Here is the table of main features of Visual Web Tools:
Table 2.1. Key Functionality for Visual Web Tools
| Feature | Benefit | Chapter |
|---|---|---|
| Visual Page Editor | Powerful and customizable visual page editor. Possibility to develop an application using any web technology: jsf, seam, struts, jsp, html and others. Developing using four tabs: visual/source, visual, source and preview.Fast and easy switching between these tabs. Split screen design of visual and source views. Full and instant synchronization between source and visual views. Integration with properties and outline views. Graphical toolbar to add inline styling to any tag. | visual page editor |
| JBoss Tools Palette | Organizing various tags by groups, inserting tags into a jsp or xhtml page with one click, adding custom or 3rd party tag libraries into the palette, easy controling the number of tag groups shown on the palette. | jboss tools palette |
| Web Projects View | Visualizing and displaying projects by function. Easy selecting of different kinds of items and dropping them into jsp pages. Using context menus to develop the application. Using icon shortcuts to create and import JSF and Struts projects. Expanding and inspecting tag library files. Selecting custom and third-party tag libraries to drag and drop onto the JBoss Tools Palette. | web projects view |
| JSF and Facelets support | Step-by-step wizards for creating new JSF and Facelets projects with a number of predefined templates, importing existing ones and adding JSF capabilities to non-jsf web projects. | jsf support |
| Flexible and customizable project template management | Jump-start development with out-of-the-box templates or easily customized templates for re-use. | working with projects |
| Support for Managed Beans | Adding new managed beans, generating code for attributes, properties and getter/setter methods. | managed beans |
| OpenOn | Easy navigation between views and other parts of your projects. | facelets support |
| Content Assist | Code completion proposals while working in java, xml, jsp, xhtml, xhtml, seam project and jsf configuration files. Content assist based on project data (dynamic code assist); with graphical editor. Code completion for values from property files, beans attributes and methods, navigation rule outcomes and jsf variables. | content assist |
| Support for Custom Converters and Validators | Fast creating of custom converters and validators with tree view of faces-config.xml file. | converters and validators |
| Verification and Validation | All occuring errors will be immediately reported by verification feature, no matter in what view you are working. Constant validation and errors checking allows to catch many of the errors during development process that significantly reduces development time. | verification and validation |
| Drag-and-Drop | Possibility of inserting any tag onto the page you are editing by just drag-and-droping it from the palette to this page. Adding any properties, managed bean attributes, navigation rules, tag library file declarations, jsp files from web projects view by clicking them and draging to source code. | visual page editor drag-and-drop |
| Struts Support | Step-by-step wizards for creating a new struts project with a number of predefined templates, importing existing ones and adding struts capabilities to non-struts web projects. | struts support |
| Support for JSF and JSF Configuration Files | Working on files using three modes: diagram, tree and source. Synchronization between the modes and full control over the code. Easy moving around the diagram using the Diagram Navigator. Working with struts projects that have multiple modules. Possibility to use Struts configuration file debugger allowing to set break points on struts diagram and then launch the server in debug mode. | graphical editor for jsf graphical editor for struts |
| Rich Faces Support | Tight integration between JBDS and RichFaces frameworks. Easy managing RichFaces components in any web application. | rich faces support |