Some Features

The best way to learn the plugins is to just experiement with it, this page may just help you get started. Many of the features are designed to help with the development of WidgetServer applications from the inital project structure to common errors and best practices to having a real running preview of the application.

Setup, enabling

  • Configuration of the WidgetServer Home and some variables
  • Some inital project settings.
  • Enabling and disabling the WidgetServer Nature and associated Builder within the perspective

Wizards

  • New WidgetServer Project Wizard, all you need to get started wizard with all the necessary files set into the new project. Upon finish the main GUI file is opened in the Editor.
  • WidgetServer GUI File Wizard, creates a new xml based WidgetServer definition file and allows the application of a template.
  • Create Plugin Wizard. Allows for the developer to define a new WidgetServer Plugin fileset and configuration, also accessible as an action from the editor for extraction of marked text blocks.

WidgetServer Specific Views

  • WidgetServer Previewer: allows for the loading of a configured Jetty into the project and then run the server and view the application in an embedded browser.
  • Runtime Items: Runtime collection of Java Listener classes and Registered values. A double-click upon an item will open the associated file in the editor.
  • Widgets Views: A tree view of all the acceptable tags for the configuration file with the option to edit the templates which will enable/disable tags based upon what tags are allowed for the given edit location. Insertion per double-click and drag-n-drop in the text based editor part. Tip description of the tags.
  • Plugins View: A runtime built list of plugins found in the project, with insertion into the WidgetServer editor.

WidgetServer Editor

This is an extension to the WST xml multi-page editor.
  • Linking in the xml file to the Java listener classes, standard Eclipse style of holding the CNTRL button and clicking upon the Java class
  • Tracking within the Widgets view to show what the active tag within the editor accepts as child tags.
  • Marking of standard xml errors and WidgetServer defined errors
  • Insertion from the Widgets Views and Plugins View.
  • WidgetServer specific actions
    • Change Element Properties: similar to what is in the Properties view. Summons a dialog with all the possible tags for the given XML element setting the current values.
    • Extract to Listener: Changes a script tag contents to an equivalent Java source file.
    • Extract to Plugin: Uses the marked XML selection to create a WidgetServer Plugin and registers it properly.
    • Extract to Include: Takes the marked text and writes it out to an Included file, replacing the text with the include call
    • Run Browser: a convience call.
  • Convience actions
    • Block Comment: Comments-out (in)the entire selected XML range.
    • Single Comment: Comments-out (in) a single XML line.

Some Errors and Associated fixes

  • Missing Java listeners, model class. Wizard allows creation of the class that extends the interface, may be 'clicked-through' without any changes.
  • Missing Global references. Wizard allowing the creation of new Globals, use previous reference, use a listener
  • Double Global reference defintion. Same wizard as Missing.
  • Event Channel missing listener. Not really a problem, just useless tags. Fix is just a tip.
  • Tag not allowed as a child. Wizard fix for deleting tag.
  • Other errors may be a mix of the above or things like declared image not found, registered value is missing, and so on.