JSP

Sun Java System Web Server 6.1 supports the JSP 1.2 specification.

A JSP is a page, much like an HTML page, that can be viewed in a web browser. However, in addition to HTML tags, it can include a set of JSP tags and directives intermixed with Java code that extend the ability of the web page designer to incorporate dynamic content in a page. These additional features provide functionality such as displaying property values and using simple conditionals.

One of the main benefits of JSPs is that they are like HTML pages. The web page designer simply writes a page that uses HTML and JSP tags and puts it on his or her web server. The page is compiled automatically when it is deployed. The web page designer needs to know little about Java classes and Java compilers. Sun Java System Web Server supports precompilation of JSPs, however, and this is recommended for production servers.

JSP pages can access full Java functionality by:

• Embedding Java code directly in scriptlets in the page

• Using server-side tags that include Java servlets

Servlets are Java classes that must be compiled, but they can be defined and compiled by a Java programmer, who then publishes the interface to the servlet. The web page designer can access a precompiled servlet from a JSP page.

Sun Java System Web Server 6.1 supports JSP tag libraries and standard portable tags.

For information about creating JSPs, see Sun's JavaServer Pages web site at:

http://java.sun.com/products/jsp/index.jsp

For information about developing JSPs in Sun Java System Web Server, see Chapter 4, Using JavaServer Pages.