Interface21, a provider of open source software for building and deploying mission-critical enterprise applications, has announced the roadmap to Spring Web Flow 1.1, the latest release of the Web application framework. Major themes of the release are integration and ease-of-use, with a notable enhancement being improved support for JavaServer Faces (JSF).

Spring Web Flow, initially launched in October 2006, runs in standard Java EE and Portal environments, and integrates with Web frameworks Struts, Spring MVC, and JavaServer Faces. Across each of these environments, Spring Web Flow provides developers with a consistent approach to implementing navigation rules and managing application state.

The key differentiators in the Spring Web Flow solution are its conversational model and modular design. The conversational model raises the abstraction level, allowing developers to design in terms of high-level business use cases like “Apply for a Loan” or “Book a Trip” instead of low-level abstractions like HTTP requests and sessions. Spring Web Flow’s modular design allows it to be embedded and used in many environments.

Spring Web Flow 1.1 takes support for the JavaServer Faces environment to the next level. When used as a JSF extension, Spring Web Flow serves as a replacement for JSF's basic navigation capabilities, adding power and productivity while still feeling natural to JSF developers. In addition, Spring Web Flow’s innovative conversational model facilitates the use of rich user interface components that utilize AJAX techniques.