This chapter includes the following sections:
This document is a resource for software developers who develop Web applications and components such as HTTP servlets and JavaServer Pages (JSPs) for deployment on WebLogic Server. This document is also a resource for Web application users and deployers. It also contains information that is useful for business analysts and system architects who are evaluating WebLogic Server or considering the use of WebLogic Server Web applications for a particular application.
The topics in this document are relevant during the design and development phases of a software project. The document also includes topics that are useful in solving application problems that are discovered during test and pre-production phases of a project.
This document does not address production phase administration, monitoring, or performance tuning topics. For links to WebLogic Server documentation and resources for these topics, see Related Documentation.
It is assumed that the reader is familiar with Java EE and Web application concepts. This document emphasizes the value-added features provided by WebLogic Server Web applications and key information about how to use WebLogic Server features and facilities to get a Web application up and running .
This chapter, Introduction and Roadmap, introduces the organization of this guide.
Understanding Web Applications, Servlets, and JSPs, provides an overview of WebLogic Server Web applications, servlets, and JavaServer Pages (JSPs).
Creating and Configuring Web Applications, describes how to create and configure Web application resources.
Creating and Configuring Servlets, describes how to create and configure servlets.
Creating and Configuring JSPs, describes how to create and configure JSPs.
Using JSF and JSTL, describes how to configure JavaServer Faces (JSF) and the JSP Tag Standard Library (JSTL).
Configuring Resources in a Web Application, describes how to configure Web application resources.
WebLogic Annotation for Web Components, describes how to simplify development by using annotations and resource injection with Web components.
Servlet Programming Tasks, describes how to write HTTP servlets in a WebLogic Server environment.
Using Sessions and Session Persistence, describes how to set up sessions and session persistence.
Application Events and Event Listener Classes, discusses application events and event listener classes.
Using the HTTP Publish-Subscribe Server, provides an overview of the HTTP Publish-Subscribe server and information on how you can use it in your Web applications
WebLogic JSP Reference, provides reference information for writing JavaServer Pages (JSPs).
Filters, provides information about using filters in a Web application.
Using WebLogic JSP Form Validation Tags, describes how to use WebLogic JSP form validation tags.
Using Custom WebLogic JSP Tags (cache, process, repeat), describes the use of three custom JSP tags—cache, repeat, and process—provided with the WebLogic Server distribution.
Using the WebLogic EJB to JSP Integration Tool, describes how to use the WebLogic EJB-to-JSP integration tool to create JSP tag libraries that you can use to invoke EJBs in a JavaServer Page (JSP). This document assumes at least some familiarity with both EJB and JSP.
web.xml Deployment Descriptor Elements, describes the deployment descriptor elements defined in the web.xml schema under the root element <web-app>.
weblogic.xml Deployment Descriptor Elements, provides a complete reference for the schema for the WebLogic Server-specific deployment descriptor weblogic.xml.
Support for GlassFish Deployment Descriptors, provides a list of the GlassFish deployment descriptors that are supported in WebLogic Server.
Web Application Best Practices, contains Oracle best practices for designing, developing, and deploying WebLogic Server Web applications and application resources.
This document contains Web application-specific design and development information.
For comprehensive guidelines for developing, deploying, and monitoring WebLogic Server applications, see the following documents:
Developing Applications for Oracle WebLogic Server is a guide to developing WebLogic Server applications.
Deploying Applications to Oracle WebLogic Server is the primary source of information about deploying WebLogic Server applications.
Upgrading Oracle WebLogic Server contains information about Web applications, JSP, and servlet compatibility with previous WebLogic Server releases.
Servlet product overview at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javaee/servlet/index.html
JavaServer Pages (JSP) product overview at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javaee/jsp/index.htm
JavaServer Faces (JSF) product overview at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javaee/javaserverfaces-139869.html
JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library (JSTL) product overview at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/index-jsp-135995.html
For more information in general about Java application development, refer to http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javaee/overview/index.html
In addition to this document, Oracle provides examples for software developers within the context of the Avitek Medical Records Application (MedRec) sample, discussed in the next section.
MedRec is an end-to-end sample Java EE application shipped with WebLogic Server that simulates an independent, centralized medical record management system. The MedRec application provides a framework for patients, doctors, and administrators to manage patient data using a variety of different clients.
MedRec demonstrates WebLogic Server and Java EE features, and highlights Oracle-recommended best practices. MedRec is optionally installed with the WebLogic Server installation. You can start MedRec from the ORACLE_HOME\user_projects\domains\medrec directory, where ORACLE_HOME is the directory you specified as Oracle Home when you installed Oracle WebLogic Server. See Sample Applications and Code Examples in Understanding Oracle WebLogic Server.
The sample application, MedRec (Spring) demonstrates Spring Framework application development practices.
When you install WebLogic Server complete with the examples, the examples source code is placed in the ORACLE_HOME\wlserver\samples\server\examples\src\examples directory. From this directory, you can access the source code and instruction files for the examples without having to set up the samples domain.
The ORACLE_HOME\user_projects\domains\wl_server directory contains the WebLogic Server examples domain; it contains your applications and the XML configuration files that define how your applications and Oracle WebLogic Server will behave, as well as startup and environment scripts. For more information about the WebLogic Server code examples, see Sample Applications and Code Examples in Understanding Oracle WebLogic Server.
Oracle provides several Web application, servlet, and JSP examples with this release of WebLogic Server. Oracle recommends that you run these Web application examples before developing your own Web applications.
For a comprehensive listing of the new WebLogic Server features introduced in this release, see What's New in Oracle WebLogic Server.