New aspect of code automation for web application framework

Abstract

The adoption of Web Application Framework in Web Application (WA) development has superseded the conventional development method due to the productive Create Read Update Delete (CRUD) operation, Model View Controller (MVC) architecture and rapid application development method. The dominant explanation for this development technique is the CRUD operation ability. The CRUD operation is a tool that creates WA’s core components (user interface and functions) for creating, reading, updating, and deleting content. Previous research has generally depended on integrating external features after the CRUD operation to improve the core components. However, it has been unable to detangle the automation challenges in feature integration to increase the CRUD operation’s productivity. The absence of integrated WA important aspects such as search, authentication, reporting, audit trail and other features require the developer to spend more time on manual integration due to the coding process and testing. As a result, this research aims to improve CRUD operation effectiveness and efficiency by including the identified WA important aspects in it. In this context, the CRUD operation’s effectiveness and efficiency are defined as a code automation’s ability to integrate multi-feature functions and deliver comprehensive WA components with the code automation. Based on the design science research paradigm, the Multivocal Literature Review (MLR) was conducted to investigate the WA’s important aspects. Twelve WA’s important aspects were identified using the MLR to formulate the Restructured-CRUD (Re-CRUD). The process of integrating WA’s important aspects with Re-CRUD was divided into small incremental builds using the incremental and iterative methodology. The Desmet Feature Analysis and System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaires were utilised to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of Re-CRUD. A case study based on an electronic document management system was developed using Re-CRUD as a prototype for Desmet Feature Analysis and validated by eight experts using SUS. The Desmet Feature Analysis result revealed that the Re-CRUD feature set overall weighting score was 88 percent compared to the other CRUD generator with a lower score. According to SUS results, most experts agree that Re-CRUD is effective and efficient for WA development. Both analyses concluded that Re-CRUD is justified and beneficial for WA’s development.