Building a Form with Vaadin and Spring Boot in Java

Vaadin is a common front-end framework for Java that provides smooth inclusion with Spring Boot. In this article, we will walk through creating a basic Vaadin form integrated into Spring Boot.

Prerequisites:

Before we start, ensure we have installed the following:

• Java Development Kit (JDK) 8 or higher.
• Maven or Gradle.
• An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) like IntelliJ IDEA or Eclipse.

Implementation to Build a Form with Vaadin and Spring Boot

Below are the implementation steps to build a form with Vaadin and Spring Boot.

Step 1: Set Up the Project

Using Spring Initializr:

• Go to Spring Initializr.
• Configure the project with the following options:
  • Project: Maven Project
  • Language: Java
  • Spring Boot: Choose the latest stable version
  • Dependencies: Add Vaadin, Spring Web, and Spring Boot DevTools

• Click Generate to download the project.
• Unzip the downloaded project and open it in your IDE.

Step 2: Set Up Your Project in Visual Studio Code

1. Open the Project:

• Launch Visual Studio Code.
• Navigate to File > Open Folder and select your project folder.

2. Explore Project Structure:

• Inside your project folder, you will find standard Maven project directories (src, pom.xml) and Maven Wrapper files (mvnw, mvnw.cmd).

Project Structure:

After creating the project, the folder structure should look like below:

Step 3: Implementing a Vaadin UI

Create a Vaadin UI Component:

• Define a Java class for your Vaadin UI component (e.g., MainView.java).
• Utilize Vaadin components like TextField, Button, etc., to design your UI.
• Implement functionalities such as form submission, validation, etc.

MainView.java:

pom.xml:

Step 4: Running the Application

1. Run Using Maven Wrapper:

• Open a terminal in Visual Studio Code.
• Navigate to your project directory.

• Execute the following command to run your application:

.\mvnw.cmd spring-boot:run

• Wait for Maven to build and start your Spring Boot application.

Access the Application

To access Your Application:

• Once the application starts, open a web browser.
• Go to http://localhost:8080 (or configured port) to view your Vaadin application.
• Interact with the UI to test functionality such as form submission.

Conclusion

In this article, we've covered the essential steps to set up and run a Spring Boot application with Vaadin. We have been taught how to initiate a project through Spring Initializr, create a simple Vaadin UI and execute the application on a local server. With this kind of a foundation, it becomes easier for us to build more advanced web applications using Vaadin and Spring Boot.