Providing Technology Training and Mentoring For Modern Technology Adoption
This course introduces the students to Jakarta Struts 1.1. During the course, students will learn to design and develop Struts based applications. Students learn how to incorporate JSPs, servlets, EJBs and JavaBeans into their design. Corresponding to every chapter, there is a lab reinforcing the concept.
1. Struts Architecture and Overview
* Objectives * Review: MVC Model * Review: Request, Session and Application * What is Struts? * Struts Flow * Components in Struts * The Model * The View * The Controller * Struts Flow * struts-config.xml * struts-config.xml Content * The <data-sources> element in the struts-config.xml * The <form-beans> element in the struts-config.xml * The <global-forwards> element in the struts-config.xml * The <action-mappings> element in the struts-config.xml * Sample struts-config.xml * The Role of web.xml for the Application * Configuring Struts in the web.xml * web.xml Content * Steps to Configuring Struts in the web.xml * Step 1. Configuring the Action Servlet Instance in the web.xml * Action Servlet Config Example * Step 2. Configuring the Action Servlet Mapping in web.xml * Prefix Mapping Example * Extension Mapping Example * Step 3. Configuring the Struts Tag Libraries in the web.xml * Sample web.xml * Summary
2. The First Struts Application
* Objectives * The application * The Structure * Setup Needed * Directory Structure * index.jsp * index.jsp - continued * The index.jsp Page * struts-config.xml * MultiplyForm.java * MultiplyForm.java - continued * MultiplyAction.java * MultiplyAction.java - continued * result.jsp * The result page * ApplicationResources.properties * Summary
3. Development of Struts Applications Using RAD V6
* Objectives * Directory Structure of a Struts Application * Directory Structure of a Struts Application – an Example * RAD Struts Support * Create a Struts Web Application Project * View the Struts Project Structure * Create a Struts JSP * Insert Struts Tags * Creating a Struts Form Bean * Creating a Struts Form Bean – Cont’d * Create a Struts Action * Create a Struts Action – Cont’d * Edit a Struts Configuration File * Summary
4. Struts Development Cycle
* Objectives * Struts Development Cycle * Gathering Requirements * Defining Screen Requirements * Detailed screen design * Determining the Screen Flow * Defining the ActionMappings in the struts-config.xml * Struts view components – Data vs. ActionForm Bean * Defining Screen Requirements – define FormBean * Developing the FormBean * Developing the FormBean – The reset( ) Method * Developing the FormBean – The validate( ) Method * Developing the FormBean – ActionErrors * Developing the FormBean – Defining the Message Key * Developing the Action Class – action and Action Class * Developing the Action Class * Developing Actions – The execute() Method * Developing Actions – ActionForward * Developing Actions – ActionMapping class * Developing Actions – execute() example * execute() Method Example: * Developing Business Logic – EJBs * Developing JSPs * Configuring struts-config.xml and web.xml * Build, Pack, and Deploy * Summary
5. Struts Tag Libraries
* Objectives * Struts Tag Libraries * Commonality among the Struts Tags * Bean Tags * Bean Tags… * bean:define> * <bean:define>... * <bean:message> * <bean:page> * <bean:include> * <bean:cookie> * <bean:resource> * <bean:write> * <bean:header> * <bean:parameter> * HTML Tags * <html:form> * <html:submit> * <html:text> * <html:password> * <html:link> * <html:errors> * <html:messages> * <html:messages> * <html:multibox> * <html:multibox> * <html:select> * <htm:options> * Logic Tags * Logic Tags functionality * <logic:equal> * <logic:greaterEqual> and <logic:lessEqual> * <logic:lessThan> and <logic:notEqual> * <logic:notEmpty> * <logic:iterate> * Summary
6. Struts Extensions, Internationalization and Error Handling
* Objectives * Struts Extensions * Extension Points * Plug-ins * A plug-in example * Custom Configuration Class * Writing a Configuration Class * Custom ActionServlet * Custom RequestProcessor * Base Action Class * Base Form Bean * Custom JSP Tags * Internationalization (I18N) * I18N - continued * Error Handling * The ActionError class * The ActionErrors class * Error Handling : validate() method of ActionForm * Displaying the errors found in the validate method * Error Handling : execute() method of Action * Error Handling : execute() method of Action - contd * Declarative Exception Handling * Syntax of declarative exception handling * Programmatic Exception Handling * Logging from Struts * Logging (cont.) * Using Commons Logging and Log4J in Struts * Writing Commons Logging Code
7. Miscellaneous Advanced Features
* Advanced Features Discussed in This Chapter * Integration of Jakarta Common Libraries - BeanUtils * Integration of Jakarta Common Libraries - Digester * Multiple Sub-application Support * DynaActionForms * Validators * Adding the Validator framework to a Struts application * A tale of three files * A sample rule in the file validator-rules.xml * A rule in validator-rules.xml (continued) * validation.xml file * Validator Dependency * Rule Variables * Error Message * Error Message (cont.) * Basic Validation Rules * Client Side Validation * Validating multiplication example using DynaActionForm * Writing Custom Validators * Validator Class Example * HTTP Redirection * Working With Check Boxes * Context Sensitive Form Validation
8. Database Programming
* Basic Concepts * MVC Interaction * Database Connection * Transaction Management * Data Source * Defining a Struts Data Source * Opening a Connection from a Struts Data Source * Creating an Editor Form * Example Form Display Action
9. Templates and Tiles
* Objectives * Struts Templates * Defining the Template * A template * Using the template in a JSP * <template:insert> * <template:put> * A JSP that uses the template * Struts Templates * Templates as UI components * Struts 1.1 Tiles Support * Tiles * Tiles example * A JSP that uses the layout * Tiles go beyond templates * Inheritance in tiles definitions * Definitions as Struts “forwards” * Definitions as Struts “forwards”… * Template or Tiles?
10. Unit Testing Struts Applications
* Objectives * What is JUnit? * Why JUnit? * A JUnit Test * Running the tests * JUnit Basics * Unit Testing Struts Applications * A simple Struts test case * MockStrutsTestCase Methods * MockStrutsTestCase methods… * Downloading STC * Testing Strategies
11. JSP Expression Language and Standard Tag Library
* JSP Expression Language (EL) * Basic Usage * Built-in Objects * Working With Arrays and Maps * Operators * Full Example * JSP Standard Tag Library (JSTL) * Run Time Version * Basic Tags * Condition Tags * Interator Tags * Internationalization (I18N) * Setting Preferred Locale * Specifying Resource Bundle * Display Translated Text * Display Number * Display Date * JDBC Tags * Specify Data Source * Performing a Query * Display Result * Pagination Example
Appendix A. Custom Tag Libraries
* Introduction * Tag Attributes * Tag Body * Tag Library Descriptor * Tag Library Descriptor Details * carPrice.tld * The Java Server Page * Writing a Simple Tag Handler Class * Tag Handler Life Cycle * Rendering Content * Implementing Empty Body Tag * Example: CarPriceHandler * CarPriceHandler… * carPrice.jsp * Implementing a Tag With Unprocessed Body * Handling Tag Bodies * Implementing Body Processing * Example: Body Tag Support * Implementing an Iteration Tag * Nested Tags * Summary