Introduction to Grails, Part I
Anyone who has used any of the Java web frameworks like Struts, JavaServer Faces or Spring MVC has a pretty good idea of how web development is done with Java and the Java Servlet API, with or without JSPs. You probably have also used Spring and Hibernate. And maybe a page templating API, like Facelets in JSF, Tiles in Struts, SiteMesh, etc.
Grails leverages a technology stack filled with these common APIs and frameworks, like Spring, Spring MVC, Hibernate for ORM (by default), SiteMesh, etc. However, it’s high extensible with a robust plugin system and hundreds of plugins available to solve many common problems with easy configuration and a little coding.
Simply put, Grails is nothing like you’ve ever seen in Java web frameworks. Grails leverages Groovy to offers high productivity, with low ceremony, and a beautiful elegance simply not possible with traditional Java-based web frameworks.
This talk is structured in two parts, the first covering Grails basics and the second covering more intermediate Grails topics. These talks are ideal for Java and Groovy developers wanting to see one of the Groovy “killer applications” that uses Groovy to the fullest. Don’t worry if you’re not a Groovy expert; you don’t need to be to start getting benefits from Grails.
In Part I, we explore the following topics to introduce developers to Grails:
- Getting started with the Grails framework (with a little Groovy intro)
- Using the Grails Command Line & Console
- Dynamic and Static Scaffolding
- Domain classes
- Controllers
- GORM CRUD / dynamic finders
- Working with Views & Layouts
- Overview of dependency management, configuration, bootstrapping, and runtime options