Agile AJAX: The Google Web Toolkit Experience
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, Paul Infield-Harm
Many an agile developer has gotten stuck in the AJAX mud when trying to develop Web 2.0 applications. Google Web Toolkit (GWT) applications are written in Java and compiled to JavaScript. This helps developers stay unstuck by leveraging the power of well-established Java tools and techniques. Learn how GWT works with refactoring Java IDEs, supports Test-Driven Development with JUnit, and handles all the cross-browser JavaScript for you.
Outline:
5 minutes: Introduction: the challenges of web application development, especially with JavaScript.
10 minutes: Challenge #1: Cross-browser support. GWT’s Java-to-JavaScript compiler.
15 minutes: Challenge #2: Automated testing is hard. GWT’s JUnit support including GWTTestCase.
10 minutes: Challenge #3: Agile tools aren’t as strong for JavaScript. GWT and Java’s strengths: IDEs, refactoring, continuous integration, static analysis.
5 minutes: Q&A
For each challenge, we’ll present GWT’s solution and discuss where it excels and where it struggles.
This experience report will be based upon two articles Dan wrote for Better Software magazine:
- Google Web Toolkit: Your Shortcut to AJAX Applications (Oct. 2008)
- Google Web Toolkit: Building AJAX Applications Test-First (Nov. 2008)
For those attendees who want to know more about how to build a GWT application test-first, a detailed demonstration will be presented with live coding examples in a longer testing-focused session.
- Learn the basics of how GWT works
- Understand how GWT approaches three common challenges of AJAX applications: Automated testing, Cross-browser support, and rapid system evolution.
- Tips for enabling Agile development of GWT applications
- Attendees will receive a list of resources to help start writing and testing GWT applications