Product Description

The Ajax craze is sweeping the world, and there is no shortage of libraries from which to choose to make it all easier to develop. One of those libraries has risen near the top in the Java space, and that library is DWR. DWR, or Direct Web Remoting, allows you to treat your Java classes running on the server as if they were local objects running in the browser, bringing the full power of your server–side business logic to the client without the usual problems that entails. In this book

• You’ll explore DWR and all it offers.
• You’ll find six full, working applications that use DWR, instead of a lot of theoretical musings.
• You’ll learn by example, more importantly, by doing, as you tear the applications apart, see what makes them tick, and even extend them at your own pace.

In the end, you’ll have a great feel for what DWR offers and how Ajax can bring the world of Web 2.0 to your doorstep, and you’ll have a good time doing it.

What you’ll learn

• Call a server–side object in a snap and make it look like any local JavaScript call to boot.
• Provide a strong security mechanism for securing your server-side code.
• Integrate with many of the most popular frameworks out there.
• Provide not only Ajax but Comet capabilities (sometimes called reverse Ajax).
• Dig into Ajax using DWR in a practical and hacking kind of way starting with a webmail client and Wiki projects.
• Build a simple file manager application and an online timesheet system.
• Complete a DWR–based game project.

Who is this book for?

Web application developers, senior projects leads, and application architects

About the Apress Practical Series

The Practical series from Apress is your best choice for getting the job done, period. From professional to expert, this series lets you apply project–motivated templates (or frameworks) step by step in a very direct, practical, and efficient manner toward current real–world projects that may be sitting on your desk. So whatever your career goal, Apress can be your trusted guide to take you where you want to go on your IT career empowerment path.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #458579 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 540 pages

About the Author
Frank W. Zammetti is a web architect specialist for a leading worldwide financial company by day, and a PocketPC and open-source developer by night. He is the founder and chief software architect of Omnytex Technologies, a PocketPC development house.

He has over 12 years of "professional" experience in the IT field, and over 12 more of "amateur" experience. He began his nearly life-long love of computers at age 7 when he became one of four students chosen to take part in the school district's pilot computer program. A year later, he was the only participant left! The first computer Frank owned was a Timex Sinclair 1000 in 1982, on which he wrote a program to look up movie times for all of Long Island (and without the 16k expansion module!). After that, he moved on to a Commodore 64 and spent about 4 years doing nothing but assembly programming (games mostly). He finally got his first IBM-compatible PC in 1987, and began learning the finer points of programming (as they existed at that time!).

Frank has primarily developed web-based applications for about 8 years. Before that, he developed Windows-based client/server applications in a variety of languages. Frank holds numerous certifications including SCJP, MCSD, CNA, i-Net+, A+, CIW, MCP, and numerous BrainBench certifications. He is a contributor to a number of open source projects, including DataVision, Struts, PocketFrog, and Jakarta Commons. In addition, Frank has started two projects: Java Web Parts and The Struts Web Services Enablement Project. He also was one of the founding members of a project that created the first fully functioning Commodore 64 emulator for PocketPC devices (PocketHobbit).

Frank has authored various articles on topics that range from integrating DataVision into web apps, to using Ajax in Struts-based applications. He is currently working on a new application framework specifically geared to creating next-generation web applications.

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Customer Reviews

So few pages on DWR
DWR has a highly specific function and at 521 pages the reader could expect a thorough book on the subject, but I think you will be disappointed. This is really a 1-star book, however I gave it 2 stars because the author has gone to the trouble of putting this book together for what is a narrow readership segment within the software developer community.

Pages 129 through to the end of the book are a compendium of projects that illustrate the use of DWR. I don't like having to read through illustrated projects to discover general techniques. For example the first coverage of DWR configuration via annotations is buried in one such project near the end. You might strike lucky and find one of these projects gives your in-house project a head start but as a structured introduction to DWR this main bulk of the book fails.

So that leaves 128 pages for detailed DWR coverage? Unfortunately there is further disappointing news, pages 1 to 38 are just an elementary introduction to AJAX augmented with plenty of cartoons. DWR gets it first mention on page 39!

The final and only 80 pages of true DWR tutorial disappointed me further. The first 5 star book review here compliments the jocular style of the prose, unfortunately when you are looking for the few pieces of substance in this book these jokes only serve to annoy.

Great content
Very informative book and helped me with many of my general questions/interests about Direct Web Remoting. Great examples as well as great comic relief from Frank. You did well buddy.