What you need for this book
As a JSF developer, you should already have in-depth knowledge of general Java programming, JSF and/or Java EE 6 or 7, (X)HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. In addition to this, a familiarity with the PrimeFaces component library will be of help when reading and working through the examples in the book. A working knowledge of Maven will also be of help.
The following are the additional requirements for this book:
- Recommended JSF: Java 7
- Recommended IDE: NetBeans 8
- Recommended web server: Glassfish 4
- The PrimeFaces version being used is freely available PrimeFaces 5.2
- A fork of the Git-based Project accompanies this book
If you already have ideas for a custom theme, then you will have an even more enjoyable time in the later chapters.
The most important thing that you will need is a desire to be creative when designing web applications. A well-thought-out look and feel of an application is what gives your users the best first impression. These impressions are the ones that are the strongest and most lasting.
You will need the following additional resources as well:
- PrimeFaces website
- jQuery and jQuery UI
- CSS reference
Because we don't want to enter the debate about which browser is the best and why others shouldn't be used, the choice of browser is up to you. I prefer using Google Chrome because of its developer tools as well as for more mundane reasons. The only requirement is that it supports CSS3, HTML5, and JavaScript and has a tool for the examination and changing of DOM elements on the fly. The screenshots in this book will show me using Google Chrome.