Which Java Web Framework supports Dojo and Comet the best?
This week I'm doing a research project for a client. The main purpose of the project is to find out which Java-based web framework works best with Dojo and Comet. The candidate frameworks they asked me to look at are Wicket and Tapestry 5. They're also willing to upgrade to Struts 2 since they're already using Struts 1. However, they don't feel that action-based frameworks naturally lead to rich UIs, so they'd prefer a component-based framework.
You can read my findings so far at:
http://raibledesigns.com/rd/entry/dojo_comet_support_in_java
Are there any Java-based web frameworks that support easily creating Dojo widgets and working with Comet?
Answers (4)
The first question I would have is why the client is set on using Dojo. Wouldn't you just look for the javascript framework that best supports your case (maybe it does, but it isn't obvious to me why from your writing). And does it need to be exclusively Dojo, or can you just use e.g. whatever Ajax engine the web framework support, and use Dojo for those use cases you identified Dojo to be an exclusive leader in?
The next question (considering the first being answered in favor of using Dojo exclusively) is whether you need a Java web framework on top (or under) that. I think you can get pretty far by doing everything in Dojo combined with a service back-end. Good reasons for also picking a Java web framework are that you want to take advantages of component reuse, static typing, and so forth. A bad reason is to pick one because it makes your architecture picture look more impressive ;-)
With that all said, I think Wicket is a good choice because of the open architecture. Ajax/ JS support was set up from the scratch to enable people to plug in their own engine if they wish. I have no opinion on what Stefan Fußenegger wrote other than I am sorry he didn't get a lot of feedback (I haven't been very involved the last few months myself) but that I appreciate people like him adding more options for Wicket users. If his code works, that's a great way to get you started quickly. Or you can write your own support in a few days and have something that is tailored for your taste and use case.
I don't have an opinion about other frameworks in this regard. Personally, I would look more for extensibility than already built-in support, and of course also let weigh in what I'm looking for in a web framework in the first place.
Good luck with your latest web framework quest,
Eelco
Eelco H also suggests these experts on this topic:
Dhrubo K
Author : Pro Java EE Spring Patterns: Best Practices and Design Strategies Implementing Java EE Patterns With the Spring
Best Answers in: Web Development (2), Software Development (1)
None I suppose.
Are you looking to create a new framework, let me know. I can write code Matt.
I pretty much break down my web framework analysis along the lines of:
Highly scalable (defined as low per-user session overhead), SEO-friendly, maybe a tiny bit of JavaScript, very "traditional" view: Struts or Spring MVC
SEO-friendly, but want something like RoR: Grails
Rich desktop UI in a webpage, lots of fancy UI effects, user/session overhead not an issue for whatever reason: ZK
Many of the other frameworks are a bit in the middle of these, which makes it hard to be clear about your problem set. In particular, the extent to which SEO is an issue...
My 2 cents for where my head is at nowadays...
Links:
In my experience, component-based frameworks (primarily JSF, though earlier versions of Tapestry as well) don't play well with Javascript widgets (i.e., the kind provided by Dojo). They expect the UI widgets to be written in Java. Action-based frameworks, typically doing stuff like serializing a back-end service into a JSON object, go with Javascript widgets like peanut butter goes with jelly.
I could see Wicket working, due to its emphasis on simplicity. I have experience using Struts 2 with YUI and that works well; the JSON plugin + some of the zero config stuff means rich UIs with minimal configuration. I'm presuming the baked-in support for Dojo and DWR means that it would work equally well doing Dojo/Comet. I've had a much harder time figuring out how to fit together GWT and YUI, but Dojo appears to be a better fit due to the Tatami Toolkit (http://code.google.com/p/tatami/).
