Client

A client in the three-tier architecture contains little logic. The logic it does have is usually presentation logic or logic required locally to do such things as access financial devices or validate entered data. The code to execute the client logic is downloaded on an on-demand basis, and therefore does not reside on the client, but on a Web server. The Branch Transformation Toolkit supports any kind of physical client device that uses the following technologies:

The toolkit provides implementations for current client technologies but these concrete implementations anticipate that significant differences may be found when realizing solutions. The toolkit is not limited to these technologies because its design is generic and can be extended to support other technologies.

A clear separation exists between Java clients and HTML clients. For a Java client, the application, which may also be executed inside a browser, can be built from toolkit-provided visual components (implemented as Java beans) using visual composition. The visual components of the toolkit and the interaction with toolkit services facilitate implementing required application tasks such as interacting with financial devices, database access, and other services. For an HTML client, the flow of the navigation is delegated to the server.