Java Technology in Action

Mentor Graphics' Cabling Group needed to build a schematic viewing application with unique features and functions in record time for a key market segment.

According to Andrew Wilcock, project lead with the Cabling Group: "Our customers rely on us for fully integrated solutions to handle all phases of a wire harness life cycle. Those that use the electronic cabling design tool, Logical Cable, needed a schematic viewer that would enable users to access their data and drawings electronically anywhere, at anytime. We reacted quickly by building and delivering a web-based viewing tool, ViewWare, in only six months."

Wilcock continues: "The new viewer technology, tightly integrated with Logical Cable, was built using Java^TM technology exclusively. Wire harness designs are intelligently displayed through an intuitive interface that allows users to view and query actual design schematics and zoom in and out while maintaining picture integrity. Users can effectively cross-reference other components used in the design and reference materials in the design process.

"Additionally, a unique `tool tip' capability enables users to query properties directly and provides quick viewing access to properties on the schematics. The user interface is also language-independent, allowing for customized versions for specific countries and languages."

Mentor Graphics chose Java technology from the beginning because of its built-in advantages like platform independence, which were required for this globally-released product.

Says Wilcock: "Java technology is very much `future-proof'; it allows us to port to platforms which, during the product concept stage, were not even on the market yet--such as Windows CE and other new platforms supporting Java technology.

"Most EDA viewing applications use an unintelligent format that loses much of the information from the originating system. Because of the data loss, they possess limited functionality and rarely exploit the power of the information contained in the source data. Conversely, ViewWare is a dynamic application that preserves all of the Logical Cable design information, and as a result, can display more accurate information as well as use it to help the user navigate between designs.The cross-referencing feature, for example, easily allows the user to follow links to other sheets where that component is used -- with just the click of a mouse.

"Java technology also allows customers to use Mentor Graphics' viewer in a multitude of new ways: inside a web browser (Netscape^TM, Internet Explorer, or HotJava^TM), as a standalone app, as a JavaBeans^TM component, or as an ActiveX Component. The freedom to use the program in so many different ways and on so many different platforms opens up a new world of possibilities for us."

In summary, Wilcock says: "This was a big test for us and the product, because the only way to test the real-world viability of Java technology as a solution is to jump in and build a real-world app. I'm happy to say Java technology came through for us."