This document discusses the Struts framework for building Java web applications using the MVC pattern. It provides a history of web technologies and frameworks, an overview of the Model 1 and Model 2 approaches, and a detailed look at how Struts implements the MVC pattern. Key aspects of Struts covered include the front controller, action classes, configuration file, tags, and request lifecycle. The document also briefly compares Struts to other frameworks like Django and Ruby on Rails.

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Struts
Web Technologies – Struts – WS 2010/11
Felix Matenaar, Ivan Golod
Patrick Schlebusch, Petru Nicolaescu

2. 18.11.10 Web Technologies
History
 Server-side for dynamic web pages and web applications:
 Common Gateway Interface – CGI
 Overloaded server
 ISAPI and Apache DSO
 ASP
 Java
 JavaServer Pages – JSP
 Java servlets
Web Technologies1

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Motivation
 Model 1:
 JSP handles all responsibilities:
 Processing request
 Validating data
 Handling business logic
 Generating response
 Good for small projects
 Disadvantage:
 Page design is intermixed with business logic
 Inadmissible for big projects
Web Technologies2

4. Web Technologies3 22.11.2010 Web Technologies
MVC
ViewModel
Controller
 Model 2:
 Separates display of content from business logic
 Model-View-Controller Pattern
 Invented in Smalltalk at Xerox
 Model - behavior and data
 View - renders the model
 Controller – receives input and initiates a response

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What is Struts?
 Framework for MVC in Java Web Applications
 Components:
 Extensible controller implementation
 Front controller
 Own servlets realize actual functionality
 Tag libraries for the JSPs
 HTML Forms
 Internationalization
 AJAX
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MVC In Struts
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View
JSP
Tags
Model
Java Beans
Controller
ActionServlet
Action
struts-config.xml
ActionForm

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Architecture & Request Life Cycle
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Front Controller Action
Template
(e.g. JSP)
Configuration
request
response Provided by Struts
Created by developer
Interceptor (Struts 2)
Tags
result

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Action; Action Form
 The Action class
 execute() : ActionForward
 ActionForward, associated with current request
 Configuring the action classes
 The ActionForm
 Associated with html form
 Respects JavaBean specification
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Configuration File: struts-config.xml
 Available under “WebContentWEB-INF”
 ActionForm declaration
 Action Mappings
 General mapping
 any request to a resource with .do extension will be
taken by Struts’ ActionServlet
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10. A whole bunch of frameworks
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Django
Ruby on Rails
Zend
Solarphp
Typo3
Google Web Tookit
Struts
Web2py
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11. Criteria
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 performance
 user feeling
 infrastructure costs
 security
 availability
 data loss → image loss
 development speed
 time to market
 always offer latest technology
Not only the framework design but also the programming
Language influence the applicability
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12. Cursory comparison
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Criteria Struts Django Zend Rails
Language Java Python PHP Ruby
Typing Strict Duck Duck Duck
Concept MVC MVC MVC MVC
Performance ++ - - -
Security o + - - ++
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13. Summary
 Big projects should separate
business logic and presentation
 Struts is an MVC framework
 Java
 Scalable
 Controller -> Actions
 View -> JSP
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14. The end
Thank you!
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15. 18.11.10 Web Technologies
Literature
 http://struts.apache.org
Framework Download, Documentation, Tutorials, etc..
 Ian Roughley - „Starting With Struts 2“
(http://www.infoq.com/minibooks/starting-struts2)
 James Holmes - „Struts: The Complete Reference“
 http://www.javauc.com/java/727