The Play framework is the new kid on the block of Java frameworks. By breaking the existing standards it tries not to abstract away from HTTP as with most web frameworks, but tightly integrates with it. This means quite a shift for Java programmers. Understanding the concepts behind this shift and its impact on web development with Java are crucial for fast development of Java web applications.
The Play Framework Cookbook starts where the beginner's documentation ends. It shows you how to utilize advanced features of the Play frameworkâpiece by piece and completely outlined with working applications!
The reader will be taken through all layers of the Play framework and provided with in-depth knowledge with as many examples and applications as possible. Leveraging the most from the Play framework means, learning to think simple again in a Java environment. Think simple and implement your own renderers, integrate tightly with HTTP, use existing code, and improve sites' performance with caching and integrating with other web 2.0 services. Also get to know about non-functional issues like modularity, integration into production, and testing environments. In order to provide the best learning experience during reading of Play Framework Cookbook, almost every example is provided with source code. Start immediately integrating recipes into your Play application.
Chapter 1, Basics of the Play Framework, explains the basics of the Play framework. This chapter will give you a head start about the first steps to carry out after you create your first application. It will provide you with the basic knowledge needed for any advanced topic.
Chapter 2, Using Controllers, will help you to keep your controllers as clean as possible, with a well defined boundary to your model classes.
Chapter 3, Leveraging Modules, gives a brief overview of some modules and how to make use of them. It should help you to speed up your development when you need to integrate existing tools and libraries.
Chapter 4, Creating and Using APIs, shows a practical example of integrating an API into your application, and provides some tips on what to do when you are a data provider yourself, and how to expose an API to the outside world.
Chapter 5, Introduction to Writing Modules, explains everything related to writing modules.
Chapter 6, Practical Module Examples, shows some examples used in productive applications. It also shows an integration of an alternative persistence layer, how to create a Solr module for better search, and how to write an alternative distributed cache implementation among others.
Chapter 7, Running in Production, explains the complexity that begins once the site goes live. This chapter is targeted towards both groups, developers, as well as system administrators.
Appendix, Further Information About the Play Framework, gives you more information about where you can find help with Play.