GWT reduce compiled javascript size

Question

I have found that the size of the compiled JavaScript grows faster than I had expected. Adding a few lines of Java code to my project can increase the script size in several Kbs

Answer 1

GWT creates different output versions for each supported browser, so when you say the project size is 1MB are you then referring to the combined size of these ? (each browser only download's the one it actually needs).

I have tried to experiment with the generated output when using various inheritance/class/generics constructs. Unfortunately the extra complexity introduced far outweighs the small size improvements gained (when fx. dumping generics).

I have been on some large GWT projects (+50.000 lines) and have found that code obfuscating coupled with turning on compression on the web server to be the simplest most effective way to minimize the downloads. If this does not shrink the code enough, then look into GWT's compilation report which you can use to pinpoint potential problematic classes and places to insert code splitting.