ARABX Pty Ltd

Java / JSP / JSTL

Index

Overview

The purpose of this training module is to introduce the developer into the rapid development of web base systems using Java technologies. The specific Java techonlogy used is JavaServer Pages (JSP). Within JavaServer Pages, extensive use of The JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library (JSTL), provides in most cases, all that is required to proceed with development of web base systems with full dynamic database content.

The key objectives of this course are:

Installation and Operation of tools and services to serve and manage Java web base systems.
Understanding of JSTL and it's operation with JSP
Database support with JSTL and MySQL
XML support with JSTL
Intergration of Java with JSP
Supporting tool sets included XP testing principles and CVS version control

Technologies

Java

Java technology is a portfolio of products that are based on the power of networks and the idea that the same software should run on many different kinds of systems and devices

JSP

JavaServer Pages (JSP) technology provides a simplified, fast way to create dynamic web content. JSP technology enables rapid development of web-based applications that are server- and platform-independent

JSTL

The JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library (JSTL) encapsulates as simple tags the core functionality common to many Web applications. JSTL has support for common, structural tasks such as iteration and conditionals, tags for manipulating XML documents, internationalization tags, and SQL tags. It also provides a framework for integrating existing custom tags with JSTL tags.

For more detailed information on these technologies, read below or goto our Index of Lessons

Java

Contents

-	Java Programming Language
-	Java Platform

Java technology readily harnesses the power of the network because it is both a programming language and a selection of specialized platforms. As such, it standardizes the development and deployment of the kind of secure, portable, reliable, and scalable applications required by the networked economy. Because the Internet and World Wide Web play a major role in new business development, consistent and widely supported standards are critical to growth and success.

Java Programming Language

The Java programming language lets you write powerful, enterprise-worthy programs that run in the browser, from the desktop, on a server, or on a consumer device. Java programs are run on -- interpreted by -- another program called the Java Virtual Machine (Java VM). Rather than running directly on the native operating system, the program is interpreted by the Java VM for the native operating system. This means that any computer system with the Java VM installed can run a Java program regardless of the computer system on which the application was originally developed.

See The Java Tutorial for more information.

Java Platform

The Java platform is a software-only platform that runs on top of other hardware-based platforms. Because hardware-based platforms vary in their storage, memory, network connection, and computing power capabilities, specialized Java platforms are available to address applications development for and deployment to those different environments.

Java technology has grown to include the portfolio of specialized platforms listed below. Each platform is based on a Java VM that has been ported to the target hardware environment. This means, for example, in the case of Desktop Java, desktop applications written in the Java programming language can run on any Java VM-enabled desktop without modification.

Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE), provides an environment for Core Java and Desktop Java applications development, and is the basis for Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) and Java Web Services technologies. It has the compiler, tools, runtimes, and Java APIs that let you write, test, deploy, and run applets and applications.

Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE), defines the standard for developing component-based multitier enterprise applications. It is based on J2SE and provides additional services, tools, and APIs to support simplified enterprise applications development.

Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME), is a set of technologies and specifications targeted at consumer and embedded devices, such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA's), printers, and TV set-top boxes.

Java Card technology adapts the Java platform to enable smart cards and other intelligent devices with limited memory and processing capabilities to benefit from many of the advantages of Java technology.

JavaServer Pages Overview (JSP)

Contents

-	Benefits for Developers
-	JSP Technology and Java Servlets
-	Community Background

JavaServer Pages (JSP) technology enables Web developers and designers to rapidly develop and easily maintain, information-rich, dynamic Web pages that leverage existing business systems. As part of the Java technology family, JSP technology enables rapid development of Web-based applications that are platform independent. JSP technology separates the user interface from content generation, enabling designers to change the overall page layout without altering the underlying dynamic content.

Benefits for Developers

If you are a Web page developer or designer who is familiar with HTML, you can:

Use JSP technology without having to learn the Java language: You can use JSP technology without learning how to write Java scriplets. Although scriptlets are no longer required to generate dynamic content, they are still supported to provide backward compatibility.
Extend the JSP language: Java tag library developers and designers can extend the JSP language with "simple tag handlers," which utilize a new, much simpler and cleaner, tag extension API. This spurs the growing number of pluggable, reusable tag libraries available, which in turn reduces the amount of code needed to write powerful Web applications.
Easily write and maintain pages: The JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library (JSTL) expression language is now integrated into JSP technology and has been upgraded to support functions. The expression language can now be used instead of scriptlet expressions.

JSP Technology and Java Servlets

JSP technology uses XML-like tags that encapsulate the logic that generates the content for the page. The application logic can reside in server-based resources (such as JavaBeans component architecture) that the page accesses with these tags. Any and all formatting (HTML or XML) tags are passed directly back to the response page. By separating the page logic from its design and display and supporting a reusable component-based design, JSP technology makes it faster and easier than ever to build Web-based applications.

JavaServer Pages technology is an extension of the Java Servlet technology. Servlets are platform-independent, server-side modules that fit seamlessly into a Web server framework and can be used to extend the capabilities of a Web server with minimal overhead, maintenance, and support. Unlike other scripting languages, servlets involve no platform-specific consideration or modifications; they are application components that are downloaded, on demand, to the part of the system that needs them. Together, JSP technology and servlets provide an attractive alternative to other types of dynamic Web scripting/programming by offering: platform independence; enhanced performance; separation of logic from display; ease of administration; extensibility into the enterprise; and, most importantly, ease of use.

Today servlets are a popular choice for building interactive Web applications. Third-party servlet containers are available for Apache Web Server, Microsoft IIS, and others. Servlet containers are usually a component of Web and application servers, such as BEA WebLogic Application Server, IBM WebSphere, Sun Java System Web Server, Sun Java System Application Server, and others.

Community Background

The JSP specification is the product of industry-wide collaboration with industry leaders in the enterprise software and tools markets, led by Sun Microsystems. Sun has made the JSP specification freely available to the developer community, with the goal that every Web server and application server will support the JSP interface. JSP pages share the "Write Once, Run Anywhere" advantages of Java technology. JSP technology is a key component in the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition, Sun's highly scalable architecture for enterprise applications.

JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library (JSTL)

The JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library (JSTL) encapsulates, as simple tags, core functionality common to many JSP applications. For example, instead of suggesting that you iterate over lists using a scriptlet or different iteration tags from numerous vendors, JSTL defines a standard tag that works the same everywhere. This standardization lets you learn a single tag and use it on multiple JSP containers. Also, when tags are standard, containers can recognize them and optimize their implementations.

JSTL has support for common, structural tasks such as iteration and conditionals, tags for manipulating XML documents, internationalization and locale-sensitive formatting tags, and SQL tags. It also introduces a new expression language to simplify page development, and it provides an API for developers to simplify the configuration of JSTL tags and the development of custom tags that conform to JSTL conventions.