sounded difficult to develop for, until I found VoiceXML and services like those offered by Voxeo.

The first article in the series looks at developing a very simple RSS interface. Want to pick up your news by calling a phone line and listening to the headlines picked up direct from an RSS Feed? This is exactly what I show you in this article.

From the intro:

RSS is a hot topic these days, as it provides an easy way to stream data online. This article, the first of a four-part series on developing VoiceXML applications, shows you how to develop a voice-enabled RSS reader. The input to the application is RSS data, and the output is VoiceXML that can be read and spoken by your favorite compatible voice application.

Anyone interested in taking advantage of the many uses of a voice-enabled RSS reader will benefit from reading this article. You will also learn about VoiceXML basics and the RSS XML format, in addition to:

• Translating RSS to VXML using XSLT
• Writing a Perl script to generate the VXML
• Adding interactivity to your VXML file
• Generating VXML using Java servlets

Read Voice enabling XML, Part 1: Develop a voice-enabled RSS reader

I’ve been interviewed again for developerWorks in their weekly podcast. As it happens, the interview took place on the one day in the middle of my move that I happened to have to have to work. In some ways it was nice to have a break, but in others, if it sounds in any way less coherent than normal, then you have a reason!

For this interview, I’m asked about my new article on JsonML. During the interview, Scott also takes the opportunity to check out how the move is going!

Read the overview: TWOdW for July 3, 2007 podcast show notes or listen to the podcast.

A new article, on using JsonML, an *ML markup alternative that allows for the easy transfer of information between servers and JavaScript applications, is available.

In this article I look at JsonML. I start by looking at how information is normally exchanged between JavaScript and other applications, and then examine the limitations and pitfalls of that solution. Then I demonstrate how JsonML can solve many of the problems with the original techniques.

From the article:

The rise of JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) has gone hand-in-hand with the rise of Asynchronous JavaScript + XML (Ajax). JSON is useful because it enables you to easily transmit data that can be turned back into a JavaScript object, but it still requires custom scripting to deal with that object. JsonML is an extension of JSON that enables you to map XML data using JSON type markup, and this in turn enables you to easily create XML or XHTML data based on JSON markup and to build and exchange user interface (UI) elements. This article shows you how to make use of this handy tool.

Read: Get to know JsonML

Part of the PHP and Java series is now available. This part examines how to expose the original Java classes we produced as a web service.

For this article:

This tutorial takes the Java business application with database created in parts 2 and 3, and deploys it as a Java Web Service. This includes creating a WSDL, as well as web service operations. Web service clients can then connect to the Java web service in order to interact with the Java business application.

• Java Web Services and Apache Tomcat
• Creating a WSDL file
• Defining Web Service code
• Compiling and testing the Web Service

The series is split into six parts:

• Part 1 looks at the application and sets up an environment ready for building Java applications and serving Java-based Web applications using Tomcat.
• Part 2 covers the main application code and the development of a simple Java Servlet to provide a Web interface to the information.
• Part 3 connects the core application to a DB2 database for the storage of the survey questions and responses.
• Part 4 converts the original application into one that can be accessed as a Web service, and it provides the base for the PHP interface.
• Part 5 builds the PHP interface to the Java application by using the PHP Java Bridge.
• Part 6 redevelops the application to make use of the PHP Java Bridge in place of the Web service interface.

Read: Develop with Java and PHP technology on AIX Version 5.3, Part 4: Exposing the application as a web service

Part 3 of the PHP and Java development series is ready for reading. This part of the series examines the methods for integrating your Java application with a database, in this case DB2 9, so that we can store the responses from our sample survey application into the database.

For this part:

This article integrates the Java business application created in part 2 with a database, DB2 9. Data submitted to the Java business application, and we can use the data that is stored to provide statistical information about the responses.

The series is split into six parts:

• Part 1 looks at the application and sets up an environment ready for building Java applications and serving Java-based Web applications using Tomcat.
• Part 2 covers the main application code and the development of a simple Java Servlet to provide a Web interface to the information.
• Part 3 connects the core application to a DB2 database for the storage of the survey questions and responses.
• Part 4 converts the original application into one that can be accessed as a Web service, and it provides the base for the PHP interface.
• Part 5 builds the PHP interface to the Java application by using the PHP Java Bridge.
• Part 6 redevelops the application to make use of the PHP Java Bridge in place of the Web service interface.

Read: Develop with Java and PHP technology on AIX Version 5.3, Part 3: Integrating the Java business application with DB2 Version 9