Components of Sun Java Systems Communications Express

As a web-based client, the Communications Express depends on a web container for access and a browser for presentation. The Communications Express consists of three client modules - Calendar, Address Book, and Mail. The Mail, Calendar and Address Book client modules are deployed as a single application on the web container and are collectively referred to as the Unified Web Client.

The Calendar component of Communications Express uses JSP pages as the presentation layer. These JSP pages can be customized to suit the requirements of the client.

The Address Book component of Communications Express uses XML/XSL files that contain XSL tags, static HTML and JavaScript. The XSL and JavaScript code are used to display dynamic data. These XSL files can be edited for customizing the Address Book component.

The Mail component of Communications Express is a client side JavaScript web application. The HTML and JavaScript files are served from a separate proprietary HTTP server and are downloaded to the browser. The web client requests mail data from the same proprietary HTTP server and renders them using the JavaScript functions in the downloaded HTML files. All modifications and customization therefore should be done in the HTML and Javascript files.

Most of the features in Communications Express are fully customizable. Most features can also be customized easily during an upgrade. This guide explains the important features that are customizable.