This library supports reactive programming_ in a way that integrates nicely with Google Web Toolkit.

The standard GWT way to implement HasValue_ is to extend Widget_ (usually Composite_), which provides fireEvent(GwtEvent<?>):void (required by HasHandlers_, a supertype of HasValue). If you want to design a widget that has more than one piece of observable state, you're out of luck, because your widget can only implement HasValue once.

::

// Sorry, no can do. class StatefulWidget extends Composite implements HasValue, HasValue {

An alternative is to let the HasValue implementations be components of your widget:

::

class StatefulWidget extends Composite { HasValue getIntegerHasValue() { ... } HasValue getStringHasValue() { ... }

Reactive GWT provides AbstractHasValue to use for these HasValue implementations. AbstractHasValue also implements Signal.

A Signal is a variable observable value. Signal extends:

• Source (for retrieving the signal's current value)

• HasValueChangeHandlers (for observing changes to the signal's value)

This is very similar to HasValue. The difference is that the Signal interface does not not have methods that mutate its state. This allows us to derive signals from other signals. The main purpose of Reactive GWT is to support Signal composition, because it is an incredibly useful and intuitive concept.

Suppose you have a CheckBox_, a list of TextBox_ widgets, and a Label_. The label needs to be visible only when the checkbox is checked and at least one of the text boxes is nonempty. This can be expressed naturally by declaring the label's visibility change as a reaction to the composite state of the other widgets::

// Represent the checkbox's value as a boolean signal Signal boxIsChecked = Signals.valueOf(checkBox);

// Create a signal indicating whether each text box is nonempty, then // OR them to get a signal that is true when any of them are nonempty Signal anyTextBoxesAreFilled = Signals.or(Signals.transform( Signals.valueOf(textBoxes), Functions.not(Predicates.emptyString)));

// Declare that the label is visible exactly when both of these signals are true Signal labelIsVisible = Signals.and(boxIsChecked, anyTextBoxesAreFilled); Signals.connect(labelIsVisible, Sinks.setVisible(label));

Example 1 demonstrated some of the commonly-used composition operations directly supported by the Signals class (such as and/or). You can also merge signals using arbitrary functions. Suppose you want the label to always display the contents of the nonempty text boxes, separated by commas::

MergeFunction<String, String> mergeFunction = Functions.filterThenMerge( Functions.not(Predicates.emptyString), Functions.join(", ")); Signal labelText = Signals.merge(Signals.valueOf(textBoxes), mergeFunction); Signals.connect(labelText, Sinks.setText(label));

.. _reactive programming: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_programming .. _HasValue: http://google-web-toolkit.googlecode.com/svn/javadoc/latest/com/google/gwt/user/client/ui/HasValue.html .. _Widget: http://google-web-toolkit.googlecode.com/svn/javadoc/latest/com/google/gwt/user/client/ui/Widget.html .. _Composite: http://google-web-toolkit.googlecode.com/svn/javadoc/latest/com/google/gwt/user/client/ui/Composite.html .. _HasHandlers: http://google-web-toolkit.googlecode.com/svn/javadoc/latest/com/google/gwt/event/shared/HasHandlers.html .. _CheckBox: http://google-web-toolkit.googlecode.com/svn/javadoc/latest/com/google/gwt/user/client/ui/CheckBox.html .. _TextBox: http://google-web-toolkit.googlecode.com/svn/javadoc/latest/com/google/gwt/user/client/ui/TextBox.html .. _Label: http://google-web-toolkit.googlecode.com/svn/javadoc/latest/com/google/gwt/user/client/ui/Label.html