Struts in Action

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A comprehensive introduction to the Struts framework that is complemented by practical case studies that implement applications with Struts, this book is intended for professional developers who want practical advice on how to get their applications working the ""Struts way."" The hot topics in the construction of any Web site such as initial design, data validation, database access, unit testing, authentication and security, J2EE integration, dynamic page assembly, extending framework classes, and product configuration are covered. Also demonstrated are dozens of proven design techniques, patterns, and strategies.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Foreword (p. xix)
• Preface (p. xxiii)
• Acknowledgments (p. xxvi)
• About this book (p. xxviii)
• Part 1 Getting started with Struts (p. 1)
• 1 Introduction (p. 3)
• 1.1 What is this book about? (p. 4)
• 1.2 What are application frameworks? (p. 5)
• 1.3 Enabling technologies (p. 6)
• 1.4 Struts from 30,000 feet (p. 14)
• 1.5 Summary (p. 28)
• 2 Exploring the Struts architecture (p. 29)
• 2.1 Talking the talk (p. 30)
• 2.2 Why we need Struts (p. 30)
• 2.3 Why we need frameworks (p. 37)
• 2.4 Struts, Model 2, and MVC (p. 41)
• 2.5 Struts control flow (p. 46)
• 2.6 The strengths and weaknesses of Struts (p. 53)
• 2.7 Summary (p. 58)
• 3 Building a simple application (p. 59)
• 3.1 Strut by Strut (p. 60)
• 3.2 Touring a logon application (p. 61)
• 3.3 Dissecting the logon application (p. 65)
• 3.4 Constructing an application (p. 86)
• 3.5 Summary (p. 104)
• 4 Configuring Struts components (p. 105)
• 4.1 Three XMLs and a Properties file (p. 106)
• 4.2 The web application deployment descriptor (p. 107)
• 4.3 The Struts configuration (p. 113)
• 4.4 The Struts configuration elements (p. 116)
• 4.5 The application resources file (p. 128)
• 4.6 The Ant build file (p. 130)
• 4.7 Configuring the Struts core (p. 133)
• 4.8 Configuring the Tiles framework (p. 134)
• 4.9 Configuring the Struts Validator (p. 136)
• 4.10 Getting started with the Struts Blank application (p. 137)
• 4.11 Configuring modular applications (p. 139)
• 4.12 Sharing the Struts JAR (p. 142)
• 4.13 Summary (p. 143)
• Part 2 Raising your framework (p. 145)
• 5 Coping with ActionForms (p. 147)
• 5.1 Garbage in, treasure out (p. 148)
• 5.2 The many faces of an ActionForm (p. 151)
• 5.3 ActionForm design consequences (p. 157)
• 5.4 ActionForm flavors (p. 160)
• 5.5 Why isn't an ActionForm... (p. 162)
• 5.6 Debriefing ActionForms (p. 164)
• 5.7 BaseForm (p. 179)
• 5.8 Summary (p. 182)
• 6 Wiring with ActionForwards (p. 183)
• 6.1 What ActionForwards do (p. 184)
• 6.2 How ActionForwards work (p. 185)
• 6.3 Global and local forwards (p. 187)
• 6.4 Runtime parameters (p. 188)
• 6.5 Dynamic forwards (p. 189)
• 6.6 Why doesn't the address bar change? (p. 190)
• 6.7 Rolling your own ActionForward (p. 190)
• 6.8 Summary (p. 191)
• 7 Designing with ActionMappings (p. 193)
• 7.1 Enter ActionMappings (p. 194)
• 7.2 ActionMapping properties (p. 196)
• 7.3 Nested components (p. 203)
• 7.4 Rolling your own ActionMapping (p. 204)
• 7.5 Summary (p. 205)
• 8 Working with Action objects (p. 207)
• 8.1 Ready, set, action! (p. 208)
• 8.2 Getting it done with Action objects (p. 208)
• 8.3 The standard Actions (p. 219)
• 8.4 Chaining Actions (p. 228)
• 8.5 Scaffold Actions (p. 229)
• 8.6 Base View Actions (p. 239)
• 8.7 Helper Action techniques (p. 240)
• 8.8 Using smart forwarding (p. 249)
• 8.9 Summary (p. 254)
• 9 Extending ActionServlet (p. 255)
• 9.1 Where's the beef? (p. 256)
• 9.2 The RequestProcessor (p. 259)
• 9.3 The ExceptionHandler (p. 262)
• 9.4 PlugIn (p. 263)
• 9.5 Summary (p. 264)
• Part 3 Building your pages (p. 265)
• 10 Displaying dynamic content (p. 267)
• 10.1 Tag--you're it (p. 268)
• 10.2 Working with tag extensions (p. 274)
• 10.3 The Struts taglibs (p. 279)
• 10.4 Using Struts JSP tags (p. 290)
• 10.5 Alternate views (p. 315)
• 10.6 Summary (p. 317)
• 11 Developing applications with Tiles (p. 319)
• 11.1 Leveraging layouts (p. 320)
• 11.2 Building a layout template (p. 324)
• 11.3 Tiles Definitions (p. 331)
• 11.4 Tile attributes (p. 339)
• 11.5 Migrating an application to Tiles (p. 343)
• 11.6 Summary (p. 363)
• 12 Validating user input (p. 365)
• 12.1 I know it when I see it (p. 366)
• 12.2 Overview of the Struts Validator (p. 371)
• 12.3 Basic validators (p. 379)
• 12.4 Resource bundles (p. 384)
• 12.5 Configuration files (p. 387)
• 12.6 Validator JSP tags (p. 388)
• 12.7 ValidatorForm and ValidatorActionForm (p. 391)
• 12.8 Localized validations (p. 392)
• 12.9 Pluggable validators (p. 392)
• 12.10 Techniques (p. 394)
• 12.11 Migrating an application to the Struts Validator (p. 399)
• 12.12 Summary (p. 408)
• 13 Localizing content (p. 409)
• 13.1 By any other name (p. 410)
• 13.2 Struts' internationalized components (p. 417)
• 13.3 Localizing a Struts application (p. 427)
• 13.4 Localizing other components (p. 432)
• 13.5 Summary (p. 435)
• 14 Using data services with Struts (p. 437)
• 14.1 Stepping out (p. 438)
• 14.2 Exploring the business layer (p. 440)
• 14.3 Using ProcessBeans and JDBC with Struts (p. 445)
• 14.4 Using result objects (p. 455)
• 14.5 Using helper Actions (p. 457)
• 14.6 Using Lucene (p. 458)
• 14.7 Using content syndication (p. 464)
• 14.8 Using EJBs with Struts (p. 468)
• 14.9 Summary (p. 471)
• Part 4 Struts by example (p. 473)
• 15 Artimus: pulling out the stops (p. 475)
• 15.1 The framework's framework (p. 476)
• 15.2 Scaffold--birth of a toolset (p. 476)
• 15.3 About Artimus (p. 477)
• 15.4 The deployment descriptor (web.xml) (p. 480)
• 15.5 ArtimusServlet (p. 484)
• 15.6 The application and SQL Properties files (p. 487)
• 15.7 index.jsp (p. 488)
• 15.8 Global forwards (p. 489)
• 15.9 /find/Recent (p. 492)
• 15.10 tiles.xml and Article.jsp (p. 499)
• 15.11 result.jsp (p. 504)
• 15.12 Article actions (p. 510)
• 15.13 view.jsp (p. 513)
• 15.14 edit.jsp (p. 516)
• 15.15 /do/Menu (p. 521)
• 15.16 menu.jsp (p. 526)
• 15.17 Summary (p. 532)
• 16 Redux: migrating to Struts 1.1 (p. 533)
• 16.1 Next station, Struts 1.1 (p. 534)
• 16.2 Baseline changes (p. 538)
• 16.3 Discretionary changes (p. 548)
• 16.4 Summary (p. 554)
• 17 Velocity: replacing JSPs (p. 555)
• 17.1 Moving to Velocity templates (p. 556)
• 17.2 Change makes the framework (p. 556)
• 17.3 Why we need Velocity (p. 557)
• 17.4 Using Velocity with web applications (p. 558)
• 17.5 Our logon templates (p. 563)
• 17.6 Setting up VelocityViewServlet (p. 566)
• 17.7 Setting up struts-config (p. 569)
• 17.8 Summary (p. 570)
• A Design patterns (p. 573)
• A.1 A brief history of design patterns (p. 574)
• A.2 Why patterns are important (p. 576)
• A.3 What patterns won't do (p. 577)
• A.4 Struts--a Who's Who of design patterns (p. 577)
• B The struts-config API (p. 583)
• B.1 [left angle bracket]struts-config[right angle bracket] (p. 584)
• C Taglib quick reference (p. 599)
• Glossary (p. 605)
• References (p. 614)
• Index (p. 624)

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Ted Husted is an acknowledged Struts authority, an active member of the Struts development team, and manager of the JGuru Struts Forum. As a consultant, Ted has worked with professional Struts development teams throughout the United States. Ted also helps manage the Apache Jakarta project, which hosts the Struts framework. Ted lives in Fairport, New York with his wife, two children, four computers, and an aging cat.

Cedric Dumoulin is an active member of the Struts development team and the author of the Tiles framework. Cedric is presently a researcher at the University of Lille. He has also worked in the R&D department of a leading international internet banking company. He lives in Lille, France.

George Franciscus is a principal at Nexcel, providing technical and management consulting services in several industries including Telecommunications, Banking, Life Insurance and Property and Casualty Insurance. George has expertise in Java, J2EE, Domino, relational databases, and mainframe technologies. He holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Toronto. George lives in Toronto, Ontario with his wife and three children.

David Winterfeldt is a Struts committer and author of the Commons Validator package. He works as a senior developer at a major company implementing J2EE technology. David currently lives in New York City.