Struts Kick Start (Paperback)

~ (Author), Kevin Bedell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Learn to build applications with Jakarta Struts, the most popular JSP development framework. Struts Kick Start is a "hands-on" book filled with sample applications and code snippets you can reuse, and in-depth coverage of new features in Struts 1.1. If you are looking for a practical book that "shows you how to do it", then Struts Kick Start is for you. Plus, it's the first Struts book with detailed examples of the major Struts tags.

The book begins with a discussion of Struts and its Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture. The authors' then demonstrate Struts' power through the development of a non-trivial sample application - covering all the Struts components in a "how to use them" approach. You'll also see the Struts Tag Library in action - use tags for HTML, javabeans, logical operations and more. You'll learn to use Struts with JBoss for EJB's, with Apache Axis to publish and use Web Services, and with JUnit for testing and debugging. The authors work with the latest Struts 1.1 features including DynaForms, Tiles and the Validator.

The book includes a CD-ROM containing the tools discussed in the book: Struts 1.1 beta 2, Java 2 Standard Edition, JBoss 3.0.3, MySQL 3.23, XDoclet, Torque, Tomcat, Ant, Axis, Cactus, and JUnit. Plus, it comes with an electronic, fully searchable version of the book.

From the Inside Cover:

"Struts Kick Start is a good resource for learning about Struts, and it willhelp you get up to speed quickly."

- Craig McClanahan, Creator of Struts

Thoroughly covers the essential features of Struts in a clear and readable style.

Struts Kick Start is a solid starting point for learning how to develop webapplications using Struts. The authors start you off by reviewing thefoundational technologies on which Struts is based, and immediately get into thesorts of practical "how to" information and examples that get you up to speedquickly.

Notable features that I really appreciated include the coverage on integrationwith other technologies (such as EJBs and web services), using Ant to set upyour development environment, and the fact that the software goodies you needare available on the included CD. Struts does not live in a vacuum—it is one ofthe tools in the developer's toolkit, so knowing how it works with othertechnologies is very useful.

Of particular importance is the coverage on testing your web application as youbuild and maintain it. Developing a solid testing methodology, and a substantialsuite of tests (to protect yourself against regressions), is criticallyimportant to a rapid development cycle that still needs to produce high qualityapplications. Coverage of testing, though, tends to be minimal in many booksabout programming technologies. James and Kevin provide specific advice on howto use the JUnit and Cactus testing frameworks with your Struts based applications.

From the Inside Flap

"Thoroughly covers the essential features of Struts in a clear and readable style."

Struts Kick Start is a solid starting point for learning how to develop web applications using Struts. The authors start you off by reviewing the foundational technologies on which Struts is based, and immediately get into the sorts of practical "how to" information and examples that get you up to speed quickly.

Notable features that I really appreciated include the coverage on integration with other technologies (such as EJBs and web services), using Ant to set up your development environment, and the fact that the software goodies you need are available on the included CD. Struts does not live in a vacuum—it is one of the tools in the developer’s toolkit, so knowing how it works with other technologies is very useful.

Of particular importance is the coverage on testing your web application as you build and maintain it. Developing a solid testing methodology, and a substantial suite of tests (to protect yourself against regressions), is critically important to a rapid development cycle that still needs to produce high quality applications. Coverage of testing, though, tends to be minimal in many books about programming technologies. James and Kevin provide specific advice on how to use the JUnit and Cactus testing frameworks with your Struts based applications.

Struts Kick Start is a good resource for learning about Struts, and it will help you get up to speed quickly.

- Craig McClanahan, Creator of Struts

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 504 pages
• Publisher: Sams (December 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0672324725
• ISBN-13: 978-0672324727
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #545,575 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Looks hopeful, but really isn't, May 8, 2003

By	Spanky Johnson (Roanoke, VA) - See all my reviews

I bought this book to learn Struts: not to learn ABOUT struts. The authors clearly have a firm grasp on the topic, but unfortunately, this book is more of a 481 page example of them showing the reader what they know than it is instructing the reader in how to learn what they know. I have had this book for several weeks, and have read through many of the chapters before finally coming to the conclusion that this book is really quite worthless.

For example, one of the main selling points for me was that Torque was covered - and even included on the CD. But when I got to Chapter 6, where Torque is discussed (all three paragraphs of it), it's such a "high-level" overview, that I'm no better off than when I started. Here's a quote from the book: "After you've set up the XML file [the code preceeds this quote] and a property file [no code, no explination - what property file?] that tells Torque which database and connection pooling scheme to use, you use Ant [how?] to have Torque automatically use both the SQL files [which SQL files?] to create the database and the Java files to map classes to tables." p102. Do you see how vague and unhelpful this is?

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Guessing with struts, February 15, 2003

By A Customer

I'm totally surprised at the good reviews this book has been given. I purchased it based on those reviews and now ... well. The book is wordy and lacks some basic get you started information you would expect from a book with a title containing the words "kick start." The authors got it part right - it should read, "Start kicking." The authors seem to be upholding a long-standing java tradition: make it complex and avoid fundamental procedural steps. For what its worth, when I'm learning something new - upfront - I need to take baby steps - confidence builds and learning is accelerated on and up. Chapter 3 dives directly into a "hello world" application without one single word in the entire book devoted to "Here is what you need to follow along boys and girls..." Not one line of "before we begin, do this and do that." So if your looking for a good text on "guessing with struts" look no more. I give it two stars because there must be some value somewhere in these pages.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great resource - my favorite book on Struts, February 11, 2003

By	Donald MacLaren (Portsmouth, NH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I disagree with the other reviewers that are complaining about the example applications or lack of advanced features. I think books that have examples that are too complex or advanced get away from helping you learn the basics because the examples are too complicated to read quikcly when you are in a hurry. With Struts Kick Start, I can go right to the place in the book that explains the specific thing I'm looking for quickly.

I've looked at all the available books on Struts and I own three of them. Struts Kick Start is the one I have found the most useful in helping me learn because it provides the best coverage of the basics of Struts and has many more coding samples for the struts tags than any of the others. The others refer you to the site for struts tags or just seem to replicate what is already on-line. Struts Kick Start explains each one in detail and gives sample code that you can cut and paste to use on your own. It also provides some great examples of unit testing and build scripts that I've been able to put to use without too much pain.

This is a great, useful book.