1. The Griffon Framework
An Investigation by
Jim Kirkbride

2. What is this Griffon thing anyway?

3. What Is Griffon?
● Desktop Application Framework
● Takes after Grails
● MVC-based
● Groovy-based
● Vastly simplifies writing Swing-based
applications

4. Why Not Just Use Swing?
● Complex widget hierarchy
● Difficult to separate out business logic from
view logic
● Difficult to properly manage threading
● Difficult to test
● Wouldn’t you rather write Groovy?

5. Getting Started
● gvm install griffon <version>
● set GRIFFON_HOME
● add GRIFFON_HOME/bin to path
● griffon create-app <app name>
● You’re in business!

6. Griffon Project Layout

7. ● Application.groovy
○ App title
○ Start-up Groups
○ MVC Groups
● BuildConfig.groovy
○ Environment settings
○ Jar Signing
○ Dependency resolution
Configuration

8. Configuration Cont.
● Builder.groovy
○ SwingBuilder configuration
● Config.groovy
○ Log4j configuration
○ Global configuration

9. Application LifeCycle
● Initialize
● Startup
● Ready
● Shutdown
● Stop

10. About MVC...

11. MVC

12. Griffon MVC

13. ● Nothing more than beans with “bindable”
properties
● Uses the @Bindable AST transformation
● Model != “Domain”!
● PropertyChange listeners
Model

14. View
● Uses the SwingBuilder library to create
layouts
● Uses model properties for two-way binding
● Converters
● Validators

15. Controller
● Actions defined as closures
● Manipulates model values
● Used to define threading

16. Services
● Just like Grails services
● Injectable
● No transactional capabilities

17. Application Events
● Built-in events
● Custom Events

18. What About Testing?
● GriffonUnitTestCase
● Access to Mock objects
● Integration and Unit testing
● Decidedly lacking in Acceptance Testing
○ FEST Plugin

19. Lets talk about everyone’s
favorite topic…

20. Threading!

21. Threading
● Swing uses the “Event Dispatch Thread”
● Makes you write ugly code using
SwingWorker
● Is completely simplified in Griffon!

22. Threading Cont.
● On the EDT:
○ execInsideUISync
○ execInsideUIAsync
● Outside the EDT:
○ execOutsideUI
● isUIThread
● execFuture

23. Eco System
● Griffon still in development
● Documentation is spotty at best, downright
wrong at worst
● Andres is very active
● Griffon team is really responsive
● Tons of plugins (very hit or miss)

24. Thanks!

25. Links
Griffon
http://griffon.codehaus.org/
Griffon Guide (Latest)
http://griffon.codehaus.org/guide/latest/guide/index.html
Jim Shingler's Presentation on Griffon
http://www.slideshare.net/jshingler/griffon-in-front-grails-in-
back-presentation
Griffon Demo
https://github.com/jameskbride/griffon-demo
Vending Machine Kata Implementation Example
https://github.com/jameskbride/vendingMachineGriffonDemo
Griffon Plugin Directory
http://artifacts.griffon-framework.org/category/all/plugins
Griffon ActiveJDBC Plugin
http://griffon.codehaus.org/Activejdbc+Plugin
Griffon GlazedLists Plugin
http://griffon.codehaus.org/Glazedlists+Plugin
Griffon FEST Plugin
http://griffon.codehaus.org/Fest+Plugin
https://github.com/griffon/griffon-fest-plugin/
Andres Almiray’s Blog
http://www.jroller.com/aalmiray/

26. Links Cont.
Books
Griffon In Action
http://www.amazon.com/Griffon-Action-Andres-
Almiray/dp/1935182234/ref=sr_1_1?
ie=UTF8&qid=1404053485&sr=8-1&keywords=griffon
Images
Griffon Logo
http://media.xircles.codehaus.
org/_projects/griffon/_logos/medium.png
Yarn Image
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-
DwD6bi3l80E/TpeLW8T9XUI/AAAAAAAATi8/PiyqmV6YAEQ/
s1600/yarn.jpg