JSTL in Action [Paperback]

Shawn Bayern (Author)

Book Description

Series: In Action series | Publication Date: July 2002

Introducing Web page authors and programmers to the JSP Standard Tag Library (JSTL), this guide covers all features of the JSTL 1.0 standard. Whether users need to add dynamic content to a static Web page or are in need of providing back-end code, nonprogrammers are shown how to manipulate XML, access relational databases, format text, internationalize Web applications, and introduce general-flow logic into JSP--all with HTML-like tags that are accessible to authors of Web pages. Also addressed are techniques for utilizing and extending JSTL's functionality.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A nicely written book...beginner-friendly on all levels...concentrates on practice rather than theory and specifications..." -- JavaRanch

"A thorough, yet easy, introduction to the subject . . . don't overlook this title if you are involved in JSP development." -- Java Metroplex Users Group of Dallas, Ft.Worth, Texas

"An excellent introduction . . . Mr. Bayern clearly has the teacher's gift . . . I'll look forward to more books from him." -- Since1968.com

"Does a remarkably good job of unveiling relevant details...fluid, concise, entertaining, and informative." -- Java Pro Magazine

From the Inside Flap

"... does a wonderful job at making beginners and experts alike fluent in JSTL. [Bayern is] a key expert and lead developer ..." -Pierre Delisle, JSTL Specification Lead, Sun Microsystems, Inc. "Written by a highly knowledgeable and instrumental contributor, this book harnesses the power of JSTL ..." -Mark Roth, JSP Specification Co-Lead, Sun Microsystems, Inc. "... perfect coverage of JSTL, XML, and JSP ... for any web designer who works with Java developers on enterprise sites." -Henri Yandell, Java Architect, Genscape, Inc. JSTL is an important simplification of the Java web platform. With JSTL, page authors can now write dynamic pages using standard HTML-like tags and an easy-to-learn expression language. JSTL is a standard from the Java Community Process, and its expression language will become part of JSP 2.0. JSTL in Action shows you how to write rich, dynamic web pages without programming. From simple loops to tricky XML processing, every feature of JSTL is covered and exercised in numerous useful examples. Whether you are a novice page author or an experienced Java programmer, this book shows you easy ways to create powerful web sites.This bundle contains a ready-to-run JSP container, a JSTL implementation, and all the book's examples. What's Inside . Mixing HTML tags and JSTL . JSTL's expression language . Working with loops and conditions . Painless XML processing . Accessing databases . Text formatting . Internationalization . JSTL configuration and performance . Many examples including

. How to register and authenticate users

. Running an online survey

. How to build a discussion forum

. Designing a web portal Shawn Bayern is a research programmer at Yale University and coauthor of Web Development with JavaServer Pages. He is the reference implementation lead for JSTL.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Manning Publications (July 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930110529
• ISBN-13: 978-1930110526
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #620,687 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a good tutorial, August 18, 2003

By 

Norman Richards "..." (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: JSTL in Action (Paperback)

What the book is:

- the best JSTL tutorial I've found to learn JSTL from

What the book isn't:

- a good reference book if you already know JSTL

I got great value out of the book when I was first learning JSTL, but this book doesn't have the depth to hold my interest as a more proficient JSTL user. The reference material isn't very well formatted, and it can be somewhat difficult to find what I am looking for. Nonetheless. I highly recommend this book as a tool to learn the JSTL.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Friend in the Book Case, October 30, 2002

By 

Swords and Plowshares (Tacoma, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: JSTL in Action (Paperback)

Good programming books are not rampant. Manning tends to be a great source, however. They've done it again with this book. And, this time, they have the added attraction of a great, adult sense of humour with Shawn Bayern. If you cannot use JSTL with ease after reading this book, then you will be in the minority. I don't know if Bayern makes the hard easy or the easy easy, but it definitely is made easy. I sailed through this book wondering how 400 plus pages could seem like 90 pages. The best thing is that there is a forest for the trees to live in throughout this book. Bayern is a great teacher. I'm going to look at his other book now. Maybe it is good too.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on JSTL and taglibs!, August 13, 2003

By 

Danilo Gurovich "[e-mail]" (Northridge, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: JSTL in Action (Paperback)

I'm actually awestruck and definitely pleased that Shawn is a developer and writes so well! JSTL is a hot topic these days, especially when it comes to Struts and other JSP Frameworks. Shawn presents an excellent description of JSTL and it's abilities, and stresses how easy it's evaluation language is to use.

As a Struts programmer and architect, This book allowed me to see how many of the Struts-tags overlap with the JSTL, and I believe Shawn's work gave me the inspiration and critical knowledge I need to implement JSTL in my future projects. He treats JSTL tags as what they are -- more tools in my toolbox, not a reason to dump what I already know.

A note to developers - Be careful with JSTL if you have concerns about MVC architecture, because JSTL crosses the line in a couple of places (sql and xml tags). Shawn addresses this quite well in his book.

If you're reading this review, you're probably familiar with, or already programming Struts. This book will most definitely help you stay ahead of the curve and I highly recommend it!