Google Web Toolkit: GWT Java AJAX Programming: A Practical Guide to Google Web Toolkit for Creating AJAX Applications with Java

245 Pages·2007·5.88 MB·English

by  Prabhakar Chaganti

G
o
o
g
Google Web Toolkit
l
e

W
e
b
Google Web Toolkit (GWT) is an open-source Java software development framework that
makes writing AJAX applications like Google Maps and Gmail easy for developers who T
don’t speak browser quirks as a second language. o
o
It concentrates on the serious side of AJAX: creating powerful, productive applications
l
for browser platforms. Google Web Toolkit shows you how to create reliable user inter- k
faces that enhance the user experience.
i
t
What you will learn from this book
• Set up a GWT development environment in Eclipse
• Create, test, debug, and deploy GWT applications
• Develop custom widgets—examples include a calendar and a weather
forecast widget F r o m T e c h n o l o g i e s t o S o l u t i o n s
• Internationalize your GWT applications
• Create complex interfaces using grids, moveable elements, and more
• Integrate GWT with Rico, Moo.fx, and Script.aculo.us to create even more
Google Web Toolkit

attractive UIs using JSNI
Who this book is written for P
r
a
The book is aimed at programmers who want to use GWT to create interfaces for
b
their professional web applications. Readers will need experience writing non-trivial h
applications using Java. Experience with developing web interfaces is useful, but a GWT Java AJAX Programming
k
knowledge of JavaScript and DHTML is not required… GWT takes care of that!
a
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C
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a
g A practical guide to Google Web Toolkit for creating
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n AJAX applications with Java
$ 44.99 US Packt Publishing t
i
£ 27.99 UK Birmingham - Mumbai
www.packtpub.com
Prices do not include
local sales tax or VAT
where applicable Prabhakar Chaganti
Google Web Toolkit
GWT Java AJAX Programming
A practical guide to Google Web Toolkit for creating
AJAX applications with Java
Prabhakar Chaganti
BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI
Google Web Toolkit
GWT Java Ajax Programming
Copyright © 2007 Packt Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written
permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in
critical articles or reviews.
Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of
the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold
without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, Packt Publishing,
nor its dealers or distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to
be caused directly or indirectly by this book.
Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all the
companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals.
However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
First published: February 2007
Production Reference: 1150207
Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.
32 Lincoln Road
Olton
Birmingham, B27 6PA, UK.
ISBN 978-1-847191-00-7
www.packtpub.com
Cover Image by www.visionwt.com
Credits
Author Project Manager
Prabhakar Chaganti Patricia Weir
Reviewers Project Coordinator
Luca Masini Suneet Amrute
Travis S. Schmidt
Indexer
Development Editor Bhushan Pangaonkar
David Barnes
Proofreader
Assistant Development Editor Chris Smith
Nikhil Bangera
Layouts and Illustrations
Technical Editors Shantanu Zagade
Rashmi Phadnis
Ved Prakash Jha Cover Designer
Shantanu Zagade
Editorial Manager
Dipali Chittar
About the Author
Prabhakar Chaganti is an enterprise software architect and open-source
evangelist working for a cutting-edge software company in the suburbs of Atlanta.
His interests include Linux, Ruby, Python, Java, and Virtualization. He recently won
the community choice award for the most innovative virtual appliance in the 2006
VMW—this award is the Ultimate Global Virtual Appliance Challenge.
This book has gained immense support from various people.
The staff at Packt Publishing were very helpful in providing key
assistance to me and ably and enthusiastically led me through the
various phases of this project. I would like to thank the technical
reviewers for their comments, which have helped make this a much
better book. The vibrant community around the GWT mailing list
was very helpful whenever I needed clarifications on some of the
more arcane corners of GWT.

I would like to thank my wife Nitika for her support and constant
encouragement while I was writing this book. She effortlessly played
the roles of both mom and dad while I was wrestling with GWT!
Thanks and love to my two daughters Anika and Anya for putting
up with daddy being stuck to his laptop for long periods of time
instead of playing with them.
About the Reviewers
Luca Masini was born in Florence in 1971. He is a senior software engineer and
web architect. He has been heavily involved from the first days in the Java world as
a consultant for the major Italian banks and firms, developing integration software,
and as technical leader in many of the flagship projects. He worked for adoption of
Sun's J2EE standard in an envinroment where COBOL was the leading language,
and then he shifted his eyes toward open source, in particular IoC containers, ORM
tools, and UI frameworks. As such he adopted early products like Spring, Hibernate,
and Struts, giving customers a technlogical advantage. During last year he fell in love
with GWT (of course !!) and he had to master a new project all done with Oracle's
ADF Faces and JDeveloper as Visual IDE.
I want to thank my son Jacopo for being my lovely son and my wife
for being the best wife a man can dream.
Travis S. Schmidt (BS, MBA) is currently employed as an Applications
Developer at the University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory. He has several years of
experience in designing and developing web-based clients and recently deployed
a system utilizing the Google Web Toolkit.
I would like to thank my loving family: Rebecca, Jacqueline, and
Alexander, for the their unwavering support.

Table of Contents
Preface 1
Chapter 1: Getting Started 7
Introduction to GWT 7
Basic Download 8
Time for Action—Downloading GWT 8
Exploring the GWT Samples 12
Time for Action—Getting into KitchenSink 12
GWT License 16
Summary 16
Chapter 2: Creating a New GWT Application 17
Generating a New Application 17
Time for Action—Using the ApplicationCreator 18
Generating a New Application with Eclipse Support 22
Time for Action—Modifying HelloGWT 22
Creating a Random Quote AJAX Application 25
Time for Action—Modifying Auto-Generated Applications 25
Running the Application in Hosted Mode 29
Time for Action—Executing the HelloGWT-Shell Script 30
Running the Application in Web Mode 31
Time for Action—Compile the Application 31
Summary 34
Chapter 3: Creating Services 35
Creating a Service Definition Interface 35
Time for Action—Creating a Prime Number Service 36
Creating an Asynchronous Service Definition Interface 37
Time for Action—Utilizing the AJAX Support 37
Table of Contents
Creating a Service Implementation 38
Time for Action—Implement Our Service 38
Consuming the Service 42
Time for Action—Creating the Client 42
Summary 45
Chapter 4: Interactive Forms 47
Sample Application 47
Live Search 48
Time for Action—Search as you Type! 48
Password Strength Checker 55
Time for Action—Creating the Checker 55
Auto Form Fill 62
Time for Action—Creating a Dynamic Form 62
Sortable Tables 71
Time for Action—Sorting Table Rows 72
Dynamic Lists 79
Time for Action—Filtering Search Criteria 80
Flickr-Style Editable Labels 89
Time for Action—A Custom Editable Label 90
Summary 96
Chapter 5: Responsive Complex Interfaces 97
Pageable Tables 97
Time for Action—Interfacing a Dataset 98
Editable Tree Nodes 105
Time for Action—Modifying the Node 105
Log Spy 109
Time for Action—Updating a Log File 109
Sticky Notes 116
Time for Action—Playing with Sticky Notes 116
Jigsaw Puzzle 120
Time for Action—Let's Create a Puzzle! 120
Summary 126
Chapter 6: Browser Effects with JSNI and JavaScript Libraries 127
What is JSNI? 127
Moo.Fx 128
Time for Action—Using JSNI 129
Rico Rounded Corners 136
Time for Action—Supporting the Labels 136
Rico Color Selector 140
Time for Action—Wrapping the Color Methods 140
[ ii ]
Table of Contents
Script.aculo.us Effects 145
Time for Action—Applying Effects 146
Summary 152
Chapter 7: Custom Widgets 153
Calendar Widget 153
Time for Action—Creating a Calendar 154
Weather Widget 168
Time for Action—Creating a Weather Information Service 168
Summary 185
Chapter 8: Unit Tests 187
Test a GWT Page 187
Time for Action—Creating a Unit Test 187
Test an Asynchronous Service 191
Time for Action—Testing the Asynchronous Service 191
Test a GWT Page with an Asynchronous Service 194
Time for Action—Combining the Two 194
Create and Run a Test Suite 197
Time for Action—Deploying a Test Suite 197
Summary 199
Chapter 9: I18N and XML 201
Internationalization (I18N) 201
Time for Action—Using the I18N Support 201
Creating XML Documents 207
Time for Action—Creating an XML Document 208
Parse XML Documents 212
Time for Action—Parsing XML on the Client 213
Summary 216
Chapter 10: Deployment 217
Manual Deployment in Tomcat 217
Time for Action—Deploying a GWT Application 217
Automated Deployment Using Ant 222
Time for Action—Creating the Ant Build File 222
Deployment from Eclipse 225
Time for Action—Running Ant from Eclipse 225
Summary 228
Appendix A: Running the Samples 229
Index 231
[ iii ]