Struts Kick Start

Learn to build applications with Jakarta Struts, the most popular JSP development framework. Struts Kick Start is a "hands-on" book filled with sample applications and code snippets you can reuse, and in-depth coverage of new features in Struts 1.1. If you are looking for a practical book that "shows you how to do it", then Struts Kick Start is for you. Plus, it's the first Struts book with detailed examples of the major Struts tags.

The book begins with a discussion of Struts and its Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture. The authors' then demonstrate Struts' power through the development of a non-trivial sample application - covering all the Struts components in a "how to use them" approach. You'll also see the Struts Tag Library in action - use tags for HTML, javabeans, logical operations and more. You'll learn to use Struts with JBoss for EJB's, with Apache Axis to publish and use Web Services, and with JUnit for testing and debugging. The authors work with the latest Struts 1.1 features including DynaForms, Tiles and the Validator.

The book includes a CD-ROM containing the tools discussed in the book: Struts 1.1 beta 2, Java 2 Standard Edition, JBoss 3.0.3, MySQL 3.23, XDoclet, Torque, Tomcat, Ant, Axis, Cactus, and JUnit. Plus, it comes with an electronic, fully searchable version of the book.

From the Inside Cover: Thoroughly covers the essential features of Struts in a clear and readable style.

Struts Kick Start is a solid starting point for learning how to develop web applications using Struts. The authors start you off by reviewing the foundational technologies on which Struts is based, and immediately get into the sorts of practical "how to" information and examples that get you up to speed quickly.

Notable features that I really appreciated include the coverage on integration with other technologies (such as EJBs and web services), using Ant to set up your development environment, and the fact that the software goodies you need are available on the included CD. Struts does not live in a vacuum -- it is one of the tools in the developer's toolkit, so knowing how it works with other technologies is very useful.

Of particular importance is the coverage on testing your web application as you build and maintain it. Developing a solid testing methodology, and a substantial suite of tests (to protect yourself against regressions), is critically important to a rapid development cycle that still needs to produce high quality applications. Coverage of testing, though, tends to be minimal in many books about programming technologies. James and Kevin provide specific advice on how to use the JUnit and Cactus testing frameworks with your Struts based applications.

Struts Kick Start is a good resource for learning about Struts, and it will help you get up to speed quickly.

- Craig McClanahan, Creator of Struts

James Turner is the manager of Black Bear Software, LLC, and the Apache Jakarta Struts project. He has more than 22 years of experience in the computer field and has worked for organizations that include MIT, Xerox, Solbourne Computer, BBN Planet, and Interleaf. He spent the last seven years managing and implementing e-commerce Web sites for companies including CVS, The Christian Science Monitor, and Woolworths UK. In addition, he is an active contributor to various Apache Jakarta projects and recently was the Release Manager for the Jakarta Commons Validator 1.0 release. Mr. Turner is also a well-published freelance journalist and technology writer who has written for publications including The Christian Science Monitor, WIRED, and Web Developers Journal. He lives in Derry, New Hampshire, in a 200-year-old colonial farmhouse along with his wife and son. James is also the author of MySQL and JSP Web Applications: Data Driven Programming Using Tomcat and MySQL, published in 2002 by Sams Publishing.

Kevin Bedell is an E-Business Systems Architect with Sun Life Financial in Wellesley, Massachusetts. His career has crossed a number of different fields including programming, consulting, IT management, network integration, and corporate finance and accounting. In the software development world, he worked for large and small companies including Oracle, Johnson Controls, and Sun Life Financial. He's a Sun Certified Java Programmer and has earned his MCSE certification from Microsoft. Kevin holds a BS in engineering from Michigan Tech and an MBA from the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.