Error : No project found - Running GWT in client mode only

[Mukeya Kassindye]

I am trying to set up a project where I want to use the GWT app on the client side only that is going to interact with another remote server.

However, before I implement the CORS option, I just want to run the client only part by eliminating all the server side code and deleting their corresponding module.

The GWT project is generated with the Tbroyer archetypes modular web-app.

This is what I did so far :

- copied the webapp folder from the web-project-server/src/main to web-project-client/src/main

- deleted the web-project-server and web-project-shared folders.

- updated the web-project-client's packaging from gwt-app to war

- kept the main pom packaging to "pom" because, soon the client's project is going to  have another modules(maven).

- deleted all reference to the two modules in the main pom.xml file.

So, if I run mvn clean install I can see that a war file is generated that can be deployed let's say to a Jboss/ wildfly server app.

However, from the main folder where the main pom.xml file is, I have an error of No project found if I run mvn gwt:codeserver -pl *-client -am

is there any other tweak I should consider on both poms xml file?

Notice that, if the packaging is kept to gwt-app in the client module, codeserver/devmode runs without a problem but I will have no reference the webapp files (index.html, css) because they won't be referenced.

Please advise.

this the content of my main pom.xml file : 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>

<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">

  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>

  <groupId>com.example</groupId>

  <artifactId>web-app</artifactId>

  <version>HEAD-SNAPSHOT</version>

  <packaging>pom</packaging>

  <properties>

    <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>

  </properties>

  <dependencyManagement>

    <dependencies>

      <dependency>

        <groupId>org.gwtproject</groupId>

        <artifactId>gwt</artifactId>

        <version>2.11.0</version>

        <type>pom</type>

        <scope>import</scope>

      </dependency>

    </dependencies>

  </dependencyManagement>

  <build>

    <plugins>

      <plugin>

        <groupId>net.ltgt.gwt.maven</groupId>

        <artifactId>gwt-maven-plugin</artifactId>

        <inherited>false</inherited>

        <configuration>

          <moduleName>com.example.WebAppClient</moduleName>

          <launcherDir>${project.build.directory}/gwt/launcherDir</launcherDir>

          <!-- To be able to use gwt:devmode (useful on Windows where Ctrl+C won't kill gwt:codeserver)-->

          <warDir>${project.build.directory}/gwt/launcherDir</warDir>

          <devmodeArgs>

            <arg>-noserver</arg>

            <arg>-startupUrl</arg>

            <arg>app/index.html</arg>

          </devmodeArgs>

        </configuration>

      </plugin>

    </plugins>

    <pluginManagement>

      <plugins>

        <plugin>

          <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>

          <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>

          <version>3.12.1</version>

          <configuration>

            <release>11</release>

          </configuration>

        </plugin>

        <plugin>

          <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>

          <artifactId>maven-resources-plugin</artifactId>

          <version>3.3.1</version>

        </plugin>

        <plugin>

          <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>

          <artifactId>maven-surefire-plugin</artifactId>

          <version>3.2.5</version>

        </plugin>

        <plugin>

          <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>

          <artifactId>maven-war-plugin</artifactId>

          <version>3.4.0</version>

        </plugin>

        <plugin>

          <groupId>org.eclipse.jetty</groupId>

          <artifactId>jetty-maven-plugin</artifactId>

          <version>11.0.19</version>

        </plugin>

        <plugin>

          <groupId>net.ltgt.gwt.maven</groupId>

          <artifactId>gwt-maven-plugin</artifactId>

          <version>1.1.0</version>

          <extensions>true</extensions>

          <configuration>

            <sourceLevel>11</sourceLevel>

            <failOnError>true</failOnError>

          </configuration>

        </plugin>

      </plugins>

    </pluginManagement>

  </build>

  <modules>

    <module>web-app-client</module>

  </modules>

</project>

and this is the content of my client module pom.xml file : 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">

  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>

  <parent>

    <groupId>com.example</groupId>

    <artifactId>web-app</artifactId>

    <version>HEAD-SNAPSHOT</version>

  </parent>

  <artifactId>web-app-client</artifactId>

  <!-- <packaging>gwt-app</packaging> -->

  <packaging>war</packaging>

  <dependencies>

    <dependency>

      <groupId>org.gwtproject</groupId>

      <artifactId>gwt-user</artifactId>

    </dependency>

    <dependency>

      <groupId>org.gwtproject</groupId>

      <artifactId>gwt-dev</artifactId>

    </dependency>

  </dependencies>

  <build>

    <plugins>

      <plugin>

        <groupId>net.ltgt.gwt.maven</groupId>

        <artifactId>gwt-maven-plugin</artifactId>

        <configuration>

          <moduleName>com.example.WebAppClient</moduleName>

          <moduleShortName>app</moduleShortName>

        </configuration>

      </plugin>

    </plugins>

  </build>

</project>

what am i missing?

[Craig Mitchell]

>  I am trying to set up a project where I want to use the GWT app on the client side only that is going to interact with another remote server.

Which server is going to host the GWT compiled JavaScript / HTML / ...?

1. If you'll have your own server, just leave the architecture as is, and write your calls to the external server in the the client.

2. If you need to host it on the external server, again, just leave the  architecture as is, as you can just copy the compiled GWT code across when you are ready to deploy.  But, if this is the situation, it's a bit crazy to not just make the external server a GWT app.

[Mukeya Kassindye]

Hi craig thanks for your perspective.

Wildfly is going to be the server that is going to host the GWT compiled javascript/html etc. as I am going to use the errai framework.

When I run maven install, it does generate the war file and perfectly deploy to Wildfly (only with the index.html and css file. no js file). 

however I can't run gwt:devmode or gwt:codeserver. I have a project not found error and I don't have the "app.nocache.js" file generated either.

My guess is I am not doing something right with my gwt-maven-plugin configuration plugin, either on my client pom.xml file or my main project.xml file.

Any advice?

[Mukeya Kassindye]

Hi Craig,

Just a heads up.
I finally managed to get all the files right. The package of the module responsible for generating the js file was war instead of gwt-app.
I changed this and referenced it as a war type in my main pom.xml file. Then I was able to get the no cache js files while running mvn package.

Now I have another challenge, I think it is for another topic. All my files are in the same war directory. I would like to have the html and css files in a separate folder from the generated js ones.

As I am running a standalone GWT app, and using the default GWT public path for static files, they all come under the same folder. I tried to use Maven WAR Plugin and copy-resources, but no luck.

Any ways, thanks

[Craig Mitchell]

I do a similar thing with the resources with my Springboot based app:

<plugin>
<groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
<artifactId>maven-resources-plugin</artifactId>
<version>3.3.1</version>

<executions>
<execution>
<id>copy-resources</id>
<phase>generate-resources</phase>
<goals>
<goal>copy-resources</goal>
</goals>
<configuration>
<outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/${project.build.finalName}/</outputDirectory>
<resources>
<resource>
<directory>${basedir}/src/main/resources/public/</directory>
<includes>
<include>**/*.*</include>
</includes>
</resource>
</resources>
</configuration>
</execution>
</executions>
</plugin>

This was all auto configured for me by:  https://github.com/NaluKit/gwt-maven-springboot-archetype

Cheers.

[Mukeya Kassindye]

Hi Craig,

Thanks for your input.

Yes, I used that plugin too. However, all the files end up being in the same directory.

Despite explicitly defining the output directory as this :

 <outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/${project.build.finalName}/</outputDirectory>

My html and css file still end up in this directory :

${basedir}/target/${project.build.finalName}/ModuleShortName/

I am still trying to figure out.

[Colin Alworth]

When the GWT compiler runs, it takes the output directory, and creates a folder that matches your module name (either the package+name of your .gwt.xml file, or the rename-to= attribute in that file) - all output is placed inside of there.

This means that the structure you are logging here is expected. If you want to remove that top-level directory, you will need an extra build step to do that after GWT.

[Mukeya Kassindye]

Hi Colin, Thanks for your prompt response.

Yes, that is what I am thinking. However, I am might not using the right plugin, I believe.

I have used so far :

-

 <artifactId>maven-resources-plugin</artifactId>

with the copy-resource as goal. and tried couple of phases as well :

Then I've tried to use:

<artifactId>maven-war-plugin</artifactId>

with the 

<webResources>

configuration.

And both of them don't give the right outcome.

What would be the right plugin?

Best regards

[Craig Mitchell]

Hi Mukeya,

Apologies, I got confused with my resouces and the GWT compiled JS files.

Yes, the "{ModuleShortName}" has the compiled GWT JS files.

And my resouces (/src/main/resources/public/) go into the top level directory (oddly, they are also in "WEB-INF\classes\public", I suspect that's just because my build isn't cleaning up after itself).

Cheers.