JavaServer Pages, 3rd Edition

JavaServer Pages (JSP) has built a huge following since the release of JSP 1.0 in 1999, providing Enterprise Java developers with a flexible tool for the development of dynamic web sites and web applications. While new point releases over the years, along with the introduction of the JSP Standard Tag Library (JSTL), have incrementally improved the rough areas of the first version of the JSP specification, JSP 2.0 takes this technology to new heights.

JavaServer Pages, Third Edition, is completely revised and updated to cover the JSP 2.0 and JSTL 1.1 specifications. It includes detailed coverage of the Expression Language (EL) incorporated into JSP 2.0, the JSTL 1.1 tag libraries and the new function library, the new tag file format that enables custom tag library development without Java code, the simplified Java tag library API, improvements in the JSP XML syntax, and more. Further, it details setup of the Apache Tomcat server, JSP and JSTL syntax and features, error handling and debugging, authentication and personalization, database access, XML processing, and internationalization.

This book recognizes the different needs of the two groups of professionals who want to learn JSP: page authors interested in using JSP elements in web pages, and programmers concerned with learning the JSP API and using JSP effectively as a part of an enterprise application. If you're in the first group, you'll learn from the practical web application examples in the second part of the book. If you're in the latter group, you'll appreciate the detailed coverage of advanced topics in the third part, such as how to integrate servlets and JavaBeans components with JSP using the popular Apache Struts MVC framework, and how to develop custom tag libraries using the JSP API, with realistic examples that you can use as a springboard for your own libraries.

"Hans Bergsten, a JSP expert group veteran and one of our most active contributors, has thoroughly and accurately captured the new features of JSP 2.0 and JSTL 1.1 in a way that is well-organized and easy to understand. With excellent, to-the-point examples, this book is a 'must have' for any serious JSP 2.0 developer." --Mark Roth, JSP 2.0 Specification Lead, Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Hans Bergsten is the founder of Gefion Software, a company focused on Java services and products based on J2EE technologies. Hans has been an active participant in the working groups for both the servlet and JSP specifications since their inception and contributes to other related JCP specifications, such as JSP Standard Tag Library (JSTL) and JavaServer Faces (JSF), and, as one of the initial members of the Apache Jakarta Project Management Committee, helped develop the Apache Tomcat reference implementation for the servlet and JSP specifications.

Hans Bergsten is the founder of Gefion Software, a company focused on Java services and products based on the J2EE technlogies. Hans has been an active participant in the working groups for both the servlet and JSP specifications from the time they were formed. He also contributes to other related JCP specifications, such as JSP Standard Tag Libraries (JSTL), and helped get the development of the Apache Tomcat reference implementation for servlet and JSP started as one of the initial members of the Apache Jakarta Project Management Committee.

• Chapter 1: Introducing JavaServer Pages
• Chapter 2: HTTP and Servlet Basics
• Chapter 3: JSP Overview
• Chapter 4: Setting Up the JSP Environment

• Chapter 5: Generating Dynamic Content
• Chapter 6: Using JavaBeans Components in JSP Pages
• Chapter 7: Using Custom Tag Libraries and the JSP Standard Tag Library
• Chapter 8: Processing Input and Output
• Chapter 9: Error Handling and Debugging
• Chapter 10: Sharing Data Between JSP Pages, Requests, and Users
• Chapter 11: Developing Custom Tag Libraries as Tag Files
• Chapter 12: Accessing a Database
• Chapter 13: Authentication and Personalization
• Chapter 14: Internationalization
• Chapter 15: Working with XML Data
• Chapter 16: Using Scripting Elements
• Chapter 17: Bits and Pieces

• Chapter 18: Web Application Models
• Chapter 19: Combining JSP and Servlets
• Chapter 20: Developing JavaBeans Components for JSP
• Chapter 21: Developing Custom Tag Libraries Using Java
• Chapter 22: Advanced Custom Tag Library Features
• Chapter 23: Integrating Custom Code with JSTL
• Chapter 24: Database Access Strategies

• Appendix A: JSP Elements Reference
• Appendix B: JSTL Actions and API Reference
• Appendix C: JSP Expression Language Reference
• Appendix D: JSP API Reference
• Appendix E: Book Example Custom Actions and API Reference
• Appendix F: Web Application Structure and Deployment Descriptor Reference