The SmartClient FAQ

[Isomorphic]

Basic Resources

• QuickStart Guide (START HERE)
• SmartClient Reference
• Feature Explorer (samples)
• Download SDK
• Installation / Development Setup

NOTE: many links below connect to the Smart GWT FAQ when the answer is the same for SmartClient or for Smart GWT.
When reading an item in the Smart GWT FAQ, simply translate "Smart GWT" to SmartClient, and ignore any references to GWT,
<inherits> tags, or "Development Mode" vs "Compiled Mode" (SmartClient is effectively always in Compiled Mode).

For any answers that link to Smart GWT JavaDoc, the same content is in the SmartClient Reference- just use search to find it.

Troubleshooting / Common Issues

• What's the first thing to do when I run into issues?
• I saved data and my grid/tree/picker didn't update. Why?
• What DOCTYPE should I use?
• Strange rendering behavior with browser zoom
• I'm seeing visual glitches like unnecessary scrollbars, gaps in headers or misplaced elements.
• I installed a new version but I'm still getting an error that my evaluation is expired
• I installed a new version that is supposed to have a fix or new feature, but it's still not working
• Internet Explorer 6 is performing badly and constantly loading resources from the network. What's going on?
• (Pro Edition or better) I can't load my DataSource, DataSource.get() returns null
• (Pro Edition or better) I'm getting a warning dialog about not having the SC Server
• (Pro Edition or better) I have odd errors that seem to imply duplicate .jars or old .jars are around
• Why is my application slow?
• How do I make a SmartClient widget fill a basic HTML container or GWT container?
• I'm getting spurious JavaScript validation errors from the SmartClient Framework in Eclipse

Getting Support

• What are my options for support?
• I think I found a bug in SmartClient. What do I do?
• I'm seeing a JavaScript error. What do I do?
• I need a feature or enhancement added to SmartClient.

Architecture Planning

• I already have some REST services for my Java backend, or I could easily generate some. Should I use those for my SmartClient UI?
• How should I approach mobile development?
• Which is more actively developed - SmartClient or Smart GWT?
• If I'm not using SQL / Hibernate, is there anything in SmartClient Pro that applies to my project?
• What MVC pattern should I use with SmartClient: Struts, Spring, something else?
• What should I use if I don't have a Java backend?

Answers

• I installed a new version but I'm still getting an error that my evaluation is expired
• I installed a new version that is supposed to have a fix or new feature, but it's still not working
  
  Be sure you have followed the installation instructions when installing the new version.
  
  If you still get the error, you have stale copies of the SmartClient runtime files (ISC_Core.js et al) somewhere
  in your project, or your IDE has failed to refresh the deployment directory. Use the "Net" panel in Firebug to look at
  the JavaScript files actually being delivered to the browser (ISC_Core.js) et al. At the top of the file, the build date
  is shown. Having confirmed you have stale JavaScript files, use a filesystem search to see where they are coming
  from, and wipe them out.
  
  If you discover that your IDE is mysteriously restoring stale files even after you've corrected everything, restarting the
  IDE may fix the problem. For Eclipse / MyEclipse, certain types of staleness can be fixed by switching to a different
  JDK (in the Eclipse Properties, under Java) and then switching back (yes, really, this works). If all else fails, reinstall
  the IDE and rebuild your project from scratch.
• (Pro Edition or better) I'm getting a warning dialog about not having the SC Server
  
  You are loading the LGPL version of the SmartClient runtime (files named ISC_{module}.js such as ISC_Core.js) and trying
  to use features from Pro, such as Excel export.
  
  If you downloaded Pro Edition or better, this means you still have a copy of the LGPL runtime somewhere, and you're still
  loading it. If it's not obvious where the stale files are, see the previous FAQ for some tips.
• How should I approach mobile development?
  
  Generally speaking, SmartClient applications just work on mobile and touch devices without any special additional work,
  however, please read this overview to understand how this is achieved, as well as some ways you can tune your
  applications for mobile.
  
  In some cases, it can make sense to build a dedicated, very simplified version of your application for use on handset-sized
  devices. For this, we recommend SmartGWT.mobile.
• Which is more actively developed - SmartClient or Smart GWT?
  
  This is actually a senseless question, because a single development effort produces both products. Smart GWT is just a way of
  using SmartClient through GWT - the two products have the same server runtime, client runtime, and documentation sets,
  and features are added to Smart GWT as an automatic consequence of adding them to SmartClient.
• I'm getting spurious JavaScript validation errors from the SmartClient Framework in Eclipse
  
  In Eclipse, you may find that you're getting a bunch of spurious validation errors from the SmartClient Framework JavaScript code.
  This can be distracting and slow down interactions with Eclipse. If you encounter this problem, you can try to apply the following
  fixes (verified in Eclipse 4.3 "Kepler"):
  • For each affected project, in Properties => JavaScript => Include Path => Source, exclude the SmartClient Framework files
    that are triggering the errors.
  • If errors are still being reported, you can switch off validation entirely:
    • In Window => Preferences => JavaScript => Validator => Errors/Warnings, uncheck "Enable JavaScript Semantic Validation".
    • For each affected project, in Properties => Builders, uncheck "JavaScript Validator" underneath where it says
      "Configure the builders for the project," and make sure that the "Enable project-specific settings" checkboxes are
      unchecked at both levels (second one in parens): Properties => JavaScript => Validation (=> Errors/Warnings).
  
  
  A more in-depth discussion can be found at http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1...ipt-validation.