ongwt.com - Tips for GWT newcomers

Thursday 04 June 2009

Tips for GWT newcomers

Par dgirard le Thursday 04 June 2009 11:12 - Default

When somebody asks me the best way to start with GWT, I generally answer :

have a look on GWT Showcase. And don't forget to click on the source code tab
install GWT Designer. It is the fastest way to discover GWT
play my session at QCon 2008. It helps to catch general ideas of GWT (shame.self.promotion)
buy a book. It is the best way to understand GWT

What are your tips for newcomers ?

1.Friday 05 June 2009 12:40 par Thomas Broyer: Learn HTML, learn CSS, learn JavaScript (you don't really need to learn browser-specific tricks, particularly re. JavaScript), learn Java. Then have a look at the GWT doc (getting started, tutorials, etc.) And never forget that your building an HTML+CSS+JavaScript app, no matter you're coding it in Java: think in JavaScript, not in Java. ...and do not fear looking at GWT's (gwt-user) source code!
2.Friday 05 June 2009 03:54 par Olivier Gérardin: "think in JavaScript, not in Java": I strongly disagree with that! The whole point of GWT is to shield the programmer from JavaScript and let him use the Java idiomatisms and tools he is used to. I've been working with GWT for almost 3 years now and I have never ever felt the need to learn JavaScript. And I thank GWT for that! JavaScript plays the same role for GWT as bytecode does for plain Java: an intermediate language, generated by the compiler, and interpreted by the runtime platform. As for HTML and CSS, it is true that it helps a lot to know them, especially when the time has come to add styling to your application. This is by design, as explained in the developer's guide: "instead of attempting to encapsulate UI styling behind a wall of least-common-denominator APIs, GWT provides very few methods directly related to style. Rather, developers are encouraged to define styles in stylesheets that are linked to application code using style names".