Getting Starting with Google Web Toolkit, GWT, Development

To get started first install appropriate plug-in for your IDE, in this article we will use Eclipse, but there are other great plug-in for other IDE as well.

Eclipse GWT plugin
http://code.google.com/eclipse/docs/download.html

One of the biggest difference between GWT 1.* and 2.* is the ability to debug and run your GWT application without the need to render/compile it. Now you can directly run/debug your GWT Java code without the time consuming compile step. But to do this you first need to install a plug-in to your web browser.

GWT Development Mode plugin for Firefox, IE and Safari
http://groups.google.com/group/google-web-toolkit/msg/51c5a09630ac61dc

After restarting Eclipse and your Web browser you are now ready to start developing. Begin with creating a new project and select Google → Web Application Project.

Enter project details. In this article we will not create a Google App Engine Application, which is a platform for writing cloud application for the Google cloud platform. To read more about Google App Engine, visit http://code.google.com/appengine/.

After finishing creating your project. Lets fire it up and start debug the complete GWT project. The GWT team has already configured a default debug goal. So simple press the debug icon in the Eclipse toolbar.

Now is a URL presented in the Eclipse Console output View. Right click on that URL and select Copy. Paste the URL in your web browser.

Now lets set a breakpoint in your application and the enter a name in your browser and click submit. And now you are debugging your first GWT application.