Building Play Framework apps with Scala is all the rage right now. And for good reason… It’s never been easier to build and deploy JVM-based web apps! Lets walk through how to build a Play app with Scala and then deploy it on the cloud with Heroku.
Step 1) Install the Play Framework (make sure you have at least version 1.2.3)
Step 2) Install the Play Scala module:
play install scala
Step 3) Create a new Play app with Scala support:
I’ve gradually been learning Scala over the past few months and I really have been enjoying it. For me Scala is like Shakespeare. It seems familiar and totally foreign at the same time. I don’t enjoy Shakespeare plays nearly as much as someone who has taken the time to learn the language of Shakespeare. Some have interpreted Scala being “familiar yet totally foreign” as Scala being “hard” but I’d say it’s just different. With Scala there is probably more about programming that I need to unlearn than to learn. My perspectives on programming languages have been shaped by the ones I’ve used most (Java, ActionScript, etc). And now my perspecives are being reshaped. It might take some time and work but I believe that using Scala will soon be very enjoyable for me.
This week I’m starting a Java User Group tour where I’ll be travelling to JUGs around the US (or maybe world). On the tour I’ll be giving a talk about Running Java, Play! and Scala Apps on the Cloud. Here is the description:
Heroku is a Polyglot Cloud Application Platform that makes it easy to deploy Java, Play! and Scala apps on the cloud. Deployment is as simple as doing a “git push”. This session will teach you how to instantly deploy and scale Java, Play! and Scala apps on Heroku.
Over the past year I’ve been gradually learning Scala and I think it’s fantastic! So I’m incredibly excited that Scala now runs on Heroku! Of course you can use the standard Java on Heroku / Maven method of running Scala on Heroku. But as of today you can also use sbt (the Scala Build Tool) to run Scala apps on Heroku. If you are new to Heroku, it is a Polyglot Cloud Application Platform. Put very simply:
UPDATE: This is only for Play 1.x with Scala. Getting Play 2 projects (Java or Scala) working in IDEA is now as easy running “play idea” and then opening the project.
Update 2: I’ve posted a new video showing how to create and run Play2 apps in IntelliJ.
Yesterday at the [Programming Summer Camp][1] a group of us were working together to learn the [Play Framework][2]. Once we were able to get the basics working we wanted to get everything working in [IntelliJ IDEA][3]. Due to a lack of good documentation on the subject things did not go smoothly until we figured out the right “magical incantations”. We did eventually get it working so I wanted to document the steps we took.