Blo(gG)WT

Looking for a better name! Let me know if you have one 😉.

Intro

This project is a blog written in GWT on top of app engine. I started this project because I wanted a blog site for my willshex.com domain. The project does not use gwtrpc, I am using a json based API (or 4 - search, user, blog, and page split by functional area).

Incomplete

There are things missing from the project, but I am working on it everyday, and making good progress too.

I am also adding things that I think I might need as I go along, so if you think there is something useful that you would like to request, please, raise an issue if there isn't one there yet.

I will put a road map shortly on the wiki, maybe even with a "how to".

Setup

Make sure that you have git and maven installed before you start.

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/billy1380/blogwt.git
   cd blogwt

2. Install Dependencies: This project relies on several non-Maven dependencies which need to be installed into your local Maven repository. Run the provided script:

   chmod +x installdeps.sh
   ./installdeps.sh

   Note: This script installs dependencies into ~/.m2/repository. Edit the script if your local repository is located elsewhere.

3. Build and Install: Compile the project and install artifacts to your local repository:

   mvn clean install

4. Run Locally: To verify the application locally:

   mvn appengine:devserver

   The site should be accessible at http://localhost:8888.

   Note: To change GWT client code on the fly, you also need to run the code server: mvn gwt:run-codeserver.

Deployment

To deploy the application to Google App Engine, ensure you have built the project dependencies first.

1. Build (skipping GWT for speed):

   mvn install -Dgwt.compiler.skip=true -DskipTests

   Note: This installs the parent and shared modules to your local repository. The -Dgwt.compiler.skip=true flag saves time by skipping the GWT JavaScript compilation if you don't need to update the client.

2. Deploy:

   cd blogwt-server
   mvn appengine:deploy

This command uploads the application to the App Engine project configured in pom.xml.

Project Structure

The project is a multi-module Maven project:

• blogwt-shared: Common code shared between client and server (DTOs, Enums, Utils).
• blogwt-client: GWT client-side code (UI, Layouts, Pages).
• blogwt-server: App Engine server-side code (Servlets, API Actions, Persistence, Objectify logic).
• deps: Folder created by installdeps.sh containing cloned dependencies.