Step-by-step debug configurations for GWT application in Spring Tool Suite (STS) IDE

[blf...@gmail.com]

Hi,

Good day.

I've just been assigned a complicated Spring application implemented using GWT which I don't have prior knowledge and experience.

I desperately need your help on how to debug the application so I can dissect it.

The setup is this. The IDE used for the GWT application is Spring Tool Suite (STS) IDE because it is a Spring application basically. The application has to be run on a Tomcat instance running outside of the STS IDE. The Tomcat is running either on the same local machine or on a remote one.

What I would like to do is as I access the application via the browser and interacts/navigates with it by clicking buttons, menus, etc, the STS IDE should be in Debug mode and hits breakpoints that I set previously.

After googling for several days now, I have found a lot of tutorials/links/articles but I could not really find one that gives a novice web application developer like a step-by-step guide on how to debug the application given the above scenario.

Please kindly help me with a step-by-step guide with example on each step on how to debug the application given the above scenario/requirements.

Thank you very much in advance for all your help.

 

[Jens]

To debug your server side code you need to start Tomcat in debug mode and then attach your IDE as a remote debugger: 

http://wiki.apache.org/tomcat/FAQ/Developing#Debugging

I assume you are using GWT 2.7 and you are using SuperDevMode. To debug your client side GWT code you would use your web browser's dev tools because SuperDevMode compiles your Java code to JavaScript and thus you need a JavaScript debugger. Alternatively there is a plugin for Eclipse called "SDBG" that allows you to attach your IDE to Chrome as a remote debugger. When doing so you can set breakpoints in GWT code in your IDE as the plugin will "convert" it to a javascript breakpoint in the browser.

https://sdbg.github.io

-- J.

[blf...@gmail.com]

Hi Jens,

Thank you very much for your reply.

For the tomcat remote debugging part, I was already able to do that by setting up configurations similar to the steps mentioned in the Tomcat FAQ link you provided.

In fact, when start/launch tomcat in debug mode and launch the application and click on the login button, it hits the breakpoint I set in the Controller java source codes but the problem is it does not hit the breakpoints I set in the succeeding codes which are GWT codes for building the next page to display on screen after successful login. This is my problem.

The GWT version used in the application is 2.5. Is SuperDevMode the solution to my problem? If yes, can you please provide me a step-by-step guide with example on each step on how to configure it? I've seen a number of links about SuperDevMode but they don't really provide a step-by-step guide particularly one with example on each step.

Thank you so much for your help Jens.

     

 

[foal]

Hi,

Look at http://gwt-plugins.github.io/documentation 

All this staff works with latest GWT (2.7.0). But there are some schemes and diagrams that will help you understand the main idea :)

P.S. Try to upgrade GWT to 2.7 :)

Stas