Preface

This document introduces and explains the Oracle implementation of JavaServer Pages (JSP) technology, specified by an industry consortium led by Sun Microsystems. It summarizes standard features but focuses primarily on Oracle implementation details and value-added features. An overview of standard JSP technology is followed by discussion of the OC4J implementation, JSP configuration, basic programming considerations, JSP strategies and tips, translation and deployment, JSP tag libraries, and globalization support.

JavaServer Pages technology is a component of the standard Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE). The J2EE component of the Oracle Application Server is known as the Oracle Application Server Containers for J2EE (OC4J).

The OC4J JSP container in Oracle Application Server 10g Release 2 (10.1.2) is a complete implementation of the Sun Microsystems JavaServer Pages Specification, Version 1.2.

This preface contains the following sections:

• Intended Audience

• Documentation Accessibility

• Structure

• Related Documents

• Conventions

Intended Audience

This document is intended for developers interested in creating Web applications based on JavaServer Pages technology. It assumes that working Web and servlet environments already exist, and that readers are already familiar with the following:

• General Web technology

• General servlet technology (technical background provided in Appendix A)

• How to configure their Web server and servlet environments

• HTML

• Java

• Oracle JDBC (for JSP applications accessing Oracle Database)

While some information about standard JSP technology and syntax is provided in Chapter 1 and elsewhere, there is no attempt at completeness in this area. For additional information about standard JSP features, consult the Sun Microsystems JavaServer Pages Specification or other appropriate reference materials.

The JSP 1.2 specification relies on a servlet 2.3 environment, and this document is geared largely toward such environments (also considering some JSP 1.1 backward compatibility issues). The OC4J JSP container has special features for earlier servlet environments, however.

For documentation of tag libraries and utilities that are provided with the OC4J product, please refer to the Oracle Application Server Containers for J2EE JSP Tag Libraries and Utilities Reference.

For a quick primer about getting started with JSP pages in OC4J, see the Oracle Application Server Containers for J2EE User's Guide.

Documentation Accessibility

Our goal is to make Oracle products, services, and supporting documentation accessible, with good usability, to the disabled community. To that end, our documentation includes features that make information available to users of assistive technology. This documentation is available in HTML format, and contains markup to facilitate access by the disabled community. Standards will continue to evolve over time, and Oracle is actively engaged with other market-leading technology vendors to address technical obstacles so that our documentation can be accessible to all of our customers. For additional information, visit the Oracle Accessibility Program Web site at

http://www.oracle.com/accessibility/

Accessibility of Code Examples in Documentation

JAWS, a Windows screen reader, may not always correctly read the code examples in this document. The conventions for writing code require that closing braces should appear on an otherwise empty line; however, JAWS may not always read a line of text that consists solely of a bracket or brace.

Accessibility of Links to External Web Sites in Documentation

This documentation may contain links to Web sites of other companies or organizations that Oracle does not own or control. Oracle neither evaluates nor makes any representations regarding the accessibility of these Web sites.

Structure

This document contains:

Chapter 1, "General JSP Overview"

This chapter highlights standard JSP 1.2 technology. It is not intended as a complete reference.

Chapter 2, "Overview of the Oracle JSP Implementation"

This chapter provides an overview of the JSP implementation provided with OC4J, including both portable and Oracle-specific value-added features.

Chapter 3, "Getting Started"

This contains information about required files for the OC4J JSP container, OC4J Web server configuration, and JSP configuration.

Chapter 4, "Basic Programming Considerations"

This chapter introduces basic JSP programming considerations, including JSP-servlet interaction and database access, and provides some examples.

Chapter 5, "JSP XML Support"

This chapter describes JavaServer Pages XML support, primarily added in the JSP 1.2 specification. JSP XML syntax and the JSP XML view are described.

Chapter 6, "Additional Programming Considerations"

This chapter discusses a variety of general programming, configuration, and runtime issues that the developer should be aware of. It also covers considerations specific to the OC4J environment.

Chapter 7, "JSP Translation and Deployment"

This chapter describes features of the OC4J JSP translator and Oracle ojspc pretranslation utility, and discusses general and OC4J-specific deployment considerations.

Chapter 8, "JSP Tag Libraries"

This chapter describes the standard JSP 1.2 framework for custom tag libraries. There is also discussion of OC4J extended features for tag library support, and vendor-specific compile-time tags.

Chapter 9, "JSP Globalization Support"

This chapter covers features for globalization support.

Appendix A, "Servlet and JSP Technical Background"

This appendix provides a brief background of servlet technology and introduces the standard JSP interfaces for translated pages.

Appendix B, "Third Party Licenses"

This appendix includes the Third Party License for third party products included with Oracle Application Server and discussed in this document.

Related Documents

For more information, see these Oracle resources available from the Oracle Java Platform Group:

• Oracle Application Server Containers for J2EE User's Guide

  This book provides some overview and general information for OC4J; primer chapters for servlets, JSP pages, and EJBs; and general configuration and deployment instructions.

• Oracle Application Server Containers for J2EE Stand Alone User's Guide

  This version of the user's guide is specifically for the standalone version of OC4J, and is available when you download the standalone version from OTN. OC4J standalone is used in development environments, but not typically in production environments.

• Oracle Application Server Containers for J2EE Servlet Developer's Guide

  This book provides information for servlet developers regarding use of servlets and the servlet container in OC4J, including basic servlet development, use of JDBC and EJBs, building and deploying applications, and servlet and Web site configuration. Consideration is given to both OC4J in a standalone environment for development and OC4J in Oracle Application Server for production.

• Oracle Application Server Containers for J2EE JSP Tag Libraries and Utilities Reference

  This book provides conceptual information and detailed syntax and usage information for tag libraries, JavaBeans, and other Java utilities provided with OC4J. There is also a summary of tag libraries from other Oracle product groups.

• Oracle Application Server Containers for J2EE Services Guide

  This book provides information about standards-based Java services supplied with OC4J, such as JTA, JNDI, JMS, JAAS, and the Oracle Application Server Java Object Cache.

• Oracle Application Server Containers for J2EE Security Guide

  This document (not to be confused with the Oracle Application Server 10g Security Guide), describes security features and implementations particular to OC4J. This includes information about using JAAS, the Java Authentication and Authorization Service, as well as other Java security technologies.

Also available from the Oracle Java Platform group:

• Oracle Database Java Developer's Guide

• Oracle Database JDBC Developer's Guide and Reference

• Oracle Database JPublisher User's Guide

Available from the Oracle Application Server group:

• Oracle Application Server Administrator's Guide

• Oracle Application Server Security Guide

• Oracle Application Server Performance Guide

• Oracle Enterprise Manager Concepts

• Oracle HTTP Server Administrator's Guide

• Oracle Application Server Globalization Guide

• Oracle Application Server Web Cache Administrator's Guide

• Oracle Application Server Web Services Developer's Guide

• Oracle Application Server Upgrading to 10g Release 2 (10.1.2)

Available from the Oracle JDeveloper group:

• Oracle JDeveloper online help

• Oracle JDeveloper documentation on the Oracle Technology Network:

  http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/jdev/content.html
  
  

Available from the Oracle Server Technologies group:

• Oracle XML Developer's Kit Programmer's Guide

• Oracle XML API Reference

• Oracle Database Application Developer's Guide - Fundamentals

• PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference

• PL/SQL User's Guide and Reference

• Oracle Database SQL Reference

• Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide

• Oracle Advanced Security Administrator's Guide

• Oracle Database Reference

Printed documentation is available for sale in the Oracle Store at

http://oraclestore.oracle.com/

To download free release notes, installation documentation, white papers, or other collateral, please visit the Oracle Technology Network (OTN). You must register online before using OTN; registration is free and can be done at

http://www.oracle.com/technology/membership/

If you already have a user name and password for OTN, then you can go directly to the documentation section of the OTN Web site at

http://www.oracle.com/technology/documentation

The following OTN Web site for Java servlets and JavaServer Pages is also available:

http://www.oracle.com/technology/tech/java/servlets/

The following resources are available from Sun Microsystems.

• Web site for JavaServer Pages, including the latest specifications:

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

• Web site for Java Servlet technology, including the latest specifications:

  http://java.sun.com/products/servlet/index.html
  
  

• jsp-interest discussion group for JavaServer Pages

  To subscribe, send an e-mail to [e-mail] with the following line in the body of the message:

  subscribe jsp-interest yourlastname yourfirstname
  
  

  It is recommended, however, that you request only the daily digest of the posted e-mails. To do this add the following line to the message body as well:

  set jsp-interest digest
  

Conventions

The following conventions are also used in this manual:

Convention	Meaning
. . .	Horizontal ellipsis points in statements or commands mean that parts of the statement or command not directly related to the example have been omitted
boldface text	Boldface type in text indicates a term defined in the text, the glossary, or in both locations.
Italics	Italic typeface indicates book titles or emphasis, or terms that are defined in the text.
Monospace (fixed-width) font	Monospace typeface within text indicates items such as executables, file names, directory names, Java class names, Java method names, variable names, other programmatic elements (such as JSP tags or attributes, or XML elements or attributes), or database SQL commands or elements (such as schema names, table names, or column names).
Italic monospace (fixed-width) font	Italic monospace font represents placeholders or variables.
< >	Angle brackets enclose user-supplied names.
[ ]	Brackets enclose optional clauses from which you can choose one or none.
|	A vertical bar represents a choice of two or more options. Enter one of the options. Do not enter the vertical bar.