Weneck.com

So getting started with Google’s App Engine is a breese, so easy this is probably pointless, but I want to document it none the less.
Getting Started
First things first, if you’re a java developer, get Eclipse. Next install the Google App Engine plugin. This can be done by going to the software updates screen and adding the plugin update site location, either http://dl.google.com/eclipse/plugin/3.4 for Ganymede or http://dl.google.com/eclipse/plugin/3.3 for Europa. Check the boxes to install the plugin and the SDK’s, click the install button in the upper right, then the obligatory next, next, next, accept, next, finnish process we are all familiar with and we are done (except maybe a restart of Eclipse). Images below to help those in need of some visual queues.

Creating a new Project

Now the fun part, we get to create a new project.

1. Click File > New > Web Application Project.
2. Enter a project name, and give it a default package, here I’ve used com.weneck.gaetest.
3. Click finish

You’ll find the sample GWT project is allready set up for you. Simply clicking the run button will launch a modified jetty application server and a custom browser and you can view the application.

Deploying

This is probably the coolest part about the process, deployment is simple as clicking a button. Well it will be once you have registered for an App Engine account. Create your account, sign in, then click the Create an Application button. I’ve entered wenecktest as my application id, and will use this value through the rest of the tutorial.

Back in Eclipse, click the Deploy App Engine Project button, located on the toolbar at the top.

You will be asked for your email address (the one you registered for the app engine account with) and your password. you will also be asked for an application ID for the project, the one we just created, so click the App Engine project settings... link and enter your value.

The application will be compiled, uploaded and deployed, as easy as that(watch the console output). Mine can be viewed at http://wenecktest.appspot.com (disclaimer: I will be using this application id for testing purposes, so some clicks in the future might have a different application parked there.)

Well that is all good and dandy, but what if you have your own domain where you want this application hosted? Well Google has thought of that too. Through the magic of Google Apps, and a CNAME dns record you can access this at any domain you own. In the App Engine console you can click on the versions link in the left nav and then click the Add Domain... button. The rest of the process includes either signing up for Google Apps (which I’ve allready highly reccomended) or signing into Google Apps to prove you own the domain name. Then you have to add a CNAME record to your DNS server to point to ghs.google.com the rest is magic.  For those wondering the CNAME record for that looks like
•   googleappengine.weneck.com.     IN      CNAME   ghs.google.com.
to deploy to http://googleappengine.weneck.com . (same disclaimer applies)

Well, that it, it really is that easy. Now the only thing left to do is to actually write some effective code. I’m going to be looking into persistance using JPA annotations, so stay tuned for that adventure.

**UPDATE**

So I realized I overlooked a few datails on the heat map. First, I hardcoded into the component the starting location and zoom of the map. Second, I did not expose any of the awesome geo-locating code that allowed adding markers to the map from a standard U.S. Address (or most others for that matter). So I added those features, as well as clearing up the add points by click button by changing it to a checkbox. Below is a picture of the newer version with Cincinnati’s City Hall marked on the map and some example data, pretend its sales in the Cincinnati area or something.

So one of my interest is data visualization. Good thing I happen to be proficient in one of the best technologies for displaying data sets in new an interesting way. I first ran across a heat map in the package I use to track statistics on this very site. http://www.phpmyvisites.us/ What they did is take a picture of your page and track user clicks, which can be infinitely useful for someone who is trying to optimize how users navigate their site. (not that I do too much of that here.) Essentially it shows you where many clicks amass, causing certain areas of the site to “heat up”.

I used Google maps, both because this could be used for just a map api wrapper, and because I’m a bit of a cheerleader for Google. Let me know what you think, It’s not the prettiest, but its been a fun little project. Binarys to come…

Source here.

Example here.

The verdict is….   AWESOME.

Who would have thought less from google, though i guess i am a little but of a cheerleader for them.

http://google.weneck.com