Tutorial: Enable GWT-EXT palette widgets in GWT Designer

[unclerico]

Here are instructions I wish I had been able to find this morning. Hope it helps:

Required downloads: GWT, GWT Designer, GWT-EXT (http://gwt-ext.com/download/) , and ext-js (http://yogurtearl.com/ext-2.0.2.zip).

I unpacked my folders in locations like this:

usr/local/GWT/
usr/local/GWTDesigner/
usr/local/gwtext2.0.5/
usr/local/ext-2.0.2/


Assuming you don't already have an active project, create a GWT Designer project (With Hello World code) with module called something like “ModuleName”

There are three steps necessary to make the gwt-ext widgets show up in the “Design” menu of your GWTDesigner-based project:

1.Within the project, add a reference to the gwt-ext.jar file. Right-click “Referenced Libraries” within your new project, choose “configure build path” - “add an external jar”, browse to jar location (like usr/local/gwtext2.0.5/ and find the gwt-ext.jar and click ok.

2.Add the ext code as a reference. Within the project, /src/com.mycompany.project/public/
1.add a new folder called 'js.'
2.Open the folder and then choose Import – “file system.”
3.Browse to the location of the ext-2.02 files (like usr/local/ext-2.0.2) and select all.

3.Modify the ModuleName.gwt.xml file located in /src/com.mycompany.project/public/ to ensure that the appropriate files are included.

<!-- Inherit the GWTExt Toolkit library configuration. -->
<inherits name="com.gwtext.GwtExt"/>
<stylesheet src="js/resources/css/ext-all.css" />
<script src="js/adapter/ext/ext-base.js" />
<script src="js/ext-all.js" />

Reload your ModuleName.java file and the gwt-ext module should appear under the list of palettes in the “Design” view of the page.

A functional example of a project with the everything set up is available from Instantiations at: download/file.php?id=38

[Eric Clayberg]

Here are instructions I wish I had been able to find this morning.

Instructions for setting up GWT-Ext are available from the GWT-Ext web site.

Those are what we used to set up our sample project.

[Konstantin.Scheglov]

You will able to use soon just context menu action to configure your GWT module to use GWT-Ext.

[unclerico]

Great - the menu-driven design looks good!

[vampie]

is it available right now? ( gwt -ext configuration menu? ) or coming feature?

[Eric Clayberg]

is it available right now? ( gwt -ext configuration menu? ) or coming feature?

Coming soon along with support for GWT-Ext layouts, etc.

gwt-ext-layouts.png (161.72 KiB) Viewed 4344 times

[vampie]

Any release date for gwt-ext layout supported designer?
any roadmap?

thx

[Eric Clayberg]

It will go into beta as soon as we are done with internal testing.

[unclerico]

Just an FYI for everyone. I was excited to use GWT-Ext widgets in Designer and glad to see Eric and the Instantiations guys cranking through them. GWT-Ext relies on an underlying library called Ext JS, which you know if you have tried to install them etc.

After some reading today, I learned that there was a falling out this fall after the Ext-JS guys switched their licensing to being commercial/LGPL to commercial/GPL. This basically means that if you don't buy their commercial license, you use Ext JS as GPL so there is a greater obligation to make your code available to the whole world under the GPL. Not an option for commercial developers.

This irritated the guy who wrote GWT-Ext and now he has moved on to a new project called SmartGWT which does NOT use Ext JS.

You can still use GWT-Ext using a legacy version of Ext-JS that is licensed under LGPL (I wrote this little how-to guide) but the underlying Ext-JS libraries will never be improved and the GWT-Ext team is now focused on a new project = little support.

It sort of screws everyone who is learning/has learned a lot about GWT-Ext. Brutality of open source-ism.

[Eric Clayberg]

I am hoping we can get our first 7.0 beta out this week.