Architecture
Visionary's 3-tier development model consists of the following components:
Visionary Web User
A lightweight Java applet within which Visionary content is displayed. The viewer applet communicates directly with the Visionary World Server over a plain Internet connection (HTTP or HTTPS) and is capable of running in any web browser and on any Java-compliant platform.
Visionary World Server
A Java Servlet which serves both content and data to Visionary web users. The world server is capable of running under any J2EE application server (Tomcat, WebSphere, WebLogic, JBoss, etc.).
Visionary Studio:
Authoring tool within which solutions are developed, tested and deployed.
Visionary End User
An optional desktop application (Java or Windows) capable of running content from either the Visionary World Server or by directly accessing the associated databases using a client/server model.
Build a Visionary World in Four Steps
Step 1: Create a Storyboard
A Visionary storyboard is the equivalent of a functional specification for an application.
Step 2: Compose a Query
Visionary uses SQL queries it retrieve data from the database. Queries can be developed using one of four methods:
- Simple Query Wizard - automatically creates a query to retrieve data from a single table in the database.
- Advanced Query Wizard - creates a query to retrieve data from multiple tables in the database.
- Query Diagram Editor - creates a query by constructing a visual representation of an SQL query. The Query Diagram also contains a query design grid that allows users to set information, such as sort type, sort order and aggregate functions (such as sum, count, max, min, etc.).
- SQL Text Editor - for copying and pasting existing queries, or for expert SQL programmers who want to enter SQL manually.
Step 3: Create a Scene and Map the Data to the Layout
After the query is composed, the Layout Wizard offers a choice of layouts and then guides the author through the process of associating data with the layout to determine how it will be displayed to the end user.
Step 4: Add details
Users can add design details, such as headings, fonts and colors. The Object Inspector enables the user to set these properties statically or dynamically.
After a World is created, you can test it on the spot before saving and publishing it to the world server.
Learn More
For a brief technical overview, download: Visionary
Studio Developer’s Guide
For details on creating a Visionary world, download: Visionary
V4.0 Technical Brief
To obtain a summary of key authoring procedures, download: The Visionary Getting Started Guide


