Apache Wicket VS ZK

Sort of sounds like Apache Wicket (https://wicket.apache.org/). I used it for a few projects in the mid-late 2000s. I really liked it being server side and the concept of having object-oriented HTML (code paired with HTML snippets). I haven't had a need to use it since 2014, so haven't kept up with the project.

You can use Java for Backend and Frontend. A relative new kid on the block for Frontend is Qute. The general keyword you are searching for is Java Templating Engine. Specific examples would be Thymeleaf or FreeMarker. There are some framework, which offer a lot more than templating like Vaadin or Wicket. Some are just specifications like Jakarta Faces with some of their implementations MyFaces or Mojarra.

Perhaps, a good competitor for JSF is Apache Wicket.

I have used https://wicket.apache.org/ in the past and I think it matches your needs. It's a simple mvc that focuses on the actual java code writing and uses html only on the layout of your components in your page.

Is this the Wicket you're referring to? https://wicket.apache.org/

What's the best intro you know to how it's components work, and the benefits and tradeoffs over other approaches?

You should consider Apache Wicket. It is widely used for business apps.

I think Apache Wicket takes a similar approach for Java? https://wicket.apache.org/

I like the approach, and it's good to see more projects in this space.

I believe Wicket is somewhat similar (and still actively developed).

https://wicket.apache.org/

The ZK framework was started by Chinese developers: https://www.zkoss.org/

Here I am taking Keikai spreadsheet and a ZK drawer component as an example demonstrating how this can be done. In this example, we will add a slide-in/out Help panel to our spreadsheet where we can display large blocks of Help text in a much more easy-to-read format.