Easy to use GWT editable datagrid?

Question

I need recommendations from people whom have implemented an easy to use GWT editable datagrid.

I spent 4 hours with the PagingScrollTable in the gwt-incubator-july-14-2009.jar, and would now like to try other options.

What I'm looking for:

• easy to get started (ex. drop a jar, edit .gwt.xml)
• advanced features once you have gotten started
• documentation of advanced features
• self-contained module with minimal dependencies on other modules, jars or components
• low cost/free

Thats all :)

Answer 1

Hi HJO there are many solutions to problem depends on what you want. The GWT-EXT, EXT-GWt and SmartGWT libraries all have editable data grid implemented. Or you can make your own with FlexTable,ScrollPanel,TextBox and add a few event handlers. Both GWT-EXT and SmartGWT are in LGPL license and I believe EXT-GWT is GPL license. If you not doing it for production then any will do, but if you are doing it for big production environment I suggest to really test each of their performance first. I suggest to choose something light weight and robust instead of simplicity or appearance on production environments. At the end, the less data/widget loaded + less handlers = performance and happy user.

Take care, NingZhang.info

Answer 2

Please, for goodness' sake, stick with vanilla GWT. Just use GWT data cell tables, lists and trees.

Smart-GWT and GXT really look good in their demo. e.g., Smart-GWT has widgets that accepts xml/json datasource directly that would save you time.

But, you find that your application requirements would "just need that tiny tweak" in the way the widget eats the datasource. Both GXT and Smart-GWT have attractive convenient widgets, but you find you need "just a little" tweak to make them suit your requirement.

Is your "little" tweak "important" enough? So, you resort to writing your patch for that "little" tweak. And soon you find that there is a whole entrail of "little" tweaks. You experiment and research and try untried means.

Finally, you discover that you might just as well had used vanilla GWT for which you would have taken less time to get the behaviour you want. Vanilla GWT is tried and proven.

Do not be tempted by the showcases of SmartGWT or GXT. Learn CSS and learn how to integrate CSS into vanilla GWT, which would make your widgets just as attractive as SmartGWT or GXT.

Then you would not regret because you would not face any impediments toward using other GWT features.

What is good enough for Google is good enough for me.

Answer 3

I do not recommend to use GWT DataGrid for production (in GWT 2.4), unless you like coding workarounds for several bugs (most of them on Internet Explorer): http://code.google.com/p/google-web-toolkit/issues/detail?id=7065 http://code.google.com/p/google-web-toolkit/issues/detail?id=7347 http://code.google.com/p/google-web-toolkit/issues/detail?id=7139 http://code.google.com/p/google-web-toolkit/issues/detail?id=6747

I use CellTable instead of DataGrid and wait for bugfixing from GWT team.