Seaside provides a layered set of abstractions over HTTP and HTML that let you build highly interactive web applications quickly, reusably and maintainably. It is based on Smalltalk, a proven and robust language that is implemented by different vendors. Seaside includes:
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Programmatic HTML generation. A lot of markup is boilerplate: the same patterns of lists, links, forms and tables show up on page after page. Seaside has a rich API for generating HTML that lets you abstract these patterns into convenient methods rather than pasting the same sequence of tags into templates every time.
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Callback-based request handling. Why should you have to come up with a unique name for every link and form input on your page, only to extract them from the URL and request fields later? Seaside automates this process by letting you associate blocks, not names, with inputs and links, so you can think about objects and methods instead of ids and strings.
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Embedded components. Stop thinking a whole page at a time; Seaside lets you build your UI as a tree of individual, stateful component objects, each encapsulating a small part of a page. Often, these can be used over and over again, within and between applications - nearly every application, for example, needs a way to present a batched list of search results, or a table with sortable columns, and Seaside includes components for these out the box.
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Modal session management. What if you could express a complex, multi-page workflow in a single method? Unlike servlet models which require a separate handler for each page or request, Seaside models an entire user session as a continuous piece of code, with natural, linear control flow. In Seaside, components can call and return to each other like subroutines; string a few of those calls together in a method, just as if you were using console I/O or opening modal dialog boxes, and you have a workflow. And yes, the back button will still work.
Seaside also has good support for CSS and Javascript, excellent web-based development tools and debugging support, a rich configuration and preferences framework, and more.
Seaside is composed of different parts, allowing you to only load the parts you need for your project. If you are new to Seaside, we advise you to load the default set of packages by simply following the load instructions below. If you want to load specific (or additional) parts of Seaside, check out the list of groups and packages.
We provide instructions to get started with Seaside in Pharo, Gemstone, Squeak or the VAST Platform. See the appropriate instructions for your platform below.
To install the latest stable version of Seaside in a Pharo image, execute the following code:
Metacello new
baseline:'Seaside3';
repository: 'github://SeasideSt/Seaside:master/repository';
loadTo install a particular version (see releases, e.g. 3.4.5):
Metacello new
baseline:'Seaside3';
repository: 'github://SeasideSt/Seaside:v3.4.5/repository';
loadIf you installed Seaside using the instructions above, the Welcome package was loaded and a default server adaptor was started on port 8080. Open a webbrowser on (http://localhost:8080) and you should see the Seaside Welcome page. Happy Seasiding!
To install the latest stable version of Seaside in a Gemstone repository, execute the following steps:
- Upgrade to the latest version of Metacello and Grease using GsUpgrader:
Gofer new
package: 'GsUpgrader-Core';
url: 'http://ss3.gemtalksystems.com/ss/gsUpgrader';
load.
(Smalltalk at: #GsUpgrader) upgradeGrease.- Install Seaside:
Install the latest commit from the master branch:
GsDeployer deploy: [
Metacello new
baseline: 'Seaside3';
repository: 'github://SeasideSt/Seaside:master/repository';
onLock: [:ex | ex honor];
load ].Install a particular version, e.g. 3.2.0 (see Releases for a list of possible versions):
GsDeployer deploy: [
Metacello new
baseline: 'Seaside3';
repository: 'github://SeasideSt/Seaside:v3.2.0/repository';
onLock: [:ex | ex honor];
load: #('Development' 'Examples' 'Zinc') ].Seaside is an official vendor supported framework that can be installed using VAST's feature loading tool GUI. In addition, it can be installed programmatically as shown below. VAST fork is at https://github.com/instantiations/Seaside
To install the latest stable version of Seaside in a VAST Platform image, execute the following code:
(EmConfigurationMap editionsFor: 'z.ST: Server Smalltalk (SST) - Seaside')
first loadWithRequiredMapsSeaside for Squeak mostly works but is unmaintained. If you want to help out keeping Seaside running on Squeak, please contact us via the channels mentioned in the Community section below.
To install the latest stable version of Seaside in a Squeak image you need to first install Metacello:
Installer ensureRecentMetacello.From there on, follow the installation instructions for Seaside in Pharo.
Make sure you have installed Metacello. From there on, follow the installation instructions for Seaside in Pharo.
To install a version older than 3.1.3, you need to load Seaside from Smalltalkhub:
Metacello new
configuration:'Seaside3';
repository: 'http://www.smalltalkhub.com/mc/Seaside/MetacelloConfigurations/main';
version: #stable;
loadTo install a particular version (e.g. 3.1.0):
Metacello new
configuration:'Seaside3';
repository: 'http://www.smalltalkhub.com/mc/Seaside/MetacelloConfigurations/main';
version: '3.1.0';
loadCheck out the Add-on libraries and projects related to Seaside: https://github.com/SeasideSt/Seaside/wiki/Add-On-Libraries
We have a low traffic mailing list for questions (sign up here) and a (Smalltalk dialect independant) channel on the Pharo Discord (sign up here).
If you would like to contribute, please visit the Seaside's contributors page.
Please check the Wiki for more information.
See https://github.com/SeasideSt/Seaside/actions/workflows/ci.yml
