Integrating Javascript Frameworks with Java Web Frameworks

Question

I have what I think might be a strange question to ask.

Recently I was playing with some java web frameworks (jsf with primefaces) and I noticed that it's quite good at handling form data or when you play along with the jsf components. I also did a project using grails and again it was useful for form data.

But the moment you want to do something which requires a little deviation; then I found myself doing weird things (examples are tag clouds with large strength values using primefaces and single page webapp forms with grails).

This resulted in some very messy html+javascript code for my grails things(which I blame on my inexperience with javascript). This was done because I was using expression language (grails in this case) to populate some of the javascript. The worst part was that I had a bunch of custom javascript code inline with my server pages (I could of refactored a little out but I think one would still have alot of javascript calls inside a single page).

So now to the question(s) :)

• [main question] Are there any resources that demonstrates how to design or at least implement maintainable javascript with server pages (gsp, xhtml, etc) ?

The reason is that I find that there are some neat javascript frameworks, but using them with server pages seems a bit unnatural if one takes into account the expression languages for server side frameworks? Unless it's normal to do this type of thing :) ?

• Are there appropriate frameworks for Single page webapps using java?

My current answer is that GWT, Vaadin (based off GWT) and perhaps JavaFX qualify. Maybe ZK, Flex and (Grails/Roo + Flex/GWT) also qualify as well?

• Are java web frameworks still useful for presentation layers?

My current answer is that they might be when you are dealing with portal type webapps or Web 1.0 apps for lack of a better word. The other case is that they could be when you use alot of role based security and you want to filter things out based on roles, but even that has counter arguments. My other answer to this is that it might be better to use a java server to provide your web services and then rely on something else to do the front end?

Answer 1

This might be OP, but for single page apps, it's easier to serve up data from the server via JSON(P)/XML/whatever and then use things like Backbone to process and modify the view(s) accordingly. That way, the server can use REST/SOAP/websockets/whatever, and the browser app becomes a full-fledged app.

I haven't actually done this, so don't quote me, but I imagine that it should make sense.