Hey everyone,
I’m working on a GWT project and I need to use a Google Sheets spreadsheet as a simple database. I’m not sure what’s the best approach for this.
I’ve looked into the Google API Client Library for Java, but it seems like it won’t work with GWT because it uses stuff that’s not compatible with client-side code.
Does anyone know if I need to use JSNI and the JavaScript client to make this work? Or is there another way to connect GWT to Google Sheets that I’m missing?
I’d really appreciate any tips or examples on how to set this up. Thanks in advance for your help!
I’ve dealt with this situation before in one of my projects. The Google API Client Library for Java really isn’t built for client-side use in GWT. I ended up using JSNI to interface with the Google Sheets API v4 JavaScript client.
In my case, I loaded the Google API JavaScript client in the HTML, then created wrapper functions in JSNI to handle the necessary API calls. I also used OAuth 2.0 for authentication and managed the API interactions via those JSNI wrappers. Although this approach required some extra work with JavaScript and handling potential CORS issues, it ultimately provided a workable solution.
hey swimingshark, i’ve used GWT with sheets before. u might wanna check out the GWT-Gdata library. it’s a bit old but still works for basic stuff. alternatively, u could make a simple server-side proxy that handles the API calls and just use RPC from ur GWT client. hope this helps!
As someone who’s tackled similar challenges, I’d suggest considering a hybrid approach. While JSNI with the JavaScript client is viable, I’ve found it more maintainable to create a thin server-side layer using Java servlets. This layer can handle the Google Sheets API interactions and expose a simple REST API for your GWT client.
In my experience, this method offers better separation of concerns and easier debugging. You can use the full Java client library on the server side, avoiding GWT compatibility issues. On the client side, you’d use GWT’s RequestBuilder or a similar mechanism to communicate with your custom API.
This approach also gives you more control over data caching and rate limiting, which can be crucial when working with external APIs. Just remember to handle authentication carefully, perhaps using OAuth2 flow on the server side.