Introduction

As the Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) platform has grown and spread (until it seems like it's now everywhere!), one of the fastest growing of the J2EE technologies has been JavaServer Pages (JSP). Nearly everyone developing Web-based applications with Java uses JSP now. The availability of free, open source JSP/servlet containers such as Tomcat from the Apache Jakarta project has accelerated this dramatically.

As JSP has matured and developers have become more experienced in it, there's been an explosion in the number of people using what are called Web Application Frameworks (or just frameworks ). Frameworks help developers build applications faster and better by providing prepackaged starter kits for application development. New projects no longer begin with the question, "Should we use a framework?" ”they begin with "Which framework should we use?".

Framework usage is taking off. Browsing the Google Web directory to the category Computers > Programming > Languages > Java > Server-Side > Libraries and Frameworks now lists almost 20 options for Web application frameworks!

Struts, from the Apache Jakarta project, is the king of these frameworks. It's arguably the best and most widely used framework of all. A groundswell is building behind it. The authors believe that soon a large percentage of all Web-based development done with JSP will use Struts.

And for good reason: Being the flagship framework from the Apache Jakarta project brings with it a lot of visibility and a huge user base. This user base means that Struts has been proven in a wide range of application environments, and such heavy usage means that it's debugged and ready for prime time. If you've chosen Struts for your project, congratulations on a great choice.

If you've chosen this book, congratulations again on a great choice! The authors are highly experienced developers who took it upon themselves to write the kind of book that they like: one that cuts through the fluff and gives you what you need to know to get moving quickly. This book is filled with ideas and tips and sample code and real advice. It doesn't just tell you how Struts works, it helps you learn quickly to use Struts well. You'll notice the difference.