The Google Web Toolkit engineering team is happy to announce that the second Google Web Toolkit 1.6 Release Candidate is now available from the project download page for you to try out. (The first GWT 1.6 Release Candidate was announced a couple of weeks ago on the the GWT Developer Forum.)

New Project Structure in GWT 1.6

GWT 1.6 introduces a new project structure based on the standard J2EE web archive (war) format. We believe this will make it much, much easier to add a GWT module into an existing web app or otherwise mix GWT with other technologies. For more details, check out the updated standard directory and package layout for GWT 1.6.

New EventHandler System

The event system has been updated to be more in line with Java norms, making it both easier to use and easier to write your own widgets. This also paves the way for making events easier to extend in the future. Have a look at the new EventHandler and HandlerManager classes to get a sense for how they work. We've also added new methods for triggering real native browser events.

New Widgets

The new DatePicker and DateBox widgets allow your users to select a date from a calendar. The new LazyPanel widget makes it easy to delay the creation of certain sections of your application until they are first accessed, improving startup performance.

For full details, be sure to check out What's New in GWT 1.6?, and then download the release candidate and give it a whirl. Let us know what you think in the GWT Developer Forum.