Chapter 4. Configuring Struts Applications

The Struts framework uses two separate but somewhat related types of configuration files, which must be configured properly before an application will work correctly. Due to the popularity, flexibility, and self-describing nature of XML, both types of configuration files are based on XML.

The web application deployment descriptor named web.xml is described fully in the Java Servlet specification.^[1] This configuration file is necessary for all web applications, not just those built with the Struts framework. However, there is Struts-specific deployment information within it that must be configured when building Struts applications.

^[1] See the Java Servlet Specification Version 2.3, Chapter SRV.13.

Although the Struts framework supports the 2.2 Servlet specification, many servlet containers already have support for Version 2.3. This book includes coverage of the 2.2 and 2.3 specifications.

The second configuration file that we will examine is the Struts configuration file. It is commonly named struts-config.xml, but you can name it just about anything you want. The Struts configuration file makes it possible for you to declaratively configure many of your application's settings. You can think of the Struts configuration file as the rules for the web application.