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.

• Part I. JSP Application Basics
  • Introducing JavaServer Pages
  • HTTP and Servlet Basics
  • JSP Overview
  • Setting Up the JSP Environment
• Part II. JSP Application Development
  • Generating Dynamic Content
  • Using JavaBeans Components in JSP Pages
  • Using Custom Tag Libraries and the JSP Standard Tag Library
  • Processing Input and Output
  • Error Handling and Debugging
  • Sharing Data Between JSP Pages, Requests, and Users
  • Developing Custom Tag Libraries as Tag Files
  • Accessing a Database
  • Authentication and Personalization
  • Internationalization
  • Working with XML Data
  • Using Scripting Elements
  • Bits and Pieces
• Part III. JSP in J2EE and JSP Component Development
  • Web Application Models
  • Combining JSP and Servlets
  • Developing JavaBeans Components for JSP
  • Developing Custom Tag Libraries Using Java
  • Advanced Custom Tag Library Features
  • Integrating Custom Code with JSTL
  • Database Access Strategies
• Part IV. Appendixes
  • A. JSP Elements Reference
  • B. JSTL Actions and API Reference
  • C. JSP Expression Language Reference
  • D. JSP API Reference
  • E. Book Example Custom Actions and API Reference
  • F. Web Application Structure and Deployment Descriptor Reference
  • Index