Andre Dietisheim [
http://community.jboss.org/people/adietish] modified the document:
"Create GWT Projects with JBoss Tools and Eclipse WTP"
To view the document, visit:
http://community.jboss.org/docs/DOC-15794
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h1. Use Eclipse WTP, get there with the standard
If you want to create GWT applications you unfortunately cannot do it the WTP way and
create a so called dynamic web project. The Google plugins implement their own set of
views, wizards, launchers and mostly duplicate what's already present and defacto
standard in WTP. The consequence is that you'd have to deal with workarounds if you
want to get functionalities (run/deploy on JBoss etc.) Google does not offer.
We therefore developed an experimental integration plugin for GWT that allows you to
create GWT projects in the way most Eclipse users are used to: by creating Dynamic Web
Projects.
h1. Preface
Eclipse offers nice tools to create web applications. The base framework's what we
call the Eclipse Web Tools Platform (WTP). Eclipse WTP delivers a standard for most
aspects involved when you create web applications.
The google web toolkit, GWT, is a nice framework to develop web applications. Google
delivers a plugin for Eclipse and developing with GWT is a very pleasant experience. The
GWT plugin uses an embedded jetty to run the application that you develop. Google
unfortunately did not base its work on Eclipse WTP and does not comply to the Eclipse
project structure for web application. So if you want to use JBoss instead of jetty, the
approach to take is not as handy and intuitive as it could be. Furthermore there's no
way to use and integrate into plugins that other solution providers offer. You mostly have
to proceed by workarounds to get what Google does not offer.
We therefore developed a set of (experimental) plugins that extend Eclipse WTP and allow
you to create GWT projects by using Eclipse WTP standard tools. The most obvious benefit
is that deploying to JEE application servers (and JBoss partcullarly) is as easy as it is
with any other web project.
h1. Solution
Install and use the JBoss GWT Integration. You'll then be able to create GWT projects
the WTP way and fully enjoy it's full-blow features and standardized usage patterns.
This How-To shows you all the steps to install the plugins and how to create a dynamic web
project that's GWT enabled.
h2. Install JBoss GWT Integration
Add the Google Eclipse Plugins update site:
Add the JBoss Tools update site:
And Install the JBoss GWT Integration
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h2. Create a Dynamic Web Application Project
Make sure you have a JEE server (JBoss application server for instance) in your Eclipse
environment. If not, download and declare it to your Eclipse IDE:
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You're now ready to create a *Dynamic Web Project*.
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The wizard picks your server (runtime) and allows you to configure the various
characteristic of your web project.
The *configuration* group allows you to pick the different facets of your project. We
provide a *Google Web Toolkit* facet that will configure the GWT related characteristics.
Hit *Modify...*
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And select the *Google Web Toolkit* facet.
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A few wizard steps further, you may choose to get some GWT *sample code*.
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You get the Hello World sample that you get when you use the Google Wizard. We just put it
to the *WebContent* folder you configured in your Dynamic Web Project wizard (WTP default
opposed to what Google does in their plugin). The sample's a fully working GWT
application that allows you to get a first impression of what developing with GWT looks
like.
h1. Cross Compile to Javascript
GWT is about programming in Java and getting javascript for the browser. GWT achieves this
with a cross-compiler that creates the javascript for you.
In order to get the project up and running you now need to cross compile the sample's
client java code to javascript. Our project has the *GWT nature* and therefore offers the
Google compiler in the context menu.
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h1. Deploy to JBoss
We are now ready to deploy our application. We strictly use the standard Eclipse *WTP*
infrastructure in our setup, So you may deploy your GWT application in the same manner you
usually deploy and run classic web applications with Eclipse WTP. You have to add the
application to a server that's registered in the WTP *servers view*. We deploy our
application to our JBoss application server by selecting it in the and choosing *Add and
Remove...*
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You can now add the GWT application to your server. WTP will make sure that it gets
deployed and the deployed artifacts are in sync with your workspace (even when you change
code, resources, configurations, etc.)
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h1. Run your application and launch your browser
You may now run your application. We completely comply to the views and steps Eclipse WTP
offers to web developers. So there's no custom way to start a server in our setup. We
select our JBoss instance in the Servers view and *start* it.
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You can now point your browser to the address and port that your JBoss server's bound
to.
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h2. Speed up my development cycle!
The approach we've choosen so far uses an extra cross compile step to deploy the
application after each change. That's very reliable but it gets tedious at development
time. Google delivers a so called hosted mode. Its major benefit is that your java classes
dont get cross-compiled but interpreted to javascript at runtime. Changing, testing,
changing, testing etc. gets much faster and pleasant, the cross-compilation step's not
needed any more. You need a browser plugin, n additional url parameter and a google
runtime to achieve that.
h2. Launch GWT Codeserver
Launch your application as Google Web Application, you'll be able to code and test on
the fly, no cross compilation needed any more. The GWT browser plugin will communicate
with the GWT code server you just launched and execute your changes on the fly. You need
to declare to the plugin where this code server is running. You do that by using an
additional url parameter and now your url reads as follows:
To see whether changes are picked on the fly now, change the button in your GWT java
client code:
http://community.jboss.org/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/102-15794-10-640...
http://community.jboss.org/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/102-15794-10...
And get back to your browser and reload (without cross-compiling again). What you see
reflects the changes in the code.
http://community.jboss.org/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/102-15794-10-640...
http://community.jboss.org/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/102-15794-10...
To be picky on the issue you could now go to the launch configuration and disable the
jetty google usually uses to serve your GWT application:
http://community.jboss.org/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/6413/disable-bui...
http://community.jboss.org/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/6413/disable...
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