David Geary

There are any number of good introductory texts on JavaServer Pages. This title distinguishes itself with techniques recommended by Sun for building better Web applications. Backed up by the author's own collection of custom tag libraries, which allow ordinary Web designers to program with tags instead of Java code, this text covers all the bases from getting started with tags to more advanced techniques. Early examples of tag libraries include a variety of ways to validate data in HTML forms. Throughout, the book deftly describes installing tag libraries, and shows how HTML designers can use custom tags after Java developers have created them.

Readers also get best practices for JSP and Beans, which is a big plus. Author David Geary presents both Model 1 and Model 2 architectures. (In Model 1, JavaBeans are used to present data to front-end JSPs. In Model 2, a more sophisticated set of Java classes using the Model-View-Controller design pattern allows even greater flexibility.) Sample code for using JSP and JavaBeans for internationalized code (including French, German, and Chinese) will show you how to take your Web application to worldwide markets. The book concludes with a working case study of an online fruit stand (using several languages) and applies the techniques presented earlier on.

All in all, with its mix of practical advice and some very useful techniques for getting the most out of JSP and Java for Web applications, Advanced JavaServer Pages fills a valuable niche for any serious Java developer who wants to see some of the best ways to create Web applications today. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

• Custom tag tutorial (including JSP and TLD files)
• The tag life cycle
• Tag attributes
• Tag classes
• Body tag handlers
• Scripting variables
• Nested tags
• HTML forms and JavaBeans
• Validating form data with Beans and custom tags
• Templates and custom tags for defining regions within Web pages
• Model 1 and Model 2 basics
• Sample classes and tags for Model 2 framework (including samples for managing logins)
• Event handling
• Sensitive form resubmissions
• Internationalization techniques (including resource bundles and locales)
• Security issues (including basic, digest, form-based, and SSL authentication)
• Custom tags for JDBC database programming
• Database connection pooling, XML, and JavaBeans
• The Simple API for XML (SAX)
• The Document Object Model (DOM) and custom tags for these APIs
• XSLT and XML
• Case study for an internationalized online fruit stand
• Appendix on Servlet filters and the Servlet 2.3 specification

Google Web Toolkit (GWT) is an open source Java development framework for building Ajax-enabled web applications. Instead of the hodgepodge of technologies that developers typically use for Ajax–JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and XMLHttpRequest–GWT lets developers implement rich client applications with pure Java, using familiar idioms from the AWT, Swing, and SWT. GWT goes beyond most Ajax frameworks by making it easy to build desktop-like applications that run in the ubiquitous browser, where the richness of the user interface is limited only by the developer’s imagination.

This book focuses on the more advanced aspects of GWT that you need to implement real-world applications with rich user interfaces but without the heavy lifting of JavaScript and other Ajax-related technologies. Each solution in this practical, hands-on book is more than a recipe. The sample programs are carefully explained in detail to help you quickly master advanced GWT techniques, such as implementing drag-and-drop, integrating JavaScript libraries, and using advanced event handling methodologies.

Solutions covered include

• Building custom GWT widgets, including both high-level composites and low-level components

• Implementing a viewport class that includes iPhone-style automated scrolling

• Integrating web services with GWT applications

• Incorporating the Script.aculo.us JavaScript framework into GWT applications

• Combining Hibernate and GWT to implement database-backed web applications

• Extending the GWT PopupPanel class to implement a draggable and resizable window

• Creating a drag-and-drop module, complete with drag sources and drop targets

• Deploying GWT applications to an external server

• Dynamically resizing flex tables

• Using GWT widgets in legacy applications developed with other frameworks, such as Struts and JavaServer Faces

Complete Sample Code Available at www.coolandusefulgwt.com

All of the code used in this book has been tested, both in hosted and web modes, and in an external version of Tomcat (version 5.5.17), under Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. For Windows and Linux, we used 1.4.60, and for the Mac we used 1.4.61. NOTE: There are three separate versions of the code. Please download the correct JAR file for the operating system you are using.

Foreword xiii

Preface xvi

Acknowledgments xviii

About the Authors xix

Solution 1: GWT Fundamentals and Beyond 1

Solution 2: JavaScript Integration 53

Solution 3: Custom Widget Implementation 71

Solution 4: Viewports and Maps 103

Solution 5: Access to Online Web Services 133

Solution 6: Drag and Drop 167

Solution 7: Simple Windows 199

Solution 8: Flex Tables 237

Solution 9: File Uploads 283

Solution 10: Hibernate Integration 303

Solution 11: Deployment to an External Server 325

Solution 12: GWT and Legacy Code 343

Part I (360 pages) discusses fundamental Swing concepts such as Swing component architecture, the JComponent class, borders, icons, actions, Swing and multithreading, Swing utilities, and pluggable look and feel.

Swing components are the focus throughout the rest of the book. In addition to code examples that illustrate component use, components are further explored with class diagrams, property and event tables, and a look at AWT compatibility. The final third of the book is devoted to Swing's most complex components: lists, combo boxes, tables, trees, and the text package.