The Google Web Toolkit is a powerful framework for developing Rich Internet Applications (RIA) that need to communicate with a server to provide a responsive web application. The library contains a large set of standard graphical elements ('widgets'), and there is also the capability to create and re-use your own customised ones. Advanced features, such as Internationalisation are supported. The framework allows JUnit testing.
The framework works by generating JavaScript code directly from server-side Java, and inserting this into the returned HTML pages, (via a JS optimising process). It is possible in GWT to interact with this process, and develop with JavaScript directly.
Target Audience:
The course is designed for web developers who intend to use the Google Web Toolkit to write Rich Internet Applications with a Java-based framework.
Prerequisites
- Delegates must have some Java Programming skills
- Awareness of Web technologies (e.g. HTML) would be highly beneficial
- Delegates must have some Java Programming skills
- Awareness of Web technologies (e.g. HTML) would be highly beneficial
At the end of this course you will be able to:
- Understand the Google Web Toolkit architecture
- Write, deploy and test GWT applications
- Use supplied GWT widgets and create new custom widgets
- Use GWT for rich internet applications, invoking AJAX
Module 1: Introduction to Google Web Toolkit
- The need for a framework
- Cross-browser issues
- Google Web Toolkit and other frameworks
- GWT Support for AJAX
- Overview of GWT Widgets
- Advanced features: using JavaScript, Internationalisation, customisation
- The GWT compiler and runtime library
- Introduction to using UiBuilder
Module 2: Writing a GWT Application
- Development lifecycle
- Running in hosted mode vs. going live in web mode
- Project structure and deployment files
- Linking from the HTML: ID's and JavaScript tags
- Modules
- The GWT History Mechanism
Module 3: GWT Widgets
- Simple HTML widgets: Button, RadioButton, CheckBox, TextBox, TextArea
- Complex HTML widgets: ListBox, MenuBar, DialogBox, Table
- Compound components: DatePicker, TabBar, Tree, SuggestBox
- Layout components: Varieties of Panels
Module 4: Communicating with the Server using AJAX
- RPC and AJAX
- GWT Architecture for RPC
- Writing a service implementation
- Client-side code
- Handling complex types
- Deployment, Testing and Debugging
Module 5: Customising Widgets
- Compisite classes
- Using the browser DOM
- Browser events and handlers
- CSS, Themes and styles
- Packaging and deployment
Module 6: Interacting with JavaScript
- The JavaScript compiler
- JavaScript Native Interface - writing JavaScript directly in Java code
- Calling Java from JavaScript
- Passing Objects
- JavaScript overlay types
Module 7: Testing GWT Applications
- Exception handling and GWT Logging
- JUnit
- How to use JUnit in GWT: Test Cases and Test Suites
- Asynchronous testing
- Metrics and Benchmarks
- Other types of web testing: Firebug, Selenium
Module 8: Internationalisation and Accessibility Features
- Locales and Property bundles
- String Internationalisation: static and dynamic
- Accessibility: what is it?
- Accessibility conformance levels
Module 9: Further GWT APIs
- Versions of GWT
- GWT Extension libraries
- Google APIs for GWT: Maps, Search, Gears, Gadgets, Visualisation