Google Web Toolkit Applications (Paperback)

by Ryan Dewsbury (Author) "This chapter traces the development of web technologies to help you understand how the Google Web Toolkit (GWT) fits into web application development technologies and..." (more)
Key Phrases: blog editor, same origin, horizontal panel, Gadget Desktop, Google Web Toolkit, Database Editor Application (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

“Ryan clearly understands the GWT value proposition and how GWT integrates into a diverse web technology stack–and not just in a theoretical way. With the popularity of gpokr.com and kdice.com, Ryan can speak with the authority of concrete success.”

–Bruce Johnson, creator of Google Web Toolkit

“This book distinguishes itself from other books on GWT in that it walks through the entire process of building several nontrivial GWT applications, not the toy applications that most books present.”

–R. Mark Volkmann, Object Computing, Inc.

“Google™ Web Toolkit Applications is an excellent resource for any GWT developer. Solutions to challenges commonly encountered in GWT are presented through the design and development of actual applications. The applications developed throughout the text demonstrate best practices from simple UI design all the way to custom code generation, and are presented with little pretext about the amount of Java knowledge a given developer may have. Advanced concepts are not withheld but are presented in a way that will be understood by both novice and seasoned developers alike. Good application development practices and proper Model View Controller design is reinforced throughout the book, nearly guaranteeing that the reader will come away a better programmer. “

–Jason Essington, Senior Web/Java Engineer, Green River Computing

“Dewsbury’s Google™ Web Toolkit Applications is a book for both experts and beginner programmers who want to discover this open source Java software development framework, as well as write Ajax applications. A very detailed book!”

–Massimo Nardone, Advisory IT Security Architect

Accelerate and Simplify Ajax Development with Google Web Toolkit

Get the edge you need to deliver exceptional user experiences with Google™ Web Toolkit Applications, a guidebook that provides web developers with core information and instructions for creating rich web applications. Whether you’re a developer who needs to build a high-performance front end for Java, PHP, or Ruby applications, or to integrate with external web services, this resource from expert Google Web Toolkit (GWT) developer Ryan Dewsbury delivers the in-depth coverage you’ll need.

In this valuable book, insider Ryan Dewsbury provides instructions for using the robust tool set and gets you on your way to creating first-class web applications by providing a comprehensive overview of GWT technology. In addition, he shares his “in-the-trenches” insights on

• Building elegant and responsive user interfaces with Cascading Style Sheets and GWT’s Widgets and Panels

• Creating seamless user experiences through asynchronous communication with HTTP, REST, JSON/JSONP, and RPC Interoperating with web standards–such as XML, RSS, and Atom–and web services–such as Google Maps, Amazon Books, Yahoo! Search, Flickr, and Blogger

• Overcoming browser security restrictions, such as HTTP’s two-connection limit and the Same-Origin policy

• Accelerating development, using software engineering, code generation, internationalization, application patterns, and Java tools

• Deploying for optimal performance with resource compression and caching

• Building five non-trivial applications: a gadget application with a rich drag-and-drop interface, a multi-search application that makes requests to many search engines, a blog editor application for managing entries across multiple blogs, a web-based instant messenger, and a database manager for a traditional web page

This practical guide to GWT introduces you to the technology; provides techniques, tips, and examples; and puts you on the road to delivering top-notch user experiences for your web applications.

About the Author

Ryan Dewsbury is a developer, architect, and consultant who started working in C++ and Java in 1998 and has used GWT since its first release. His recent projects include developing software applications with GWT (most notably gpokr.com and kdice.com). As a consultant, Ryan helps companies develop great online user experiences using cutting-edge software.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 1 edition (December 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321501969
• ISBN-13: 978-0321501967
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #119,654 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed and practical book on Google Web Toolkit, December 18, 2007

By	calvinnme "Texan refugee" (Fredericksburg, Va) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

This book is about writing Ajax applications that create richer user experiences than you usually find in a tutorial book on application programming. It uses web technologies and Java development tools and shows how the Google Web Toolkit (GWT) bridges the two in such applications. Thus the book's primary focus is on the Google Web Toolkit itself along with its library and tools. Secondarily, the book covers software development techniques using Java and how to apply Ajax application development with the GWT. Finally, the book looks at web technologies including web standards and Ajax libraries and APIs. The GWT has many abilities that aren't clear to the novice, and this book takes an example-based approach and attempts to demonstrate many of the capabilities of the GWT to you.

The book's author assumes you already know how to program in Java, and thus does not spend time tutoring you in this. He does not assume you know anything about the GWT. This book is hands on and includes most but not all of the code. For the entirety of the code you need to go to the book's website. The following is the table of contents:

Part I:Understanding the GWT
1. First Steps with the Google Web Toolkit - intro plus a tutorial on creating an Ajax game application.
2. User Interface Library Overview - Consists of notes and examples about the use of each widget in the GWT user interface library.
3. Server Integration Techniques - self-explanatory
4. Software Engineering for Ajax - Java tools for software development and how they are used with the GWT.
5. Using the Toolkit Effectively - advanced techniques for software development using the GWT. This includes CSS, code generation, internationalization, and performance.

Part II: Rich Web Applications by Example
6. Gadget Desktop Application - first of the example-based chapters shows how to write a gadget application with a drag-and-drop interface and persistence with cookies and Gears. Using Javascript with the GWT is covered here.
7. Multi-search application - how to write a search application with an interface to many search engines. You see how to communicate with Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Flickr.
8. Blog Editor Application - how to write an application that manages entries that are occuring across many blogs. This application integrates with the Blogger REST API using an HTTP proxy.
9. Instant Messenger Application - shows how to create a web page instant messenger based on GWT-RPC. It shows how to use an event-based protocol along with optimizing with Comet on Tomcat and Continuations on Jetty
10.Database Editor Application - How to create a database manager for a basic web page. The application includes facets such as how to read complex data structures from the server using Data Access Objects, code generation for XML and JSON, and integrating with PHP, Ruby on Rails, and finally Java with Hibernate.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love the book, wish it was in a little different order(maybe), March 30, 2008

By	Family First (Florida) - See all my reviews

This book is the definitive guide to GWT. I would say you need to have more then a beginner's knowledge of Java (which the authors recommends also) and have some web development experience with the HTTP forms just to appreciate what the author is trying to show you. I can't believe I am saying this because the examples in the books are absolutely top notch, but it would be nice to have more sample little code snippets earlier in the book. There is a ton to digest before you get to Chapter 6 where all the great example code starts. But if you do what I did, and try to put into action at least part of what you have learned from each chapter in your own sample programs you will be better prepared for the later chapters. Otherwise, you get to chapter 6 and you are not sure what hit you. That really is my only complaint, a few easy sample apps after each chapter before you get into the big ones in the middle of the book would be nice. But after you finish this book you will definitely be ready to tackle some major projects and you will at least have some pretty good hands on knowledge of the different methods that you can use in GWT develop rich internet applications.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but has some flaws, however you will need it for the advanced topics , February 14, 2008

By	Dinsdale Litotes - See all my reviews

I have read many of the available GWT books. This one looks better than the others, it has nice diagrams and uses patterns - all very positive.

As with the other GWT books this one suffers from poor proofreading, there are typos and missing words, but probably far fewer than other books on the subject.

When the book arrived I was disappointed by the flimsy paperback and very thin glossy pages. Pairs of pages tend to stick together and mark easily from fingerprints, also as other reviewers have commented about the publisher, the source code is not (easily) available for free download.

Before all of the negatives build up, I think that this is a book you will need to buy, both for its good programming approach and for the advanced topics section. I bought the book simply so that I could read chapter 9!

The book unfortunately seems to dwell (in the earlier chapters) on Eclipse. I see no coverage of the excellent support for GWT in both NetBeans and IntelliJ IDEA.