contents

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preface
acknowledgments
about this book
about the cover illustration

Part 1  Getting Started

1  Introducing GWT

1.1 Why GWT

History

Why Ajax matters

Leveraging the web

Tooling and testing

A single code base

Limitations

1.2 What GWT includes

GWT compiler

User Interface layer

Remote Procedure Calls

Additional utilities

GWT shell

1.3 GWT basics

Modules and inheritance

Host pages

Entry point classes

1.4 Working with the GWT shell

The logging console

The hosted mode browser

1.5 Understanding the GWT compiler

JavaScript output style

Additional compiler nuances

The compiler lifecycle

1.6 Summary

2  A New Kind of Client

2.1 Basic project structure and components

Generating a project

The standard directory structure

GWT starting point files

Host pages

Modules

Entry points

2.2 Design patterns and GWT

MVC and GWT

Creating a widget

Communicating by observing events

Operator strategy

Controlling the action

2.3 Styling a GWT component

Providing a CSS file

Connecting style names with Java

2.4 Running a completed project

Hosted mode and the GWT shell

Web mode and the GWT compiler

2.5 Summary

3  Communicating with the Server

3.1 Making GWT Remote Procedure Calls

Starting the HelloServer project

Defining GWT serializable data

Creating RPC services

Expanding on RemoteServiceServlet

Calling the server from the client

Troubleshooting server communication

3.2 The development server—Tomcat Lite

The web.xml file

The context.xml file

3.3 Using an external development server

3.4 Summary

Part 2  Task-specific Issues

4  Core Application Structure

4.1 Building a model

4.2 Building view components

Extending widgets

Extending composite

Binding to the model with events

4.3 The controller and service

Creating a simple controller

JPA-enabling the model

Creating a JPA-enabled service

4.4 Summary

5  Other Techniques for Talking to Servers

5.1 Web development methods and security

Dealing with browser security

Understanding XMLHttpRequest

Coding asynchronously

Developing GWT applications in NetBeans

5.2 Enabling REST and POX communications

Making basic HTTP requests with GWT

Making advanced HTTP requests with GWT

Working with XML

5.3 Understanding Java-to-JavaScript interaction

Using GWT JavaDoc annotations to serialize collections

Using JSON

5.4 Creating a cross-domain SOAP client with Flash

Using Flash as a SOAP client

Setting a Flash security context

Drawbacks and caveats

5.5 Incorporating applets with GWT

Using Java as a SOAP client

Signing JARs for security bypass

5.6 Streaming to the browser with Comet

5.7 Summary

6  Integrating Legacy and Third-Party Ajax Libraries

6.1 A closer look at JSNI

JSNI basics revisited

Potential JSNI pitfalls

Configuring IntelliJ IDEA

6.2 Wrapping JavaScript libraries

Creating a JavaScript module

Creating wrapper classes

Using the wrapped packages

6.3 Managing GWT-JavaScript interaction

Maintaining lookups

Daisy-chaining Java listeners into JavaScript closures

Maintaining listeners in Java

Conversion between Java and JavaScript

6.4 Wrapping JavaScript with GWT-API-Interop

6.5 Summary

7  Building, Packaging, and Deploying

7.1 Packaging GWT modules

Building and packaging modules

Sharing modules

7.2 Building and deploying applications

The client side

The server side

Manually building a WAR file

7.3 Automating the build

Extending the Ant build

Using Maven

7.4 Managing Tomcat Lite from the build

7.5 Summary

8  Testing and Continuous Integration

8.1 GWT testing

Knowing what to test

How GWT testing works

Testing gotchas

Basic GWT tests

Testing outside of GWT

8.2 Advanced testing concepts

Benchmarking

Remote testing

Code coverage

Coverage in an automated build

8.3 Continuous integration

Adding a GWT project to Hudson

8.4 Summary

Part 3  Fully Formed Applications

9  Java Enterprise Reinvented

9.1 Constructing two models

9.2 Mapping to DTOs

9.3 Wiring applications with Spring

9.4 Constructing the client application

The controller and global model

The basic CRUD wrapper

The BookEdit widget

9.5 Summary

10  Building the Storefront

10.1 Securing GWT applications

10.2 Building a drag-and-drop system

Enabling dragging

Handling drops

10.3 JSNI special effects

10.4 Summary

11  Managing Application State

11.1 Overview of the sample application

11.2 Creating a basic messaging service

11.3 Handling messages on the client and server

Messages and CometEvents

Streaming messages to the client

Receiving images

11.4 Recording and playing back conversations

Capturing changes to the model layer

Handling deep links

When to use hyperlinks rather than history

11.5 Dealing with state on the server side

11.6 Adding a UI and cleaning up

Displaying events

Sending events

Cleaning up

11.7 Summary

appendix A   Notable GWT Projects

appendix B   Quick Reference

index