Sebastopol, CA--Web tier frameworks have soared in popularity with Java
developers over the past year or so due to the increasing complexity of
Java itself, and the need to get more work done with fewer resources.
Developers who used to spend hours and hours writing low-level features
have realized the enormous benefits of using well-written frameworks to
build the presentation tier so they can get to coding the "good
stuff"--the business logic at the core of the program. The Struts
Framework, originally created by Craig R. McClanahan and donated to the
Apache Software Foundation's Jakarta project in 2000, has become one of
the most popular presentation frameworks for building web applications
with Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages (JSP) technology. It encourages
application architecture based on the Model-View-Controller (MVC)
design paradigm, colloquially known as the Model 2 approach.
The challenge many developers face is that although the Struts
Framework makes their job easier and faster, mastering Model 2
programming is not a trivial task. Developers will often find
themselves confused as to the best approach to many problems. In his
new book, Programming
Jakarta Struts (O'Reilly US $39.95), author
Chuck Cavaness takes a real-world, "this is how to do it" approach to
developing applications that is sure to shorten the Struts learning
curve.
Cavaness learned about Struts the hard way. After his internet company
decided to adopt the framework, he spent months trying to figure out
how to use it in order to build a company application. He calls his
book, "the culmination of lessons learned (the hard way) during the
building of our application."
"Programming Jakarta Struts" is a complete guide to the Struts project,
taking developers through concepts, design, and implementation. The
book starts with the basics of a Struts application and explains the
Model 2 design pattern in depth. Then, it moves quickly to more
advanced topics, thoroughly documenting installation and setup and
clearly explaining every configuration option. The book explores JSP
programming within the context of Struts with numerous practical
examples that use both the standard JSP tag libraries and the Struts
additions. Readers will learn about programming multitiered
applications, interacting with EJBs from Struts applications, and
handling complex validation and logging through the Struts provided
packages and tools.
Other topics covered in the book include:
- A complete look at mapping Struts to the Model 2 design pattern
- Internationalization and localization with Struts applications
- Complete coverage of the new Struts Tiles template library
- Packaging and deployment of Struts applications
Craig McClanahan, the creator of Jakarta Struts, says, "One thing a lot
of open source packages lack is a comprehensive guide to all of the
features--something that goes far enough part "hello, world" to get you
into solving real application design problems[this book hits] just the
right level for a lot of people."
Additional resources:
Programming Jakarta Struts
Chuck Cavaness
ISBN 0-596-00328-5, 441 pages, $39.95 (US), $61.95 (CAN)
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938i; 1-707-827-7000
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