about the technology

The original Struts project revolutionized Java web development and its rapid adoption resulted in the thousands of Struts-based applications deployed worldwide. Keeping pace with new ideas and trends, Apache Struts 2 has emerged as the product of a merger between the Apache Struts and OpenSymphony WebWork projects, united in their goal to develop an easy-to-use yet feature-rich framework. Struts 2 represents a revolution in design and ease of use when compared to classic Struts. It adds exciting and powerful features such as a plugin framework, JavaServer Faces integration, and XML-free configuration.

about the book

Struts 2 in Action delivers accurate, seasoned information that can immediately be put to work. This book is designed for working Java web developers—especially those with some background in Struts 1 or WebWork. The core content, covering key framework components such as Actions, Results, and Interceptors, includes new features like the annotation-based configuration options. You'll find chapters on Struts 2 plugins, FreeMarker, and migration from Struts 1 and WebWork 2. Finally, new topics such as the Ajax tags, Spring Framework integration, and configuration by convention give familiar subjects new depth.

what's inside

• Handling data and displaying content with an expression language and tag libraries
• Ajax and Struts 2
• Workflow and Struts 2 actions
• Type conversion and data validation
• Internationalization and component-oriented design
• Struts 1 and WebWork migration
• Struts 2 plugins
• Struts 2 best practices and architectures

about the reader

This book is designed for working Java web developers'especially those with some background in Struts 1 or WebWork.

about the authors

Don Brown is the Technical Lead for Hosted Services at Atlassian Software Systems, with a background in the commercial and US Department of Defense sectors. He is a member of the Apache Software Foundation, and has been a Struts committer since 2003. He is also a committer on several Apache Commons projects and a frequent speaker at JavaOne, ApacheCon, and Java user groups.

Chad Davis is a J2EE developer, software consultant, and writer. He has a wide background in writing that ranges from government research and public relations to academic writing in computer science. In addition to publications in a variety of computer science journals, he has published poetry and written draft legislation at the state level.

Scott Stanlick is a corporate IT instructor with experience in embedded systems, client-server applications, and large scale distributed applications. As a musician needing a "real job" to buy musical gear, he earned a B.A. in Computer Science and has been writing software to pay for his drumming habit ever since. He builds web sites during his free time and plays shows most weekends.