The Google Web Toolkit (GWT) is a new technology from Google that automatically translates Java into JavaScript, making Ajax applications easier to code and deploy. GWT in Action is a comprehensive tutorial for Java developers interested in building the next generation of rich, web-based applications. This book was written by Robert Hanson, creator of the popular GWT Widget Library, and Adam Tacy, a major contributor to the GWT Widget Library. The Web is experiencing a new growth with an emphasis on rich, web-based applications. These applications can be difficult to build because they rely on JavaScript, which lacks the sophisticated object-oriented structures and static typing of Java, they are tricky to debug, and they require you to manage numerous browser inconsistencies. In May of 2006 Google released the Google Web Toolkit. GWT enables developers to create Ajax applications in Java. With GWT, you can build your applications using a real object-oriented language and take advantage of Java tools like Eclipse that are already available. Instead of trying to bring tool support to Ajax, Google brought Ajax to a place where the tools already existed. GWT in Action shows you how to take advantage of these exciting new tools. This clearly-written book is packed with hands-on GWT examples. You ll absorb the GWT philosophy as you build your first working GWT application. The book begins by exploring the main features of GWT, including Compiling Java to JavaScript, the magic that really defines GWT Building client-side components Convenient JUnit integration and testing Interacting with JavaScript and existing JavaScript libraries Internationalization You ll also see how GWT compares to other toolkits. GWT in Action shows you how to set up your development environment, use and create widgets, communicate with the server, and much more. Readers will follow an example running throughout the book and quickly master the basics of GWT: widgets, panels, and event handling. The book covers the full development cycle, from setting up your development environment, to building the application, then deploying it to the web server. The entire core GWT library is discussed, with details and examples on how it can be extended. You ll cover: Testing, debugging, and deploying GWT Applications Communicating with GWT-RPC Examining client-side RPC architecture Alternative RPC tools: HTTPRequest, RequestBuilder, and FormPanel Achieving interoperability in GWT with JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Making your GWT application flexible and supportable GWT helps you make the most of Ajax in your web applications and GWT in Action helps you get more out of GWT.