Product Description

Java for Web with Servlets, JSP and EJB is the one book you need to master Java web programming. It covers all the technologies needed to program web applications in Java using Servlets 2.3, JSP 1.2, EJB 2.0 and client-side programming with JavaScript. These technologies are explained in the context of real-world projects, such as an e-commerce application, a document management program, file upload and programmable file download, and an XML-based online book project.

Customer Reviews (50)

Old, outdated, bad example code.
This might have been a good book when it was current, but any book that includes example code with "catch (Exception e) {}" is very suspect.

I'd recommend looking for something else.

Incomplete
This book for online learning is filled with excessive errors and erratic distribution of information (meaning it assumes you know more than you may). Though well organized, the in book syntax that is provided with the book CD is inconsistently named throughout many of the examples.

It also gives extremely poor instructions for anyone setting up Tomcat and or your first JDBC for the first time.

Best Book for starters in Java Web Technologies
This is a very good book for starters in Java related Web technologies. It would have been better had struts been covered by it (so 4 stars).
The book is written in a style very easy to understand and the example code covers all the doubts we generally get while writing code. If you are looking towards J2EE with good core Java skills, then this is the best book available.

The best intro to J2EE
This book is very easy to read and gives an awesome introduction to J2EE developers. Very practical and great examples to understand the concepts.

Good but obsolete
Last year, I would have given this book 5 stars. After all, it is the best servlet/JSP book ever written (covers Servlet 2.3, JSP 1.2 and EJB 2.1) with advanced topics not to be found in similar books. However, the current versions of Servlet is 2.4 and JSP 2.1 is about to be released. Not to mention that EJB 3.0 is on its way.

I would recommend would be readers to wait for the next edition. ... Read more

Product Description
*

The experienced developer's guide to JavaServer Pages development!
* Database access, XML support, JavaBean integration, and much more
* Architecting JSP applications for maximum performance and maintainability
* Includes several complete sample JSP applications such as an authentication framework, an email tag library, and a Database-to-XML/XSL conversion tool Sun's JavaServer Pages technology gives developers a powerfulcross-platform solution for dynamic Web application developmentwithout the drawbacks of previous approaches. In Core JSP, two leadingenterprise developers show experienced developers exactly how to makethe most of JSP technology—for database integration, XMLapplications, session tracking, and many other purposes. From codingfundamentals to effective JSP program design, you'll find ithere—along with real-world sample code for HTML calendars, JNDIapplications, LDAP-based authentication JavaBeansTM, database searchforms, and more!* Make the most of scriptlets, expressions, declarations, actions and directives
* Get under the hood with Sun's JSP engine: multithreading, persistence, implicit objects, and more
* Understand JSP requests and responses—in depth
* Track sessions and data: hidden frames and form fields, cookies, URL rewriting, and the HttpSession API
* Integrate databases: JDBCTM, SQL, metadata, connection pooling, and more
* Creating custom JSP actions (custom tags)
* Optimize the performance of your JSP pagesEvery Core Series book:
* DEMONSTRATES how to write commercial quality code
* FEATURES dozens of nontrivial programs and examples—no toy code!
* FOCUSES on the features and functions most important to real developers
* PROVIDES objective, unbiased coverage of cutting-edge technologies—no hype!Core JSP delivers:
* Practical insights for transforming dynamic web pages into full-fledged web applications
* Hands-on coverage of integrating JSP and XML
* Expert JavaBean Action techniques for integrating JavaBean business logic with JSP presentation logic
* Extensive code examples—including several complete sample applications ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Leaves you wondering
The book has a lot of information about a lot of things but never nails down the subjects completely. For example, the book states you can do this, that and the next thing but never actually guides you through it.--> I guess you gotta spend [more money] to get that information. Another example is Chapter 11 on Custom tags. I read that chapter three times and still didn't get the point until I read some other literature on the subject. After that ordeal I felt as though my head had been used as a speed bag!

I also have found errors in the code and that should not be. Don't these authors have someone test the examples before they put out the code?

I wish the authors of computer books would just get to the point when they are trying to explain a subject(much the way Herbert Schildt does). I went through about 70% of the examples and found better ways to accomplish the same tasks on my own with less code. Learning programming is not difficult if the material is presented in an appropriate manner, however, this book will remain on my shelf and probably never be opened again.

My advice -> Try another one!

Code errors!
I only just started this book and I am already frustrated. No instructions on how to get the software you need or how to use it. The versions on the CD-ROM are outdated meanwhile. But what is really bad, the first "useful" JSP script in chapter 2 is already so full of code errors that you cannot run it! It took me hours of debugging before I made it run - how are you supposed to be debugging the stuff you are supposed to learn from? I will try to read a bit further but probably have to get another book.

Excellent book for JSP JDBC-to-Oracle developers
This is a good book under any circumstances, and if you develop with Oracle, it is even better, because there are many examples of JSP and Oracle JDBC, and while JSP/JDBC is intended to be database independant, it is easier to learn when the code is written for the database you use.There is a lot of useful information that will help you speed up your connections, pooled connections (which Oracle supports), and techniques for using synchronized statement to protect them.Synchronization is familiar to thread users, but well explained if you aren't familiar with the concept.

One thing the authors omit is setting autocommit off after making your JDBC connection. The idea of autocommit is to make JDBC "friendly" to certain non-Oracle databases, but if you understand transactions, you want to control when a commit occurs, and undo the entire transaction if you don't like it. To quote Tom Kyte, you never want to commit until you have to (slows database down) and you never want to commit part of a transaction. If your procedure should just update a single row, you can check the result before you commit. Setting all the banks accounts to zero may not be a transaction you will chose to commit.Checking a result is easier than explaining one.This is the kind of database specific information that perhaps authors writing for many platforms should ignore, but you may find it useful if you work with Oracle.

The authors show you how to use bind variables with prepared statements, and callable statements, but don't really go into the downside of not taking their advice; if you don't use bind variables, you will not have a scalable application.A lot of JSP examples (even in Oracle documention) do not bother with bind variables (example code is shorter if you don't) but "Core JSP" shows you code that is proper for scalable applications, and you can follow it (use the examples you find elsewhere as concepts, not as code to put in your applications).

This is a tiny portion of what this book will teach you, and if you are new to JSP and want to get a non-trivial application working, and scalable, this is a good place to start (also this is not an expensive book, which helps). This is all you need to get started, and see the value of JSP.

Essential
The careful reader will observe _Core JSP's_ chapters and examples extend further into areas of in-the-trenches applicability more than any other book on the subject. It's sitting on every one of our programmers' shelves.

Lacks some important information
At first this book seemed great, but now that I have had to work a lot with JSPs, I have seen some serious shortcomings. The TagExtraInfo class get's way too little coverage. The book doesn't even begin to explain how to actually use it in real work. That's a serious shortcoming. ... Read more

Product Description
Essential skills for first-time programmers!JSP: A Beginner's Guide explains the fundamentals of JSP programming. You'll learn how and when to use comments, directives, JSP scripts, and implicit objects and how to build JSP applications. The modular approach of this series--including drills, sample projects, and mastery checks--makes it easy to learn JSP programming quickly. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Great Deal.
The book was exactly as described. Is in great condition and saved me a bunch of money instead of buying it through my campus bookstore. Delivery was fast. Will order from them again.

Beginner writer or Beginner's JSP Guide
Read this book last weekend.Should have watched Simpsons reruns instead.Found the book to be tedious.Didn't really step me through any sort of learning process....

Not for beginners!

Beginners beware ...
I'm a beginner at JSP, but with substantial experience in ASP, JavaScript, Web Development, databases, and some experience writing Java applets. I couldn't get anywhere with this book. Apparently, the assumption is that readers are complete experts in Java, who don't need any terms defined, or procedures outlined in any detail, who are transitioning to JSP. Fine for them. But the word "beginner" doesn't really say it all. After a week beating my head against a wall with this book, I went out and spent another $100 on books that really are for beginners. Maybe I'll find it useful in a few months, when I'm no longer a "beginner".

Great JSP Book for Beginners and Novices
This is an excellent book. I highly recommend it for anyone starting out in JSP and for those who want a great refresher. This book is well organized and flows well from start to finish.

I especially like chapter 6 which discusses Tag Libraries.

There are plenty of code samples and as an added benefit, part II is a complete real world sample.

I think all JSP development teams should have this book nearby.

Highly recommended.

Well thought-out introduction to JSP
Good first book for someone new to JSP.The chapter on security was particularly informative if you've never tackled it. ... Read more

Product Description
JavaServer Pages (JSP) is an increasingly popular technology for building dynamic web applications that can access databases and provide an interactive experience for your site's users. JSP is built on top of the Java programming language, and so this book will teach you both JSP itself and the fundamentals of Java.

You'll learn how the web works and how JSP fits in, how to get input from the user and create web pages "on the fly", how JavaBeans components and tag libraries allow you to make your code more readable and easier to maintain, and of course how the Java language itself works. The book also covers how to handle errors in your code, the best ways of designing web applications, and rounds up with a comprehensive case study - a web site for a local tourism authority.

This book covers:How to install Java and JSP/Servlets
How to create dynamic web sites with JavaServer Pages (JSP)
Object-oriented programming in Java
Java's core utility and input/output classes
How to use and create JSP Tag Libraries
Best practices in designing web applications with Java
Relational database access with MySQL and JDBC
Using the popular Struts framework to simplify application design
Includes frequent worked examples, including an in-depth case study
Amazon.com Review
Ideal for anyone new to JavaServer Pages (JSP), Beginning JSP Web Development offers an excellent and thorough guide to using JSP effectively. Combining a tutorial of basic Java with excellent practical material on using Tomcat and related tools, this book will fill a valuable niche for anyone wanting to build Web applications the right way using some of the latest standards in Java.

Learning JSP today requires not only a basic knowledge of Java, but also practical advice for using Tomcat, custom tag libraries, database programming, and other standards. This title distinguishes itself with chapter-by-chapter coverage of all you need to program with JSP. For those new to Java, introductory material on data types, flow control, and basic class design will help you learn essential Java. The authors also present practical advice and samples for installing and configuring Tomcat (an open source JSP/servlet engine), including advice on deployment options. Sections on database and JDBC programming, servlets, and session management supplement the basics of using JSP with embedded Java scriptlets.

Standout material on JSP custom tag libraries will justify the price of this book for many readers (including those with previous Java experience, but little JSP exposure). Several sections on designing and deploying custom tag libraries show you how to make use of this powerful new Sun standard. The text closes with leading-edge material on the new Struts Web application framework, including a worthwhile case study for an online travel database using this pre-packaged codebase as a starting point. Sun has endorsed Struts and other application frameworks as a "best practice" when building JSP-based applications, and the authors do a good job showing off this solution, including advice on configuration options.

With JSP evolving into an even more powerful and flexible Web solution using custom tag libraries and other standards, this book fits the bill with an up-to-the-minute and approachable tour of exactly what any developer needs to use JSP productively in real projects. --Richard Dragan ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Extremely Comprehensive - here is Source Code news.
I second most of the positive comments, and I keep returning to this for brush up on the related web technologies.

I purchased my copy in the Philippines, which may explain why users do not find it on the Wrox site. It must have been targeted to the asian market, and if you google the title of some of the source programs as I did, you will find (translated from Chinese!) a web site from which to download a zip file of source code.

A presentation with holes
This book presents ideas from top-down.They show you something and then explain the pieces that they think are important.They are fairly good at this but the problem is they don't explain everything in detail.They tell you just enough about a subject to make you think you understand it but gloss over pitfalls.They keep telling you not to worry about certain parts of the code - they will explain them later.I think learning a language from the bottom up is better.That way one understands all the pieces that are being assembled.This book is getting the job done but I'm often confused about what code (explained in later chapters) is doing.Maybe I should read the book in reverse order...

No source code for this book
The book says that the source code can be downloaded from wrox.com. But that is not true. The book does not have a CD nor does it have source code at wrox.com. Beaware of it.

The Editor should be ashamed
Thanks to everyone who mentioned the numerous errors in this book in their reviews. I only wish I had read them before buying the book. Not only is it full of every type of error you can think of, it is also poorly organized with a heavy-duty chapter on tag libraries sandwiched between otherwise introductory material. Also, the last half of the book is meant to be a case study but the sections are pasted together with little or no indication as to what is part of the case study and what is an overall observation making it impossible to follow along. If you do buy the book (and I recommend you don't) print out the errata list from their website -- it'll save you hours of frustration. However, don't expect it to be complete.

good but needs more examples
This book is a solid introduction that covers all the key basics. Be aware that over half the book is spent teaching Java, not JSP. Since I already know the basics of java, the numerous Java chapters were a distraction to the main point of JSP/Servlet programming. Also, being a beginner to JSP, I have to agree with an earlier reviewer that the book hurries on to each next chapter with only the barest of examples to illustrate the topic, and usually the examples are just "toys". You have to wait until the end of the book where two chapters are devoted to developing a realistic web application. The result is that you don't get a chance, as you go along, to really practice a concept and see it in various contexts. Also, I like to get into database access early in a book, since using a database is the main point of a web application. In this one, you have to wait until near the end before you learn how. Aside from these caveats, the book is clearly written, the concepts are well explained, and it covers the subject quite well. ... Read more

Product Description
JSP-ServletInterview Questions You'll Most Likely Be Asked is a perfect companion to stand a head above the rest in today's competitive job market. Rather than going through comprehensive, textbook-sized reference guides, this book includes only the information required immediately for job search to build an IT career. This book puts the interviewee in the driver's seat and helps them steer their way to impress the interviewer.
... Read more

Product Description
Java has evolved into a robust, high performance programming language that is well suited to a range of different environments, be it on a middle tier Application Server or a client browser. Regardless of the architecture of your application you are using, it will almost certainly need to make use of data that is stored in some form of database. Relational databases are the data store of choice in the vast majority of businesses, and have also evolved enormously over the recent years, into powerful and feature-rich data management systems.

This book aims to teach you how to use these two powerful technologies to build successful Java database applications. You will find out how relational databases work and how you can use them in your Java programs, through the JDBC interface. You will see how to apply your new skills in an enterprise environment and by the end will be building sophisticated web-enabled Java database applications that incorporate other technologies, such as XML.

This book covers:

Using the JDBC API to build database-driven Java applications
Introduction to new JDBC 3.0 features
SQL and relational database design
Object-relational mapping frameworks and techniques
Debugging your application and logging its activities
Applying Java and JDBC skills in a J2EE environment
Integrating XML into you Java database applications
... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Excellent for learning Java Databases
Excellent book about Java working with databases. A lot ef examples end clear text. I would recommand for starting and study Java databases.

Good survey circa 2002 of JDBC programming
This book is somewhat dated.It still is a GREAT book for someone who knows how to compile java programs with packages and who wants to get a solid introduction to database programming, including some good chapters on how to create a good logical model, before you create the physical model.If this were 2002, I would give it 5 stars for what it is.I am a database administrator by profession.If it covered Hibernate, I'd still give it 5 stars, although they present the idea of using a JDBC framework predecessor to Hibernate in the book.Good CD includes a Java database to play with, including ODBC drivers.For advanced ideas, they switch to how to program to Oracle JDBC drivers.

Poor
This book is not very good. The numerous authors attempt to cover too much in this book and as a result don't cover anything worthwhile. The book isn't well focused and has lots of mistakes.

A great book, but not the best starting point for JDBC
Having read over two-thirds of this huge volume, I am now of the opinion that it probably is not the best place to begin exploring Java database development. The word "Beginning" in the title is a bit misleading: you shouldn't approach this book without a solid grounding in Java and databases in general. True, the introductory chapters cover essential SQL and other database concepts, but there is a steady ramping-up in the difficulty level as the book progresses, and it doesn't ever really level off. For example, Lauinger's treatment of his own Java Layered Frameworks open-source project in Chapter 16 is long-winded and daunting. And the later chapters assume complete familiarity with XML, JavaBeans, Servlets, and other more "advanced" topics. So, all in all, for the JDBC beginner I think that this is not the best book to begin your explorations of JDBC.

On the other hand, this is an exceptionally thorough book, very well written and with few typos. The authors are likeable, the price is affordable, the presentation and the coding are laid out well, the printing and binding excellent. So it may be just the book for you if you have the patience to plod through its 900 pages. Certainly, the book makes an excellent reference. However, it only covers the business logic of Java database applications. Most of the examples in the book are console-based programs for testing the business logic. There is no coverage of GUI-related topics, for example how to present data in a grid. As one of the authors remarks somewhere, their purpose in writing the book was not to present "pretty GUI's" but rather to concentrate on the internals, the business logic. While I can understand the importance of business logic, I also would have liked these experts to have given me some good pointers on how to present data in various data-aware controls in a GUI. After 600+ pages, I'm still waiting....

Good tutorial
I thought that this book was quite good at explaining Java programming of databases.Many of the examples in the book, though, use the Oracle personal edition database.This is a 600MB file that you download from Oracle.Or, you can pay them [money] to send it to you on CD-ROM.Alternatively, you can use another database - like SQL Server - and modify the examples to work with that database. ... Read more

Product Description
A guide to the recently introduced Java Tag Extension API, illustrated by real-life case studies. The explanation of tag library technology and examples of its implementation will help bring new capabilities to current JSP programmers. Softcover. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Thumbs down.
This book really needed a good editor and a ghost writer who knows how to simply explain technical subject. The author probably knows the technical stuff but his explanations aren't at all useful.If you don't already have good background in the material, you'll not learn it here.

My biggest complaints are about the example code.
1.JSP, Struts and Tag libraries are, in the big picture, all about generating HTML.Despite that, NOWHERE in this 442 page book is a single screen shot showing output!There are examples that go on for three pages of coding but do not have a single page showing what the example produced.
2.The examples are cluttered with lots of extraneous code that detracts from the point of the example.In one case, most of the example code had to do with JNDI and not about the tag he was creating.I found that many times I had to wade through a page or two of Java code before I got to the few lines that were the point of the example.
3.The explantion of most examples is at the end, after pages of code, and usually quite short.The publisher should have set the explanation comments in bold and off to the right of the key areas.

Don't buy this book for the explanation of Struts, either.There are far better examples and tutorials on the Apache Struts web site.

Not recommended.

Could Have Been Better
I find it somewhat difficult to say that it is really a good book.I found three major shortcomings:

1) A lot of code is quoted from other sources without explanations.It is not uncommon to find 3 pages of code ending with three lines of explanations.
2) A lot of details are included in the text which rightly belong to an appendix.Such details merely distract the attention of the reader from the main arguments.
3) There is a lot of JSP code without a single illustration(screen-shot) as to how this code may render in a browser.The reader must get the picture himself.Again this detracts the attention from the main argument.

On a positive note,I could say that the author has included 3 chapters on the Struts framework,starting the discussion with a good explanation of how and why the MVC pattern has to be generalized from the restricted UI case to the more general web case,leading to MVC2.But this part of the book also suffers from the same shortcomings.

In conclusion, I would say,if more explanations are added,the main text is stripped off unnecessary appendix-type details,and
JSP code is accompanied by screen-shots, this could turn into a very good book.

THE Taglibs Book
I've found this book extremely useful and enjoyed reading it a lot.
The chapters on tag design and cooperating tags are resourceful, detailed and also very well exemplified. And the book also provides an impressive introduction to the Struts framework.
I keep it as my daily reference.

Worth buying
This book covers Tag Libraries and its collateral components from beginers perspective up to the presentation of comercial and open source tags already available on the market, with a very nice introduction to the Struts framework.
It takes a progressive approach to the topic, presenting each detail in tag development, tag collaboration and application development with lots of examples and reviews on each chapter.
With no doubts this book is an excellent reference to the Tag Library Technology.

Jsp and Tag Libraries for Web development
This book is intended to be read by anyone involved in web application and web design.It is started with Servlet API,explanation of it's component and JSP scriplets and it's
run time environment with example.It has also the explanation about JSP Tag and XML Tag.And very nicely covered every aspect
of Tag development from simple to complicate level.It has sample code on each aspect.And also downloadable codes are available on internet.Every chapter has summary section,which is useful for the quick reference.At the end it hsh covered complete revie of the Apache Jakarta Struts Projects, its components, and its tag libraries. that completes your case study and background.It has provided JRun,the Orion and Bluestone commercial Tag Libraries available in the market.These are also discussed with example.
So, this book is suggested for,who is begineer for Tag development and who wants reference
for commercial Tag development. ... Read more

Product Description
Servlets and JavaServer Pages dramatically simplify the creation of dynamic Web pages and Web-enabled applications. With Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE), these tools have come of age, earning the support of an unprecedented range of Web and application servers on every major operating system. This book is a comprehensive guide for every experienced developer who wants to master the new versions of these powerful tools. Start by mastering servlet syntax, installation and setup fundamentals and the servlet life cycle. Use cookies and session tracking, optimize browsers, compress pages to slash download time, and decrease overhead with persistent HTTP sessions. Next, master every key JavaServer Pages 1.1 technique you'll need: expressions, declarations, and scriptlets; controlling the format of the servlet that results from the page; incorporating reusable JavaBeans; sharing Beans among pages; dynamically including other files; defining your own JSP tag libraries, and combining servlets and JSP in a single application.Part III offers the industry's most in-depth, practical coverage of using applets and HTTP tunneling as servlet front ends, using JDBC and connection pooling, and HTML forms. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (226)

excelente producto
muy basico pero claro en los conceptos y los ejemplos, una buena herramienta para empezar con la tecnología en ese momento

Good JSP examples and reference book
overall good ref book.. but is not real interesting to read!!!

Great for gettingquick grasp...
I've found this book great for getting a quick grasp of JSP and Java Servlets. While I had a little bugger of a time setting the development environment setup, I was breezing through using this book. I'd highly recommend it for beginner to intermediate programmers. I used a coupon from UnderTag.com, so it was almost free for me too.

1st Edition available for free
the first edition of this book is available as a free download from http://pdf.coreservlets.com/. I have not read this book but heard it is good. I gave it 3 stars since it is an older version

This book is the reason I didn't sink
I started a new job 9 months ago, the assignment was to write several large scale web applications in JSP.I am an older female with a new computer science degree in a world of 20 something peers.They refused to give me ANY tips about JSP configuration or Tomcat...heck, they even put a few obsticles in my way in hopes of watching me fail.I HAD java experience, I Had perl experience I HAD HTML web develoment experience and I had a strong desire to suceed.I hit amazon and purchased a few books one of which was this one.

9 months later my applications are center stage and receiving RAVE review and this book played a huge part in that success.No, it doesn't take you by the hand if you're not already fluent in programming of some sort, but if you already know how to build websites and program in java, this book is a great tool.It doesn't force you to use some preconceived bean idea to build a cookie cutter application, it just gives pertinent examples and comprehensive explination of the most important and frequently used parts of JSP programming.

The index could be better, but over all it's a great book for new JSP programmers!! ... Read more

Product Description
Pure JSP gives a very concise conceptual overview of the JavaServer Pages technology and its related components. Once you have a firm foundation with the JSP technology, related topics such as JavaBeans, JDBC and Servlets are covered at a very high level. The book moves on to explain a large number of JSP techniques, which were determined by studying problems faced by JSP users in the professional world. The final section covers the more technical aspects of the JSP technology. Topics include related API's, server configuration, and charts and diagrams related to developing JSP applications. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Very Easy Reading
I'll list the pros and cons from my perspective:

PROS:
1.Very short - Sometimes size does matter.In this case, there was no over-extensive analyzations of the code.Only key portions.

2.Covered some of the essentials of JSP programming.JDBC, Connection pooling, XML, Servlet integration, JavaMail.As short as this book was, it still did a nice job giving examples of the usage which is what most books do anyways.

3.Covers basic tags used in JSP and also usage of JavaBeans.

Cons:

1.Did anybody else notice that the cover says it covers ASP, HTML, and Servlets?(NOTE:ASP?????)

2.No mention of Tag Libs which are a big part of JSP.It does require a lot of detail but at least a small taste of it would be nice.

3.It would have been nicer if the author moved the setting up of the Tomcat server section to the beginning so that the examples could be tried as you went.

Other than the above mentioned items, this is definitley a good book to purchase.The price is kinda hefty but it does provide a nice overview of the JSP technology and the basics of what you would need to know.

Like a reader mentioned before, pretty much, this book covers all that you will need to know for JSP.

I have already worked with JSP so I was able to fly through the book in 2 hours without typing all of the examples.Just thought I'd throw that out there just in case anyone was wondering on how much time it would consume.

all code no explanation
I only skimmed the book but the impression I was left with was, that the book is all code and no overview explanation. No indepth details just a bit of how to handle forms, how to send a mail with javamail, how to get startet on JDBC - stuff you easily can extract from the Java API.

All the interesting stuff as how to structure taglibs, servlets etc. was by far left out (I can't recollect ever seeing anything about taglibs at all in the "book")

This book rocks!
Great examples, quick and too the point explanations make this a very good book to hit the ground running learning JSP.

If you are a professional developer like me, and you don't want to deal with a lot of lengthly overwritten explanations and books written by twenty different people (i.e., Wrox publications) this is the book to get.Goodwill knows his stuff when it comes to Java and he is able to convey it to the reader in an understandable way.

Also, check out "JavaServer Pages Application Development" by Ben Forta another very good JSP book.

Only for reference
Don't expect great things from this book. Just use it for reference. If you are doing JSP project then Web Development with JSP by Duane & Mark Kolb is excellent one.

Short, but very usable.
Perfect little book for starting with Java Server Pages. I love small examples that actually work. There are a bunch in here. I learned a lot in a small amount of time with this book. ... Read more

Product Description
In Core JSTL, leading Java platform expert David Geary presents the definitive guide to JSTL. Through practical examples and extensive sample code, Geary demonstrates how JSTL simplifies, streamlines, and standardizes a wide range of common Web development tasks. Coverage includes using JSTL tags for accessing JavaBeans components and collections, iteration, importing URLs, database access, working with XML, internationalization and localization; using the brand new JSTL expression language; and extending JSTL with custom tags. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Good step right behind servlets
On the sequence of steps to learn, JSTL falls after servlets and JSP and before JSF and Struts and other MVC frameworks.

The book is good with helping me understand how tag libs work in general.It goes over some default ones that come with JSTL.The material is not too complicated, and the text is not too dense.Light reading.

Geary Rocks on JSP! Excellent author
I have seen David Geary speak and have read his writing many times and there is no one I know that makes JSP more interesting or more understandable. Core JSTL: Mastering the JSP Standard Tag Library is easily the best book on the subject I have read, or used in practice, or recommended to others. It is clear, concise, and logical. Trust me on this one... you will be a fan of Geary and his books after reading this one.

J2EE Guy
One of the best books i found on JSTL. Provides in-depth knowledge& extensive examples of JSTL.
This book helps us to understand why, where and how to use JSTL tags. follows the typical MVC pattern [ a clear separation of View from Model]
Though, I am not a great fan of SQL, XMLtags, the Core & I18N JSTL tags are not only valuable but also easy to use. Now we could have non-Java programmers to design all of your JSP pages.
[our last project leveraged JSTL/ Struts/ Tiles frameworks]

Reliable book from a reliable author
Clear, concise. solid coverage of a core technology for web development in java. This book is at the same time a useful reference and an easy tutorial. Covers the EL scripting language, base, iteration, xml, sql, networking actions.
Complete, easy to read and with working example code for EVERY concept. D.Geary and M Hall are the reference authors in the
Servlet-JSP World. If you are doing any kind of development using JSP you need this book. 'nuff said.

Core JSTL: Mastering the JSP Standard Tag Library
I was new to JSTL with some JSP/Servlet experiences.
This is all I need to get started with JSTL.
Lots of example codes to help me understand.
I was particulary interested in I18N and Formatting sections and this book covers every area of JSTL including these sections fairy well. (Lots of books tend to cover very lightly on i18n sections)

I highly recommend this book!This is my JSTL reference book. I also looked at other JSLT books, but I think this is the best by far. ... Read more

Product Description
JSP, or JavaServer Pages, is Sun's technology for deliveringinteractive web applications with Java. Mastering JSP deliverscomprehensive coverage of the latest version of the spec for J2EE 1.4and is aimed not only at experienced Java programmers but Webdesigners who have some familiarity with Java. The book goes wellbeyond the basics, covering advanced database programming, integratinglegacy applications, porting ASP to JSP, using XML with JSP, anddeveloping Enterprise JavaBeans for JSP. The companion CD-ROM containsall the sample code and applications described in the book, plusTomcat Server, the MySQL database, and trial Java developmentsoftware. Author Todd Cook has developed applications for Sun, the LAXairport in Los Angeles, and tickets.com. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Kindle Edition
This may be a good book, but after downloading the sample on my Kindle, it is impossible to read code samples.The zoom feature doesn't work on them either.I've noticed this in other programming books as well.Stick with the paper editions.

Great Book
The book was exactly as described. Is in great condition and saved me a bunch of money instead of buying it through my campus bookstore. Delivery was fast. Will order from them again.

Very disappointing
When I first got this book and just thumbed through it, it seemed like it was going to be a good book. However, the more I actually read the chapters, the more I find it utterly lacking in content.The author does not explain things very much if at all. Many places, its just pages of source code listings with little or no comments and no explanations. Then when you get to the end of one source code listing, basically the only commentary is "and here's the next listing..". This annoying lack of explanations also carries through to the appendix, where a "JSP and Servlett API Reference" is included - problem is, its nothing but a commentless, explanationless dump of the member function prototypes.Fortunately, I bought this book used for $10. If I had paid the new price for it I would really be upset and would return it.That's my opinion.

Using JSP with Javabeans and EJBs
I wanted to find a book that covered both the use of JavaBeans and Enterprise JavaBeans in an easy-to-understand way. I have made a comprehensive search, and came up with this book. The book covered all I wanted it to, and still there are lots more. If you just have read tutorials on the internet (like I have), and want a book for assistance, BUY IT! Recommended!

Good JSP Book
I was looking for writing database based web applications in JSP and I found the book very useful. It isa step-by-step guide for building web applications. The book covers JavaBeans , Handling exceptions in efficient manner, Custom Tags and Displaying XML files using JSP. The book has got detailed explained examples which helped me in designing my application faster. Overall I was able to design and develop web apps in an efficent manner with the help of this book. ... Read more

Product Description
JSP, Servlets, and MySQL is the only book on the market where developers learn how to build a database-driven Web site using JSP, Java servlets, and MySQL. Servlets and JavaServer Pages are ideal tools for affordably and quickly delivering dynamic web pages, and MySQL is an excellent choice for the data repository.

This book explains how to install and use servlets and JavaServer Pages (using the Tomcat reference implementation), how to create, maintain, and use MySQL (and other SQL) databases, and how to deliver dynamic data. It details a complete database-driven web strategy including authentication, user tracking, surveys and discussion areas, and automated user assistance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Covers a lot of territory
David Harms' book is certainly easy to read and is written to a technology level that is, for the most part, easy to understand.Some of his examples, however, assume retained knowledge that was acquired previously.As a result, it is frequently necessary to thumb back through pages that have already been read to ascertain what he is discussing at the moment.As reference material, however, the information contained within the pages is without peers.If you are willing to dig and thoroughly evaluate what you have read, this book has a wealth of positive data.

Personal opinion
I found this book very helpful. I knew nothing about JSP, servlets and mysql. My previous experience came from a standard university course in Java. The book took me through setting up tomcat, mysql,etc. It started me off using the technologies. The book is built around a core example. I didn't reproduce and test the code supplied but dipped in to take what I needed. Downloading the code from the website was confusing. Overall this book has been very helpful. I found the content concise and to the point. Thanks to the author.

A painful read..
The TOC sounded great, so I bought the book.I hate to reiterate what other reviewers have already said, but it's true: there are so many errors it's rediculous.It was painful to figure out why I wasn't understanding some of the material (for example, the SAME SQL statement produces two DIFFERENT result sets on page 208/209)when in fact it was just a very poorly edited book.The book's topics are perfect - now someone needs to go through it with a pitchfork to weed out all the errors.Not to mention that the example code you can download has been refactored (to put it nicely).It's an expensive lesson in wasted money and time and frustration, but from now on, I'll always check the reviews here before ordering any book.

Interesting title with careless content
This book has a very interesting title and the TOC look great too, but unfortunately the content is carelessly chosen/written. I don't want to repeat the error in the code listings. I just want to mention about design problems in this book.

JSP has its born-with problem that it is hard to set boundary for Server Programmer and HTML Programmer. These 2 kinds of work need different skill set. That's why separation of Data and Presention is very important to JSP web site design.

The author of this book carefully avoided to include much JSP code in HTML pages, but his design leads to another extreme: almost every control (forms, buttons, links) are generated by JSP code. This approach will create a nightmare for JSP programmers for changing the appearance of the web site.

So besides coding error, this book has design issues. I really can't imagine who should be the audience...

Just not well done
I picked up this book because I had already decided that I was going to use JSP and MySQL together to create my web site. Quite frankly, I haven't learned anything from this book that wasn't done better in other books, which is a shame because this is an area that really deserves a more thorough treatment. In several areas he just fills several pages with code and hardly explains it at all, other than a few lines--so why bother showing the entire example? This is a clear case where better editorial review would have helped to focus the book on material that would have been more helpful to the reader. ... Read more

Product Description
JSP is a program design method for education and commerce alike. This text provides an introduction to JSP and should serve as a first course book for novice programmers in program design. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

this is NOT Java Server Pages
The JSP in this book refers to Jackson Stuctured Programming NOTJava Server Pages!web developers take note

Excellent
The book is a definite source of information for people who are new to JSP. It provides lots of examples and illustrations to understand the concepts in a better way. I found it to be very informative.

it is really informative
this book is relly good..it does not cover all the information but it covers all the important information and that is relly important for a programmer point of view... ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "JSP," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have JSP in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with JSP when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name JSP, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

Product Description
Oracle Corporation has broadened its development platform, integrating open standards such as Java and XML into the heart of the Oracle 8i database. This extended programming environment continues to exploit the qualities of scalability, reliability and efficiency of the world's most successful data management software, but at the same time it provides new challenges and opportunities to programmers.

This book shows you how to develop enterprise PL/SQL applications exploiting Java and XML, and how technologies such as EJBs can be moved to the 8i database. You'll work through case studies using a mix of both familiar and unfamiliar tools and languages, showing you how the various programming approaches can enhance each other. Amazon.com Review
Suitable for any developer or manager who works on the Oracle platform, Professional Oracle 8i Application Programming with Java, PL/SQL, and XML is an excellent guide to the tools and programming techniques you'll need for successful enterprise development using today's Oracle.

Unless you buy an armful of books on current Oracle tools and technologies, you won't likely find as comprehensive a tour as this. First off, the authors are masters at using Oracle tools for high-end enterprise development, including PL/SQL (its proprietary SQL language) and Java. Developers and IT managers will appreciate the clear descriptions of relevant tools in the Oracle arsenal (including Developer and JDeveloper). Business Components for Java (BC4J), which simplify the use of Enterprise JavaBeans with Oracle databases and JSP, are also explained succinctly.

The emphasis is on server-side programming, with all features supported in Oracle, like stored procedures (and objects), written in both PL/SQL and Java. This book excels at showing the nitty-gritty details, with screen shots revealing the actual Oracle tools in action. As for using Enterprise JavaBeans, readers learn two possible methods: with standard EJB, and with BC4J components created with JDeveloper. A sample for a restaurant finder application will help you try your hand at using both approaches.

The discussion of Oracle's extensive XML support, which will be useful for taking advantage of this popular standard for real-world projects, is very strong. (Material on the emerging Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) and WML built with XML/XLST brings the book absolutely up to date.) A longer case study provides an ambitious example of enterprise Oracle at work. This Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system (with support for call centers) demonstrates a true n-tiered architecture built around Oracle.

For developers and IT managers alike, this authoritative tour on the best of the Oracle platform is really a must-have for anyone serious about development. It proves not only that Oracle is a great database platform, but also that it's ready to run the entire enterprise through powerful Internet and component-based tools. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

• History of Oracle
• Introduction to PL/SQL
• Overview of Oracle tools (including Forms, Reports, Portal, Designer, Oracle 8i, and JDeveloper)
• SQLJ and JavaServer Pages (JSP)
• Enterprise JavaBeans on the Oracle platform
• XML support in Oracle
• Enterprise Application Design (EAD) and n-tiered architectures on the Oracle platform
• Oracle database fundamentals (including data dictionaries, indices, and object/relational design)
• Oracle Net8 for scalability
• Designer 6i (case study for an online course-registration database)
• PL/SQL tutorial (including PL/SQL Server Pages and the Web Toolkit for Web programming)
• Case study for an online stock-tracker application
• Java stored procedures
• JDBC tutorial (including APIs, binary fields, connection pooling, and caching)
• SQLJ tutorial
• Introduction to EJB
• Oracle performance tuning
• Oracle Business Components for Java (BC4J)
• Case study for a discussion database using PL/SQL and Java
• Search engines with Oracle interMedia
• XML fundamentals and Oracle
• Case study for a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) enterprise system
• The Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)

Customer Reviews (10)

Confused ramble though Oracle
The best thing that can be said about this book is it's a confused ramble though Oracle. The book tries to cover Java, PL/SQL and XML, and fails to cover any depth in any of these subjects.

From Stem to Stern
Some other reviewers have stated that this book is uneven in quality.I agree with that assessment but argue that is unavoidable.I cannot think of any one person who possesses the knowledge to write intelligently about all of this material in the depth this book has.

In a few areas it is dated (obviously 9i is out NOW, but wasn't when this book was published), but it is still overall extremely valuable.I have had my copy for about a year now and have read it almost completely once (you can't read a 1200 page tech book cover to cover) and have referred to it in a pinch more times than I can remember.

In short, a must have for any serious Oracle developer.

Good book but not for beginner
Good book, but goes more detail into
tools provided by Oracle. If you will be using
only oracle tools, this is a good book.

A tour of Oracle technologies
To produce this book, Wrox took twenty expert Oracle developers and had each of them write about their area of expertise. The result is that whether you are a manager, a developer, or a DBA, if you are working with Oracle 8i this book should be on your desk. This book covers virtually every topic that you need to understand about the Oracle 8i development platform. It does not cover each topic completely but it provides a thorough and in most cases sufficient introduction on each topic. For a particular topic of interest you may need an additional book but to get all the information found in this book you would need ten volumes at least. The book opens with an introduction to Oracle 8i and some of its components including Net8 (Oracle's network solution) and Designer 6i (Oracle's development environment). The next section covers PL/SQL and PSP (this is similar to JSP). This is followed by an extensive section covering Java. This section covers JDBC, SQLJ, EJB, and interMedia (Oracle's powerful search tool). The last section covers XML and includes information on DOM and SAX parsers, SOAP, XSL, XSQL, and more. Extensive case studies are scattered throughout the book. Examples show how to use Oracle tools such as BC4J to develop enterprise applications. The book even includes primers on Java and XML. As a tour of all the features of Oracle 8i, this book is without competition.

Excellent Book.
This is an excellent book as it covers a lot of ground in one volume. If you work in a organisation that has Oracle as the engine for their web based applications, you must have this book.
Many books cover Java or XML or SQL and the like; but this is one of the few books that delves into HOW to put all of these together to make it work! As this book is released in newer additions, I shall be buying it as soon as it is available. ... Read more

Product Description
Java 2 Enterprise Edition is a combination of Java-related technologies including Java Server Pages, Servlets, and Enterprise Java Beans. Working together these pieces make Java a viable solution for enterprise-scale applications. "SE Using J2EE" starts with a section covering the core J2EE components and how they fit into the overall application architecture. The book then builds off this foundation to explore the practical applications of J2EE including incorporating XML into J2EE, creating wireless Web applications, network programming with J2EE, managing security and encryption, object programming with Serialization and Reflection, and programming Java applets in the enterprise. Later chapters discuss alternative approaches to solving problems in J2EE applications including debugging, decompiling and disassembly.The book finishes with a useful reference section discussing each of the core J2EE APIs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Not a good book to recommend
I bought mamy books and do not have time to write many reviews.But if I was really disappointed in a book, I want to write a review.There are many junk Java books in the market.This one is not better than them.The book even does not have a good example to show what a J2EE technology is.If you have money and just want to put a book on your book shelf to look up occasionally, you can consider this book.

Not Bad Value !
Whilst I feel the book is excellant value for money and the Author has done a good job I would argue that some of the material in the book should have been excluded (to save a tree or two) e.g. Chapter 2,52 - 54 and included in appendix ? - but hey thats me trying to reduce the 1000 odd pages that I read !!.

Overall Comment - definately worth buying, but my advice is to allocate some "quiet" time to read and digest all the material - Not really for the beginner.

Reference for the serious J2EE developer
If you are searching for a reference manual that covers the basics about all the technologies involved in J2EE this is the book to buy. Keep in mind that it is impossible to cover Enterprise Java Beans,JSP,Servlets in detail in just one book. So if you're after a special thing like only EJB feel free to buy other books that cover only Enterprise Java Beans but otherwise this book is really worth its bucks simply because it introduces you to J2EE and afterwards you are able to understand what all those things are about.

Excellent coverage of topic with good level of detail
I bought this book looking for an introduction to some of the areas of J2EE that I'm not expert in, half expecting another huge book full of code listings and reprinted javadocs, but I've been pleasantly surprised.As of this writing, the book has the most up to date coverage of j2ee I've seen and manages to pack very good introductory material into all the subjects I've looked at.It also gives enough detail for you to be able to understand the topic enough to start writing code and sifting through the API javadocs.The writing style is generally clear with good examples, although I noticed a couple of sloppy sections, but that can be excused in a book this size.

I haven't bought a Que book before, but I'll look at them a little closer now.

Excellent book
This is a great follow-up to the book "Beginning Java Objects: From Concepts to Code" by Jacquie Barker. ... Read more

Product Description
Practical guide to the use of the Java 2 Platform for Web-enabled applications and dynamic Web sites. Focuses on new capabilities: the standard JSP tag library, filters, life-cycle event listeners, declarative and programmatic security, Web applications, and much more. Softcover.Amazon.com Review
Ideal for any programmer working with server-side Java, Marty Hall's More Servlets and JavaServer Pages provides an up-to-the-minute guide to the latest in essential APIs for creating state-of-the-art Web applications. This smart, patient, and thorough tutorial gives you exactly what you need to use Java effectively in the field.

While many books on Java try to cover just about everything, this title's focus on what's hot in server-side Java makes it a standout. The book begins with a very solid tutorial to servlets and JSPs, including important HTTP fundamentals (like request headers and processing forms). The author does a good job at summarizing APIs and common options, which helps make this book useful as a working reference, too. The level of discussion here is suited to those with a little Java experience, but even beginners could do a lot worse than this title as an introduction to Web programming.

A great feature of this text is that the author walks you through the actual details of deploying your Web applications (notoriously tricky, even for experts). Screenshots on installing and using tools (like the free Apache and Tomcat software packages), plus detailed advice on deployment, will make sure your code actually runs. (A standout here is the summary of all configuration options available in today's containers.)

If you are coming to servlets and JSPs from an earlier version, you'll find this text excels at covering the latest in custom and standard tag libraries. Besides explaining new JSP 1.2 tag conventions, later sections also look at an important new development in Sun's evolution of the Java platform, the JSP Standard Tag Library (JSTL). Coverage of tag programming (including several sections on looping) closes out the book. There's also material on important new advances in servlets, like filters (which allow you to log or change requests) and servlet events (which afford a greater measure of control for your Web applications).

Whether you are a JSP beginner or expert, More Servlets and JavaServer Pages gives you an excellent mix of topics in server-side Java in a well-presented programming tutorial. It's sure to be a worthwhile addition to any working Java Web developer's bookshelf. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: Introduction to JavaServer Pages (JSPs) and servlets, software installation for Java server developers (JDK, Tomcat, Apache, JRun, and other Web containers), summary of Web application deployment directories, advantages of servlets, the servlet lifecycle, processing HTTP form data (including request headers and CGI variables), cookies and sessions, advantages of JSPs, basic JSP scripting tutorial (including expressions and scriptlets), using JavaBeans with JSPs (tags and properties), custom tag libraries, introduction to the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture, registering and deploying Web applications (.WAR files and data sharing), in-depth guide to Web application configuration (comprehensive guide to web.xml settings), configuring servlets (including filters and error pages, timeouts and installing tag libraries), case study for an online boat shop, declarative security tutorial (including SSL and form-based authentication), programmatic security (including using certificates and SSL), guide to servlet filters (including logging, replacement, and compression examples), processing servlet events, JSP 1.2 tag library improvements (including XML and SAX 2.0 tag validation), and the JSP Standard Tag Library (JSTL) (including basic statements and looping). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (39)

Comprehensive with a footnote
The book covers a lot of ground. I like the fact the the author starts with servlets rather than with JSP pages. This gives the reader a basis for anything else covered in the field of JSPs. Every single thing is supported by an example, which is very nice.
I would like however to warn JSP and Servlet newbies: the book assumes you know how to set up a servlet engine (Tomcat, Jboss, etc). The reason I say that is not because the book does not cover this topic, but because it is very obscure in the book. For example the author tells you that the way you access servlets is by typing you application directory + /servlets/ + the name of the servlet. He, for some reason, assumes that tomcat makes that url pattern the default for accesing servlets. It is not true. Tomcat leaves it up to you to decide hot to access your servlets. So you have to go and modify your web.xml file, which is not covered in the those set up sesctions of the book.
If you know how to set things up yourself, this book is invaluable.

Great for the IBM 484 Exam!
This book was a big help for me in passing IBM's exams that deal with the J2EE.Good breadth and depth in many of the categories on the exam and Marty puts things in a clear manner so you pick up the concepts quickly.Very well laid out.

I'd also mention this book is way more than just servlets/jsp's, it also has a ton of stuff on really understanding the deployment of J2EE webapps and how to really get the most out of your web.xml.It also has good coverage of j2ee security and JSTL.Hope this helps others decide.

A good topic, an excellent author
I've been using the Marty Hall's saga (Core Web Programming, Core Servlets, More Servlets), for almost three years now, and I can recommend him as one of the best technical authors.

His treatment of Servlets and JSP is great, and I can only wait for his Struts book!

His examples are clear, concise and useful.Not the typical "Hello World", but real oriented-to-learning examples.

THIS is the JSP/Servlet book you are looking to buy.
I searched at a great many titles including a couple of duds before I finally settled on Marty Hall's book.Perhaps it was the "More" part that made me wonder if I would be missing something....like this was part two.

As it turns out, that could not have been further from the truth and IMHO, although the titles is correct, it is a bit of a misnomer due to that misperception.

This really is the book you've been looking for if you want to learn JSP/Servlet programming, particularly with Tomcat (or ServletExec).Marty takes you through a full tour of JSP in case you are a beginner as I was, but he also ensures he tells you about many features of the spec/language to a level of completeness that far exceeds many other titles I looked at.He also explains how to get up and running with several servers (but especially with Tomcat) in a way that REALLY gets you up and running...almost every book had a Tomcat section, but this one really does describe usability approaches for your workflow.That, alone, is worth the price of the book, not to mention the many great other things you will learn along the way.

Furthermore, Marty is very approachable.I have e-mailed him on several occasions...one turned out to be an issue I misunderstood and another turned out to be an apparent change to the Tomcat default specs.But he typically responded to me within a matter of hours and got me up and running again on those few occasions where I became "stuck" (sure, I could have skipped the spot, but then I wouldn't UNDERSTAND it...he made sure I did understand it and replied with the WHY in each case).

You may still be wondering about that "more" part...on his website for the book, he makes the full older book available as a PDF...on occasion, he refers to it in the newer book for areas that can optionally go into further detail.This avoids repeatedness, but also gives you access to yet another excellent resource even if it is only partially out-of-date.

More Servlets, by contrast, is up-to-date as of the latest specifications (2.3/1.2) that have officially been released.Furthermore, he takes great care in pointing out items that are specific to the latest specification...he also points out items that are specific to certain browsers in those applicable instances.

This is definitely a book that teaches you JSP/Servlets, but it also teaches you approaches, workflow, and much much more.

There is a prerequisite that you need to know Java, and I readily agree with that statement...you do need to know Java (and for that, I strongly recommend HeadFirst Java by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates!!), but given even basic Java knowledge, you can be off and running with this book and I can tell you it is very difficult to put down once you've picked it up.

Ross Goldberg

Nice hands-on book for starters
It's a very useful book for Servlet,JSP starters with hands-on instructions to go about it. It's written in a nice, CONCISE manner covering many topics. ... Read more

Product Description

The JSP Standard Tag Library is a collection of commonly used functions and tools invaluable to JSP developers to avoid re-creating the same functions on site after site.Sun has indicated that JSP development should be based around using tag libraries going forward, and will relase JSP STL, as their official library.This book starts with an in-depth deiscussion of the JSP STL, then goes beyond the standard library to teach developers to create their own tags to further encapsulate the most common features of their specific applications.Along the way, readers will also learn to use tags to access data, process XML, handle expressions, and further customize pages for international visitors.Later chapters explain how readers can expand the Standard Tab Library by creating their own tags.

Customer Reviews (2)

Big book, bad code, little help
This is a relatively large book and one would expect it to have a lot of material inside. Suprisingly, it does not.
JSTL is described at length but the more you delve into the book you find that you are not learning much and that examples are not really applicable. Another qualm with this book is that its examples contain really bad HTML code - and I know, we are dealing with JSPs and JSTL, but if you are an author, correct HTML will not hurt.

There are other books available on the topic - get one of them (stay away from JSTL: Practical Guide which is even worse than this book).

Just what I needed!
Jeff Heaton has done an excellent job with this book!I get tired of bloated, windy programming books.Usually I buy a book to help me get started on a task at hand.This books definitely got me started and instantly allowed me to reap the benefits of JSTL! (Although I still prefer Coldfusion MX ;) ... Read more

Product Description
As a Web Developer, you know the challenge of building robust applications on multiple platforms. Creating truly portable applications becomes possible by using Java for code and XML for organizing and managing data. "XML, XSLT, Java, and JSP:A Case Study" will help you maximize the capabilities of XML, XSLT, Java, and JSP in your Web applications.

The author, Westy Rockwell, uses the hands-on approach of a case study to show you how to use these technologies in realistically complex situations. All the tools used in the case study are free, so you can obtain them and join the author in a real open source web chat application, available online and with the book CD-ROM. This book provides you with the information you need to fully utilize XML, XSLT, Java, and JSP in your web applications, and presents it in a practical and unique way through the case study.

With "XML, XSLT, Java, and JSP: A Case Study," you will learn how to:

-Build web applications based on XML, XSLT, Java Applets, Java Servlets and Java Server Pages

-Set up a Win32 Web application development environment based on the Java(TM) 2 SDK and freely obtainable, open-source software products from Apache Software Foundation: Tomcat, Xerces and Xalan
(*Note all of these items are located on the CD-ROM attached with the book so you don't have to take the time to download)

-Use XML as a language to express the architecture and design of the application itself, not just its data content

-Create a browseable user interface for your web application with JSP

-Use an Http Servlet, beans, and JSP custom tags to implement and control Web applications

-Make and deploy a Java Applet to control and refresh your Web application user interface

-Utilize Xerces and Xalan for XML and XSLT, to provide dynamic content to a Web application.

-Experiment with new techniques for XML storage using Java objects ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Not recommended
Although the author patently knows his onions, it seems he hasn't a great deal of experience in conveying that information.

In my opinion, if you just want to see an example of web app creation and get a few (great) ideas, then yes, buy the book.

But if you want to figure out how to configure Tomcat, etc, in preparation for a new development, then look elsewhere.

The book spends a lot of its time telling the reader that what they need to know is either out of the scope (detailed descriptions of web.xml and server.xml are out of scope?!) or that they should look on some other (somtimes unreachable) webpage.

For example, how do you tell Tomcat where to find your compiled classes? I would first try looking in the index for setting the Tomcat CLASSPATH.

The index has one entry for classpath and what does it tell me on page 17?

"If you are looking for some clarity regarding which, if any, setting for the CLASSPATH environment you should use, we can think of no better place for you to find answers than ...

For some people a unique must have book
This book is a case study of a project using a combination of two of the hottest technologies around for delivering interactive web applications: XSLT and JSP Tags. It is not a text book. It is hard to give it a star rating because it is not particularly well written (the author is a better programmer than writer in my opinion) however the content is unique and will be of particular interest to those wanting to use both JSP and XSLT technologies to separate web page content from application code and data.

There are many books on JSPs but they tend to have minimal content on XSLT beyond how to set up a basic custom tag to drive an XSLT processor. Likewise there are many titles dealing with XSLT that have little detail on how to intergrate XSLT processing into a JSP based application. This book deals with how they can work together which is why I describe it as unique.

Another big plus for this book is that the content is non-trivial and discusses a real problem, not made up easy-peazy ones designed to show off this or that feature of the XML, XSL or JSP specifications.

The source code for the case study looks experimental becasue it is experimental. Mr Rockwell makes it quite clear that much of it is marked down for revision, as it should be in an iterative development process. It is not always easy to follow, but once you get into it you can see exactly what he's trying to do and there are some genuine nuggets in there which you won't find anywhere else.

In summary, if you want to use both XSLT and JSP custome tags in your web applications and you are trying to figure out how to do it, you should consider investing in this.

For Serious Developers
I've found that this book goes in a lot of depth on a host of topics.I wouldn't recommend it for someone who is just starting out, because the topcs are pretty advanced, but for those who are looking a for a depth of study, this is definitely the way go to.It covers each topic in detail, with a realtive amount of background that helps cover the topic completely.

A poor attempt at a case study
There are some books that are published that you wonder why the publisher went through the exercise. New Riders should have rejected this manuscript. It claims to be a case study of XML, XSLT, and JSP but it isn't. It is a confused and confusing discussion of the author playing around with technology.

The author wanted to try out some ideas so he decided to write a chat program. But there is no real design effort (you won't find a single UML diagram anywhere) so it is difficult to understand precisely what the application is supposed to look like. Without any real design, the application ends up with one servlet of over 50 pages and another of over 40 pages in length. (The book is inflated with 300 pages of source listings that are unreadable.) As a case study in how to do bad design and write awful code, the book can serve as a warning perhaps. As far as actually trying to explain any of this technology, the author admits that isn't the purpose of the book. In a case study you like to hear of problems encountered or the different solutions attempted but you won't. No mention is made of security or performance. The code itself is useless and can't be used in other applications because it is so poorly designed. The author admits that huge chunks of code need to be refactored.

Overall this book fails to provide any real value.

A True Case Study
Having seen the other reviews, I was curious about this book. In short, the title does say it all, as the author presents a nice case study of how HE used XML, XSLT, Java and JSP to develop a Web application. As such, there is not a lot of discussion introducing these technologies - that is not the point of a case study. Instead, the reader is introduced to how the author explored the use of these technologies to building a specific application.

In this light, the book provides a very interesting perspective. The primary reason I have for not rating it higher is that the technology is slightly out of date (given the publication date), especially with respect to XSLT and JSP, but this is hardly surprising given how rapidly these technologies evolve. If you want to learn about these technologies, look elsewhere. If you want an insight into how one developer built a web application, however, you should check this book out, you might be surprised. ... Read more