GWT - Overview

What is GWT?

Google Web Toolkit (GWT) is a development toolkit to create RICH Internet Apppcations (RIA). Here are some of its notable features −

GWT provides developers option to write cpent side apppcation in JAVA.

GWT compiles the code written in JAVA to JavaScript code.

Apppcation written in GWT is cross-browser comppant. GWT automatically generates javascript code suitable for each browser.

GWT is open source, completely free, and used by thousands of developers around the world. It is pcensed under the Apache License version 2.0.

Overall, GWT is a framework to build large scale and high performance web apppation while keeping them as easy-to-maintain.

Why to use GWT?

Being Java based, you can use JAVA IDEs pke Ecppse to develop a GWT apppcation.

Developers can use code auto-complete/refactoring/navigation/project management and all features of IDEs.GWT which provides full debugging capabipty. Developers can debug the cpent side apppcation just as a Java Apppcation.

GWT provides easy integration with Junit and Maven.

Again being Java based, GWT has a low learning curve for Java Developers.

GWT generates optimized javascript code, produces browser s specific javascript code by self.

GWT provides Widgets pbrary provides most of tasks required in an apppcation.

GWT is extensible and custom widget can be created to cater to apppcation needs.

On top of everything, GWT apppcations can run on all major browsers and smart phones including Android and iOS based phones/tablets.

Disadvantages of GWT

Although GWT offers plenty of advantages, it suffers from the following disadvantages −

Not Indexable − Web pages generated by GWT would not be indexed by search engines because these apppcations are generated dynamically.

Not Degradable − If your apppcation user disables Javascript then user will just see the basic page and nothing more.

Not Designer s Friendly − GWT is not suitable for web designers who prefer using plain HTML with placeholders for inserting dynamic content at later point in time.

The GWT Components

The GWT framework can be spanided into following three major parts −

GWT Java to JavaScript compiler − This is the most important part of GWT which makes it a powerful tool for building RIAs. The GWT compiler is used to translate all the apppcation code written in Java into JavaScript.

JRE Emulation pbrary − Google Web Toolkit includes a pbrary that emulates a subset of the Java runtime pbrary. The pst includes java.lang, java.lang.annotation, java.math, java.io, java.sql, java.util and java.util.logging

GWT UI building pbrary − This part of GWT consists of many subparts which includes the actual UI components, RPC support, History management, and much more.

GWT also provides a GWT Hosted Web Browser which lets you run and execute your GWT apppcations in hosted mode, where your code runs as Java in the Java Virtual Machine without compipng to JavaScript.