Struts
(Free Web Tutorials)

by Michael Thomas

Apache Struts is a free open-source framework for creating Java web applications that implement the MVC (Model View Controller) architecture.

( Home Page: Free Web Tutorials on Java & Web Technologies )

Apache Struts Quotes:

"The Model represents the business or database code, the View represents the page design code, and the Controller represents the navigational code. The Struts framework is designed to help developers create web applications that utilize a MVC architecture. " (quoted from link)

Free Download

• Download - a zip file of the website pertaining to this topic (all content, tutorials, examples, etc...).  Great resource!!!  Work offline!!!

Free Web Tutorials

• Struts - First Steps - a Java framework that implements the MVC (Model View Controller). 

  • Install Struts

  • Struts & Eclipse - First Steps (MyStrutsHelloWorld) - Step by step instructions on how to create your first Web App using the Struts Framework via the Eclipse IDE. Learn the basics of Struts by a hands on example.

  • Instructions on how to install the 2 web app examples that comes with Struts so you can play with it.

• Struts & Eclipse - First Steps (MyStrutsHelloWorld) - Step by step instructions on how to create your first Web App using the Struts Framework.  Learn the basics of Struts by a hands on example.
  • Korean version - http://www.java-school.net/struts - from what I've been told thanks to Chong-Hun Kim.
• Learn by Example - One of the best ways to learn technologies is by example.
  • Struts & Eclipse - First Steps (struts-mailreader) -  This web page will guide you through making a copy of this web app and then configure Eclipse (IDE) so that you can make modifications if you desire.  The web app struts-mailreader comes with the Struts install files.  The example web app also has a "code walk-through" for the web app. 
  • Struts & Eclipse - First Steps (struts-examples) - This web page will guide you through making a copy of this web app and then configure Eclipse (IDE) so that you can make modifications if you desire.  The web app struts-examples comes with the Struts install files.
  • My Examples - coming soon - WAR file with examples of working with struts modules, multiple resource files, XML files, DB (MySQL, ODBC), reporting, logging, and forms etc...
• Struts Documentation - http://localhost:8080/struts-documentation - if completed the link on this page called "Struts - First Steps"

Apache Jakarta Project Resources

• http://jakarta.apache.org/struts/index.html - Struts Home Page.  Struts is an open source framework useful in building web applications with Java Servlets and JSP (Java Server Pages).  Follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design paradigm (aka Model 2).
• http://jakarta.apache.org/builds/jakarta-struts/ - Download the binary & source code (release, nightly, etc...).
• http://jakarta.apache.org/struts/userGuide/ - Describes how to use Struts framework.
• Documentation
  • Make sure you download the Struts examples and documentation.  In the struts documentation there is a page (resources.html) that you will want to review.  It includes extensions to struts (validation, etc...), examples, tutorials, books, seminars, etc... (Struts v1.02).

Related Projects
Apache Beehive
Apache Bookstore
Jakarta Commons
Apache MyFaces
Struts SourceForge
Apache Tomcat
Struts University
Velocity Struts

Similar Projects
Apache Cocoon
AppFuse
Jakarta Tapestry
Jakarta Turbine
OS WebWork
Spring MVC
 

Other Resources

• http://jcorporate.com/ - Jcorporate Open Source Team for Expresso Framework.
• www.mail-archive.com/struts-user@jakarta.apache.org/msg15101.html - example of a database controller in Struts by Ted Husted.  http://www.husted.com/about/struts/
• Haven't looked at yet:
  • http:/www-4.ibm.com/software/data/db2/os390/db2vajava35.html - simple query servlet example.

Notes

• JSP History
  • Java Servlets - Server side Java that created HTML code which was served to the browser.
  • Module 1 - Use JSP's to create HTML by mixing Java code & HTML.
  • Module 2 (aka MVC - Model View Controller)- Use JSP's & Servlets together.  Use servlets for flow control and JSP's for creating HTML.
  • Struts project was launched in May 2000 by Craig R. McClanahan to provide a standard MVC Java implementation.
  • July 2001 - Struts v1.0 was released.