Best suite for GWT widgets

I am looking to build a GWT based web application.开发者_开发百科 Being new to GWT, am looking for suites that provide the best GWT widgets (in terms of user experience, variety, styles, etc.), to help build a web app.

I have come across SmartGWT, but looking for other options/suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

I've done apps in both GWT and SmartGWT. My observations, for what it's worth:

• SmartGWT has all sorts of cool features, out of the box. It's easy to be seduced by the SmartGWT showcase.
• GWT is converging on SmartGWT, and quickly. For instance, the new DataGrid can stand up against the SmartGWT ListGrid and come away looking good.
• In order for GWT to look good though, there has to be real skill in the developer. SmartGWT can make anyone look good, it seems, but to make GWT shine takes skill.
• Once you have that level of skill, though, there's no looking back.
• GWT seems to me to be much more flexible, a consequence of the building-block approach. SmartGWT is more monolithic.
• SmartGWT's design has some portability issues. I successfully took a pure GWT app I made and re-worked it (minimal effort) to run nicely in a BlackBerry PlayBook browser. I took a SmartGWT app I had made at about the same time, and half the widgets didn't work.

For an enterprise level solution I'm working on, I'm using pure GWT and I don't regret having made that choice.

I would suggest using standard gwt widgets. Simply because,

1)they are best documented,

2)they are highly customizable via css

3)from what I observe they provide the best performance

4)you dont need to learn a whole new framework built on top of another framework

but if you insist on using a framework then I suggest you take a look at this question

My advice to you is to consider your needs. Plain GWT and SmartGWT both are the best supported, so you need not look for more (unless of course both fail in what you want).

Go to their respective showcases and see what they offer and how it fits your requirements.

If gwt satisfies all your UI requirements, my advice is to choose it over SmartGWT. gwt beats SmartGWT in learning curve and documentation anytime. Also its faster(my opinion). If gwt doesn't satisfy your needs and SmartGWT does, then you should consider making the switch.

I have a year experience in smartGWT, when we started our first gwt lessons, they said use the basic gwt features and build own framework otherwise we can encounter errors which may lead to dead-ends. We considered the idea, but for the project (since we already had deadline) decided to look after some extension of gwt. We found smartGWT. The showcase was really convincing. Remember these are widgets, the basic logic of your system is still up to you.

In case if you start using smartGWT: If you don't use JSON but some normal list of java structures prepare to get hard hours/days to get use to datasources, grids, and few other components. Seriously, it had ridiculous problems (for example switching two configuration code line without reason makes work the listgrid), BUT before you drop the entire idea to use it, after a while it starts to work, and it becomes really impressive and comfortable. This is a kind of work "make it once, will work hundreds of times".

In my opinion:

• don't start use smartGWT if you want to make a system which is not too complicated.

• start use it if you need complicated system with lot of different features, if you don't have the time to develop everything for yourself: many components are ready in smartGWT.