# Vaadin – thinking of U and I

Version @version@

Version @version@ built on @builddate@.

## Release Notes for Vaadin Framework @version@

- Overview
- Enhancements in Vaadin @version-minor@
- Complete change log for Vaadin @version@
- Migrating from Vaadin 6 to Vaadin 7
- Vaadin @version@ dependencies
- Upgrading to Vaadin @version-minor@
- Supported technologies
- Vaadin on the Web

## Overview

Vaadin is a Java framework for building modern web applications that look great, perform well and make you and your users happy. Vaadin and is available under the Apache 2 license (see `license.html`).

The easiest ways to install Vaadin are:

- If using Maven, define it as a dependency or use any of the available archetypes (only `vaadin-application` is available for Vaadin 7 at the time of this release) to create a new project
- If using Eclipse, use the Vaadin Plugin for Eclipse, which automatically downloads the Vaadin libraries

It is also available as a ZIP package downloadable from Vaadin Download page.

### Package Contents

Inside the ZIP installation package you will find:

- Separate server-side (`vaadin-server`) and client-side (`vaadin-client`, `vaadin-client-compiler`) development libraries
- Precompiled widget set (`vaadin-client-compiled`) for server-side development
- Shared library (`vaadin-shared`) for both server- and client-side libraries
- Built-in themes (`vaadin-themes`) and the theme compiler (`vaadin-theme-compiler`)
- Dependency libraries provided under the `lib/` folder

See the `README.TXT` in the installation package for detailed information about the package contents. Book of Vaadin (for Vaadin 7) will give more detailed instructions; it is not yet up-to-date at the time of this release, but will be updated soon after.

For server-side development, copy the `vaadin-server`, `vaadin-client-compiled`, `vaadin-shared`, `vaadin-theme-compiler`, and `vaadin-themes` from the main folder and the dependencies from the `lib` folder to the `WEB-INF/lib` folder of your Vaadin project. (The `vaadin-client-compiled` is necessary if you do not wish to compile the widget set by your own, which you need to do if you use almost any add-on components.)

For pure client-side development, you only need the `vaadin-client` and `vaadin-client-compiler` JARs, which should be put to a non-deployed project library folder, such as `lib`. You also need them if you compile the widget set for any reason, such as using Vaadin add-ons, or create new server-side components integrated with client-side widgets.

## Enhancements in Vaadin @version@

@version@ is a beta release release of the upcoming version 7 of the Vaadin Framework. It introduces some minor changes, minor new features and fixes.

The following major changes were introduced in the earlier @version-minor@ releases:

- GWT is now built into Vaadin Framework
  - New SuperDevMode allows debugging client-side Java code in the browser without any plugins
- Navigation API for view navigation
  - View navigation with bookmarking/linking with URI fragments and browser history support
  - Access control for views, view change confirmation
- Component and UI extensions
- Resource loading (JS/CSS) by the framework
- Complete overhaul of the client-server communication architecture
  - All add-on components that have widgets need to be ported to Vaadin 7
  - Integration of a GWT widget is done in a connector class
  - Component-to-widget mapping now defined on the client-side, in the connector
  - No more Paintable or VariableOwner
  - Server-side component and client-side widget can have a shared state object which is automatically synchronized
  - Both client-side and server-side can make RPC calls to the other side
    - Communicated in the next request/response
    - No return values
    - Typically for communicating events
  - Support for JavaScript components - GWT integration code not required
  - Handle JavaScript callbacks on the server-side
  - UIDL is deprecated
  - Compatibility layer for Vaadin 6 included for easy migration
- Form is deprecated and form hand is replaced with the FieldGroup
- Get computed style of a component from the browser
- Support for border, padding, and margin in core layout components

- Applications are now written by extending the UI class
  - UIs use heartbeat to detect closing
- The Application class is removed altogether
  - ApplicationServlet is replaced with VaadinServlet
  - ApplicationResource is replaced with ConnectorResource
- Themeing with SASS in addition to CSS
  - SASS themes need to (and CSS themes can) be compiled to a single CSS stylesheet with the `vaadin-theme-compiler`
- Add-ons can modify the startup page
- All `addListener()` methods have changed to listener-specific methods, such as `addClickListener()`, `addValueChangeListener()`, etc.
- Packaging has changed, now in a ZIP package (see Package Contents above)

There are many other enhancements. Most of them are described in more detail in the mini-tutorials in the Vaadin Wiki.

Please see the release notes for alpha1, alpha2, alpha3, and beta1 for the lists of where the major enhancements were introduced.

### ChangeLog

For a complete list of changes in this release, please see the list of closed tickets.

## Migrating from Vaadin 6

All Vaadin 6 applications need some changes when migrating to Vaadin 7. The most obvious changes are in the application/window API and require extending either UI or UI.LegacyApplication instead of Application. A detailed list of migration changes are given in the Vaadin 7 Migration Guide.

Any custom client-side widgets need to be ported to use the new client-server communication API, or the Vaadin 6 compatibility API.

Vaadin 6 add-ons (ones that contain widgets) do not work in Vaadin 7 - please check the add-ons in Vaadin Directory for Vaadin 7 support.

## Vaadin @version@ Dependencies

### Dependencies Included in Installation package

The Vaadin ZIP installation package includes the following dependencies in the `lib` subfolder:

- Apache Ant (`ant-*.jar`)
- Args4j (`args4j-*.jar`)
- Apache Commons CLI, Collections, Discovery, IO, Lang, Logging, and Math (`commons-*.jar`)
- CSS Parser (`cssparser-*.jar`)
- Flute (`flute-*.jar`)
- Google Collections Library (`google-collections-*.jar`)
- JSON (`json-*.jar`)
- jsoup (`jsoup-*.jar`)
- JUnit (`junit-*.jar`)
- `portal-service-*.jar`
- SAC (`sac-*.jar`)
- SmartSprites (`smartsprites-*.jar`)
- Validation API (`validation-*.jar`)

### Bean Validation

If you want to use the bean validation feature in Vaadin 7, you need a Bean Validation API implementation. You need to install the JAR in the `WEB-INF/lib` directory.

## Upgrading to Vaadin @version-minor@

### Upgrading the Eclipse Plugin

This release requires that you use the experimental Vaadin Plugin for Eclipse. Its update site is `http://vaadin.com/eclipse/experimental`. Please see the installation instructions for more details.

### General Upgrading Instructions

When upgrading from an earlier Vaadin version, you must:

- Recompile your classes using the new Vaadin version. Binary compatibility is only guaranteed for maintenance releases of Vaadin.
- Recompile any add-ons you have created using the new Vaadin
- Unless using the precompiled widget set, recompile your widget set using the new Vaadin version

Remember also to refresh the project in your IDE to ensure that the new version of everything is in use.

By using the "`?debug`" URL parameter, you can verify that the version of the servlet, the theme, and the widget set all match.

Eclipse users should always check if there is a new version of the Eclipse Plug-in available. The Eclipse Plug-in can be used to update the Vaadin version in the project (Project properties » Vaadin).

Maven users should update the Vaadin dependency version in the `pom.xml` unless it is defined as `LATEST` . You must also ensure that the GWT dependency uses the correct version and recompile your project and your widget set.

Liferay and other portal users must install the Vaadin libraries in <t>ROOT/WEB-INF/lib/ in the portal (and remove a possibly obsolete older `vaadin.jar`). Additionally, the contents of the `vaadin-client-compiled` and `vaadin-themes` must be extracted to the `ROOT/html/VAADIN` directory in the Liferay installation. If your portal uses custom widgets, install the latest version of Vaadin Control Panel for Liferay for easy widget set compilation - when it is available - the add-on is not compatible with Vaadin @version@ at the time of this Vaadin release.

## Notes and Limitations for Google App Engine

The following instructions and limitations apply when you run a Vaadin application under the Google App Engine.

- Applications must use GAEVaadinServlet instead of VaadinServlet in `web.xml`.

- Session support must be enabled in `appengine-web.xml`:

          <sessions-enabled>true</sessions-enabled>

- Avoid using the session for storage, usual App Engine limitations apply (no synchronization, that is, unreliable).

- Vaadin uses memcache for mutex, the key is of the form `_vmutex<sessionid>`.

- The Vaadin VaadinSession class is serialized separately into memcache and datastore; the memcache key is `_vac<sessionid>` and the datastore entity kind is `_vac` with identifiers of the type `_vac<sessionid>`.

- DO NOT update application state when serving an ConnectorResource (such as ClassResource.getStream()).

- The application remains locked during uploads - a progress bar is not possible

For other known problems, see open tickets at developer site dev.vaadin.com.

## Supported Technologies

Vaadin 7 is compatible with Java 6 and with most operating systems supporting the Java 6 or newer. Vaadin 7 is especially supported on the following operating systems:

- Windows
- Linux
- Mac OS X

Vaadin 7 requires Java Servlet API 2.4 but also supports later versions and should work with any Java application server that conforms to the standard. The following application servers are supported:

- Apache Tomcat, version 5.0 or newer
- Oracle WebLogic® Server, version 9.2 or newer
- IBM WebSphere® Application Server, version 6.1 or newer
- JBoss Application Server, 4.0.0 or newer
- Jetty, version 5.0 or newer
- Glassfish, version 2.0 or newer

Vaadin 7 supports the JSR-286 Portlet specification. All portals that implement either of the portlet specifications should work. The following portals are supported:

- Liferay Portal 5.2 or newer
- GateIn Portal 3.1 or newer
- eXo Platform 3 or newer

Vaadin also supports Google App Engine.

Vaadin supports the following desktop browsers:

- Mozilla Firefox 5 or newer
- Internet Explorer 8-10
- Safari 6
- Opera 12
- Google Chrome 21

Additionally, Vaadin supports the built-in browsers in the following mobile operating systems:

- iOS 5 and later
- Android 2.3 and later

## Vaadin on the Web

- vaadin.com - The developer portal containing everything you need to know about Vaadin
- demo.vaadin.com - A collection of demos for Vaadin
- vaadin.com/learn - Getting started with Vaadin
- vaadin.com/forum - Forums for Vaadin related discussions
- vaadin.com/book - Book of Vaadin - everything you need to know about Vaadin
- vaadin.com/api - Online javadocs
- vaadin.com/directory - Add-ons for Vaadin
- vaadin.com/pro-account - Commercial support and tools for Vaadin development
- vaadin.com/services - Expert services for Vaadin
- vaadin.com/company - Information about the company behind Vaadin
- dev.vaadin.com - Bug tracker
- How to get the source code of Vaadin