Learning Objectives

Understand and explain the Jakarta Struts framework. Design and build Struts based applications

Overview of Web Applications

• Objectives
• Tiered Software Architecture
• Tiered Runtime Environment
• Tiered Architectures
• Presentation Layer
• Web Presentation Layer
• Business Logic Tier
• Tier Integration
• Java Web Applications
• Java Web Application Architecture
• Java EE Architecture
• Web Application Programming Model - MVC
• Model View Controller
• A Scenario of Using MVC

Introduction to Struts

• Objectives
• What is Struts?
• Why Struts?
• Struts Components
• The Controller Layer
• The View
• The Form Bean
• A Simple Action
• Struts Configuration
• Define HelloAction
• Invoking HelloAction
• Finding Information About Struts

Struts Project Configuration

• Creating a Project
• Downloading Struts Distribution
• Struts Files
• The web.xml File
• Struts Configuration Basics
• Creating Sub-modules
• Implications of Sub-modules
• Advanced Sub-module Issues

Basic Struts Programming

• The Action Class
• Action Life Cycle
• The ActionServlet Class
• The executer() Method
• Registering an Action
• The ActionMapping Class
• Accessing User Input
• Form Bean
• Registering Form Bean
• Form Bean Life Cycle
• HTML Form Example
• Accessing User Input
• Bean Scope
• Invoking Business Logic
• Passing Data to Model
• Using Separate DTO Classes
• Controlling Page Flow
• Redirecting the Browser

Basic View Development

• Basic From Validation
• From Validation Pattern
• Validation Logic
• Validation Failure Scenario
• Example validate() Method
• Configure Validation
• Error Messages
• Show Error Messages
• Pre-fill Form Fields
• Basic Steps in Pre-filling
• Example Form
• Form Render Scenario
• Pre-filling After Form Validation Error
• Pre-filling an Editor Form
• Example Form Display Action
• Basic Input Fields

Struts Tag Libraries

• Commonality Among the Struts Tags
• HTML Tags
• Bean Tags
• Logic Tags
• Logice Tags funtionality
• Summary

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

Advanced Programming

• Error Handling
• Application Error
• Role of the Action
• Role of the View
• Show Data in Error Message
• Declarative Exception Handling
• Syntax of Declarative Exception Handling
• HashMap Property
• Array Property
• Sub-beans
• Dynamic Form Bean
• Avoid JSP File Name in Links
• Link to a Forward

Struts Techniques

• Working with Check Boxes
• The reset() Scenario
• Example Check Box Handling
• Dynamic List Box
• Form Cancellation
• Prevent Duplicate Form Submission
• Multi-Page Flow
• Multi-Page Flow Approaches
• Basic Technique
• Example Action
• The Previous Button Handling
• Form Validation
• Preventing Action Proliferation
• DispatchAction Approach
• LookupDispatchAction Approach
• Uploading Files
• The FormFile Interface
• Saving File in Database

The Validator Package

• Enable the Package
• Validator Configuration Files
• A sample rule in the file validator-rules.xml
• validation.xml file
• Basic Configuration
• Rule Variables
• Error Message
• Common Validation Rules
• Basic Validation
• Range Check
• Length Check
• Special Types
• Advanced Rules
• Client Side Validation
• Writing Custom Validators
• Validator Class Example

Tiles Framework

• The Problem
• A Basic JSP Page
• Centralized Content
• Layout Using CSS2
• Dreameweaver Template
• Tiles Framework
• Template Mechanism
• Create the Template
• Create Individual Pages
• Configure Tiles
• Composite Pages
• Use the Pages
• Change Management
• Overriding Content
• Template as a Generic Container
• Specify the Module List
• Render the Module List from a Template
• Enable Tiles Framework