Jeff Heaton

JSTL: JSP
Standard Tag
Library
Kick Start

800 East 96th Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240

JSTL: JSP Standard Tag Library Kick Start

Copyright 2003 by Sams Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without
written permission from the publisher. No patent liability is
assumed with respect to the use of the information contained
herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor is any liability assumed for damages
resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

Executive Editor
Michael Stephens
Acquisitions Editor
Todd Green
Managing Editor
Charlotte Clapp
Copyeditor
Elizabeth Welch
Compositor
Regina Rexrode

International Standard Book Number: 0-672-32450-4

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2002106117
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: September 2002
04

03

02

Proofreader
Nancy Sixsmith
Technical Editor
Avery Regier

Multimedia Developer
Dan Scherf

Trademarks
All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks
or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Sams
Publishing cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of
a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity
of any trademark or service mark.

Team Coordinator
Lynne Williams
Interior Designer
Gary Adair
Cover Designer
Gary Adair

Warning and Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as
accurate as possible, but no warranty or fitness is implied. The
information provided is on an as is basis. The author(s) and the
publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any
person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from
the information contained in this book or from the use of the CD
or programs accompanying it.

Contents at a Glance
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
......................................................5

Understanding JSP Custom Tags

Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library

Understanding Basic Tag Logic

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Using the Expression Language

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Collections, Loops, and Iterators

Formatting Data with Tags

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

Accessing Data with XML Tags

Accessing Internet Resources with JSTL

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

10

Understanding JSTL Internationalization

11

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

12

Debugging and Deploying Tag Libraries

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357

JSTL Reference

Installing JSTL and Tomcat

Installing MySQL

Unix Installation Notes

Index

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407

Table of Contents
Introduction

The Benefits of JSTL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

JSTL and JSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Who This Book Is For . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Structure and Organization of the Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The Forum Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Source Code and Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1

Understanding JSP Custom Tags

The Role of Tags in JSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Using HTML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Using JSP Scriptlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Programming in Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Introducing JSTL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Apache Taglibs Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Structure of JSTL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Installing JSTL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Adding JSTL to Your Web Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Using JSTL in Your JSP Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Testing the Counting Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Troubleshooting the Counting Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2

Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library

19

Understanding Scoped Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Page Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Request Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Session Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Application Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Accessing Application Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Accessing Page Context Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
The paramValues Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
The Basics of Web Application Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Processing the Query String . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Working with Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Understanding State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Understanding Basic Tag Logic

51

Exception Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Generating Exceptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Using the <c:catch> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Using Conditionals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Using the <c:if> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Using the <c:choose> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Using the <c:when> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Using the <c:otherwise> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Nesting Conditionals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
A Chat Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
4

Using the Expression Language

73

JSTL Expression Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Using the <c:out> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Using the <c:set> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Using the <c:remove> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Using the EL Expression Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Accessing Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Literals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Property Access Operators: [] and . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Arithmetic Operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Relational Operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Logical Operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
The and and or Operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Operator Precedence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Reserved Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Implicit Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Type Conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Using the RT Expression Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Determining the Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Case-Insensitive String Comparisons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
5

Collections, Loops, and Iterators

101

Understanding Collections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

The Iteration Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
The <c:forEach> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Loop Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

vi

JSTL: JSP Standard Tag Library Kick Start

Using Iterators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Iterating over Strings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Fixed-Length Loops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
The <c:forTokens> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Modifying a Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Tag Collaboration with a Fixed Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Tag Collaboration with a Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
6

Formatting Data with Tags

123

Formatting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Using the <fmt:formatNumber> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Formatting Percents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Using the <fmt:formatDate> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Parsing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Using the <fmt:parseNumber> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Using the <fmt:parseDate> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Time Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Setting Time Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Using Time Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Applying Date Formatting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
7

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

165

Introducing the Forum Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Database Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Screen Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Understanding JDBC Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Connecting to a JDBC Data Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Using the <sql:setDataSource> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Connecting to Other Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Using SQL Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Using the <sql:query> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Using the <sql:update> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Using the <sql:transaction> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Using the <sql:param> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Using the <sql:dateParam> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Implementing the Forum Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Using a Query to Log In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Using an Update to Register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Contents

Welcome to the Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Using Transactions to Administer the Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
A General Query Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
8

Accessing Data with XML Tags

213

Understanding XML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Understanding XPath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Understanding XML Core Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Using the <x:parse> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Using the <x:out> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Using the <x:set> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Using XML Flow-Control Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Using the <x:forEach> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Using the <x:if> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Using the <x:choose> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Using the <x:when> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Using the <x:otherwise> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Transforming XML with XSLT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Using the <x:transform> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Using the <x:param> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
9

Accessing Internet Resources with JSTL

245

The URL-Related Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Using the <c:import> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Using the <c:url> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Using the <c:param> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Using the <c:redirect> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Understanding Internet Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Introducing RSS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Using the RSS Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
10

Understanding JSTL Internationalization

269

The I18N-Related Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Using the <fmt:setLocale> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Using the <fmt:setBundle> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Using the <fmt:bundle> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Using the <fmt:message> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

vii

viii

JSTL: JSP Standard Tag Library Kick Start

Using the <fmt:param> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

Using the <fmt:requestEncoding> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Resource Bundles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
What Is a Resource Bundle? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Creating a Properties File Resource Bundle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Creating a Resource Bundle for a Romance Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Creating a Resource Bundle for a Non-Romance Language . . . . . . . . 285
Compiling the Resource Bundles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
A Multilingual Forum Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
11

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

295

Developing Custom Tag Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

Tags Used by the Forum Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Data Structures Used by the Forum Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
The Components of a Tag Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
The Tag Library Descriptor File (TLD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Updating web.xml for Custom Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Creating the Tag Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Constructing the Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Creating the JAR File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Using the Tags from JSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
12

Debugging and Deploying Tag Libraries

339

Debugging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
General Exceptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
A JSTL-Specific Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
An Error in a Tag Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
Debugging with an IDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
Introducing Eclipse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Using Eclipse with Tomcat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
Creating Your Own Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Debugging the Forum Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Deploying Web Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
Understanding WAR Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
Distributing a WAR File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

Contents

Appendixes
A

JSTL Reference

357

The Core Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357

The <c:catch> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
The <c:choose> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
The <c:forEach> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
The <c:forTokens> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
The <c:if> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
The <c:import> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
The <c:otherwise> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
The <c:out> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
The <c:param> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
The <c:redirect> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
The <c:remove> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
The <c:set> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
The <c:url> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
The <c:when> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
The I18N Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
The <fmt:bundle> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
The <fmt:formatDate> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
The <fmt:formatNumber> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
The <fmt:message> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368
The <fmt:param> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
The <fmt:parseDate> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370
The <fmt:parseNumber> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371
The <fmt:requestEncoding> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
The <fmt:setBundle> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
The <fmt:setLocale> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
The <fmt:setTimeZone> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
The <fmt:timeZone> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
The Relational Database Tags (SQL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
The <sql:dateParam> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
The <sql:param> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
The <sql:query> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
The <sql:setDataSource> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
The <sql:transaction> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
The <sql:update> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377

ix

JSTL: JSP Standard Tag Library Kick Start

The XML Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378

The <x:choose> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
The <x:forEach> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
The <x:if> select Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
The <x:otherwise> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
The <x:out> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
The <x:param> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
The <x:parse> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
The <x:set> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
The <x:transform> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
The <x:when> Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
B

Installing JSTL and Tomcat

385

Installing JDK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385

Installing Tomcat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Installing the Book Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
The Classpath and Search Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
Installing JSTL without the Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
C

Installing MySQL

395

Obtaining and Installing MySQL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395

Setting Up MySQL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
Creating the Forum Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
Installing a JDBC Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
D

Unix Installation Notes

405

Index

407

About the Author

Jeff Heaton is a software designer for Reinsurance Group of America, Inc. (RGA).
Jeff also teaches Java at St. Louis Community College at Meramec, and is a graduate
student at Washington University in St. Louis. A Sun Certified Java Programmer
specializing in Internet, socket-level/spidering, and artificial intelligence
programming, Jeff is a member of the IEEE. He can be contacted by email at
[email protected] or through his Web site at http://www.jeffheaton.com.

Dedication
This book is dedicated to my sister, Carrie Heaton, and my future
brother-in-law, Jeremi Spear. I wish you both many years of happiness after your wedding on March 29, 2003.

Acknowledgments
First, Id like to thank everyone at Sams Publishing who made this process productive and fun. Thanks go to my acquisitions editor, Todd Green, for believing in this
project and helping to get it started. Id also like to thank my editor, Elizabeth
Welch, for helping to make the text easy to read and follow.
In addition, I want to thank Jenny Yao for providing the translation of our forum
application to Chinese. And I am indebted to my friends Lisa Oliver and Marc
Goldford for their encouragement during this project. Id also like to mention Keith
Turner for our many discussions of the proper design, format, and implementation
of Java and UML. And thanks also go to my agent, Neil Salkind, for helping with
this and other publishing projects.
Finally, Id also like to acknowledge the great group of people I work with at
Reinsurance Group of America Inc. (RGA). Ive worked with many people at RGA,
but in particular Id like to mention my colleagues working on CybeRe, namely, Don
Apperson, Kam Chan, Terri Dickman, Michael Gaffney, Lisa Hackman, Daniel Horn,
Cindy Hsu, Gordon Huffman, Bryan Hunt, Larry Jin, Michel Lefebvre, Melinda Long,
Scott Middelkamp, Yuko Miyao, Rick Nolle, Mark Phelps, Renu Singh, Lloyd Sloan,
Sharon Stuckmeyer, Matt Tackes, John Tucker, Bala Vanukuru, Jonathan Westland,
Thomas Wigington, and anyone else I forgot.

Tell Us What You Think!

As the reader of this book, you are our most important critic and commentator. We
value your opinion and want to know what were doing right, what we could do
better, what areas youd like to see us publish in, and any other words of wisdom
youre willing to pass our way.
As an executive editor for Sams Publishing, I welcome your comments. You can
email or write me directly to let me know what you did or didnt like about this
book[md]as well as what we can do to make our books better.
Please note that I cannot help you with technical problems related to the topic of
this book. We do have a User Services group, however, where I will forward specific
technical questions related to the book.
When you write, please be sure to include this books title and author as well as your
name, email address, and phone number. I will carefully review your comments and
share them with the author and editors who worked on the book.
Email:

[email protected]

Mail:

Michael Stephens
Executive Editor
Sams Publishing
800 East 96th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46240 USA

For more information about this book or another Sams title, visit our Web site at
www.samspublishing.com. Type the ISBN (excluding hyphens) or the title of a book in
the Search field to find the page youre looking for.

Introduction
J

avaServer Pages Standard Tag Library (JSTL) is one of the most significant additions
to JSP since the introduction of JSP itself. JSP has traditionally been programmed
using scriptlet codeJava source code that is inserted along with the HTML that
normally makes up a Web page. JSTL seeks to use tagssimilar to those that make
up HTMLto replace JSP scriptlet programming. The purpose of this book is to
teach you to use JSTL.
First, we must determine exactly what JSTL is. JSTL is a tag library and, as such, is
programmed using tags. These tags are similar to the tags you use to program
HTMLwhich is one of the key advantages of JSTL. This similarity is intended is to
help alleviate the sharp contrast between the HTML intermingled with JSP scriptlet
code. Because JSTL is tag-based, it flows much cleaner with the HTML code.

The Benefits of JSTL

There are several advantages to this tight integration of display and programming
tags. First, JSTL is designed so that the Web programmer should be able to learn JSTL
quickly and efficiently. JSTL is not just easier for humans to read and understand
than JSP scriptlet programming; it is also easier for Web page layout programs to
understand. Future Web layout programs will be able to recognize the JSTL tags and
insert HTML formatting without disruption of the JSTL tags. Further, Web authoring
tools will be able to interact with JSTL tags and perform basic programming.
One perfect example of how JSTL interaction with Web authoring tools can be of
particular benefit is in the area of international programming. Traditionally, a multilingual Web application has stored individual text strings in a central locationa
database or a data file. The problem is that the method used to display these international text strings is not standardized from one application to the next. Most Web
applications use some sort of JSP scriptlet programming to retrieve and then display
multilingual text. Unfortunately, Web authoring tools are completely oblivious to
these different methods of international programming. JSTL provides us with a
concise way to implement a multilingual application. Now its possible to design
Web authoring tools that are aware of the multilingual JSP tags and allows the native
language of the page to be displayed just as easily as the foreign languages that the
page will be translated into. This enables programmers designing multilingual Web
sites to visually edit their Web pages in a variety of languages.

JSTL: JSP Standard Tag Library Kick Start

JSTL and JSP

JSTL is designed to work with JSP version 1.2 and the new JSP version 2.0. JSP 2.0
implements some very significant advantages over previous versions of JSP. One of
the most important additions to JSP version 2.0 is the expression language, called EL,
which is the way that Sun intends future expressions to be represented in JSP
programming. JSTL supports this new expression language. For added flexibility, JSTL
also supports the expression language typically used in JSP scriptlet programming in
versions prior to JSP version 2.0. The EL expression language supports many
advanced features.
The EL expression language allows you to access scoped variables. These variables are
the primary means by which JSTL stores both temporary and sessionwide data. PCL
expressions can be passed to most of the tags provided by the JSTL tag library.

Who This Book Is For

This book assumes that you have some experience as a JSP programmer. An in-depth
knowledge of JSP is not required, but some familiarity with HTML forms, hyperlinks,
URLs, and server-side programming is assumed. JSTL includes a set of SQL tags that
allow the programmer to access a relational database. This book does not attempt to
teach SQL, but rather shows you how to use JSTL to integrate with SQL.

Structure and Organization of the Book

This book is designed to be used both as a reference and as a tutorial for the JSTL tag
library. The first five chapters discuss the core features of JSTL. If youre not familiar
with JSTL, we recommend that you read Chapters 1 through 5 before reading the
rest of the book. Chapters 1 through 3 explain core programming techniques that
you will need for JSTL programming. Chapter 4 takes an in-depth look at the expression language supported by JSTL. Chapter 5 describes loops and iteration, the core
feature of any programming language.
You can read the remaining chapters in any order; they describe individual tags that
add specific features to JSTL. Chapter 6 describes how to format data. Chapter 7
examines how to access data with SQL. XML processing is covered in Chapter 8.
Chapter 9 discusses Internet programming. Chapter 10 completes the coverage of
JSTL and describes how to create an international program.
The final two chapters discuss topics beyond JSTL. Chapter 11 shows how you can
create your own tag libraries compatible with JSTL. Chapter 12 demonstrates how to
package and deploy your tag-based Web applications.

Introduction

The Forum Application

One significant feature of this book is the forum application. This application is a
Web-based bulletin board that allows users to register and then post messages to any
of several forms. Throughout this book, the forum application is extended as you
learn new features of JSTL.
We introduce the forum application in Chapter 7, where we implement it as a simple
JSP Web application that uses the SQL tags. In the first version, the forum application is an English-only program. Chapter 10 extends this by making the application
support additional languages.
The forum application now contains quite a few JSTL tags. JSTL is not meant to be
the only technology you use to create a complex Web application; you should use
your own custom tag libraries, which you create, to encapsulate your Web applications functionality. Chapter 11 shows you how to create a tag library designed to
coexist with JSTL. This allows the forum application tag library to share data with
JSTL tags.
At this point, you have a complete Web application that reflects the way in which
JSTL should be used in conjunction with your own custom tag libraries. Chapter 12
then completes this process by showing you how to deploy this Web application.

Source Code and Updates

For updates to this book, and to download the source code and examples presented
here, visit http://www.samspublishing.com. From the home page, type this books ISBN
(0672324504) into the search window, and click Search to access information about
the book and a direct link to the source code.

1
Understanding JSP
Custom Tags
JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library (JSTL) is a standard
tag library that can be used in JavaServer Pages (JSP). Sun
introduced this exciting new technology to allow tag-based
programming to exist more naturally with the already
tag-based HTML. Because of this, Sun anticipates that JSTL
will be an easier programming environment than the
traditional scriptlet-based JSP programming. To understand
JSTL, you must first understand what a tag library is.
Sun introduced JSTL as part of its Java Community Process
(http://www.jcp.org). Most Java Community Process technologies begin as a Java Specification Request (JSR). JSTL
began as JSR-52 and JSR-152. JSTL has since been released
as JSTL 1.0.
Tag libraries give the Java programmer the ability to write
Java objects that will be executed as tags within the JSP
code. Custom tags are interpreted by the Web server (or
other servlet container) before they are transmitted to the
Web browser. Tag libraries can output data of their own, as
well as control the flow of HTML and scriptlet code in the
JSP page. This allows content to be generated dynamically.
Rather than always presenting the same content to the
user, a JSP page dynamically creates pages to provide a
more interactive experience for the user.
After tag libraries were introduced, many vendors began
creating custom tag libraries that could be used with JSP.
Many common uses for custom tags were discovered, such
as data validation, internationalization, and program flow
control. Each vendor implemented these standard
functions differently.

CHAPTER 1

Understanding JSP Custom Tags

JSTL is one of several programming methods for creating Web applications using
Java. In addition to JSTL, the programmer can use custom tag libraries, scriptlet
code, and regular HTML files. These methods are not mutually exclusive, and they
can easily be used in conjunction with each other. This chapter presents an overview
of these Java Web application technologies and how they fit together.
To help you better understand JSTL, lets step back and review each of the major
technologies available to the JSP programmer.

The Role of Tags in JSP

JSP files that use scriptlet code are a mix of HTML tags and Java source code. One of
the reasons JSTL and other custom tag libraries were introduced was to provide more
consistency in JSP files. HTML is tag-based, whereas the scriptlet code appears as
regular Java code. Tag-based programming allows the JSP page to remain completely
tag-based. Further, these custom tag libraries have the ability to hide much of the
Java code behind tags that can be inserted directly into the HTML. The result of
using JSTL in JSP code is cleaner files that are much easier to modify and extend.
To illustrate the difference between the various programming technologies, lets look
at the implementation of a simple examplethe process of counting from 1 to 10
in each of these technologies. We begin with an HTML implementation.

Using HTML
HTML is static and cannot change. The look of a page is predefined before the user
ever sees it. Listing 1.1 shows how you would count to 10 using just a regular HTML
page. Here, you can see that counting to 10 is nothing more than formatting the
numbers 1 through 10.
LISTING 1.1

HTML Counts to 10

<html>
<head>
<title>Count to 10 Example(using HTML)</title>
</head>
<body>1
<br />
2
<br />
3
<br />
4
<br />

The Role of Tags in JSP

LISTING 1.1

Continued

5
<br />
6
<br />
7
<br />
8
<br />
9
<br />
10
<br />
</body>
</html>

Using regular HTML offers a couple of advantages. First, regular HTML is easy to
generate. Many GUI tools are available that can be used to generate HTML code.
Second, HTML pages can be displayed quickly. The main drawback to HTML pages is
that they are static. HTML pages cannot change their appearance as the user works
with them. For example, you could not build a shopping cart in HTML only, because
you have no way to change the appearance to reflect new items being added.

Using JSP Scriptlets

Now, lets see how the HTML page can be made more dynamic by using JSP scriptlet
code. Listing 1.2 shows a page that uses scriptlet code intermixed with HTML. This
program also counts to 10.
LISTING 1.2

A Scriptlet Counts to 10

<html>
<head>
<title>Count to 10 Example(using JSP Scriptlet)</title>
</head>
<body>
<%
for(int i=1;i<=10;i++)
{
%><%=i%>
<br />
<%

CHAPTER 1

LISTING 1.2

Understanding JSP Custom Tags

Continued

}
%>
</body>
</html>

The scriptlet code has several advantages over HTML. Because scriptlet code is actual
Java code, the output from the scriptlet page can be generated as needed. This allows
you to create dynamic Web pages that change as the user works with the page. For
example, a shopping cart application might use scriptlet code to display the contents
of the shopping cart. The primary disadvantage to scriptlet code is that it is not tagbased and does not flow well with the HTML.

Programming in Tags
As you can see, the scriptlet example combines HTML tags with Java source code. Tag
programming attempts to combine these two approaches by constructing the scriptlet portion of the file with programmatic tags.
Java is not the only language to try to accomplish Web programming using only
tags. Macromedias ColdFusion allows interactive Web applications to be
programmed with tags. Listing 1.3 shows how you would use ColdFusion to count to
10. As you can see, the loop is accomplished by using a special tag, called cfoutput,
to perform the actual loop.
NOTE
JSTL source code more closely resembles ColdFusion code than the scriptlet code that most
JSP programmers are used to.

LISTING 1.3

ColdFusion Counts to 10

<html>
<head>
<title>Count to 10 Example(using ColdFusion)</title>
</head>
<body>
<cfloop from=1 to=10 index=i>
<cfoutput>#i#
<br />
</cfoutput>
</cfloop>
</body>
</html>

The Role of Tags in JSP

JSTL-based code resembles ColdFusion code; in both, tags are used for every
programming construct, from loops to output. Listing 1.4 shows a JSTL-based page
that will count from 1 to 10. As you can see, it resembles the ColdFusion code much
more closely than the scriptlet code.
LISTING 1.4

JSTL Counts to 10

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Count to 10 Example(using JSTL)</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:forEach var=i begin=1 end=10 step=1>
<c:out value=${i} />
<br />
</c:forEach>
</body>
</html>

Although JSTL is based on Java, JSTL source code does not resemble Java code. You
dont necessarily have to decide between scriptlets and JSTL; a single JSP page can
intermix both scriptlets and JSTL code. In Chapter 11, Creating Your Own Tag
Libraries, you learn how to create your own tags and use them with both JSTL and
scriptlet code.
Another important feature of JSTL is its handling of expressions. JSTL includes an
expression language known simply as Expression Language, or EL. In Listing 1.4, EL is
being used to display the value of the variable i each time through the loop, as seen
in the following line:
<c:out value=${i} />

The EL expression language is always designated by using the ${} notation. The EL
expression that is contained between the curly braces will be evaluated. We cover EL
in depth in Chapter 4, Using the Expression Language. For now, it is enough to
know that this line simply prints out the value contained in the variable named i.
Because JSTL tags are processed by the Web server, if the user wanted to view the
source of Listing 1.2, 1.3, or 1.4, the output would look very similar to Listing 1.1.
This is because the tags are processed at the server, and only the resulting HTML is
transmitted. The exact output produced by Listing 1.4 is as follows:

10

CHAPTER 1

Understanding JSP Custom Tags

<html>
<head>
<title>Count to 10 Example(using JSTL)</title>
</head>
<body>
1
<br />
2
<br />
3
<br />
4
<br />
5
<br />
6
<br />
7
<br />
8
<br />
9
<br />
10
<br />
</body>
</html>

This output contains blank lines between each of the numbersa side effect of
putting the <br/> tag on a different line than the <c:out> tag. Because you do not see
the actual HTML output as you work on your JSP pages, it is easy to place extra space
into the HTML output that you would probably not have included if you had

Introducing JSTL

hand-crafted the HTML file. Generally, this does not affect the file size and is
ignored. It is more important to have easy-to-read, and therefore easy-to-maintain,
JSP pages than it is to make sure that you squeeze everything onto just a few lines.
In summary, Sun introduced JSTL to simplify the structure of JSP pages. JSTL
improves the appearance of JSP by allowing tag-based code to be used with the
HTML. A tag-based programming language fits better with the tag-based HTML.
Using JSTL has its disadvantages, too. The tags provided in JSTL do not allow you to
do everything that scriptlet-based JSTL is capable of. Also, some programmers who
are more familiar with a procedural programming language may find tags cumbersome when compared to the Java-based code that they are used to.
Another drawback to using JSTL is that additional overhead is introduced. All custom
tag libraries, JSTL included, cause the Web server (or other servlet container) to
generate additional code to interface to the tag library. In extreme cases when using
a considerable amount of tag logic, it is even possible to exceed the maximum Java
class size. This extra overhead can slow down your Web application.
Overall, the benefits of JSTL outweigh the drawbacks. Although JSTL is not capable
of doing everything that scriptlet-based JSP is capable of, such complex code is often
better isolated in an object, away from the presentation-oriented code that should
reside in a JSP page.

Introducing JSTL
We now examine the actual structure of JSTL and how to use it. We begin by examining the Apache Taglibs project, which includes the reference implementation of
JSTL. Then, we examine the components of JSTL itself.

The Apache Taglibs Project

The implementation of JSTL that we use in this book is a part of the Apache Software
Foundations Jakarta Taglibs project. The Taglibs project includes many tag libraries
other than JSTL. All of these tag libraries can be used in JSP pages. You can find more
information about the Taglibs project at http://jakarta.apache.org/taglibs/. You can
use the tag libraries provided by the Taglibs project to add functionality to your JSP
pages. However, keep in mind that some of the tag libraries available in the Taglibs
project add features that are not currently supported by JSTL.

The Structure of JSTL

JSTL itself is made up of four smaller tag libraries. These tag libraries allow you to
choose which components of JSTL you will use in your program. Table 1.1 summarizes the four components of JSTL.

11

12

CHAPTER 1

Understanding JSP Custom Tags

TABLE 1.1

The Four Components of JSTL

Component

URI

Prefix

Core
XML Processing
I18N Formatting
Relational DB Access (SQL)

http://java.sun.com/jstl/core
http://java.sun.com/jstl/xml
http://java.sun.com/jstl/fmt
http://java.sun.com/jstl/sql

c
x
fmt
sql

Because JSTL includes two expression languages, there are actually eight tag libraries
available. To support both the new EL expression language as well as the older
scriptlet-based expression language (RT), Sun introduced the concept of twin tag
libraries. To use the scriptlet-based expression language, you must place the suffix
-rt on each of the previously mentioned tag libraries. We cover this topic in greater
detail in Chapter 4.
The Core Tag Library
The Core tag library contains most of the important tags that you would use for any
sort of application. These include the flow control statements, such as if and else.
Looping and iteration are also provided by the Core tag library.
We discuss the Core tag library through much of this book. Chapters 2, 3, 5, and 6
specifically cover this library. To use the Core tag library from a JSP page, you must
include the following line near the top of your JSP page:
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

The XML Tag Library

The XML tag library provides tags that you can use to access XML documents. Using
this tag library ensures that your JSP pages can easily integrate with XML.
Chapter 8, Accessing Data with XML Tags, specifically addresses the XML tag
library. To use the XML tag library from a JSP page, you have to include the following line near the top of your JSP page:
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/xml prefix=x %>

The I18N Tag Library

The I18N (a common abbreviation for internationalization) tag library provides
many tags that help with the proper formatting of data from international applications. The I18N tag library allows resource bundles to be used in place of languagespecific strings. A resource bundle is a collection of language-specific strings that the
application can swap with the resource bundle for another language.

Installing JSTL

We examine the I18N tag library in Chapter 10, Understanding JSTL

Internationalization. To use the I18N tag library from a JSP page, you must include
this line near the top of your JSP page:
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/fmt prefix=fmt %>

The Relational DBTags (SQL) Library

Generally, it is not considered good programming practice to directly access a database from JSP pages. This is because it is often better to keep something that is as
system-dependent as database access out of the presentation layer of the Web application. Therefore, database access is almost always relegated to backend components,
such as Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB).
Yet you might still have reason to access SQL directly from a JSP page: for example,
for the purpose of debugging or prototyping. JSTL provides a rich set of tags that you
can use to access and manipulate any SQL-compatible database.
If you want information about the database tag library, see Chapter 7, Accessing
Data with SQL Tags. To use this library from a JSP page, be sure to include the
following line near the top of your JSP page:
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/sql prefix=sql %>

Installing JSTL
Before you can use the JSTL components, you must have a JSP 1.2-compliant Web
server installed, such as Tomcat 4. Installation on other JSP Web servers should be
similar. The source code we present in this book should work with any JSP Web
server.
If you are not familiar with the installation of Apache Tomcat, you can refer to
Appendix B, Installing Tomcat and JSTL. In this appendix, we tell you how to
acquire and install both Tomcat and JSTL.

Adding JSTL to Your Web Server

You must download and install JSTL into your Web server if you want to use the
JSTL tags. The process for installing JSTL is similar to the process for installing any
other tag library.
You can download JSTL from the Apache Taglibs Project site at
http://jakarta.apache.org/taglibs/. From the Apache site, choose to download the
Standard Tag Library. Again, the complete process for installing JSTL is covered in
Appendix B.

13

14

CHAPTER 1

Understanding JSP Custom Tags

Using JSTL in Your JSP Pages

After you have properly installed JSTL into your Web server, you can use it in any of
your JSP pages. However, the JSTL libraries do not just become automatically available to each of your JSP pages. Any JSP pages that need to make use of one of the
JSTL tag libraries must include an appropriate taglib directive at the top of the JSP
page. As weve pointed out, the taglib directive used to access the Core taglib is as
follows:
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/ea/core prefix=c %>

With this directive included near the top, this JSP page is now ready to use JSTL
taglibs. It is also necessary to make the correct additions to the web.xml file and
ensure that JSTL is properly installed, as we explain in Appendix B.
The following is a typical JSTL tag:
<c:forEach var=i begin=1 end=10 step=1>

The first part of this tag identifies the tag to be used. In this case, we are using the
tag <c:forEach>. The part of the tag immediately before the colon specifies the tag
library prefix to be used. This allows multiple tag libraries to have tags named the
same thing. Here, the c means that we are using the JSTL Core tag library. It would
be perfectly valid to use a tag library with the prefix of d that also contained a
<forEach> tag. Using the prefixes prevents tag library collisions.
Following the tag name are the parameters for this particular tag type. These parameters are specified as XML attributes, as shown in the code snippet. In our example,
the forEach tag includes the parameters var, begin, end, and step. The number and
exact names of these parameters will vary, depending on the individual tag you are
using.
Like every XML tag, JSTL tags must connect with an ending tag. The forEach tag that
we just examined must end with the following statement:
</c:forEach>

XML tags allow you specify additional information, or other tags, between the beginning and ending tags. This practice is used extensively in JSTL. Any tags or data that
occur in-between the <c:forEach> and its ending tag will be executed repeatedly as
part of the forEach tag. The overall structure of such tags is as follows:
<c:forEach var=i begin=1 end=10 step=1>
...other tags or data...
</c:forEach>

Installing JSTL

Not every JSTL tag requires a beginning and an ending tag. Another common JSTL
tag is the output, or <c:out> tag. This tag allows you to output data to the browser.
The <c:out> tag is commonly used to print out variables or data retrieved from a
database. The following output tag prints out the contents of the variable i+1:
<c:out value=${i+1} />

As with XML, we are required to put the trailing / on the tag because this tag does
not include an ending tag. All the formatting rules that apply to XML also apply to
JSTL tags.
The simple output tag can be combined with the forEach tag. In the following code
snippet, these two tags are used together:
<c:forEach var=i begin=1 end=10 step=1>
<c:out value=${i} />
</c:forEach>

Testing the Counting Example

Now that you have seen the basics of constructing a JSP page, you are ready to
execute the counting example. This example, as well as the others in this text, can
be freely downloaded from the Sams Web site (http://www.samspublishing.com). You
can find these examples in a directory called example. We suggest you simply copy
the example directory in its entirety to your Web root directory. The example directory contains the file that corresponds to Listing 1.4, named countJSTL.jsp. If you
start Tomcat, you should be able to access the file. The URL used to display this
example is http://127.0.0.1:8080/example/ch1/count/countJSTL.jsp.
Appendix B describes how to install as well as use Tomcat in conjunction with
Apache. If all goes well, you should see the page shown in Figure 1.1.
It is not necessary to enter the exact URL of every example in the book. We provide
an index at both the chapter and book level. To view an index of all chapters and
links to their examples, navigate to the URL http://127.0.0.1:8080/example. You will
see the index shown in Figure 1.2.

15

16

CHAPTER 1

Understanding JSP Custom Tags

FIGURE 1.1

The counting example.

FIGURE 1.2

The example index.

Summary

Troubleshooting the Counting Example

You have to copy numerous files to various locations to ensure that the counting
example will work properly. If you run into problems, reread the previous section to
ensure that you followed the steps correctly. If you did, you are ready to run the
counting example and most other examples from this book. Appendix B contains
more specific information about troubleshooting problems related to installing JSTL.

Summary
This chapter provided a high-level overview of JSTL and tags in general. The next
chapter begins the process of showing you how to create programs in JSTL. We cover
such basic concepts as variables and scope.

17

2
Programming the JSP
Standard Tag Library
E

very programming language has many fundamental

constructs. One of the basic constructs inherent in every
programming language is variables. Programming
languages must provide variables to store and process data.
This chapter begins by showing you how variables are
stored and processed in JSTL.
Programs must also interact with the user. When a JSP
page first loads all user input to that page, it sends the
input as variables. In this chapter, we show you how to
access and process this data. This will allow you to create
HTML forms that are capable of sending their data to JSTLbased JSP pages.
Form processing is only one aspect of Web application
development. Web application programmers must also
manage state and provide continuity between their pages.
Most Web programming environments accomplish this
through the use of some sort of scoped variables. Scope
refers to both how long a variable remains active and what
parts of a program have access to the variable. Scope allows
you to define certain variables that are active only for the
current page, others that remain active while the user is
logged in, and still other variables that are accessible to all
users.
Scope is an inherent concept to JSTL variables; in fact, variables in JSTL are called scoped variables. As you learn in the
next section, there are four levels to JSTL scope.
We conclude this chapter by showing you how to accomplish common Web application tasks with JSTL. All these
actions are facilitated by variables.

20

CHAPTER 2

Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library

Understanding Scoped Variables

Most JSTL tags operate on scoped variables. You create JSTL variables by using the
set command. A typical set command is shown here:
<c:set var=variableName value=the value/>

This command assigns the value the value to the scoped variable, which is named
variableName. If you are familiar with JSP scriptlet programming, you may be interested to know that the scoped variables in JSTL are stored by the same mechanism as
JSP scriptlet scoped variables. Just as in JSP scriptlet programming, these variables are
stored using the javax.servlet.jsp.PageContext class. Because of this, JSTL scoped
variables are accessible to JSP using the PageContext class.
Because JSTL variables are called scoped variables, the concept of scope must enter
the picture at some point. The programming term scope refers to the scope for which
a variable is valid. In Java, the scope of an automatic, or local, variable is only within
the function that initializes the variable. In the following code snippet, the variable
is scope is only within the mymethod() method:
void mymethod()
{
int i;
for(i=0;i<10;i++)
{
System.out.println(Count:+i);
}
}

However, JSTL does not use methods. The scope of a JSTL variable cannot be determined from its context in the same way a Java variable can. Therefore, you must
specify the scope of every variable you create. If you fail to specify the scope for a
variable, that variables scope will default to page-level scope. The following tag will
create a variable named variableName for session-level scope:
<c:set var=variableName value=the value scope=session/>

JSTL and scriptlet code support four different levels of scopethe same four levels of
scope that JSP provides. These four levels are page scope, request scope, session
scope, and application scope. Table 2.1 summarizes these scopes.

Understanding Scoped Variables

TABLE 2.1

Variable Scopes

Scope

Description

Overhead

Page
Request
Session
Application

For the current page

For the current request
For the current session
Accessible everywhere

Very low
Low
High
Low

Lets examine each level of scope and the differences among them. We begin with
page scope.

Page Scope
Page scope is the closest that JSTL comes to automatic, or local, variables. If a variable is created with page scope, its value is valid only inside the current page. If the
current page includes (using the JSP include directive) other pages, the page-scoped
variable will not be available in these included pages. Further, the page-scoped variable loses its value after the page is displayed to the user. If this user requests that the
same page be loaded again, the page-scoped variables are reset.
Page-scoped variables are specific to each load, or display, of the page. They should
be used whenever possible because they present the least amount of overhead to the
Web server. Programmers typically use page-scoped variables to hold temporary
counters and other variables while a page processes.
To create a page-scoped variable, use the following syntax:
<c:set var=scopeVarPage value=Page Value scope=page />

The scope attribute specified on the previous line is optional because page is the
default scope. Lets look at a sample program that demonstrates the differences in
page, request, session, and application scopes. Listing 2.1 shows the main page for
the scope example.
LISTING 2.1

The Main Scoped Sample Index (index.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<c:set var=scopeVarPage value=Page Value scope=page />
<c:set var=scopeVarRequest value=Request Value
scope=request />
<c:set var=scopeVarSession value=Session Value
scope=session />
<c:set var=scopeVarApplication value=Application Value
scope=application />
<html>

21

22

CHAPTER 2

LISTING 2.1

Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library

Continued

<head>
<title>Scope Example</title>
</head>
<body>
<h3>Main File: index.jsp</h3>
<table border=1>
<tr>
<th>Scoped Variable</th>
<th>Current Value</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<b>Page Scope</b>
(scopeVarPage)</td>
<td>&#160;
<c:out value=${scopeVarPage} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<b>Request Scope</b>
(scopeVarRequest)</td>
<td>&#160;
<c:out value=${scopeVarRequest} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<b>Session Scope</b>
(scopeVarSession)</td>
<td>&#160;
<c:out value=${scopeVarSession} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<b>Application Scope</b>
(applicationVarPage)</td>
<td>&#160;
<c:out value=${scopeVarApplication} />
</td>

Understanding Scoped Variables

LISTING 2.1

Continued

</tr>
</table>
<br />
<br />
<jsp:include page=included.jsp />
<br />
<br />
<a href=linked.jsp>[Click Here to View: linked.jsp]</a>
</body>
</html>

When the user first views Listing 2.1, four scoped variables are created. The variables
scopeVarPage, scopeVarRequest, scopeVarSession, and scopeVarApplication are each
defined with their respective scope. Next, the values of each variable are displayed
when the user first loads this page.
This sample program works by displaying these four variables at different stages in
the program. The scope of a variable can be determined by seeing how long it holds
its values. The main index.jsp page shown in Listing 2.1 uses the following JSP
include directive:
<jsp:include page=included.jsp />

Often, you will find that you want to reuse JSP code. To allow code to be shared, JSP
includes a directive that allows a page to insert the code of another JSP page. To the
user, this is seamless, and the included pages HTML is inserted directly into the page
that contains the include statement. Of course, an included file can contain JSP.
Listing 2.2 shows an example called included.jsp. As you can see, Listing 2.2 displays
the values. This allows you to see which of the scoped variables hold their value during
the include. Observe that the page-scoped variable loses its value, as seen in Figure 2.1.
LISTING 2.2

The Included Scoped Example (included.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<table border=1>
<tr>
<th>Scoped Variable</th>
<th>Current Value</th>
</tr>

23

24

CHAPTER 2

LISTING 2.2

Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library

Continued

<tr>
<td>
<b>Page Scope</b>
(scopeVarPage)</td>
<td>&#160;
<c:out value=${scopeVarPage} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<b>Request Scope</b>
(scopeVarRequest)</td>
<td>&#160;
<c:out value=${scopeVarRequest} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<b>Session Scope</b>
(scopeVarSession)</td>
<td>&#160;
<c:out value=${scopeVarSession} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<b>Application Scope</b>
(applicationVarPage)</td>
<td>&#160;
<c:out value=${scopeVarApplication} />

Understanding Scoped Variables

LISTING 2.2

Continued

</td>
</tr>
</table>

The index.jsp file shown in Listing 2.1 also gives the user the opportunity to link to
a second page using a hyperlink. The following code provides a link to a second JSP
page called linked.jsp, which is shown in Listing 2.3:
<a href=linked.jsp>[Click Here to View: linked.jsp]</a>

Moving to the linked page allows you to see which variables hold their values.
Observe that the page-scoped variable loses its value on a linked page as well, as seen
in Figure 2.2.

FIGURE 2.1

Running the scope example.

LISTING 2.3

FIGURE 2.2

Examining the linked page.

The Linked Scoped Example (linked.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Scope Example</title>
</head>
<body>
<h3>Linked File: linked.jsp</h3>
<table border=1>
<tr>

25

26

CHAPTER 2

LISTING 2.3

Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library

Continued

<th>Scoped Variable</th>
<th>Current Value</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<b>Page Scope</b>
(scopeVarPage)</td>
<td>&#160;
<c:out value=${scopeVarPage} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<b>Request Scope</b>
(scopeVarRequest)</td>
<td>&#160;
<c:out value=${scopeVarRequest} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<b>Session Scope</b>
(scopeVarSession)</td>
<td>&#160;
<c:out value=${scopeVarSession} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<b>Application Scope</b>

Understanding Scoped Variables

LISTING 2.3

Continued

(applicationVarPage)</td>
<td>&#160;
<c:out value=${scopeVarApplication} />
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>

Figures 2.1 and 2.2 show the output from these two pages. The browser in Figure 2.1
is viewing the index.jsp page, which includes both Listings 2.1 and 2.2. Figure 2.2 is
showing only linked.jsp (Listing 2.3). As you can see, page scope is somewhat
limited. On the other hand, the request scope, which we examine next, holds its
values over a somewhat larger scope.

Request Scope
A variable that is created with request scope will remain valid for the entire request.
A request begins when a Web browser requests a single page, and ends when the
Web server has transmitted that page. If you examine Figure 2.1, you will note that
the request-scoped variable maintains its value in the included page, yet does not
hold its value to the linked page. This is because the linked page is covered by a
second request. When users click the hyperlink that takes them to the linked page,
that click is a second request.
Request-scoped variables do not introduce much additional overhead beyond the
page-scoped variables. If you need to store variables that will be accessible to pages
imported with the include statement, you must use request-scoped variables. The
following line of code creates a request-scoped variable:
<c:set var=scopeVarRequest value=Page Value scope=request />

Session Scope
Session-scoped variables remain valid for the duration of the current Web session.
These variables are tied to individual sessions. As you can see in Figures 2.1 and 2.2,
the session-scoped variables keep their values both in included files and linked files.
To fully understand session-scoped variables, you need to know exactly what a
session is.

27

28

CHAPTER 2

Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library

In the following lines of code, we created a cookie named JSESSIONID. This cookie
will be transmitted back to the Web server with every request made by this client.
The cookie allows the Web server to tie a users browser to that users session.
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1
Connection: close
Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 19:01:40 GMT
Server: Apache Tomcat/4.0.3 (HTTP/1.1 Connector)
Set-Cookie: JSESSIONID=960A80E2D931F2D671843E6D6EC8A834;Path=/

A session is an area of memory that stores values for each currently logged-in Web
browser. Session-scoped variables are stored in this area. The following line of code
creates a session-scoped variable:
<c:set var=scopeVarSession value=The Value scope=session />

A session ends when one of two things happens. First, a JSP page can specifically
terminate a session by calling the HttpSession classs invalidate() method. Second, a
JSP page can terminate a session using a timeout, which is the method by which
most sessions are ultimately terminated. If the session is not used for a predefined
amount of time, the session will be discarded. By default, Tomcat uses a 30-minute
timeout, but you can change this value in the web.xml file. Use the following lines
to set the timeout value:
<!-- ==================== Default Session Configuration ======= -->
<!-- You can set the default session timeout (in minutes) for
-->
<!-- all newly created sessions by modifying the value below.
-->
<session-config>
<session-timeout>30</session-timeout>
</session-config>

Because the Web server must allocate memory for each current Web session, sessionscoped variables require considerable overhead. Over-dependence on session-scoped
variables can considerably increase the processing needs of your Web application and
can lead to degraded performance.

Application Scope
Application-scoped variables are as close as JSTL comes to global variables. When you
create an application-scoped variable, it can be accessed from any page and any
browser session. This makes application-scoped variables useful for information that
must be shared at a global level by JSP pages. If you look at Figures 2.1 and 2.2, you

Understanding Scoped Variables

will notice that application-scoped variables are viewable from all three pages. Notice
in Figure 2.1 that session-scoped variables are also accessible in all three locations.
So, now we must consider what separates application-scoped variables from sessionscoped variables.
If you open a new browser and go directly to the linked page, you will see the difference between session and application variables. By going directly to the linked file,
http://127.0.0.1:8080/example/ch2/scope/linked.jsp, you bypass the variables being
set near the beginning of the index.jsp file. Figure 2.3 shows the results of this direct
navigation from a second browser.

FIGURE 2.3

The application variable from another session.

Notice that the only variable that is set in Figure 2.3 is the application-scoped variable. This is because your new Web browser created a new session. This new session
is separate from the previous session; as a result, no session-scoped variables are kept.
However, the application-scoped variable remains. This variable will keep its value
for every Web session on the Web server. However, if the Web server is restarted, the
application-scoped variable will lose its value.
Application-scoped variables consume little overhead because they need to be stored
only once and are global to the entire Web application. To create an applicationscoped variable, use the following line of code:
<c:set var=scopeVarApplication value=The Value scope=application />

29

30

CHAPTER 2

Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library

Accessing Application Data

Web applications must interact with the user, and to interact with the user, you must
be able to access JSTL application data. Application data falls into two categories in
JSTL. JSP makes two implicit variables available for your use.
The first category is page context data. Page context data lets you know general
information about the request, such as the request method or how long the session
has been running.
The second category, a collection named params, is made available to read the
content posted from forms. Responding to parameter data is often a primary means
of interaction between the Web application and the user.

Accessing Page Context Data

JSP includes a variable named pageContext that allows you to access certain contextual information about the page. To see what sort of information is available through
the pageContext variable, lets look at the example shown in Listing 2.4. This simple
JSP page will list the important items stored in the page context.
LISTING 2.4

Accessing Application Data

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Page Data Example</title>
</head>
<body>
<h3>&#160;</h3>
<table border=1 width=539>
<tr>
<td colspan=2 width=529 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>HTTP
Request(pageContext.request.)</font>
</b>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=210>Access Method</td>

Accessing Application Data

LISTING 2.4

Continued

<td width=313>&#160;
<c:out value=${pageContext.request.method} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=210>Authentication Type</td>
<td width=313>&#160;
<c:out value=${pageContext.request.authType} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=210>Context Path</td>
<td width=313>&#160;
<c:out value=${pageContext.request.contextPath} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=210>Path Information</td>
<td width=313>&#160;
<c:out value=${pageContext.request.pathInfo} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=210>Path Translated</td>
<td width=313>&#160;
<c:out value=${pageContext.request.pathTranslated} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=210>Query String</td>
<td width=313>&#160;

31

32

CHAPTER 2

LISTING 2.4

Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library

Continued

<c:out value=${pageContext.request.queryString} />

</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=210>Request URI</td>
<td width=313>&#160;
<c:out value=${pageContext.request.requestURI} />
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<table border=1 width=539>
<tr>
<td colspan=2 width=529 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>HTTP
Session(pageContext.session.)</font>
</b>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=210>Creation Time</td>
<td width=313>&#160;
<c:out value=${pageContext.session.creationTime} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=210>Session ID</td>
<td width=313>&#160;
<c:out value=${pageContext.session.id} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=210>Last Accessed Time</td>

Accessing Application Data

LISTING 2.4

Continued

<td width=313>&#160;
<c:out value=${pageContext.session.lastAccessedTime} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=210>Max Inactive Interval</td>
<td width=313>&#160;
<c:out
value=${pageContext.session.maxInactiveInterval} />
seconds</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=210>You have been on-line for</td>
<td width=313>&#160;
<c:out
value=${(pageContext.session.lastAccessedTimepageContext.session.creationTime)/1000} />
seconds</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>

As you can see in Listing 2.4, this program displays in the browser many of the
values contained in the page context. You can easily access the page context by
using the <c:out> tag. Use the following line to display the query string for a page:
<c:out value=${pageContext.request.queryString} />

We examine query strings in the section Processing the Query String, later in this
chapter. For now, just be aware that you can access the query string only from
within the page context. You can see other page context values in Figure 2.4, which
shows the output from Listing 2.4.

33

34

CHAPTER 2

Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library

FIGURE 2.4 Accessing page context data.

Figure 2.4 shows that the page context data is broken up into the groups request and
session. The request data is accessed using the object pageContext.request; the session
data is accessed using the pageContext.session object.
The following two tables list the most important request and session properties.
Table 2.2 lists the request page context properties, and Table 2.3 lists the session page
context properties.
TABLE 2.2

Request Page Context Objects

Property

Purpose

${pageContext.request.authType}
${pageContext.request.contextPath}

The authentication type (for example, SSL).

The portion of the request URI that indicates the
context of the request. Usually an empty string.
The request method (GET/HEAD/POST).
Returns extra path information passed to the script
(test.jsp/path/).
Returns extra path information passed to the script
(test.jsp/path/) translated to a real path.
The query string from the URL.
The URI portion of the current URL. This is the URL
minus the hostname and query string.

${pageContext.request.method}
${pageContext.request.pathInfo}
${pageContext.request.pathTranslated}
${pageContext.request.queryString}
${pageContext.request.requestURI}

Accessing Application Data

TABLE 2.3

Session Page Context Objects

Property

Purpose

${pageContext.session.creationTime}

The time (in milliseconds since 1/1/1970) that this

session was created.
The ID of this session.
The time (in milliseconds since 1/1/1970) that this
session was last accessed.
The number of milliseconds before a session is
timed out.

${pageContext.session.id}
${pageContext.session.lastAccessedTime}
${pageContext.session.maxInactiveInterval}

Session and request properties give you access to information about the context in
which the page was last ran. However, programmers are generally more interested in
data that is retrieved from user forms that are posted to your application. In the
next section, we show you how to process form data that has been posted to your
application.

The paramValues Collection

Using the paramValues collection, you can access the form data that a user submitted
to your page. To understand how to process data from an HTML form, we must first
examine the structure of a form. The form that we use for this example appears in
Figure 2.5.

FIGURE 2.5

An HTML form.

35

36

CHAPTER 2

Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library

The form in Figure 2.5 requests that users enter their name and address. This form is
stored in the file params1.html. An HTML file cannot process data by itself; the form
on the HTML page simply collects data and posts it to a file that can process data,
such as a JSP page. This HTML file is configured to post the data entered into its
form to a JSP page named params2.jsp. You can see the structure of the HTML form
in Listing 2.5.
LISTING 2.5

An HTML File That Creates a Form (params1.html)

<html>
<head>
<title>Page Data Example</title>
</head>
<body>
<table border=1>
<form method=POST action=params2.jsp>
<tr>
<td width=33%>
<b>First Name</b>
</td>
<td width=73%>
<input type=text name=first size=40 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=33%>
<b>Last Name</b>
</td>
<td width=73%>
<input type=text name=last size=40 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=33%>
<b>Address</b>
</td>
<td width=73%>

Accessing Application Data

LISTING 2.5

Continued

<input type=text name=address size=40 />

</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=33%>
<b>City</b>
</td>
<td width=73%>
<input type=text name=city size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=33%>
<b>State</b>
</td>
<td width=73%>
<input type=text name=state size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=33%>
<b>ZIP</b>
</td>
<td width=73%>
<input type=text name=zip size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan=2>
<input type=submit value=Submit name=action />
<input type=reset value=Reset name=action />
</td>
</tr>

37

38

CHAPTER 2

Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library

LISTING 2.5

Continued

</form>
</table>
</body>
</html>

As you can see in Listing 2.6, there are several HTML tags that you can use to create
a form. You begin a form with this tag:
<form method=POST action=params2.jsp>

This form tag contains several important pieces of information. The method attribute
specifies how this data is to be sent to the Web server. This is usually either POST or
GET. POST is almost always used because compared to GET, it can transfer larger
amounts of data.
The second attribute, named action, is used to specify what action the browser
should take after the user clicks the Submit button. Here, we can see that the results
of this post will be sent to the page params2.jsp.
Internally, the form consists of input elements. Each input element will have its
entered value posted to the page that was specified in the action attribute of the form
element. Consider the following input item:
<input type=text name=state size=20 />

This input item presents itself as a text input item. A text input item provides a
blank area into which the user can enter text, as seen in Figure 2.5. When users
finish entering data, they click the Submit button, which causes the form to post all
its data to the page specified in the action attribute of the form tag.
The action attribute of our form specified that the file params2.jsp will handle the
form data. When the Submit is complete, params2.jsp loads your browser, and you
should see something like the display shown in Figure 2.6.
As you can see in Figure 2.6, your data is formatted as a table. The file params2.jsp
was built to display all form input items that it is sent. If you were to add an input
item to params1.html, a row would automatically be generated in params2.jsp.
Listing 2.6 shows the params2.jsp file.

Accessing Application Data

FIGURE 2.6

Display form data.

LISTING 2.6

Accessing Form Data (params2.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Page Data Example</title>
</head>
<body>
<table border=1 width=310>
<tr>
<td bgcolor=#0000FF width=98>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>Name</font>
</b>
</td>
<td bgcolor=#0000FF width=196>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>Value</font>

39

40

CHAPTER 2

Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library

LISTING 2.6

Continued

</b>
</td>
</tr>
<c:forEach var=aItem items=${paramValues}>
<tr>
<td width=98>
<b>
<c:out value=${aItem.key} />
</b>
</td>
<td width=196>&#160;
<c:forEach var=aValue items=${aItem.value}>
<c:out value=${aValue} />
</c:forEach>
</td>
</tr>
</c:forEach>
</table>
</body>
</html>

The params2.jsp file works by listing every item that is in the paramValues collection. This is done with a <c:forEach> tag, which is used to access every element in a
collection. We discuss the <c:forEach> tag in much greater detail in Chapter 5,
Collections, Loops, and Iterators. The following code sets up the file to read every
item in the paramValues collection:
<c:forEach var=aItem items=${paramValues}>

This code causes the variable aItem to contain each of the form properties one by
one. If a form contains more than one element with the same name, elements of the
same name will form an array. The params collection is used to access these element
arrays. Consider if the following two form elements were submitted:
<input type=text name=state size=20 />
<input type=text name=state size=20 />

The Basics of Web Application Programming

Both form elements have the name state. Consequently, the form element for state
would be a collection that contains two items. The code used to loop through an
input items collection (designated by aItem) is shown here:
<c:forEach var=aValue items=${aItem.value}>
<c:out value=${aValue} />
</c:forEach>

Usually, the form elements that you access are individual elements rather than
arrays. The usual case is when you seek input items with specific names. See the
section Working with Forms later in this chapter for more information. Now, lets
see how the paramValues collection can be used for types to retrieve information
from the query string as well as forms.
The paramValues collection does not just process forms; it also receives information
from the query string. For example, the URI script.jsp?a=valuea&b=valueb contains
parameters named a and b, contained on the query string.
There are other implicit variables that you may find helpful as well. You can access
variables from the page, request, session, and application scopes with the variables
pageScope, requestScope, sessionScope, and applicationScope.

The Basics of Web Application Programming

Now that you have a good understanding of JSTL variables and application data, you
can start to create some simple Web applications. This section provides examples
that illustrate common Web programming techniques.

Processing the Query String

The query string has always been a popular conduit for information between Web
pages. The query string allows variable information to be embedded directly into a
URL. For example, the URL http://www.jeffheaton.com/search.jsp?n=5 would pass the
value 5 through the n variable to the script search.jsp. Anything containing a ? that
follows the URL is considered part of the query string.
By separating the values with ampersands (&), you can send more than one value
through the query string. To pass the value 10 for x and 20 for y, you would use the
URL http://www.jeffheaton.com/search.jsp?x=10&y=20.
These values can easily be accessed by the JSTL code. You will recall from the section
Accessing Application Data earlier in this chapter that JSTL provides a variable
called paramValues that allows you to access parameter arrays. There is also a variable
called param that allows access to individual form and query string items. Note that
neither param nor parmValues makes any distinction between form items and query

41

42

CHAPTER 2

Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library

string items. You would use the following tag to display a form or query string item
named x:
<c:out value=${param.x}/>

Listing 2.7 shows a program that uses this technique. This simple example asks users
what their favorite color is.
LISTING 2.7

Favorite Color (color.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Query String Example</title>
</head>
<body>Your favorite color is:
<b>
<c:out value=${param.color} />
</b>
<br />
<br />
Choose your favorite color:
<br />
<br />
<a
href=<c:out value=${pageContext.request.requestURI}/>?color=red>
red</a>
<br />
<a
href=<c:out value=${pageContext.request.requestURI}/>?color=blue>
blue</a>
<br />
<a
href=<c:out value=${pageContext.request.requestURI}/>?color=green>
green</a>

The Basics of Web Application Programming

LISTING 2.7

Continued

<br />
<a
href=<c:out value=${pageContext.request.requestURI}/>?color=yellow>
yellow</a>
<br />
<a
href=<c:out value=${pageContext.request.requestURI}/>?color=other>
other</a>
<br />
</body>
</html>

The program in Listing 2.7 displays the current favorite color, which is initially
blank. Then, the user is allowed to select from several hyperlinks to specify a new
favorite color. You can see the output from this program in Figure 2.7.

FIGURE 2.7

Pick your favorite color.

43

44

CHAPTER 2

Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library

This program works by passing the current favorite color on the query string. Notice
the hyperlinks that allow users to select their favorite color:
<a
href=<c:out value=${pageContext.request.requestURI}/>?color=yellow>
yellow</a>

These hyperlinks embed a color, such as yellow, as part of the URL line. The
requestURI is also used to ensure that the program links back to the same page. We
could have simply used the name color.jsp rather than the requestURI; however,
using the requestURI ensures that the code will continue to function, even if the
script filename changes. When the user actually clicks the hyperlink, the resulting
URL will be something in the form of
http://127.0.0.1:8080/example/ch2/basic/color.jsp?color=yellow.
When the user clicks on one of the color selection hyperlinks, the page will be
reloaded. However, this time it will have a value for the query string. The program
will then display the favorite color using this code:
<body>Your favorite color is:
<b>
<c:out value=${param.color} />
</b>

Working with Forms

Forms are a common part of any Web application. The param variable allows you to
access forms and retrieve individual entries made by the user. In this section, we look
at a simple example that asks the user for a user ID and password. The form posts
the results to a second JSP page that greets the user. This is a simple example that
shows how to retrieve a single value from a form. You will perform this operation
many times while creating Web applications. Listing 2.8 shows the form that inputs
the user ID and password.
LISTING 2.8

Our HTML Login Form (form1.html)

<html>
<head>
</head>
<body>
<form method=POST action=form2.jsp>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=42% id=AutoNumber1>
<tr>

The Basics of Web Application Programming

LISTING 2.8

Continued

<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>

<p align=center>
<b>
<font size=4 color=#FFFFFF>Please Login</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=19%>User Name</td>
<td width=81%>
<input type=text name=uid size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=19%>Password</td>
<td width=81%>
<input type=password name=pwd size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2>
<p align=center>
<input type=submit value=Submit name=action />
<input type=reset value=Reset name=B2 />
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</form>
<p align=left>
<i>Note: you may use any ID/Password, security is not
checked.</i>
</p>
</body>
</html>

45

46

CHAPTER 2

Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library

This is a typical form that posts to another page. The user ID and password information is collected from the user and then posted to form2.jsp, shown in Listing 2.9.
LISTING 2.9

Processing the Login Form (form2.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<h3>Welcome back
<c:out value=${param.uid} />
!</h3>
</html>

This is a simple JSP page that displays the users ID, stored in the uid input tag, to
the browser.
You have seen how forms are processed using JSTL. Forms are an important way
of retrieving information from the user, and you will use them often in Web
programming.

Understanding State
State is an important concept for nearly any transactional Web site. If the user is to
log in, some form of state must be used so that the system remembers which browser
represents the user who just logged in. Without state, the Web server will forget a
user as soon as he or she logs in. State is what the Web server remembers from one
request to the next. In this example, the state would be which user is actually logged
on.
To help you better understand state, we have combined the previously mentioned
examples. This program asks the user to log into the Web site. After logging in, the
user is prompted to enter his or her favorite color. Unlike in the previous examples,
this program remembers the name of the user who is logged in, and greets him or
her for each new color picked. The login screen is also somewhat different, as you
can see in Listing 2.10.
LISTING 2.10

Our Stateful Login Form (session1.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<c:set var=uid value=${param.uid} scope=session />
<jsp:forward page=session2.jsp />
</c:if>

The Basics of Web Application Programming

LISTING 2.10

Continued

<html>
<head>
</head>
<body>
<form method=POST>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=42% id=AutoNumber1>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>
<font size=4 color=#FFFFFF>Please Login</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=19%>User Name</td>
<td width=81%>
<input type=text name=uid size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=19%>Password</td>
<td width=81%>
<input type=password name=pwd size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2>
<p align=center>
<input type=submit value=Submit name=action />
<input type=reset value=Reset name=B2 />

47

48

CHAPTER 2

Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library

LISTING 2.10

Continued

</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</form>
<p align=left>
<i>Note: you may use any ID/Password, security is not
checked.</i>
</p>
</body>
</html>

The first obvious difference is the form tag. As you can see, the <form method=POST>
tag does not specify an action.
If you do not specify an action for a form tag, the form will post to the current page.
This may sound like an endless loop, and without JSTL it would be. However, at the
top of session1.jsp are a few lines of code that intercept the post, as shown here:
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<c:set var=uid value=${param.uid} scope=session />
<jsp:forward page=session2.jsp />
</c:if>

Here, an if statement is used to check the request method. (We cover if statements
in greater detail in Chapter 3, Understanding Basic Tag Logic.) If the request
method is POST, this page is currently being posted to. If this is the case, the user ID
is read and stored as a session variable named uid. The page then is forwarded to
session2.jsp, causing the session2.jsp page to be displayed. The user will never even
know that we briefly revisited session1.jsp. The session2.jsp file is shown in Listing
2.11.
LISTING 2.11

Our Favorite Color Example Using State (session2.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Session Example</title>
</head>
<body>

The Basics of Web Application Programming

LISTING 2.11

Continued

<h3>Welcome
<c:out value=${uid} />
</h3>
Your favorite color is:
<b>
<c:if test=${param.color!=null}>
<c:out value=${param.color} />
</c:if>
</b>
<br />
<br />
Choose your favorite color:
<br />
<br />
<a href=<c:out value=${pageContext.request.requestURI}/>?color=red>
red</a>
<br />
<a href=<c:out value=${pageContext.request.requestURI}/>?color=blue>
blue</a>
<br />
<a href=<c:out value=${pageContext.request.requestURI}/>?color=green>
green</a>
<br />
<a href=<c:out value=${pageContext.request.requestURI}/>?color=yellow>
yellow</a>
<br />
<a href=<c:out value=${pageContext.request.requestURI}/>?color=other>
other</a>
<br />
</body>
</html>

The file session2.jsp is identical to color.jsp, except that it greets the current user. It
knows who the current user is because of the session-scoped variable. The following
lines of code display this variable:
<h3>Welcome
<c:out value=${uid} />
</h3>

49

50

CHAPTER 2

Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library

For this code, it is not necessary to include the scope=session portion of the
command. If you do not specify a session, JSTL will examine the request, page,
session, and finally application scopes until a match is found.
State is an important part of Web development. In this section, you learned how to
manage the state, which is what the Web server remembers from request to request.
You will use state often as you design and implement interactive Web applications.

Summary
This chapter introduced you to the basics of scoped variables and how they are used
with JSTL. In the next chapter, we show you how to use basic tag logic to perform if
statements and other branching operations.

3
Understanding Basic Tag
Logic
T

he Core tag library of JSTL provides many rudimentary

tags for performing basic flow control. Flow control refers
to a programs ability to selectively execute portions of
itself. Most programming languages achieve this flow
control through if statements and other logical tags. A
programs flow of execution can also be affected by errors.
Error handling is an important part of any computer
program. JSP provides tags that let you perform basic error
handling. By making use of JSTLs built-in exceptionhandling capabilities, you can create programs that are
capable of handling common runtime errors.
In this chapter, we present a sample application that shows
how to tie all these concepts together. A simple formsbased chat application will show you how to use scope and
basic tag logic to allow two users to chat. Lets begin by
examining JSTLs error-handling capabilities.

Exception Processing
Java programs handle errors through the use of exceptions.
When a section of code is susceptible to throwing an
exception, you can enclose that section of code in a try
block. For example, when youre creating a new URL object,
it is possible that an invalid URL will be provided to the
object. If this happens, the URL object will throw a
MalformedURLException. To properly handle this exception,
the URL instantiation must be enclosed in a try block, and
a catch must be provided that will catch the
MalformedURLException. The following code illustrates this:

52

CHAPTER 3

Understanding Basic Tag Logic

try
{
URL = new URL(http://www.sams.com);
}
catch(MalformedURLException e)
{
}

Exception handling allows your program to react to errors that are not a result of
bad program design. For example, exceptions could be trapped when the user enters
invalid information, a URL fails to load, or when some other noncritical error
occurs. By trapping these exceptions, you design your program to handle these
errors as they happen so they dont result in a server error. This ensures that your
Web pages present a consistent and robust interface.
JSTL provides the <c:catch> tag to handle this case. Before we examine how to catch
an exception in JSTL, lets see what causes an exception to be thrown.

Generating Exceptions
Many of the JSTL tags are capable of throwing exceptions, yet JSTL is designed to
throw exceptions as little as possible. Many errors that would generate an exception
in Java or other programming languages are ignored in JSTL. Consider division by
zero. Nearly any programming language ever produced will return some sort of an
error if a division is specified with zero in the denominator. Yet in JSTL, this case
does not generate an exception. Listing 3.1 demonstrates this.
LISTING 3.1

Division by Zero (exception.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %><html>

<head>
<title>Throw an Exception</title>
</head>
<body>10 divided by 0 is
<c:out value=${10/0} />
<br />
</body>
</html>

Exception Processing

As you can see, Listing 3.1 attempts to throw an exception by dividing 10 by 0.

Under most circumstances, this would throw an exception. However, JSTL simply
ignores this error and continues processing. As you learn more about JSTL error
handling, you will see that in most cases, JSTL attempts to continue processing after
an error has occurred. If you run the JSP code in Listing 3.1, you get the following
output:
10 divided by 0 is infinity

While JSTL attempts to handle most exceptions as they occur, certain things can go
wrong that will still cause JSTL to throw an exception. Listing 3.2 shows an example
of an error that will throw an exception.
LISTING 3.2

An Uncaught Exception (exception2.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Throw an Exception</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:set var=x value=10 scope=page />
<c:set var=y value=five scope=page />
x divided by y is
<c:out value=${x/y} />
<br />
</body>
</html>

Listing 3.2 attempts to throw an exception by causing a type mismatch. The value 10
is stored in the scoped variable x. The value five, the literal string, is stored in the
scoped variable y. The program then attempts to divide x by y. While it is permissible
to divide by zero in JSTL, it is not permissible to divide a string. When executed,
Listing 3.2 will throw an exception. Because there is nothing set up to catch this
exception, it will be thrown to the Web browser as a server error. Figure 3.1 shows
this error message.

53

54

CHAPTER 3

FIGURE 3.1

Understanding Basic Tag Logic

An uncaught JSTL exception is thrown.

It is important to understand which errors in JSTL will result in an exception and

which errors will be ignored. In general, the following errors will cause an exception
to be thrown.
Specification of an invalid scope
An empty var attribute in a tag
An invalid type
An invalid value
Invalid expressions
JSTL is very forgiving of most other errors. For example, null values, which often
cause errors in other languages, are simply treated as empty strings.
Now that you have seen what can cause an exception, it is important to see how to
handle exceptions. The next section covers how to catch exceptions in JSTL.

Using the <c:catch> Tag

JSTL provides the <c:catch> tag for catching exceptions. Any tags that are within the
body of the <c:catch> tag will be handled. The <c:catch> tag is capable of catching
any exception that is a subclass of java.lang.Throwable; this includes all Java exceptions. The following shows the structure of a <c:catch> tag:

Exception Processing

<c:catch var=e>
... Program code that may thrown an exception ...
</c:catch>

One attribute is accepted by the <c:catch> tag:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

var

Specifies the scoped variable to receive the exception.

Our previous sample would catch an exception and store it in the e variable. If an
exception occurs inside the body of the <c:catch> tag, JSTL immediately continues
executing with the line just after the ending </c:catch> tag. The variable specified in
the var attribute, in this case e, will receive a copy of the exception that was thrown.
If no exception is thrown, then the exception variable will receive a null value.
When inserting a <c:catch> tag in your code, make sure that the code handles both
an exception being thrown and an exception not being thrown. Listing 3.3 shows
the catch division-by-zero example with a <c:catch> tag ready to handle any errors.
LISTING 3.3

Our Catch Division-by-Zero example (catch.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Catch an Exception?</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:catch var=e>
10 divided by 0 is
<c:out value=${10/0} />
<br />
</c:catch>
<c:if test=${e!=null}>The caught exception is:
<c:out value=${e} />
<br />
</c:if>
<c:if test=${e==null}>No exception was thrown

55

56

CHAPTER 3

LISTING 3.3

Understanding Basic Tag Logic

Continued

<br />
</c:if>
</body>
</html>

As you can see in the following code snippet, the division by zero is now wrapped in
a <c:catch> tag. If any error occurs, the program will immediately exit the <c:catch>
tag:
<c:catch var=e>
10 divided by 0 is
<c:out value=${10/0} />
<br />
</c:catch>

Because the division by zero does not cause an exception, this program will glide
through the catch and continue on with a null value assigned to the variable e. The
program continues by checking this variable and displaying the error if it was set:
<c:if test=${e!=null}>The caught exception is:
<c:out value=${e} />
<br />
</c:if>

If an exception does occur, the program stores a value in the variable specified to the
<c:catch> tag. Listing 3.4 shows an example of a program that will throw an exception. The line that generates the exception is protected by a <c:catch> tag. As a
result, the exception will be handled internally by the JSP page.
LISTING 3.4

Catching an Exception (catch2.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Catch an Exception</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:catch var=e>
<c:set var=x value=10 scope=page />
<c:set var=y value=five scope=page />

Using Conditionals

LISTING 3.4

Continued

x divided by y is
<c:out value=${x/y} />
<br />
</c:catch>
<br />
<c:if test=${e!=null}>The caught exception is:
<c:out value=${e} />
<br />
</c:if>
<c:if test=${e==null}>No exception was thrown
<br />
</c:if>
</body>
</html>

This program performs in exactly the same way as the division-by-zero example.
However, in this case, the code following the <c:catch> tag actually has something to
print. This sample program will display the following:
The caught exception is: An exception occurred trying to convert String five to type
java.lang.Double.

This text string identifies the exception that was thrown, and includes a message
that describes why the error occurred.

Using Conditionals
Conditional statements are an important part of any programming language. These
statements allow you to selectively execute parts of the program based on certain
conditions. JSTL provides several tags that allow this sort of conditional execution.
JSTLs implementation of conditionals is somewhat different from Javas. In Java,
your two primary conditional constructs are the if/else statement and the
switch/case statement. The <c:if> and <c:choose> tags provide many of the same
features, yet there are some important differences compared to their Java counterparts. We highlight these differences in this section.

57

58

CHAPTER 3

Understanding Basic Tag Logic

In previous chapters, we have seen how the <c:if> tag can be used to make basic
decisions. We now take a more in-depth look at the <c:if> tag and other conditional
tags provided by JSTL. Lets begin by examining the <c:if> tag.

Using the <c:if> Tag

Nearly every programming language contains an if statement, and JSTL is no exception. The JSTL if statement is implemented using the <c:if> tag. There are two forms
of the JSTL if statement:
<!-- Syntax 1: Without body content -->
<c:if test=testCondition
var=varName [scope={page|request|session|application}]/>
<!-- Syntax 2: With body content -->
<c:if test=testCondition
[var=varName] [scope={page|request|session|application}]>
body content
</c:if>

The attributes that are accepted by the <c:if> tag are as follows:
Attribute

Required

Purpose

test

Specifies the test that is to be performed.

scope

Specifies the scope; the default is page.

var

Specifies the scoped variable that should receive the result

of the compare. (Note: This attribute is required if the
scope is present or there is no body.)

The second form demonstrates an if statement that encloses a body of code. If the
expression given to the if statement evaluates to true, then that body of code is
executed. Listing 3.5 shows an example of using the if statement with a body of
code.
LISTING 3.5

An if Statement with a Body (ifbody.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>If with Body</title>
</head>
<body>

Using Conditionals

LISTING 3.5

Continued

<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<c:if test=${param.guess==5}>You guessed my number!
<br />
<br />
<br />
</c:if>
<c:if test=${param.guess!=5}>You did not guess my number!
<br />
<br />
<br />
</c:if>
</c:if>
<form method=post>Guess what number I am thinking of?
<input type=text name=guess />
<input type=submit value=Try! />
<br />
</form>
</body>
</html>

This program implements a simple number-guessing game. You are presented with a
form that allows you to enter a number. When your form posts back to the page, the
number you entered is compared against five. If the numbers match, you win; if the
numbers do not match, you are given a chance to try again. The format of the if
statement is shown here:
<c:if test=${param.guess==5}>
You guessed my number!
</c:if>

Most expression operators that are available in Java can also be used in a JSTL if
statement. Here we are using == to request a comparison. Other operators, such as

59

60

CHAPTER 3

Understanding Basic Tag Logic

not equal(!=), greater than(>), less than(<), less than or equal(<=), and greater than or
equal(>=), are also supported. With only a few minor exceptions, these operators
work exactly the same as they do in Java. The most notable difference is that the
equality operator(==) can be used to compare String objects. These operators are
handled as part of JSTLs expression language. We cover these operators in greater
detail in Chapter 4, Using the Expression Language.
It is also possible to create an if statement that does not contain a body of code to
execute. The uses for this bodyless statement are somewhat more limited than the
general if statement. Listing 3.6 shows a program that makes use of the bodyless if
statement.
LISTING 3.6

An if Statement with No Body (ifnobody.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>If with NO Body</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<c:if test=${param.guess==5} var=result />
I tested to see if you picked my number, the result was
<c:out value=${result} />
</c:if>
<form method=post>Guess what number I am thinking of?
<input type=text name=guess />
<input type=submit value=Try! />
<br />
</form>
</body>
</html>

In Listing 3.6, the if statement stores the result of its comparison to a variable rather
than conditionally executing a block of code. First the if statement is invoked; then
the variable is printed.

Using Conditionals

In the following code snippet, a boolean value is stored in the scoped variable
named result. When the value is printed to the browser, either true or false will be
displayed:
<c:if test=${param.guess==5} var=result />
I tested to see if you picked my number, the result was
<c:out value=${result} />

In most programming languages, an else statement is provided to go along with the

if statement. JSTL does not provide an else tag. There is a relatively simple way to
produce an if/else construct, but it cannot be done with the if statement. To
produce an if/else construct, you must use the <c:choose> tag. The next section will
focus on this tag.

Using the <c:choose> Tag

JSTL provides you with a mutual exclusion conditional. The <c:choose> tag is called a
mutual exclusion because only one block of code within the mutual exclusion will
be executed. Therefore, the block of code that is chosen to execute is said to mutually exclude all other blocks of code. There is only one form of the <c:choose> tag:
<c:choose>
body content (<when> and <otherwise> subtags)
</c:choose>

No attributes are associated with the <c:choose> tag. The <c:choose> tag is almost
always used with the <c:when> tag, as we discuss in the next section.

Using the <c:when> Tag

In some respects, the mutual exclusion can be compared to the switch/case or
if/else tree construct in Java. The <c:choose> tag is comparable to the Java switch
statement, and the <c:when> tag is comparable to the case statements of a switch
statement. The general format of the JSTL mutual exclusion is shown here:
<c:when test=testCondition>
body content
</c:when>

One attribute is accepted by the <c:if> tag:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

test

Specifies the test that is to be performed.

61

62

CHAPTER 3

Understanding Basic Tag Logic

A <c:choose> tag is essentially a block of if statements. When a <c:choose> block is

encountered, the <c:when> statements are evaluated in order. Once one <c:when> statement is satisfied, it is executed and the <c:choose> exits. It does not matter if more
than one <c:when> statements test is satisfied. The first <c:when> statement that is
successful is the only <c:when> statement that will be executed.
The biggest difference between the <c:choose>/<c:when> tag and the switch/case statements in Java is that the <c:when> statements actually evaluate expressions. A
switch/case in Java only compares a variable specified in the switch statement against
constants in the case statements. This makes the <c:when> statements much more
advanced than case statements.
Listing 3.7 shows an example of the mutual exclusion in action. This program shows
a simple input form that asks you to enter a number. The program then responds by
spelling out the name of the first five numbers after one.
LISTING 3.7

Mutual Exclusion (choose.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Using Choose,Otherwise and When</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>You entered:
<c:choose>
<c:when test=${param.enter==1}>One
<br />
</c:when>
<c:when test=${param.enter==2}>Two
<br />
</c:when>
<c:when test=${param.enter==3}>Three
<br />
</c:when>
<c:when test=${param.enter==4}>Four
<br />
</c:when>

Using Conditionals

LISTING 3.7

Continued

<c:when test=${param.enter==5}>Five
<br />
</c:when>
<c:otherwise>
<c:out value=${param.enter} />
<br />
</c:otherwise>
</c:choose>
</c:if>
<form method=post>Enter a number between 1 and 5:
<input type=text name=enter />
<input type=submit value=Accept />
<br />
</form>
</body>
</html>

If you enter a value that is not in the range of one through five, the program prints
out your number in numeric form. This default behavior is provided by the
<c:otherwise> tag, which we is cover in the next section.

Using the <c:otherwise> Tag

The <c:otherwise> tag provides the functionality of Javas default and else statements. The <c:otherwise> tag may only be used as part of a <c:choose> block. The
following shows the general format of the <c:otherwise> tag:
<c:otherwise>
conditional block
</c:otherwise>

No attributes are associated with the <c:otherwise> tag. If you use only one <c:when>
tag with a <c:otherwise> tag, you have created something that is functionally equivalent to the if/else construct. Listing 3.8 shows how the <c:otherwise> tag can be
used to provide an else statement.

63

64

CHAPTER 3

LISTING 3.8

Understanding Basic Tag Logic

An if Statement with else (ifelse.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Using Choose,Otherwise and When</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>OK, well
send
<c:out value=${param.enter} />
<c:choose>
<c:when test=${param.enter==1}>pizza.
<br />
</c:when>
<c:otherwise>pizzas.
<br />
</c:otherwise>
</c:choose>
</c:if>
<form method=post>Enter a number between 1 and 5:
<input type=text name=enter />
<input type=submit value=Accept />
<br />
</form>
</body>
</html>

The code in Listing 3.8 asks in a form how many pizzas you would like to order. The
program then prints the message OK, well send xxx pizza(s). The if/else construct
is used to cause the program to print out the word pizza if only one pizza is being
ordered and to print out the word pizzas if more than one is ordered. The following
block of code implements the if/else construct:

A Chat Application

<c:choose>
<c:when test=${param.enter==1}>
pizza.
</c:when>
<c:otherwise>
pizzas.
</c:otherwise>
</c:choose>

As you can see, a <c:when> tag is used to evaluate whether the order is equal to one. If
the order is equal to one, then the program prints the word pizza. If the order is not
equal to one, then the word pizzas is printed.

Nesting Conditionals
Like any other programming language, JSTL allows you to nest conditionals. All JSTL
tags are XML-style tags. You nest conditionals in JSTL by nesting their XML tags. For
example, the following shows two if statements nested:
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<c:if test=${param.guess==5}>
You guessed my number!
</c:if>
</c:if>

Conditionals can be nested very deep. You can also nest different conditionals
within each other. For example, it is completely valid to nest a <c:if> tag inside a
<c:when> tag.

A Chat Application
The last example that we examine in this chapter is a simple chat application. This
program shows how more than one browser session can be made to communicate.
We use a simple example of a chat application in order to demonstrate some of the
techniques shown in this chapter. Chapter 5, Collections, Loops, and Iterators, will
extend this simple chat program into a more complex example.
When you first access the chat page, you will be prompted to enter your login identity. This is the name by which other users will know you. This login can be nearly
anything you like. Once you enter your name, you will be taken to the main chat
page. (See Figures 3.2 and 3.3.)

65

66

CHAPTER 3

Understanding Basic Tag Logic

FIGURE 3.2

Our first user chatting.

FIGURE 3.3

Our second user chatting.

A Chat Application

The login page for the chat application is a typical HTML form. This file appears in
Listing 3.9.
LISTING 3.9

Our Chat Login (index.html)

<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Language content=en-us />
<title>Simple Chat Application</title>
</head>
<body>
<form action=main.jsp>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=33% id=AutoNumber1>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>
<font size=4 color=#FFFFFF>Chat Login</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=23%>User ID</td>
<td width=77%>
<input type=text name=uid size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2>
<p align=center>
<input type=submit value=Submit
name=action />
<input type=reset value=Reset />

67

68

CHAPTER 3

Understanding Basic Tag Logic

LISTING 3.9

Continued

</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>&#160;</p>
</form>
<p>
<i>Note: You may use any User ID you wish</i>
</p>
</body>
</html>

Most of the action for this program takes place on the main chat screen. Here, you
have three options. First, you can send your message. This will make your message
visible to the other users, including yourself. Second, you can refresh your view of
the screen. As other users enter messages, they will not immediately be visible to
you. If you wish to update your screen without sending a message, you must click
the Refresh button. Third, a Clear button is provided that gives you the ability to
clear the display. Because messages never scroll off the chat, clicking Clear lets you
start from a clean slate. Listing 3.10 shows the source code for the main chat screen.
LISTING 3.10

Our Main Chat Page (main.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Chat Joined</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<c:choose>
<c:when test=${param.send!=null}>
<c:set var=chat
value=${chat}<b>${param.uid}:</b>${param.text}<br />
scope=application />
</c:when>
<c:when test=${param.clear!=null}>

A Chat Application

LISTING 3.10

Continued

<c:set var=chat value= scope=application />

</c:when>
</c:choose>
</c:if>
<table border=0>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<h3>User:
<c:out value=${param.uid} />
</h3>
<hr />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<c:out value=${chat} escapeXml=false />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<hr />
<form method=post>Message:
<input type=text name=text size=20 />
<input type=submit name=send value=Send />
<input type=submit name=refresh value=Refresh />
<input type=submit name=clear value=Clear />
<input type=hidden name=uid
value=<c:out value=${param.uid}/> />
<br />
</form>
</td>

69

70

CHAPTER 3

Understanding Basic Tag Logic

LISTING 3.10

Continued

</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</body>
</html>

This program does not store the username in a session-scoped variable, as previous
examples have. Instead, the username is stored as a hidden form field that is posted
back to the main chat page every time you click a button.
The contents of the chat are stored in an ever-increasing application-scoped variable.
When you click the Send button, the message you just typed is added to this
application-scoped variable via the following:
<c:set var=chat
value=${chat}<b>${param.uid}:</b>${param.text}<br />
scope=application />

This code concatenates the new message onto the messages that already exist in the
application-scoped variable. Because the chat message is stored at the application
level, the only way to clear the chat area is to either restart the Web server or click
the Clear button. Clicking Clear executes the following line of code, which clears the
chat application-scoped variable:
<c:set var=chat value= scope=application />

Clicking the Refresh button simply redraws the window without adding any
messages. The chat area, when redrawn, is displayed with the following line of code:
<c:out value=${chat} escapeXml=false />

You will notice that a property called escapeXml is set to false. Without this property
set to false, JSTL would automatically encode the HTML tags that we are adding to
the chat. This would be bad because the program would display these tags rather
than processing them. For example, the HTML tag <br/> would be encoded to be
&lt;br/&gt; this would prevent our formatting effects from displaying.
In summary, the chat application is a simple JSTL application that makes use of
some of the most basic tags in the JSTL tag library. The primary purpose of these tags
is to control the flow of information through the chat application. This flow of
information begins with the form, where users enter their message. The form is then
posted back to itself, and <c:choose> and <c:when> tags are used to see if a conversation already exists. Then a <c:set> tag is used to store the conversation to an

Summary

application-scoped variable so that all sessions can see the conversation. Finally, this
conversation is presented to the user along with a form the user can use to add to
the conversation. This completes the cycle.

Summary
In earlier chapters, you have seen expressions used in conjunction with the techniques being introduced. The next chapter will focus on expressions and show you
some of the advanced features they provide.

71

4
Using the Expression
Language
P

rogramming languages use expressions to manipulate

application data. Expressions resemble algebraic formulas
in that they often specify mathematical transformations
involving the programs variables. For example, the
expression a+10 tells the program to evaluate the
expression 10 added to a. This does not change the value
of a; rather, the computer simply computes this sum and
then performs some action based on that sum.
JSTL supports expressions through the use of two
expression languages. JSTL includes support for scriptletbased expressions, called rtexprvalue expressions. JSTL
also introduces Expression Language (EL), which greatly
simplifies expression handling in JSTL. The designers of
JSTL assume that most programmers will use EL expressions and use rtexprvalues for more advanced purposes.
This chapter will focus primarily on EL expressions,
although we cover expressions using rtexprvalues as well.
We begin by examining the tags that JSTL makes available
for expression handling.

JSTL Expression Tags

In JSTL, an expression is always wrapped between the
characters ${ and }. For example, the expression for
displaying the variable a with 10 added would be ${a+10}.
This can easily be incorporated into many of the JSTL tags.
The following code would use a <c:out> tag to display the
expression a+10:
<c:out value=${a+10}/>

74

CHAPTER 4

Using the Expression Language

Eventually, JSP 2.0 will allow EL expressions to be inserted right into HTML code. For
example, the following line in a JSP file would display the expression a+10:
<p>The value of a+10 is ${a+10}</p>

While the expression language is a powerful feature of JSP 2.0, one of the design
requirements for JSTL was compatibility with JSP 1.2. To accommodate JSP 1.2s lack
of expression support, Sun added the <c:out> tag to provide a means of displaying a
JSTL expression.
The <c:out> tag is not the only tag that JSTL provides that can work with expressions. In addition to the <c:out> tag, JSTL includes several tags that are designed to
deal directly with expressions. In the following sections, we explain how to use each
of these tags.

Using the <c:out> Tag

The <c:out> tag is used to display a JSTL expression and set the value of a JSTL
scoped variable. There are two forms of the <c:out> tag:
// Syntax 1: Without a body
<c:out value=value [escapeXml={true|false}]
[default=defaultValue] />
// Syntax 2: With a body
<c:out value=value [escapeXml={true|false}]>
default value
</c:out>

If you want to display a small amount of text, you should use the bodyless version
of the <c:out> tag. This will cause your code to appear more concise because your
text will be included in the tag itself. The other version of the <c:out> tag includes a
body in order to allow a larger area of text to be displayed. This area can include
multiple blank lines, text, and expressions.
Often, the <c:out> tag is used only to display the result of a simple expression.
Listing 4.1 shows a simple use of the <c:out> tag.
LISTING 4.1

Using the <c:out> Tag (out.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Out Examples</title>
</head>
<body>

JSTL Expression Tags

LISTING 4.1

Continued

<h3>Out Example</h3>
10 * 3 =
<c:out value=${10*3} />
<br />
</body>
</html>

In Listing 4.1 you can see that the JSP is using the <c:out> tag to display the expression ${10*3). The expression ${10*3) evaluates to 10 times 3, or 30. The expression is
well defined and should always have a value. The <c:out> tag will display whatever
the value attribute specifies.
Expressions will not always have values. An expression may default to null if there is
insufficient information to calculate the expression. Consider the expression ${a}.
This expression will display whatever is stored in the a variable. If the a variable has
never been defined, then the ${a} expression is considered a null expression. The
<c:out> tag lets you specify a default value that will be displayed when the expression that you specified is null. Listing 4.2 shows the <c:out> tag used with a default
value.
LISTING 4.2

Using the <c:out> Tag with Defaults (outdefault.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Out Default Examples</title>
</head>
<body>testit =
<c:out value=${testit} default=Default Value />
</body>
</html>

As you can see, the code in Listing 4.2 attempts to display the value of the variable
testit, which has not been defined and has a null value. However, the <c:out> tag
specifies a default value. The <c:out> tag in Listing 4.2 will display the text Default
Value. Without the default attribute, the code would have simply displayed a blank
in place of the null value.

75

76

CHAPTER 4

Using the Expression Language

Working with null values in JSTL does not generally throw null exceptions as it does
in regular Java. When a null value is accessed or compared, JSTL simply inserts an
empty string in place of the null value. This prevents JSTL from throwing a
NullPointerException as regular Java would.
As we saw earlier in this section, there are two forms of the <c:out> tag. The first
form, which we have already examined, is a single tag that has no body. It is also
possible to give a <c:out> tag a body. This body defines what will be output, just like
the value attribute defined in the bodyless <c:out> tag.
By default, the <c:out> tag will automatically escape any special characters encountered. This can be good because it allows you to display special HTML reserved characters, such as greater than (>) and less than (<). When the <c:out> tag is presented
with a less-than symbol, it will automatically replace the symbol with the HTML
code &lt;, which allows HTML to display the less-than symbol. Without this code,
HTML would assume that your less-than symbol was the beginning of an HTML tag.
Table 4.1 summarizes these special characters.
TABLE 4.1

Special Characters Encoded by <c:out>

Special Character

Encoded Form

<
>
&

&lt;
&gt;
&amp;
&#039;
&#034;

The automatic encoding of special characters by the <c:out> tag can also present a
problem. You may want to store HTML tags, along with regular text, inside scoped
variables. For example, consider the chat program discussed in Chapter 3,
Understanding Basic Tag Logic. Each time the user enters some text, that text is
added to an application variable. The following code is responsible for this task:
<c:set var=chat
value=${chat}<b>${param.uid}:</b>${param.text}<br />
scope=application />

As you can see, this code adds to the already defined chat application variable. In
addition to the text that the user has typed, the users name should be added to the
chat tag. The username is bolded before being added to the application variable.
When it comes time to display the chat application variable, it must be displayed
without the special characters being encoded. If JSTL were to encode these special
characters, the user would literally see <b>username</b> rather than just seeing username in bold characters. Listing 4.3 shows how this encoding works.

JSTL Expression Tags

LISTING 4.3

Using <c:out> with/without Tag Escaping (outescape.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Out with Tag Escaping Examples</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:set var=test scope=page>
<table border=0>
<tr>
<td bgcolor=red>&#160;</td>
<td bgcolor=green>&#160;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor=blue>&#160;</td>
<td bgcolor=yellow>&#160;</td>
</tr>
</table>
</c:set>
<h3>Out With Encode=true</h3>
<c:out value=${test} escapeXml=true />
<br />
<h3>Out With Encode=false</h3>
<c:out value=${test} escapeXml=false />
<br />
</body>
</html>

As you can see in Listing 4.3, the page-scoped variable test is assigned some HTML
that will display a multicolored table. The program then displays this variable twice.

77

78

CHAPTER 4

Using the Expression Language

The first time the variable is displayed with the escapeXml attribute set to true, which
is the default. This is done using the following <c:out> tag:
<c:out value=${test} escapeXml=true />

Of course, because true is the default, the following line of code would do exactly
the same thing:
<c:out value=${test} />

In this case, the colored HTML table will not be displayed; rather, the HTML that
makes up the multicolored table will be displayed. Then, the program displays the
multicolored table with the escapeXml attribute set to false, which displays the multicolored HTML table correctly. This is accomplished with the following <c:out> tag:
<c:out value=${test} escapeXml=false />

It is important to properly set this flag so that the program displays your variables
correctly. Figure 4.1 shows the output from this program.

FIGURE 4.1

HTML escaping and the <c:out> tag.

Using the <c:set> Tag

The <c:set> tag is used to set the value of a JSTL scoped variable. There are four
forms of the <c:set> tag:

JSTL Expression Tags

// Syntax 1: Set using value attribute

<c:set value=value
var=varName [scope={page|request|session|application}]/>
// Syntax 2: Set the value of a scoped variable using body content
<c:set var=varName [scope={page|request|session|application}]>
body content
</c:set>
// Syntax 3: Set the value of a target object using value attribute
<c:set value=value
target=target property=propertyName/>
// Syntax 4: Set the value of a target object using body text
<c:set target=target property=propertyName>
body content
</c:set>

Just as with the <c:out> tag, the <c:set> tag lets you specify a value with the value
attribute or use a tag body to specify the value. The bodyless version of <c:set> is
generally used when only a small amount of text must be assigned to the variable.
The body version of the <c:set> tag can be helpful when a large amount of text
should be assigned to the variable, specified by the var attribute of the <c:set> tag.
Listing 4.4 shows how to use the <c:set> tag.
LISTING 4.4

Using the <c:set> Tag (set.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Set Examples</title>
</head>
<body>
<h3>Set With No Body</h3>
<c:set var=str value=Hello World />
str =
<c:out value=${str} />
<br />
<h3>Set With Body</h3>
<c:set var=str>Hello Again, World</c:set>

79

80

CHAPTER 4

LISTING 4.4

Using the Expression Language

Continued

str =
<c:out value=${str} />
<br />
</body>
</html>

Listing 4.4 shows using the <c:set> tag both with and without a body. When used
with a body, the <c:set> tag simply specifies both var, which specifies the variable to
be set, and value, which specifies the value being set:
<c:out var=str value=Hello world />

When used with a body, this line becomes:

<c:set var=str>Hello World</c:set>

The <c:set> tag also allows you to specify scope. We discussed scope in Chapter 2,
Programming the JSP Standard Tag Library.
It is also possible to set a property of an object using the <c:set> tag. Syntax 3 and 4
in our earlier example use this method. The following line of code shows how you
would set the text property of an object named obj:
<c:out target=obj property=text value=Hello world />

Scope is specified by using the scope attribute of the <c:set> tag. For example, the
following set tag would be used to assign session scope:
<c:set var=test value=Session Level Value scope=session />

Though not generally advised, it is possible to use the same variable name in two or
more scopes. You could assign a different value to a given variable in the page,
request, session, and application scopes. Listing 4.5 shows how this is done.
LISTING 4.5

Using the <c:set> Tag with Scope (setscope.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Set in Scope Examples</title>
</head>
<body>

JSTL Expression Tags

LISTING 4.5

Continued

<c:set var=test value=Page Level Value scope=page />

<c:set var=test value=Request Level Value
scope=request />
<c:set var=test value=Session Level Value
scope=session />
<c:set var=test value=Application Level Value
scope=application />
<table border=1>
<tr>
<td>
<b>Default Level</b>
</td>
<td>
<c:out value=${test} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<b>Page Level</b>
</td>
<td>
<c:out value=${pageScope.test} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<b>Request Level</b>
</td>
<td>
<c:out value=${requestScope.test} />
</td>
</tr>

81

82

CHAPTER 4

LISTING 4.5

Using the Expression Language

Continued

<tr>
<td>
<b>Session Level</b>
</td>
<td>
<c:out value=${sessionScope.test} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<b>Application Level</b>
</td>
<td>
<c:out value=${applicationScope.test} />
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>

The code in Listing 4.5 assigns a different value to the variable test in each of the
scopes. When its time to display test, you must tell JSTL which of the four scopes
you would like displayed. You do this by prefixing the variable name with the scope
name, followed by a period. For example, to specify that you would like to display
the variable from the application scope, you would use the following line of code:
<c:out value=${applicationScope.test} />

By specifying the scope, you are assured of getting the correct value. If you dont
specify the scope, JSTL will begin looking for the variable in page scope. If it doesnt
find your variable in page scope, JSTL then checks request, session, and finally application scope. The output from this program is shown in Figure 4.2.

JSTL Expression Tags

FIGURE 4.2

Variable scopes.

Using the <c:remove> Tag

The <c:remove> tag is a scoped variable. There is only one form of the <c:remove> tag:
<c:remove var=varName [scope={page|request|session|application}]/>

Removing a variable makes the memory space being used by that variable available
for other variables that might be stored by your Web application. In actual programming practice, the <c:remove> tag is not used all that often. Page- and request-scoped
variables are generally used for temporary variables, and they do not have to be
removed manuallythey will be automatically removed when the page exits. It is
considered good programming practice to keep your session-scoped variables to a
minimum, so temporary variables are rarely assigned to session scope. In addition,
using temporary values in the application scope can cause threading problems. This
is because many threads will be accessing your variable simultaneously. In any case,
session-scoped variables are automatically removed when the session ends.
The <c:remove> tag can be useful when a value is assigned to application-level scope
to be communicated to other sessions. In this case, the variable should be removed
once it is no longer needed because it will not be removed automatically until either
the Web server is shut down or the Web application is restarted.

83

84

CHAPTER 4

Using the Expression Language

Another somewhat common use of the <c:remove> tag is with session variables.
Sometimes, it is necessary to take the user through a multiform input series. In such
a situation, the user is presented with a series of forms that collects more and more
information from the user. This data is not yet ready to be saved; it is not complete
until the user reaches the final page. The data can be stored in a session variable that
will be removed once the user either abandons the process or saves the form.
Although this is a common technique, you should ensure that you do not store too
much data in the user session due to the overhead incurred.
A technique for avoiding using session variables is to put intermediate data in
hidden fields. This data will then be posted to subsequent forms and the program
will still have access to it. This approach also protects the data from session
expirations.
Listing 4.6 shows an application that uses the <c:remove> tag.
LISTING 4.6

Using the <c:remove> Tag (remove.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Remove Examples</title>
</head>
<body>
<h3>Remove Example</h3>
<c:set var=test value=Hello World scope=page />
The value in the variable test before remove is
<c:out value=${test} />
<br />
<c:remove var=test scope=page />
The value in the variable test after remove is
<c:out value=${test} />
<br />
</body>
</html>

Using the EL Expression Language

The program in Listing 4.6 assigns the value Hello World to the variable test. The
value stored in test is displayed to the browser. Then, the JSP page uses the
<c:remove> tag to remove test. This is done with the following line:
<c:remove var=test scope=page />

This code will remove test. When test is redisplayed a few lines below the
<c:remove> tag, a blank is displayed. This is because the removed test variable now
has a null value. JSTL always displays nulls as blanks. However, if you run
setscope.jsp first, the result will be Session Level Value.

Using the EL Expression Language

EL provides two methods for using expressions. We discuss the first method, the EL
expression language, next, and cover the RT expression language in the section that
follows.
The designers of JSTL assumed that most developers will use the EL expression
language. An expression using EL must always be delimited by ${ and }.

Accessing Properties
To access the properties of objects with EL, you should use either the . or [] operator. The . operator is used when you know ahead of time exactly what property you
want to access. Listing 4.7 shows both techniques.
LISTING 4.7

Accessing Properties (prop.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Property Access</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<c:set var=idx value=name />
param.name =
<c:out value=${param.name} />
<br />

85

86

CHAPTER 4

LISTING 4.7

Using the Expression Language

Continued

param[name] =
<c:out value=${param[idx]} />
<br />
</c:if>
<br />
<form method=post>Please enter your name?
<input type=text name=name />
<input type=Submit />
<br />
</form>
</body>
</html>

Listing 4.7 begins by displaying the name property of the param object. The following
line of code does this:
param.name = <c:out value=${param.name} />

We have used this method of property access many times already. The only problem
with this approach is that you cannot access a different property at runtime. To
dynamically choose the property that you will access, you must use the [] operator.
The following lines of code demonstrate this:
<c:set var=idx value=name />
param[name] = <c:out value=${param[idx]} />

These lines also access the name property of the params collection. The difference is
the variable idx is used to specify what property to use. Figure 4.3 shows the output
of this program.

Using the EL Expression Language

FIGURE 4.3

Accessing properties.

Literals
Literals are constant values that you enter into EL code. EL supports four literal
types:
Type

Values

Boolean

true and false.

Whole

Whole numbers such as 100, just like in Java.

Floating Point

Numbers such as 3.14. Unlike Java, JSTL allows you to use the d
and f suffixes to differentiate between Double and Float.
String-delineated with single or double quotes.

Null

The value null.

It is important to note that an EL expression cannot use the numeric suffixes d and f
because they are used in Java to differentiate between Float and Double constants.
The following JSP, which uses a <c:set> tag, can use the d suffix since the <c:set> tag
is not being given an EL expression:

87

88

CHAPTER 4

Using the Expression Language

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Floats</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:set var=idx value=3.140d />
idx = <c:out value=${idx} /><br />
idx = <c:out value=${idx == 3.14} /><br />
</form>
</body>
</html>

If this same value were tried with an EL expression, an error would result:
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>
<html>
<head>
<title>Floats</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:set var=idx value=3.140d />
idx = <c:out value=${idx} /><br />
idx = <c:out value=${idx == 3.14d} /><br />
</form>
</body>
</html>

Strings allow certain characters to be escaped within them. The quote () in a string
is escaped as \. An apostrophe () is escaped as \. Finally, the backslash (\) is
escaped as \\.

Property Access Operators: [] and .

EL expressions can access objects; therefore, it is necessary for EL expressions to be
able to access the properties that are stored within the objects. EL provides the . and
[] operators to do this.

Using the EL Expression Language

Unlike in Java, the . and [] operators have the same meaning in EL. While the
meaning of the operators are the same, they are used somewhat differently. The .
operator works essentially the same as in Java; it is used to access an individual property in the object. For example, the following line of code would display the p property in the object obj. (In EL, a property can mean several things: It can be a public
class scope variable, just as in Java, or it can also mean a getter method. For example,
specifying obj.firstName would access the getter getFirstName.)
<c:out value=${obj.p}/>

This code allows you to access any property in an object or collection. The [] operator accesses the same property. However, you can put a variable inside the [] operator to allow you to specify which property you are seeking. For example, the
following line of code would also display the p property in the object obj:
<c:out value=${obj[p]}/>

This may not seem any more useful than the previous line of code. However, this
method becomes very powerful when you substitute another variable in the [] operator. Consider the following lines of code, which also display the p property of the
object obj:
<c:set var=i value=p/>
<c:out value=${obj[i]}/>

Here, the variable i is used to specify the property that the program should retrieve.
This allows your program to determine, at runtime, which property to use.

Arithmetic Operators
Arithmetic is provided to act on Integer (Long) and Floating Point. These operators
will be discussed in this section.
Addition, Subtraction, and Multiplication
Addition, subtraction, and multiplication are handled by the typical +,-, and * operators. Given the equation of A{+,-,*}B, the following list summarizes the results of
this operator:
If A and B are null, then the result is 0.
If A or B is Float or Double, then A and B are coerced to Double and the operator
is applied.

89

90

CHAPTER 4

Using the Expression Language

If A or B is Byte, Short, Character, Integer, or Long, then A and B are coerced to

Long and the operator is applied.
If the operator results in an exception, then an error is raised.
Otherwise, an error is raised.
It is important to note that the EL plus operator cannot be used to concatenate two
strings. If you did have two strings, str1 and str2, the following command would
concatenate them into a third variable, named c:
<c:set var=c value=${a}${b}/>

Division
Division is handled by the / operator. The textual operator div is also allowed for
XPath compatibility. Like all EL operators, the rules for how the division is applied
depends on the operands. Given the equation of A/B, the following list summarizes
the results of this operator:
If A and B are null, then the result is 0.
Otherwise, coerce both A and B to Double and apply the operator.
If division by zero, then return Infinity.
If another exception, then raise an error.
The Modulo Operator
Modulo is handled by the % operator. The textual operator mod also allows for XPath
compatibility. As you may recall, modulo is the remainder of a division. For example,
10%3 is 1, because 1 is the remainder of the division between 10 and 3. Like all EL
operators, the rules for how the modulus is applied depends on the operands. Given
the equation of A%B, the following list summarizes the results of this operator:
If A and B are null, the result is 0.
If A or B is Float or Double, coerce both to Double and apply the operator.
Otherwise, coerce both A and B to Long and apply the operator. If the operator
results in an exception, raise an error.
The Unary Minus Operator
The unary minus operator inverts the sign of a number. Placing the unary minus
operator in front of a numberlets say 5results in -5. Given the equation of -A,
the following list summarizes the results of this operator:
If A is null, the result is 0.
If A is a string and unable to coerce to a Double, raise an error.

Using the EL Expression Language

If A is a string, coerce to a Double and apply the operator.

If A is Byte, Short, Integer, Long, Float, or Double, then retain the type and
apply the operator.
If the operator results in an exception, raise an error.
Otherwise, raise an error.

Relational Operators
The relational operators compare two variables to each other. These operators allow
such comparisons as equal, not equal, and greater or less than. The relational operators are listed here:
> and gt, greater than
< and lt, less than
<= and le, less than or equal
>= and ge, greater than or equal
Given the equation of A==B, the following summarizes the results of these operators:
If A==B, and the operator is <= or >=, the result is true. Otherwise, the result is
false.
If A or B is Float or Double, coerce both A and B to Double and apply the
operator.
If A or B is Byte, Short, Character, Integer, or Long, then coerce both A and B to
Long and apply the operator.
If A or B is a string, then coerce both to a string and compare A and B lexically.
If A is comparable, then if A.compareTo (B) throws an exception, an error is
raised; otherwise, the result is returned.
If B is comparable, then if B.compareTo (A) throws an exception, an error is
raised; otherwise, the result is returned.
Otherwise, raise an error.
Equality and Inequality Operators
Equality and inequality are handled by the == and != operators. As with all EL operators, the rules for how this operator is applied depends on the operands. Given the
equation A==B, the following list summarizes the results of this operator:
If A==B, then the operator is applied.
If A or B is null, then return false for == or true for !=.

91

92

CHAPTER 4

Using the Expression Language

If A or B is Float or Double, then coerce both A and B to Double and apply the
operator.
If A or B is Byte, Short, Character, Integer, or Long, then coerce both A and B to
Long and apply the operator.
If A or B is a Boolean, then coerce both A and B to a Boolean and apply the
operator.
If A or B is a string, then coerce both A and B to a string and compare lexically.
Otherwise, if an error occurs while calling A.equals(B), then raise an error.
Otherwise, apply the operator to the result of A.equals(B).
One unfortunate aspect of the == and != operators is that if a coercion fails, then an
exception is thrown. This is somewhat counterintuitive. If the coercion fails, then
you would assume that the values are in fact not equal.

Logical Operators
EL supports the usual complement of logical operators. These include and, or, and
not. In this section, we examine these operators. The EL operators support the
concept of short-circuiting, just like the Java programming language. That means
that an expression will stop being evaluated as soon as the result can be determined.
For example, the and operator requires that both operands be true for the and operator itself to be true. If the first operand is evaluated to be false, then EL already
knows that the expression can never be true. In this case, the and operator would
return false without evaluating the expression any further.
The and and or Operators
The and and or operators are two basic logic operators. For an and expression to be
true, both operands must be true. For an or to be true, either one or the other operator must be true. For an and to be true, both sides of the operation must be true.
Attempt to coerce A and B to a Boolean; then return the result and apply the
operator.
If it is not possible to coerce A or B to a Boolean, then raise an error.

The Unary Not Operator

The unary not operator is handled by the ! and not operators. Given the equation of
!A, the operation can be summarized as follows:

Using the EL Expression Language

Attempt to coerce A to a Boolean; then return the result and apply the operator.
If it is not possible to coerce A to a Boolean, then raise an error.

Operator Precedence
The order of precedence is an important concept in any programming language.
With only a few exceptions, the order of precedence in EL closely follows that of
Java. The following list summarizes the order of precedence in EL:
1. [] .
2. ()
3. - (unary) not ! empty
4. * / div % mod
5. + - (binary)
6. < > <= >= lt gt le ge
7. == != eq ne
8. && and
9. || or

Reserved Words
The following are the reserved words in EL, and may not be used as identifiers. We
have already reviewed most of these.
NOTE
Many of the reserved words are not currently implemented in EL, but they may be used in the
future. Sun has placed them in the reserved word list so they may serve as placeholders for
future functionality.

and
div
eq
false
ge

93

94

CHAPTER 4

Using the Expression Language

gt
instanceof
le
lt
mod
ne
not
null
or
true

Implicit Objects
EL provides several predefined objects, called implicit objects, which allow you to
access application data that your JSP pages may need. Table 4.2 lists these objects
and their purposes.
TABLE 4.2

EL Implicit Objects

Implicit Object

Purpose

pageContext

Specifies the PageContext object.

Provides access to all page-scoped objects.
Provides access to all request-scoped variables.
Provides access to all session-scoped variables.
Provides access to all application-scoped variables.
Provides access to all single-value components that were posted from a
form.
Provides access to all array value components that were posted from a
form.
Provides access to all single-value HTTP headers.
Provides access to all array components that were sent as HTTP headers.
Provides access to the cookies.
Used to access XPath initialization parameters.

pageScope
requestScope
sessionScope
applicationScope
param
paramValues
header
headerValues
cookie
initParam

Using the EL Expression Language

Type Conversion
When programming EL, you do not have direct control over types. When a variable
is created in EL, the type is not specified. It is the context in which the variable is
used that determines the type. For example, if you assign the value 10 to a variable
and then print out that variable, the variable is coerced to be a string for display. If
you then add 5 to that variable, the value of that variable will be coerced to a
numeric type for the addition. This section summarizes the rules that EL uses in
order to properly coerce one type into another.
Coerce to a String
Nearly any variable should be capable of being coerced to a string. The following
summarizes this process when you attempt to coerce the variable A to a string and
the situations when you might get an error:
If A is a string, then the result is A.
Otherwise, if A is null, then the result is .
Otherwise, if A.toString() throws an exception, then raise an error.
Otherwise, the result is A.toString().
Otherwise, if A is a primitive type, return a string as in the Java expression +A.

Coerce to a Primitive Numeric Type

You may encounter numerous problems when you attempt to coerce a string to a
primitive numeric variable. The following summarizes this process when you
attempt to coerce the variable A to a primitive numeric type and the situations when
you might get an error:
If A is null or , then the result is 0.
If A is a character, then convert to Short and apply the following rules:
If A is a Boolean, then raise an error.
If A is a number type N, then the result is A.
If A is a number with less precision than N, then coerce with no error.
If A is a number with greater precision than N, then coerce with no error.
If A is a string and N.valueOf(A) throws an exception, then raise an error.
If A is a string and N.valueOf(A) does not throw an exception, then return
it as the result.
Otherwise, raise an error.

95

96

CHAPTER 4

Using the Expression Language

Coerce to a Character
You may encounter numerous problems when you attempt to coerce to a primitive
character as well. The following summarizes the process when you attempt to coerce
the variable A to a character and the situations when you might get an error:
If A is null or , then the result is 0.
If A is a character, then the result is A.
If A is a Boolean, then raise an error.
If A is a number with less precision than Short, then coerce with no error.
If A is a number with greater precision than Short, then coerce with no error.
If A is a string, then the result is A.charAt(0).
Otherwise, raise an error.

Coerce to a Boolean
There are a few times when you can coerce a type to a Boolean. The following
summarizes this process when you attempt to coerce the variable A to a Boolean and
the situations when you might get an error:
If A is null or , then the result is A.
Otherwise, if A is a Boolean, then the result is A.
Otherwise, if A is a string and Boolean.valueOf(A) throws an exception, then
raise an error.
Otherwise, if A is a string, then the result is Boolean.valueOf(A).
Coerce to any other type.
Otherwise, raise an error.

Using the RT Expression Language

JSTL also includes support for scriptlet type expressions through the RT expression
language. These expressions are bounded between the <%= and %> characters. By using
the RT expression language, you can access familiar constructs from scriptlet
programming.
JSTL implements support for two scripting languages through the use of twin tag
libraries. To access the EL version of the if tag, the tag <c:if> is used. The RT version
of the if tag can be accessed by using the <c-rt:if> tag. The four components of
JSTL are each duplicated to support the RT expression language. Table 4.3 shows four

Using the RT Expression Language

components that can use RT with JSTL. This is not defined in the JSTL 1.0 spec, but
it is in the JSP 1.2 spec.
TABLE 4.3

The Four Components of RT

Component

URI

Prefix

Core
XML Processing
I18N Formatting
Relational DB Access (SQL)

http://java.sun.com/jstl/core-rt

c-rt

http://java.sun.com/jstl/xml-rt

x-rt

http://java.sun.com/jstl/fmt-rt

fmt-rt

http://java.sun.com/jstl/sql-rt

sql-rt

For example, to take advantage of the core RT tags, you would use the following
command:
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core-rt prefix=c-rt %>

WARNING
Of course, you must also make sure that your web.xml file has entries for the RT libraries if
you want to use them. Appendix B covers this.

The RT expression language allows you to use expressions exactly as you did in JSP
scriptlet programming. For example, the following <c-rt:if> tag checks the request
method:
<c-rt:if test=<%=request.getRequestMethod().equals(POST %>>

In general, you should always use an EL expression if one is available. However,

there are a few cases where EL expressions do not provide the same functionality as
RT. Lets examine a few of these cases.

Determining the Browser

Often, it is necessary to determine what browser the user is using. This can be done
using some of the RT tags. Listing 4.8 shows a brief example of how to determine the
browser.
LISTING 4.8

Determining the Browser (browser.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core-rt prefix=c-rt %>
<html>
<head>
<title>Check Browser</title>

97

98

CHAPTER 4

Using the Expression Language

LISTING 4.8

Continued

</head>
<body>
<c-rt:choose>
<c-rt:when test=<%=request.getHeader(\User-Agent\).
indexOf(\MSIE\)!=-1%>>
You are using Internet Explorer
</c-rt:when>
<c-rt:otherwise>
You are using Netscape, or some other browser....
</c-rt:otherwise>
</c-rt:choose>
</body>
</html>

As you can see in Figure 4.4, the current browser is identified as Microsoft Internet
Explorer. Figure 4.5 shows the same program running with Netscape Communicator.

FIGURE 4.4

The current browser is Internet Explorer.

Using the RT Expression Language

FIGURE 4.5

The current browser is Netscape Communicator.

In order to determine the current browser, the page must check the header variables.
To do this, a <c-rt:choose> block is set up. Inside <c-rt:when>, test is used to retrieve
the User-Agent, which specifies the browser being used. The following lines of code
do this:
<c-rt:when test=<%=request.getHeader(\User-Agent\).indexOf(\MSIE\)!=-1%>>
You are using Internet Explorer
</c-rt:when>

Case-Insensitive String Comparisons

The EL expression language does not have many commands for the manipulation of
strings. When two strings are compared in EL, the comparison is always case sensitive. To do a comparison that is not case sensitive, it is necessary to use EL expressions. Listing 4.9 shows a simple JSTL program that uses RT expressions to do a
case-insensitive comparison.
LISTING 4.9

A Case-Insensitive String Comparison (if.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core-rt prefix=c-rt %>
<html>
<head>

99

100

CHAPTER 4

LISTING 4.9

Using the Expression Language

Continued

<title>If Caseless</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:set var=str value=jStL />
<jsp:useBean id=str type=java.lang.String />
<c-rt:if test=<%=str.equalsIgnoreCase(\JSTL\)%>>
They are equal
</c-rt:if>
</body>
</html>

To do a case-insensitive comparison, we must be able to use the equalsIgnoreCase

found in the String class. In scriptlet JSTL, heres an expression that checks to see if
the value stored in str is equal to JSTL (ignoring case):
<%=str.equalsIgnoreCase(JSTL)%>

This expression returns true if the compare matched. This expression can be directly
included in a JSTL if statement. This requires an if statement from the RT tag
library; the normal <c:if> tag that weve seen earlier will not work. To use an RT
expression, you must use the <c-rt:if> tag. The complete if statement is shown
here:
<jsp:useBean id=str type=java.lang.String />
<c-rt:if test=<%=str.equalsIgnoreCase(\JSTL\)%>>
</c-rt:if>

RT scripts do not have direct access to JSTL scoped variables. To access such a variable, you have to map that variable into a bean first. This is the purpose of the
<jsp:useBean> tag just before the if statement. The <jsp:useBean> tag shown here will
make the scoped variable str available to RT expressions.

Summary
This chapter showed you how to use the expression language. The expression
language allows you to modify scoped variables as it suits your program. JSTL can
make use of both the new EL (to be included with JSP 1.3) and the older scriptletbased expressions. The next chapter will explain how to use iterators so that you can
work with larger sets of scoped variables.

5
Collections, Loops, and
Iterators
C

ollections have always been an important part of JSP

programming. JSP pages often receive collections of
objects, such as rows from a database that must be
displayed to the HTML user. JSTL provides several tags that
enable the JSP programmer to work with collections of
objects. These tags allow a more consistent approach to
handling collections than scriptlet JSP programming
provides.
In addition to the ability to iterate over collections of
objects, JSTL provides basic parsing into the iteration tags.
Token iteration tags allow the programmer to iterate
through strings that contain items separated by designated
tokens. This allows a string to be tokenized and the results
processed in a way that is appropriate for the page.
This chapter will introduce you to both iteration and
tokenization. We begin by taking a closer look at the
collections that can be used with these tags.

Understanding Collections
The term collection has a slightly different meaning in JSTL
than it does in Java. In JSTL many different types of
objects can function as a collection. In particular, the
following types of classes often form collections in JSTL:
Any class that implements the java.util.Collection
interface
Arrays of objects or primitive data types
Any class that implements the java.util.Iterator
interface

102

CHAPTER 5

Collections, Loops, and Iterators

Any class that implements the java.util.Enumeration interface

Any class that implements the java.util.Map interface
Comma-delineated strings (java.lang.String)
All classes that are members of the Java collections API can be used with the JSTL
iteration tags. These include LinkedList, ArrayList, Vector, Stack, Set, and Map.
Additionally, string items that contain comma-delineated text can be used. Data is
often collected using these collection types, and understanding how to access collections using JSTL is important.
One particularly handy feature of JSTL collections is that a comma-delimited string
can be iterated over. For example, the list of values Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday could be iterated over to return each day individually. Now, lets
look at the JSTL tags that are used with JSTL collections.

The Iteration Tags

JSTL supports two tags that are used to iterate over collections. For iteration over the
collections just discussed, you use the <c:forEach> tag. As we stated earlier, the
<c:forEach> tag can iterate over comma-delineated strings. It is also possible to iterate
over strings that are delineated by characters other than the comma. To iterate over
such strings, you must use the <c:forTokens> tag. In this section, we discuss the
<c:forEach> tag. In the next section, we will discuss the <c:forTokens> tag.

The <c:forEach> Tag

The <c:forEach> tag is used to iterate over a collection or to iterate a fixed number of
times. There are two forms of the <c:forEach> tag:
// Syntax 1: Iterate over a collection of objects
<c:forEach [var=varName] items=collection
[varStatus=varStatusName]
[begin=begin] [end=end] [step=step]>
body content
</c:forEach>
// Syntax 2: Iterate a fixed number of times
<c:forEach [var=varName]
[varStatus=varStatusName]
begin=begin end=end [step=step]>
body content
</c:forEach>

In syntax 1, you must provide the <c:forEach> tag with a collection to iterate over.
You specify this collection by using the items attribute. Each item in the collection

The Iteration Tags

will be referenced by the variable specified in the var attribute of the <c:forEach> tag.
This loop will continue until all of the items in the collection have been processed.
Syntax 2 does not rely on collections to set the boundaries that it will loop through.
This example specifies a beginning, ending, and count for the loop. The attribute
begin specifies where the loop should begin. The attribute end specifies where the
loop should end; the end is inclusive. How far to move through each iteration of the
loop is determined by the step attribute. Using these three attributes allows you to
emulate the behavior of Javas for loop.
One deficiency of the fixed-loop <c:forEach> tag is that it will not loop backward.
While it may seem logical that the following loop would count backward from 10,
this loop would generate an exception:
<c:forEach begin=10 end=1 var=i step=-1>
<c:out value=${i}/><br/>
<c:/forEach>

The <c:forEach> tag also includes the varStatus attribute, which enables you to
obtain information about the iteration as it progresses. We discuss the varStatus
attribute next.
WARNING
One limitation of the <c:forEach> tag is that the begin, end, and step attributes must be
constant. It is invalid to specify another scoped variable for these values.

Loop Status
JSTL also gives you the ability to access information about the iteration as it
proceeds. You accomplish this by using a varStatus variable. If you specify a
varStatus variable, the iterator will fill it with a
javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.core.LoopTagStatus object for each loop of the iterator.
Because this is a standard Java object, you must use the RT expression language
(explained in Chapter 4, Using the Expression Language) to access it.
One common use of this object is to get access to the iteration number we are on.
We can then specify a different action for even and odd loop numbers. The following code shows how this is done:
<c:forEach var=product items=${products} varStatus=status>
<jsp:useBean id=status
type=javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.core.LoopTagStatus/>
<c-rt:choose>
<c-rt:when test=<%=status.getCount()%2 ==0 %>>
even item<br/>

103

104

CHAPTER 5

Collections, Loops, and Iterators

</c-rt:when>
<c-rt:otherwise>
odd item<br/>
</c-rt:otherwise>
</c-rt:choose>
</c:forEach>

As you can see, the varStatus object must be registered as a bean for it to be used. We
do this with the following line:
<jsp:useBean id=status type=javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.core.LoopTagStatus/>

Registering this object allows you to access its properties. Our example uses the
getCount() method. In addition to getCount(), you may wish to use some of the other
methods we describe in the following sections.
The getCurrent() Method
The getCurrent() method has the following prototype:
public java.lang.Object getCurrent()

This method returns the current item from the iteration. Calling this method does
not advance the iteration. Calling the method repeatedly returns the same object
until the iteration is advanced.
The getIndex() Method
The getIndex() method has the following prototype:
public int getIndex()

This method returns the index of the current iteration. If the iteration is being
performed over a subset of an underlying array, java.lang.Collection, or another
type, the index returned is absolute. The index does not take into account the value
of the begin, step, and end attributes. The index is that of the underlying Java collection and is 0-based.
The getCount() Method
The getCount() method has the following prototype:
public int getCount()

This method returns the count of the current round of the iteration. The count is a
relative, 1-based sequence number that identifies the round of iteration. For
example, an iteration with begin = 6, end = 10, and step = 2 produces the counts 1,
2, and 3, in that order.

The Iteration Tags

The isFirst() Method

The isFirst() method has the following prototype:
public boolean isFirst()

This method returns true if this is the first round through the iteration. This method
may return true even when the result of getIndex() is not equal to 0. This is because
index specifies the absolute index of the current item based on the context of its
underlying collection. However, it is always the case that a true result from isFirst()
ensured that the value returned by getCount() will be 1. This difference in indexes is
called subsetting.
The isLast() Method
The isLast() method has the following prototype:
public boolean isLast()

This method returns true if the iteration is in its last round. As is the case with
isFirst(), subsetting is taken into account. (See the previous section for more
information.)
The getBegin() Method
The getBegin() method has the following prototype:
public Integer getBegin()

This method returns the value of the begin attribute that was specified in the
<c:forEach> or <c:forTokens> tag. If no begin tag was specified, null is returned.
The getEnd() Method
The getEnd() method has the following prototype:
public Integer getEnd()

This method returns the value of the end attribute that was specified in the
<c:forEach> or <c:forTokens> tag. If no end tag was specified, null is returned.
The getStep() Method
The getStep() method has the following prototype:
public Integer getStep()

This method returns the value of the step attribute that was specified in the
<c:forEach> or <c:forTokens> tag. If no step tag was specified, null is returned.

105

106

CHAPTER 5

Collections, Loops, and Iterators

Using Iterators
Now that you have seen the <c:forEach> tag, lets look at a few examples of iterators.
There are many common uses for iterators in JSP pages, and the following sections
examine the most useful ones.

Iterating over Strings

As we mentioned earlier, the iterator tags can iterate over strings if the strings are
comma delimited. Listing 5.1 shows a program that iterates over a string of commaseparated values.
LISTING 5.1

Iteration and Strings (string.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>String Collection Examples</title>
</head>
<body>
<h3>String Collection Example</h3>
<c:set var=str
value=Sunday,Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday,
Saturday />
<b>Input String:</b>
<br />
<br />
<c:out value=${str} />
<br />
<br />
<b>Iterating:</b>
<br />
<br />
<c:forEach var=day items=${str}>

Using Iterators

LISTING 5.1

Continued

<c:out value=${day} />

<br />
</c:forEach>
</body>
</html>

In Listing 5.1, a string is assigned to hold the days of the week. Then a <c:forEach>
tag is used to iterate through the list of string values. The following lines of code do
this:
<c:forEach var=day items=${str}>
<c:out value=${day} />
<br />
</c:forEach>

As you can see, the string is sent to the tag as the items attribute, and each element
of the string will be copied to the day scoped variable. This variable is then printed
out through each round of the iteration. The output from this program is shown in
Figure 5.1.

FIGURE 5.1

Iteration over a string.

107

108

CHAPTER 5

Collections, Loops, and Iterators

Fixed-Length Loops
Collections are not the only sort of loop that can be done with the <c:forEach> tag.
You may also use fixed loops that will count between a specified range of numbers.
These loops resemble the for loops that the Java programming language provides.
Listing 5.2 shows a program that makes use of fixed-length loops.
LISTING 5.2

Fixed-Length Loops (fixed.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Count to 10 Example (using JSTL)</title>
</head>
<body>
<table border=1>
<tr>
<td valign=top>
<h3>From 1 to 10</h3>
<c:forEach var=i begin=1 end=10>
<c:out value=${i} />
<br />
</c:forEach>
</td>
<td valign=top>
<h3>From 10 to 1</h3>
<c:forEach var=i begin=1 end=10>
<c:out value=${11-i} />
<br />
</c:forEach>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<h3>By Twos</h3>

Using Iterators

LISTING 5.2

Continued

<c:forEach var=i begin=2 end=10 step=2>

<c:out value=${i} />
<br />
</c:forEach>
</td>
<td valign=top>&nbsp;
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>

The program in Listing 5.2 actually displays four types of loops. The first loop is just
a simple count from 1 to 10, using the following lines of code:
<c:forEach var=i begin=1 end=10>
<c:out value=${i} />
<br />
</c:forEach>

This simple loop specifies a begin attribute of 1 and an end attribute of 10.
The second loop counts from 10 to 1 backward, using the following lines of code:
<c:forEach var=i begin=1 end=10>
<c:out value=${11-i} />
<br />
</c:forEach>

As we mentioned earlier, the iteration tags are not capable of counting backward.
Because of this, we use nearly the same <c:for> tag as the count-to-10 example. The
only difference is that the out tag uses the expression ${11-i} to adjust the output
from this loop to appear as if the program is counting backward from 10.
The next loop shows how to use the step attribute. If a step attribute is specified, the
count can skip numbers. The following lines of code count from 2 to 10 by twos:
<c:forEach var=i begin=2 end=10 step=2>
<c:out value=${i} />
<br />
</c:forEach>

109

110

CHAPTER 5

Collections, Loops, and Iterators

Keep in mind that the beginning index must not be greater than the ending index.
This will cause an exception to be raised, as shown here:
<c:forEach var=i begin=101 end=100 step=500>
<c:out value=${i} />
</c:forEach>

This program shows three different ways the <c:forEach> tag can be used to create
fixed strings. The programs output is shown in Figure 5.2.

FIGURE 5.2

Fixed-length loops.

The <c:forTokens> Tag

The <c:forEach> tag has the ability to iterate over a string of comma-delineated
items. JSTL also provides the more general <c:forTokens> tag, which allows you to
iterate over a string that is delimited by values other than commas. Here is one form
of the <c:forTokens> tag:
<c:forTokens items=stringOfTokens delims=delimiters
[var=varName]
[varStatus=varStatusName]
[begin=begin] [end=end] [step=step]>
body content
</c:forEach>

Using Iterators

The <c:forTokens> tags syntax closely resembles that of the <c:forEach> tag. The
attribute items is used to pass in the string to be parsed. The attributes begin and end
allow you to specify beginning and ending items, which means you can make the
iteration skip elements from the beginning or end of the list. The step attribute
allows you to skip elements within the listfor example, a step attribute with the
value of 2 would process only every other item.
The delims attribute allows you to specify what delimiters to use. JSTL can parse only
single-character delimiters. If you specify more than one character as the delimiter,
JSTL will end an item on any of the characters that you provided as a delimiter. For
example, the delimiter string ,;: would break up items based on the occurrence of
the comma(,), semicolon(;), or colon(:).
The <c:forTokens> tag also includes the varStatus attribute. This attribute enables you
to obtain information about the iteration as it progresses.
Using the <c:forTokens> tag, you can easily process delimiters other than the comma.
Listing 5.3 shows a program that will separate a sentence into its component words.
LISTING 5.3

Iterating over Tokens (token.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Updatable Collections</title>
</head>
<body>
<table border=0>
<form method=post>
<tr bgcolor=blue>
<td>
<p align=center>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF>Parse for Tokens</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign=top>
<p align=left>Enter a sentence:
<br />

111

112

CHAPTER 5

LISTING 5.3

Collections, Loops, and Iterators

Continued
<input width=20 maxwidth=20 name=text
size=50 />
<br />

&#160;</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign=top>
<p align=center>
<input type=submit name=parse value=Parse />
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</form>
</table>
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<table border=1>
<c:set var=i value=1 />
<c:forTokens items=${param.text} var=word
delims= ,.?! \>
<c:set var=i value=${i+1} />
<tr>
<td>
<b>Word
<c:out value=${i} />
</b>
</td>
<td>
<c:out value=${word} />
</td>
</tr>
</c:forTokens>
</table>
</c:if>
</body>
</html>

Using Iterators

The program in Listing 5.3 begins with a typical HTML form that asks the user to
input a sentence. When the user does so, the sentence is broken down into its
component words and displayed to the user. Our program uses the <c:forTokens> tag
to break up this string, as shown here:
<c:forTokens items=${param.text} var=word delims= ,.?!\>

As you can see, this code specifies several delimiters. Most of the normal English
punctuation characters are used as delimiters, and thus would count as an end to a
word. As our program loops through the string, each word is printed out. The
program also maintains a counter variable, i, to display the current position in the
loop. (You could also keep count by using a varStatus attribute. We discuss the
varStatus attribute again in the section Tag Collaboration with a Fixed Loop
section later in this chapter.) The output from this program is shown in Figure 5.3.

FIGURE 5.3

Iterating over tokens.

Modifying a Collection
So far, the collections that we have examined have remained static. In this section,
we show you how to create a comma-delineated collection that can have elements
dynamically added and removed from it. Listing 5.4 shows this program.

113

114

CHAPTER 5

LISTING 5.4

Collections, Loops, and Iterators

Modifying a Collection (modify.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<c:choose>
<c:when test=${param.add!=null}>
<c:if test=${sessionScope.list!=null and sessionScope.
list!=}>
<c:set var=list value=${list}, scope=session />
</c:if>
<c:set var=list value=${list}${param.item}
scope=session />
</c:when>
<c:when test=${param.remove!=null}>
<c:set var=list2 value= />
<c:forEach var=item items=${sessionScope.list}>
<c:if test=${item!=param.item}>
<c:if test=${list2!=}>
<c:set var=list2 value=${list2}, />
</c:if>
<c:set var=list2 value=${list2}${item} />
</c:if>
</c:forEach>
<c:set var=list value=${list2} scope=session />
<c:remove var=list2 />
</c:when>
</c:choose>
</c:if>
<html>
<head>
<title>Updatable Collections</title>
</head>
<body>
<table border=0>
<form method=post>

Using Iterators

LISTING 5.4

Continued

<tr bgcolor=blue>
<td colspan=2>
<font color=white>Updatable Collections</font>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign=top>
<select NAME=choice SIZE=5 width=20>
<c:forEach var=item items=${sessionScope.list}>
<option>
<c:out value=${item} />
</option>
</c:forEach>
</select>
</td>
<td valign=top>Enter a item to add or remove.
<br />
<input width=20 maxwidth=20 name=item size=20 />
<br />
<input type=submit name=add value=Add />
<input type=submit name=remove value=Remove />
</td>
</tr>
</form>
</table>
</body>
</html>

The program in Listing 5.4 works by displaying a list box next to a text field and two
buttons. The user enters a value in the text field, and uses the buttons to either add
or remove that item from the list box.
First, lets explain how to add a string to the list box. The contents of the list box are
stored as a comma-delimited list in a session variable named list. When the first
item is to be added to the list box, the list session variable is examined to see if

115

116

CHAPTER 5

Collections, Loops, and Iterators

there are any current values. If values already exist, the program appends a comma
to the end of the list. After this, the new item that the user entered is appended to
the list. The following lines of code do this:
<c:if test=${sessionScope.list!=null and sessionScope.list!=}>
<c:set var=list value=${list}, scope=session />
</c:if>
<c:set var=list value=${list}${param.item} scope=session />

The process of removing an item from the list is more complex. It is possible that the
item to be removed might exist anywhere in the comma-separated list. To remove
this item, the program must rebuild the list line by line. First, a page-scoped variable
named list2 is initialized to an empty string. This variable will receive the contents
of the new list:
<c:set var=list2 value= />

Next, the program must iterate through the current list. The following <c:forEach>
tag sets up to iterate through the current list:
<c:forEach var=item items=${sessionScope.list}>

As items are encountered in the list, they are added to the newly created list in the
variable list2. However, we must filter out the item that we want removed. If we fail
to do this, we will simply re-create the list with the item still in the list. This is done
with the following line of code:
<c:if test=${item!=param.item}>

Once we have verified that the current item is not the one that is to be removed, we
must add it to the list. First, we must see if the new list is emptyif it is, then a
comma will be appended to the list. This prevents the new list from starting with a
comma rather than the first value. The following line of code makes this test and
adds the comma if it is required:
<c:if test=${list2!=}>

If the program finds that the list is not empty, then it adds a comma to separate the
new item from what is already in the list:
<c:set var=list2 value=${list2}, />
</c:if>

Now that the comma has been added to the list, we can add the new item. The
following lines of code complete this process:

Using Iterators

<c:set var=list2 value=${list2}${item} />

</c:if>
</c:forEach>

At this point, the list has been re-created in the new list2 variable. The next step is
to copy the new variable back to the old session list. The following line of code
performs this step:
<c:set var=list value=${list2} scope=session />

Now that the new list has been copied, the temporary list, stored in list2, can be
deleted. This is done with the following <c:remove> tag:
<c:remove var=list2 />

This program demonstrates most of the concepts of iteration. The output can be seen
in Figure 5.4.

FIGURE 5.4

Modifying a collection.

Tag Collaboration with a Fixed Loop

Displaying lists is common in Web applications. Often, these lists are displayed in
alternating colors. This resembles the lines of a ledger, such as one for a checking
account.

117

118

CHAPTER 5

Collections, Loops, and Iterators

Reproducing this ledger look in a Web application is a good use for the varStatus
attribute of both the <c:forEach> and the <c:forTokens> tags. By using the getCount()
method of the varStatus variable, you can determine whether you are on an even or
odd row. Your program can then display the appropriate color because it alternates
the background color for even and odd rows.
Lets look at an example. Listing 5.5 shows how the varStatus attribute can be used
to alternate colors on a fixed-size loop.
LISTING 5.5

Tag Collaboration (evenodd.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core-rt prefix=c-rt %>
<html>
<head>
<title>Count to 10 Example(tracking even and odd)</title>
</head>
<body>
<table border=0>
<c:forEach var=i begin=1 end=10 varStatus=status>
<jsp:useBean id=status
type=javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.core.LoopTagStatus />
<c-rt:choose>
<c-rt:when test=<%=status.getCount()%2==0%>>
<c:set var=color value=#eeeeee />
</c-rt:when>
<c-rt:otherwise>
<c:set var=color value=#dddddd />
</c-rt:otherwise>
</c-rt:choose>
<tr>
<td width=200 bgcolor=<c:out value=${color}/>>
<c:out value=${i} />
</td>
</tr>
</c:forEach>
</table>
</body>
</html>

Using Iterators

In Listing 5.5, the programs loop is simple and is identical in concept to the countto-10 example. The primary difference is that we use the varStatus attribute to gain
access to the row counter. As shown here, this loop starts off just like the count-to-10
example:
<c:forEach var=i begin=1 end=10 varStatus=status>

The primary difference in this loop is that the scoped variable status is specified in
the varStatus attribute. This will make the status information available as the loop
processes.
To take advantage of the status variable, we must map that variable to a bean. This is
because the status object returns most of its information through method calls. The
EL expression language is not capable of receiving information this way. Therefore,
well use the RT expression language. As explained in Chapter 4, when using the RT
expression language, all objects that are to be used must be mapped to beans. The
following code maps the status variable to a bean:
<jsp:useBean id=status
type=javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.core.LoopTagStatus />

Now that the RT expression language has access to the status object, we must check
the count. This is done by using a <c-rt:choose> tag. Here, we can compare the
count and take two alternating actions, depending on whether the current row is
even or odd. The following code checks to see whether the row is even:
<c-rt:choose>
<c-rt:when test=<%=status.getCount()%2==0%>>
<c:set var=color value=#eeeeee />
</c-rt:when>

If the row is found to be even, then a color is assigned to the page-scoped variable
named color. To handle odd values, we use this code:
<c-rt:otherwise>
<c:set var=color value=#dddddd />
</c-rt:otherwise>
</c-rt:choose>

For odd values, a different color is saved to the color page-scoped variable.
Now that our program has determined the color, it must use that color in the HTML.
The following code causes the color to appear as the background color of table rows:
<tr>
<td width=200 bgcolor=<c:out value=${color}/>>
<c:out value=${i} />
</td>

119

120

CHAPTER 5

Collections, Loops, and Iterators

Figure 5.5 shows the output from this program.

FIGURE 5.5

Tag collaboration.

Tag Collaboration with a Collection

The varStatus attribute can be used with collections as well as fixed-loop tags. Both
the <c:forEach> and the <c:forTokens> tags support the use of a varStatus tag. Listing
5.6 shows a collections-based program that makes use of the varStatus attribute as
well.
LISTING 5.6

Collections-Based Tag Collaboration (evenoddlist.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core-rt prefix=c-rt %>
<html>
<head>
<title>Count to 10 Example(tracking even and odd)</title>
</head>

Using Iterators

LISTING 5.6

Continued

<body>
<c:set var=days
value=Sunday,Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday,Saturday />
<table border=0>
<c:forEach var=i items=${days} varStatus=status>
<jsp:useBean id=status
type=javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.core.LoopTagStatus />
<c-rt:choose>
<c-rt:when test=<%=status.getCount()%2==0%>>
<c:set var=color value=#eeeeee />
</c-rt:when>
<c-rt:otherwise>
<c:set var=color value=#dddddd />
</c-rt:otherwise>
</c-rt:choose>
<tr>
<td width=200 bgcolor=<c:out value=${color}/>>
<c:out value=${i} />
</td>
</tr>
</c:forEach>
</table>
</body>
</html>

As you can see in Listing 5.6, the basic loop construct is the same as in our previous
example. This makes the <c:forEach> and <c:forTokens> tags interchangeable. Figure
5.6 shows the output from this program.

121

122

CHAPTER 5

FIGURE 5.6

Collections, Loops, and Iterators

Tag collaboration with a collection.

Summary
In this chapter, we showed you how to use iterators. Iteration is one of the most
important concepts in Web programming. As you progress through the remaining
chapters in this book, you will use iterations to process other types of data, such as
the results from an SQL database.
This chapter also showed that you can use iterators to perform basic string processing. In the next chapter, you will learn how to properly format data for display using
JSTLs formatting tag library.

6
Formatting Data with
Tags
JSTL provides several tags that greatly simplify the
formatting and parsing of data. Tags are provided that
allow you to format numbers, percents, dates, and
currencies. By using these tags, you can fine-tune the
output of your data, without the need for customized
display programming.
Web applications must frequently process data entered by
a user. Data from a user always arrives as a string. However,
this string is often a number, date, percentage, or other
data type. JSTL provides parsing tags that enable you to
take the strings a user enters and parse them into other
data types.
In this chapter, we examine both of these issues. We
provide several examples that illustrate practical application of data formatting and parsing. We begin by examining the process of data formatting.

Formatting
Formatting and parsing, as defined by JSTL, are two related
but quite different actions. JSTL considers formatting to be
the process of changing the appearance of stored data. This
data has already been validated to be correct, and most
likely should not produce an error.
JSTL provides two tags for data formatting. The
<fmt:formatNumber> tag is used to format numbers; the
<fmt:formatDate> tag is used to format dates and times.

124

CHAPTER 6

Formatting Data with Tags

Using the <fmt:formatNumber> Tag

The <fmt:formatNumber> tag is used to format numbers, percentages, and currencies.
There are two forms of this tag:
// Syntax 1: Without a body
<fmt:formatNumber value=numericValue
[type={number|currency|percent}]
[pattern=customPattern]
[currencyCode=currencyCode]
[currencySymbol=currencySymbol]
[groupingUsed={true|false}]
[maxIntegerDigits=maxIntegerDigits]
[minIntegerDigits=minIntegerDigits]
[maxFractionDigits=maxFractionDigits]
[minFractionDigits=minFractionDigits]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]/>
// Syntax 2: With a body to specify the numeric value to be formatted
<fmt:formatNumber [type={number|currency|percent}]
[pattern=customPattern]
[currencyCode=currencyCode]
[currencySymbol=currencySymbol]
[groupingUsed={true|false}]
[maxIntegerDigits=maxIntegerDigits]
[minIntegerDigits=minIntegerDigits]
[maxFractionDigits=maxFractionDigits]
[minFractionDigits=minFractionDigits]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]>
numeric value to be formatted
</fmt:formatNumber>

The attributes accepted by the <fmt:formatNumber> tag include the following:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

currencyCode

String ISO 4217 currency code. Applied only when

formatting currencies (that is, if type is equal to
currency); ignored otherwise.

currencySymbol

String currency symbol. Applied only when formatting currencies (that is, if type is equal to
currency); ignored otherwise.

Formatting

Attribute

Required

Purpose

groupingUsed

Specifies whether the formatted output will contain

any grouping separators. The default value is true.

maxFractionDigits

The maximum number of digits in the fractional

portion of the formatted output.

maxIntegerDigits

The maximum number of digits in the integer

portion of the formatted output.

minFractionDigits

The minimum number of digits in the fractional

portion of the formatted output.

minIntegerDigits

The minimum number of digits in the integer

portion of the formatted output.

pattern

The string custom formatting pattern. Applied only

when formatting numbers (that is, if type is
missing or is equal to number); ignored otherwise.

scope

The scope of var. The default value is page.

type

Specifies whether the value is to be formatted as a

number, currency, or percentage. The default value
is number.

value

The string or number numeric value to be

formatted.

var

The name of the exported scoped attribute that

stores the formatted result as a string.

In the first syntax, the value to be formatted is passed in using the value attribute.
The formatted number will be written to the page if a var attribute is not specified. If
a var attribute is specified, it will receive the formatted number as a string.
The second syntax uses the body of the tag to specify the number that is to be
formatted. You should not provide a value attribute if you are using the tag with a
body (syntax 2, in our example). In addition to these standard JSTL attributes,
several formatting attributes are available specific to number formatting.
A type attribute is provided to specify what type of number this is. Valid values for
the type attribute are number, currency, and percent.
If the type attribute is currency, then the currencyCode and currencySymbol attributes
can also be specified. The currencyCode attribute specifies an ISO4217 currency code
for this number. This allows JSTL to know what type of currency you are providing.
You can also override the default currency symbol for the specified currency by using
the currencySymbol attribute.

125

126

CHAPTER 6

Formatting Data with Tags

NOTE
You can obtain ISO4217, for a fee, from the ISO Web site (http://www.iso.ch). You can also
find a Microsoft Word document containing these codes at http://www.bsiglobal.com/Technical+Information/Publications/_Publications/tig90.xalter. This
site is the official ISO Web repository for the ISO4217 codes.

If the type attribute is percent or number, then you can use several number-formatting
attributes. The maxIntegerDigits and minIntegerDigits attributes allow you to specify
the size of the nonfractional portion of the number. If the actual number exceeds
maxIntegerDigits, then the number is truncated.
Attributes are also provided to allow you to determine how many decimal places
should be used. The minFractionalDigits and maxFractionalDigits attributes allow you
to specify the number of decimal places. If the number exceeds the maximum
number of fractional digits, the number will be rounded.
Grouping can be used to insert commas between thousands groups. Grouping is
specified by setting the groupingIsUsed attribute to either true or false. When using
grouping with minIntegerDigits, you must be careful to get your intended result. For
example, if the value 1000 were instructed to have a minimum of 8 digits and grouping is used, the result would be
00,0001,000

If the previously mentioned formatting attributes are insufficient, you may elect to
use the pattern attribute. This attribute lets you include special characters that
specify how you would like your number encoded. Table 6.1 shows these codes.
TABLE 6.1

Numeric Formatting Codes

Symbol

Meaning

0
#
.
,
;
%
?

Represents a digit.
Represents a digit; displays 0 as absent.
Serves as a placeholder for a decimal separator.
Serves as a placeholder for a grouping separator.
Separates formats.
Used as the default negative prefix.
Multiplies by 100 and displays as a percentage.
Multiplies by 1000 and displays as per mille.
Represents the currency sign; replaced by actional currency symbol.
Indicates that any other characters can be used in the prefix or suffix.
Used to quote special characters in a prefix or suffix.

Formatting

Now that you have seen how to use the <fmt:formatNumber> tag, lets look at an
example that uses this tag. Listing 6.1 shows a simple program that will format
numbers. The program allows you to enter numbers and see them formatted in a
variety of ways by JSTL. Figure 6.1 shows the output of our program.
LISTING 6.1

Formatting Numbers (string.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/fmt prefix=fmt %>
<html>
<head>
<title>Format Number</title>
</head>
<body>
<form method=POST>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=62% id=AutoNumber1>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>Number
Formatting</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=47%>Enter a number to be formatted:</td>
<td width=53%>
<input type=text name=num size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2>
<p align=center>
<input type=submit value=Submit name=submit />

127

128

CHAPTER 6

LISTING 6.1

Formatting Data with Tags

Continued

<input type=reset value=Reset name=reset />

</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>&#160;</p>
</form>
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=63% id=AutoNumber2>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>Formatting:
<c:out value=${param.num} />
</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>type=number</td>
<td width=49%>
<fmt:formatNumber type=number value=${param.num} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>type=number maxIntegerDigits=3</td>
<td>
<fmt:formatNumber type=number maxIntegerDigits=3
value=${param.num} />
</td>
</tr>

Formatting

LISTING 6.1

Continued

<tr>
<td>type=number minIntegerDigits=10</td>
<td>
<fmt:formatNumber type=number minIntegerDigits=10
value=${param.num} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>type=number maxFractionDigits=3</td>
<td>
<fmt:formatNumber type=number maxFractionDigits=3
value=${param.num} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>type=number minFractionDigits=10</td>
<td>
<fmt:formatNumber type=number minFractionDigits=10
value=${param.num} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>type=number maxFractionDigits=3
groupingUsed=false</td>
<td>
<fmt:formatNumber type=number maxFractionDigits=3
groupingUsed=false value=${param.num} />
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</c:if>
</body>
</html>

129

130

CHAPTER 6

FIGURE 6.1

Formatting Data with Tags

Formatting numbers.

This program displays the number the user entered using variations of this
<fmt:formatNumber> tag:
<fmt:formatNumber type=number maxFractionDigits=3
groupingUsed=false value=${param.num} />

It is possible to throw an exception using the <fmt:formatNumber> tag. If you enter a

text value such as one, the program will throw an exception. If you would like to
prevent such exceptions from stopping your program, you must use the <c:catch>
tag that we discussed in Chapter 4, Using the Expression Language.
When you use very large numbers, rounding will sometimes occur, even though you
have maxFractionDigits set to a large enough value to not require rounding. This odd
behavior seems to occur only with very large numbers. Additionally, there appears to
be an undocumented default of 3 for maxFractionDigits.

Formatting Percents
You can also format percents by using <fmt:formatNumber>. To format a percent, you
must set the type attribute to percent. Numbers that are to be formatted as percent
must be expressed in the conventional ratio form (for example, 50% is represented
as .5).

Formatting

Every other numeric formatting option that we described in the previous section also
works with percent numbers. Listing 6.2 shows percent formatting applied to the
same numeric formats used in our earlier example. Figure 6.2 shows the output from
this program. As you can see, the percent symbol (%) is added. Whatever percentage
indicator specified for the current locale will be used.
LISTING 6.2

Formatting Percents (percent.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/fmt prefix=fmt %>
<html>
<head>
<title>Format Percent</title>
</head>
<body>
<form method=POST>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=62% id=AutoNumber1>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>Number
Formatting</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=47%>Enter a percent to be formatted:</td>
<td width=53%>
<input type=text name=num size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2>
<p align=center>
<input type=submit value=Submit name=submit />

131

132

CHAPTER 6

LISTING 6.2

Formatting Data with Tags

Continued

<input type=reset value=Reset name=reset />

</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>&#160;</p>
</form>
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=63% id=AutoNumber2>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>Formatting:
<c:out value=${param.num} />
</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>type=percent</td>
<td width=49%>
<fmt:formatNumber type=percent
value=${param.num} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>type=percent maxIntegerDigits=3</td>
<td>
<fmt:formatNumber type=percent maxIntegerDigits=3
value=${param.num} />
</td>
</tr>

Formatting

LISTING 6.2

Continued

<tr>
<td>type=percent minIntegerDigits=10</td>
<td>
<fmt:formatNumber type=percent minIntegerDigits=10
value=${param.num} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>type=percent maxFractionDigits=3</td>
<td>
<fmt:formatNumber type=percent maxFractionDigits=3
value=${param.num} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>type=percent minFractionDigits=10</td>
<td>
<fmt:formatNumber type=percent minFractionDigits=10
value=${param.num} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>type=percent maxFractionDigits=3
groupingUsed=false</td>
<td>
<fmt:formatNumber type=percent maxFractionDigits=3
groupingUsed=false value=${param.num} />
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</c:if>
</body>
</html>

133

134

CHAPTER 6

FIGURE 6.2

Formatting Data with Tags

Formatting percents.

Using the <fmt:formatDate> Tag

There are many occasions when a program must display dates. There are also many
formats that a date can be displayed in. By using the <fmt:formatDate> tag, you can
express your programs dates in a variety of ways. The <fmt:formatDate> tag is shown
here:
<fmt:formatDate [value=date]
[type={time|date|both}]
[dateStyle={default|short|medium|long|full}]
[timeStyle={default|short|medium|long|full}]
[pattern=customPattern]
[timeZone=timeZone]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]/>

The attributes that are accepted by the <fmt:formatDate> tag include the following:

Formatting

Attribute

Required

Purpose

dateStyle

The predefined formatting style for dates. Applied only when

formatting a date or both a date and time (that is, if type is
missing or is equal to date or both); ignored otherwise. This
attribute uses DateFormat semantics.

pattern

The custom formatting style for dates and times.

scope

The scope of var.

timeStyle

The predefined formatting style for times. Applied only when

formatting a time or both a date and time (that is, if type is
missing or is equal to date or both); ignored otherwise.

timeZone

The time zone in which you want to represent the formatted

time.

type

Specifies whether only the time, the date, or both the time and
date components of the given date are to be formatted. This
attribute defaults to date.

value

The date and/or time to be formatted.

var

The name of the exported scoped attribute that stores the

formatted result as a string. This attribute defaults to page.

In the first syntax, the value that is to be formatted is passed in using the value
attribute. The formatted date will be written to the page if a var attribute is not specified. If a var attribute is specified, it will receive the formatted date as a string.
The second syntax uses the body of the tag to specify the date that is to be formatted. You should not provide a value attribute if you are using the tag with a body
(syntax 2 in our example). In addition to these standard JSTL attributes, several
formatting attributes are available specific to date formatting.
The type attribute allows you to specify whether this is a time, date, or both. The
valid values for the type attribute are time, date, or both; date is the default.
Additionally, you can specify the time and date styles using the timeStyle and
dateStyle attributes. Both of these accept the values default, short, medium, long, or
full. These values specify the amount of detail that will be displayed.
It is also possible to use the pattern attribute to specify even more precise handling
of the date formatting. Table 6.2 lists the format characters that can be used.

135

136

CHAPTER 6

Formatting Data with Tags

TABLE 6.2

Date-Formatting Codes

Code

Purpose

Sample Output

The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The

AD
2002
April & 04
20
12
0
45
52
970
Tuesday
180
2 (2nd Wed in month)
27
2
PM
24
0
Central Standard Time
The escape for text
The single quote

y
M
d
h
H
m
s
S
E
D
F
w
W
a
k
K
z

era designator
year
month
day of the month
hour(12-hour time)
hour(24-hour time)
minute
second
millisecond
day of the week
day of the year
day of the week in the month
week in the year
week in the month
a.m./p.m. indicator
hour(12-hour time)
hour(24-hour time)
time zone

Using these codes gives you precise control of the output. For example, using the
pattern string of hh oclock a, zzzz, you might get back 2 oclock PM, Central
Daylight Time. To get an idea of what some of these formats look like, lets examine
Listing 6.3. The output from this program can be seen in Figure 6.3.
LISTING 6.3

Formatting Dates (date.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core-rt prefix=c-rt %>
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/fmt prefix=fmt %>
<html>
<head>
<title>Format Date</title>
</head>
<body>
<c-rt:set var=now value=<%=new java.util.Date()%> />
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0

Formatting

LISTING 6.3

Continued

style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111

width=63% id=AutoNumber2>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>Formatting:
<fmt:formatDate value=${now} type=both
timeStyle=long dateStyle=long />
</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>formatDate type=time</td>
<td width=49%>
<fmt:formatDate type=time value=${now} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>type=date</td>
<td width=49%>
<fmt:formatDate type=date value=${now} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>type=both</td>
<td width=49%>
<fmt:formatDate type=both value=${now} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>type=both dateStyle=default

137

138

CHAPTER 6

LISTING 6.3

Formatting Data with Tags

Continued

timeStyle=default</td>
<td width=49%>
<fmt:formatDate type=both dateStyle=default
timeStyle=default value=${now} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>type=both dateStyle=short
timeStyle=short</td>
<td width=49%>
<fmt:formatDate type=both dateStyle=short
timeStyle=short value=${now} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>type=both dateStyle=medium
timeStyle=medium</td>
<td width=49%>
<fmt:formatDate type=both dateStyle=medium
timeStyle=medium value=${now} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>type=both dateStyle=long
timeStyle=long</td>
<td width=49%>
<fmt:formatDate type=both dateStyle=long
timeStyle=long value=${now} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>type=both dateStyle=full
timeStyle=full</td>

Formatting

LISTING 6.3

Continued

<td width=49%>
<fmt:formatDate type=both dateStyle=full
timeStyle=full value=${now} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>pattern=yyyy-MM-dd</td>
<td width=49%>
<fmt:formatDate pattern=yyyy-MM-dd value=${now} />
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>

FIGURE 6.3 Formatting dates.

139

140

CHAPTER 6

Formatting Data with Tags

The program in Listing 6.3 begins by obtaining the current date. This can be done
with the following RT tag:
<c-rt:set var=now value=<%=new java.util.Date()%> />

This tag constructs a new Date object, which will contain the current time. This date
is then assigned to the scoped variable now. Now that the date has been obtained, the
program can display the date with a variety of <fmt:formatDate> tags.

Parsing
In addition to the formatting tags provided by JSTL, a second set of tags is available
for parsing. In JSTL, parsing refers to tags that are used to access data entered by a
user. As a result, it is quite possible for errors to occur if the data that is to be parsed
is not in the format that the JSTL tag expects. In this section, we show you how to
use the JSTL parsing tags.

Using the <fmt:parseNumber> Tag

The <fmt:parseNumber> tag is used to parse numbers, percentages, and currencies.
There are two forms of this tag:
// Syntax 1: Without a body
<fmt:parseNumber value=numericValue
[type={number|currency|percent}]
[pattern=customPattern]
[parseLocale=parseLocale]
[integerOnly={true|false}]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]/>
// Syntax 2: With a body to specify the numeric value to be parsed
<fmt:parseNumber [type={number|currency|percent}]
[pattern=customPattern]
[parseLocale=parseLocale]
[integerOnly={true|false}]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]>
numeric value to be parsed
</fmt:parseNumber>

The attributes accepted by the <fmt:parseNumber> tag include the following:

Parsing

Attribute

Required

Purpose

integerOnly

Specifies whether just the integer portion of the given

value should be parsed. This attribute defaults to true.

parseLocale

Specifies the locale whose default formatting pattern

(for numbers, currencies, or percentages) is to be used
during the parse operation, or to which the pattern
specified via the pattern attribute (if present) is
applied.

pattern

The custom formatting pattern that determines how

the string in the value attribute is to be parsed.
Applied only when parsing numbers (that is, if type is
missing or is equal to number); ignored otherwise.

scope

The scope of var. This attribute defaults to page.

type

Specifies whether the string in the value attribute

should be parsed as a number, currency, or percentage.
This attribute defaults to number.

value

The string to be parsed.

var

The name of the exported scoped attribute that stores

the parsed result (of type java.lang.Number).

In the first syntax, the value that is to be parsed is passed in using the value
attribute. Once parsed, the number will be written to the page if a var attribute is not
specified. If a var attribute is specified, it will receive the parsed number.
The second syntax uses the body of the tag to specify the number that is to be
parsed. You should not provide a value attribute if you are using the tag with a body
(syntax 2 in our example). In addition to these standard JSTL attributes, several parse
attributes are available specific to number formatting.
A type attribute is provided to specify what type of number is to be parsed. Valid
values for the type attribute are number, currency, and percent. The default is number.
A pattern attribute is provided that works just like the pattern attribute for the
<fmt:formatNumber> tag. However, in the case of parsing, the pattern attribute tells the
parser what format to expect. Table 6.1 (earlier in the chapter) contains a complete
list of pattern codes. The integerOnly attribute allows you to request that decimal
places should not be parsed. Decimal places will not cause an error; they will simply
be truncated.

141

142

CHAPTER 6

Formatting Data with Tags

The program in Listing 6.4 shows some examples of formatting for different types.
LISTING 6.4

Parsing Numbers, Currency, and Percents (parseNumber.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/fmt prefix=fmt %>
<html>
<head>
<title>Parse Number</title>
</head>
<body>
<form method=POST>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=62% id=AutoNumber1>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>Number
Formatting</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=47%>Enter a number to be parsed:</td>
<td width=53%>
<input type=text name=num size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2>
<p align=center>
<input type=submit value=Submit name=submit />
<input type=reset value=Reset name=reset />
</p>
</td>
</tr>

Parsing

LISTING 6.4

Continued

</table>
<p>&#160;</p>
</form>
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=63% id=AutoNumber2>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>Formatting:
<c:out value=${param.num} />
</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>type=number</td>
<td width=49%>
<c:catch var=e>
<fmt:parseNumber var=i type=number
value=${param.num} />
<c:out value=${i} />
</c:catch>
<c:out value=${e} escapeXml=false />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>type=currency</td>
<td width=49%>
<c:catch var=e>
<fmt:parseNumber var=i type=currency

143

144

CHAPTER 6

LISTING 6.4

Formatting Data with Tags

Continued
value=${param.num} />
<c:out value=${i} />
</c:catch>

<c:out value=${e} escapeXml=false />

</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>type=percent</td>
<td width=49%>
<c:catch var=e>
<fmt:parseNumber var=i type=percent
value=${param.num} />
<c:out value=${i} />
</c:catch>
<c:out value=${e} escapeXml=false />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>type=number integerOnly=true</td>
<td width=49%>
<c:catch var=e>
<fmt:parseNumber var=i integerOnly=true
type=number value=${param.num} />
<c:out value=${i} />
</c:catch>
<c:out value=${e} escapeXml=false />
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</c:if>
</body>
</html>

Parsing

The program in Listing 6.4 works by asking the user to enter a number. This number
will be then parsed in several ways. Because it is possible that the user might enter
an invalid number, each call to the <fmt:parseNumber> tag is bounded in <c:catch>
tags. The following code shows how this is done:
<c:catch var=e>
<fmt:parseNumber var=i integerOnly=true
type=number value=${param.num} />
<c:out value=${i} />
</c:catch>

This code attempts to pass the scoped variable i as a number. If the scoped variable i
cannot be parsed as a variable, an exception is thrown. This exception, if thrown,
will be placed in the e scoped variable. If any exception is thrown, the following line
of code prints it out:
<c:out value=${e} escapeXml=false />

Our program also attempts to parse as a percent and currency. Usually, several of the
parses in this program will throw an exception, since it is impossible for one number
to satisfy all types. The output from this program, on a typical number, is shown in
Figure 6.4.

FIGURE 6.4

Parsing numbers, percents, and currencies.

145

146

CHAPTER 6

Formatting Data with Tags

Using the <fmt:parseDate> Tag

There are many occasions when a program must display dates. There are also many
formats that a date can be displayed in. By using the <fmt:parseDate> tag, you can
express your programs dates in a variety of ways. The two forms of the
<fmt:parseDate> tag are as follows:
// Syntax 1: Without a body
<fmt:parseDate value=dateString
[type={time|date|both}]
[dateStyle={default|short|medium|long|full}]
[timeStyle={default|short|medium|long|full}]
[pattern=customPattern]
[timeZone=timeZone]
[parseLocale=parseLocale]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]/>
// Syntax 2: With a body to specify the date value to be parsed
<fmt:parseDate [type={time|date|both}]
[dateStyle={default|short|medium|long|full}]
[timeStyle={default|short|medium|long|full}]
[pattern=customPattern]
[timeZone=timeZone]
[parseLocale=parseLocale]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]>
date value to be parsed
</fmt:parseDate>

The attributes that are accepted by the <fmt:parseDate> tag include the following:
Attribute

Required

Purpose

dateStyle

The style for the date. Should be default, short, long,

medium, or full. The default is default. This attribute

uses DateFormat semantics.

parseLocale

Specifies the locale that should be used. This attribute

should be of type String or java.util.Locale.

pattern

Specifies how the date is to be parsed using a pattern.

timeStyle

The style for the time. Should be default, short, long,

medium, or full. The default is default.

timeZone

The zone that the parsed time is from. This value

should be of type String or java.util.TimeZone.

Parsing

Attribute

Required

Purpose

type

The type of date to parse. Should be time, date, or

both. The default is date.

value

The string to be parsed.

var

The name of the exported scoped attribute that stores

the parsed result (of type java.lang.Number).

In the first syntax, the value that is to be parsed is passed using the value attribute.
The parsed date will be written to the page if a var attribute is not specified. If a var
attribute is specified, it will receive the parsed date.
The second syntax uses the body of the tag to specify the date that is to be parsed.
You should not provide a value attribute if you are using the tag with a body (syntax
2 in our example). In addition to these standard JSTL attributes, several formatting
attributes are available specific to date parsing.
The type attribute allows you to specify whether a time, date, or both will be parsed.
The valid values for the type attribute are time, date, and both. A pattern attribute is
provided that works just like the pattern attribute for the <fmt:formatDate> tag.
However, in the case of parsing, the pattern attribute tells the parser what format to
expect. A complete list of pattern codes can be found in Table 6.2. A timeZone
attribute is available to specify the time zone; we cover time zones in the next
section.
The dateStyle and timeStyle attributes are specified, just as with the <fmt:formatDate>
tag. These tags indicate which format the date will be in. Refer to Figure 6.3 to see
the various formats available. Listing 6.5 shows a program that demonstrates parsing
dates and times.
LISTING 6.5

Parsing Dates (parseDate.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/fmt prefix=fmt %>
<html>
<head>
<title>Parse Date</title>
</head>
<body>
<form method=POST>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=62% id=AutoNumber1>

147

148

CHAPTER 6

LISTING 6.5

Formatting Data with Tags

Continued

<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>Date
Formatting</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=47%>Enter a date to be parsed:</td>
<td width=53%>
<input type=text name=num size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2>
<p align=center>
<input type=submit value=Submit name=submit />
<input type=reset value=Reset name=reset />
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>&#160;</p>
</form>
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=63% id=AutoNumber2>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>

Parsing

LISTING 6.5

Continued

<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>Formatting:

<c:out value=${param.num} />
</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>type=date dateStyle=short</td>
<td width=49%>
<c:catch var=e>
<fmt:parseDate var=i type=date dateStyle=short
value=${param.num} />
<c:out value=${i} />
</c:catch>
<c:out value=${e} escapeXml=false />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>type=date dateStyle=medium</td>
<td width=49%>
<c:catch var=e>
<fmt:parseDate var=i type=date dateStyle=medium
value=${param.num} />
<c:out value=${i} />
</c:catch>
<c:out value=${e} escapeXml=false />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>type=date dateStyle=long</td>

149

150

CHAPTER 6

LISTING 6.5

Formatting Data with Tags

Continued

<td width=49%>
<c:catch var=e>
<fmt:parseDate var=i type=date dateStyle=long
value=${param.num} />
<c:out value=${i} />
</c:catch>
<c:out value=${e} escapeXml=false />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=51%>type=date dateStyle=full</td>
<td width=49%>
<c:catch var=e>
<fmt:parseDate var=i type=date dateStyle=full
value=${param.num} />
<c:out value=${i} />
</c:catch>
<c:out value=${e} escapeXml=false />
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</c:if>
</body>
</html>

The program in Listing 6.5 works by asking the user to enter a date. This date will be
then parsed in several ways. Because it is possible that the user might enter an
invalid date, each call to the <fmt:parseDate> tag is bounded in <c:catch> tags. The
following code shows how this is done:
<c:catch var=e>
<fmt:parseDate var=i type=date dateStyle=full
value=${param.num} />
<c:out value=${i} />
</c:catch>

Time Zones

This code attempts to pass the scoped variable i as a date. If the scoped variable i
cannot be parsed as a date, then an exception is thrown. This exception, if thrown,
will be placed in the e scoped variable. The following line of code prints it out:
<c:out value=${e} escapeXml=false />

This program also attempts to parse several formats. Usually, several of the parses in
the program will throw an exception, since it is impossible for one date to satisfy all
types. The output from this program, on a typical number, is shown in Figure 6.5.

FIGURE 6.5

Parsing dates.

Time Zones
Nearly every Web application must be concerned with time zones. It is very likely
that the time zone that your Web server is in is different from the time zone of the
user accessing your Web site. JSTL gives you several tags that allow you to set the
time zones that date formatting tags deal with.

Setting Time Zones

There are two ways that you can set the time zone in a JSTL-based application. The
first is by modifying the web.xml file for the Web site so that it specifies a default
time zone. The second is to use the <fmt:timeZone> tag.

151

152

CHAPTER 6

Formatting Data with Tags

Using the <fmt:timeZone> Tag

It is also possible to set the time zone for a specific range of tags. The <fmt:timeZone>
will specify the time zone that all tags within its body will use. This can allow you to
customize the time zone on a per-user basis. Here is the format of the <fmt:timeZone>
tag:
<fmt:timeZone value=timeZone
[var=varName]
body content
</fmt:timeZone>

The <fmt:timeZone> tag accepts the following attribute:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

value

Specifies the time zone that should be used by the tags

enclosed in the body of this tag.

The body content of the <fmt:timeZone> tag specifies the tags that will be controlled
by this time zone. For example, the following tags would use the U.S. Central time
zone:
<fmt:timeZone value=CDT>
<t:formatDate value=${now} type=both />
</fmt:timeZone>

We will show you a program later in this chapter that makes use of multiple time
zones.
Specifying the Time Zone in web.xml
If you take no actions to influence the time zone, JSTL will use the time zone that
your computer itself is in. If you would like to override your machines time zone,
you can use the web.xml file. The following lines from a web.xml file attempt to set
the default time zone to Central time:
<?xml version=1.0 encoding=ISO-8859-1?>
<!DOCTYPE web-app
PUBLIC -//Sun Microsystems, Inc.//DTD Web Application 2.3//EN
http://java.sun.com/dtd/web-app_2_3.dtd>
<web-app>
<context-param>
<param-name>javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.fmt.timeZone</param-name>
<param-value>US/Central</param-value>
</context-param>

Time Zones

Using the <fmt:setTimeZone> Tag

It is possible to load a time zone into an individual scoped variable. This variable will
then be passed to the <fmt:timeZone> tag. The <fmt:setTimeZone> tag is used to copy a
time zone object into the specified scoped variable. Here is the format of the
<fmt:setTimeZone> tag:
<fmt:setTimeZone value=timeZone
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}] />

The attributes accepted by the <fmt:setTimeZone> tag include the following:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

scope

Specifies the scope of scoped variable specified by var.

Defaults to page.

value

Specifies the time zone that should be used by the tags

enclosed in the body of this tag.

var

Specifies the scoped variable that is to receive the time

zone. If this is not given, a new default time zone will be
set.

As you can see, you must specify the time zone using the value attribute. This is
done in the same way the time zone is specified using the <fmt:timeZone> tag. For
example, specifying the attribute CDT would select the time zone for Central U.S.
time. This time zone will then be stored in the variable specified by the var scoped
variable. Lets look at a program that makes use of multiple time zones.

Using Time Zones

Listing 6.6 shows a program that will display all of the time zones that Java has
access to. The current time will be translated into each of these time zones.
LISTING 6.6

Displaying Time Zones (zone.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core-rt prefix=c-rt %>
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/fmt prefix=fmt %>
<html>
<head>
<title>Timezones</title>
</head>
<body>

153

154

CHAPTER 6

LISTING 6.6

Formatting Data with Tags

Continued

<c-rt:set var=now value=<%=new java.util.Date()%> />

<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=63% id=AutoNumber2>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>Formatting:
<fmt:formatDate value=${now} type=both
timeStyle=long dateStyle=long />
</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<c-rt:forEach var=zone
items=<%=java.util.TimeZone.getAvailableIDs()%>>
<tr>
<td width=51%>
<c:out value=${zone} />
</td>
<td width=49%>
<fmt:timeZone value=${zone}>
<fmt:formatDate value=${now} timeZone=${zn}
type=both />
</fmt:timeZone>
</td>
</tr>
</c-rt:forEach>
</table>
</body>
</html>

The program in Listing 6.6 goes through every time zone that Java has available.
This is done by calling the method java.util.TimeZone.getAvailableIDs(). The following code begins this process:

Time Zones

<c-rt:forEach var=zone
items=<%=java.util.TimeZone.getAvailableIDs()%>>

For each pass through this program, the time zone is displayed:
<c:out value=${zone} />

Finally, the current time is converted to the new time zone. The following code does
this by using the <fmt:timeZone> tag:
<fmt:timeZone value=${zone}>
<fmt:formatDate value=${now} timeZone=${zn}
type=both />
</fmt:timeZone>
</c-rt:forEach>

Our program displays a lengthy list of time zones. You can see the programs output
in Figure 6.6.

FIGURE 6.6

Displaying time zones.

It is important to make sure that you display the correct time zone whenever possible. If your Web application has anonymous users, then the best you can do is use
the local time zone of the server. However, if your system maintains user accounts,

155

156

CHAPTER 6

Formatting Data with Tags

you may wish to allow the user to specify a default time zone. In this way, your
program could display all times in the time zone for that user. Keep in mind that
this is only the time zone that the user uses, though. All internal times stored to
your database, or other persistent storage, should be stored in a common time zone.
This time zone will usually either be the current time zone of your server or GMT.

Applying Date Formatting

Now that you know how to format dates and times in various ways, lets see how to
apply these tags. Listing 6.7 shows a program that displays a calendar.
LISTING 6.7

Displaying a Calendar (calendar.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %><%@

taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/fmt prefix=fmt %>
<html>
<head>
<title>Calendar</title>
</head>
<body>
<form method=POST>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=62% id=AutoNumber1>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>Date
Formatting</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=47%>Enter a month(1-12)</td>
<td width=53%>
<input type=text name=month size=20 />
</td>
</tr>

Applying Date Formatting

LISTING 6.7

Continued

<tr>
<td width=47%>Enter a year(i.e. 2002)</td>
<td width=53%>
<input type=text name=year size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2>
<p align=center>
<input type=submit value=Submit name=submit />
<input type=reset value=Reset name=reset />
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>&#160;</p>
</form>
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=63% id=AutoNumber2>
<fmt:parseDate var=now
value=${param.month}/1/${param.year} type=date
dateStyle=short />
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=7 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>
<fmt:formatDate pattern=MMMMM yyyy
value=${now} />
</font>
</b>
</p>

157

158

CHAPTER 6

LISTING 6.7

Formatting Data with Tags

Continued

</td>
</tr>
<fmt:formatDate var=i pattern=E value=${now} />
<c:choose>
<c:when test=${i==Sun}>
<c:set var=i value=1 />
</c:when>
<c:when test=${i==Mon}>
<c:set var=i value=2 />
</c:when>
<c:when test=${i==Tue}>
<c:set var=i value=3 />
</c:when>
<c:when test=${i==Wed}>
<c:set var=i value=4 />
</c:when>
<c:when test=${i==Thu}>
<c:set var=i value=5 />
</c:when>
<c:when test=${i==Fri}>
<c:set var=i value=6 />
</c:when>
<c:when test=${i==Sat}>
<c:set var=i value=7 />
</c:when>
<c:otherwise>
<c:set var=i value=? />
</c:otherwise>
</c:choose>
<c:choose>
<c:when test=${param.month==2}>

Applying Date Formatting

LISTING 6.7

Continued
<c:set var=max value=28 />

<c:if
test=${ ((param.year % 4 == 0 && paran.year % 100 != 0)
|| param.year % 400 == 0) }>
<c:set var=max value=29 />
</c:if>
</c:when>
<c:when test=${param.month==4}>
<c:set var=max value=30 />
</c:when>
<c:when test=${param.month==6}>
<c:set var=max value=30 />
</c:when>
<c:when test=${param.month==9}>
<c:set var=max value=30 />
</c:when>
<c:when test=${param.month==11}>
<c:set var=max value=30 />
</c:when>
<c:otherwise>
<c:set var=max value=31 />
</c:otherwise>
</c:choose>
<tr>
<td width=70>
<b>
<center>Sunday</center>
</b>
</td>
<td width=70>
<b>
<center>Monday</center>

159

160

CHAPTER 6

LISTING 6.7

Formatting Data with Tags

Continued

</b>
</td>
<td width=70>
<b>
<center>Tuesday</center>
</b>
</td>
<td width=70>
<b>
<center>Wednesday</center>
</b>
</td>
<td width=70>
<b>
<center>Thursday</center>
</b>
</td>
<td width=70>
<b>
<center>Friday</center>
</b>
</td>
<td width=70>
<b>
<center>Saturday</center>
</b>
</td>
</tr>
<c:set var=d value=1 />
<c:set var=d value=1 />
<c:forEach var=x begin=1 end=35>
<c:if
test=${(x==1)||(x==8)||(x==15)||(x==22)||(x==29)}>

Applying Date Formatting

LISTING 6.7

Continued

</tr><tr>
</c:if>
<td>
<c:if
test=${ (d<=max) && ((x>7)||(i<=x)) }>
<c:out value=${d} />
<c:set var=d value=${d+1} />
</c:if>
&#160;
<br />
<br />
<br />
</td>
</c:forEach>
</table>
</c:if>
</body>
</html>

The program in Listing 6.7 displays a calendar page for any specified month and
year. To do this, the program must first determine what day of the week (for
example, Monday) the first day of the specified month falls on. The following code
accomplishes this:
<fmt:parseDate var=now
value=${param.month}/1/${param.year} type=date
dateStyle=short />

This code constructs a new date that is the first day of the specified year and
month. We can then request the day of the week from the new date, as this line
demonstrates:
<fmt:formatDate var=i pattern=E value=${now} />

By requesting the formatting character E, we are given the day of the week (Mon,
Tue, and so forth). We must now convert the text of the day of the week to a

161

162

CHAPTER 6

Formatting Data with Tags

column number. This tells us which column to start numbering on when the
calendar is displayed. The following code does this conversion for the first two
weekdays:
<c:when test=${i==Sun}>
<c:set var=i value=1 />
</c:when>
<c:when test=${i==Mon}>
<c:set var=i value=2 />
</c:when>

Now that we know what column number to start on, we know where to begin. Next,
we must decide where to end, so we have to determine how many days are in the
requested month. For most months, this is easy; there is a constant number of days
for each month. The problem lies in February, which changes its length from 28 to
29 when the current year is a leap year. To handle February, we must determine
whether this is a leap year.
This algorithm is relatively simple. A year is a leap year if it is divisible by 4. But if
the year is also divisible by 100, then it is not a leap year unless it is divisible by 400.
Years such as 1992 and 1996 are leap years because they are divisible by 4 and are
not affected by the rest of the rule. The remaining part of the rule applies to century
years, such as 1900 and 2000. Century years are not leap years except when they are
a multiple of 400. Because of this, the years 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not leap
years. But the infamous year 2000 was a leap year. Translated to a JSTL expression,
this becomes:
<c:choose>
<c:when test=${param.month==2}>
<c:set var=max value=28 />
<c:if
test=${ ((param.year % 4 == 0 && paran.year % 100 != 0) ||
param.year % 400 == 0) }>
<c:set var=max value=29 />
</c:if>
</c:when>
<c:when test=${param.month==4}>
<c:set var=max value=30 />
</c:when>

As you can see, an ordinary month such as April, month number four, is simply
assigned 30 days. However, for February, month two, the leap year rule is applied.
We have now determined the beginning and ending spots on the calendar grid for

Applying Date Formatting

the requested calendar. The calendar is then drawn to an HTML table using a
<c:forEach> tag. The output from the calendar program is shown in Figure 6.7.

FIGURE 6.7

Displaying a calendar.

Summary
In this chapter, we saw how you can format and parse data by using JSTL tags. Up to
this point, the only source of data that we have examined has been data entered by
the user. In subsequent chapters, we examine data from other sources. In the next
three chapters, we show you how to obtain data through XML, SQL, and the
Internet.

163

7
Accessing Data with SQL
Tags
D

ata access is an important feature of any Web application. Most Web applications are driven by SQL-compatible
databases. JSTL provides a complete set of tags that allows
access to SQL databases.
You may be wondering why such tags are needed. Most
multitier Web applications are designed to keep database
access out of JSP pages completely. This allows JSP pages to
concentrate on the presentation interface while a collection of Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) handles the backend
database access. The JSTL SQL tags are meant to give you a
way to incorporate SQL access into smaller projects or
prototypes that do not need the complexity introduced by
a multitier system.
We begin by examining how to create a Web application
using only JSTL tags. Chapter 11, Creating Your Own Tag
Libraries, will follow up by showing you how to move
this functionality into your own programs.
This chapter will present a complete Web application that
was written entirely in JSTL. The primary examples for the
next several chapters in this book will build on this Web
application. By the end of Chapter 12, you will have developed a multilingual JSTL database application that does all
backend processing through a custom tag library. This is
the model that Sun is promoting with JSP 1.3.

Introducing the Forum Example

Most Internet users are familiar with online forums. These
systems go by many namesmessage boards, discussion
threads, newsgroups, bulletin boards. Online forums allow

166

CHAPTER 7

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

users to post messages to an area so the messages can be viewed by other users. Users
can post messages as well as responses to other peoples messages. Figure 7.1 shows
our forum application.

FIGURE 7.1

Our forum application.

As you can see, this Web application allows users to post messages. To accomplish
this, the application requires several interrelated services:
User security
New user registration
Message posting
Administration activities
Our forum application provides each of these services using JSTL SQL tags. One
common thread to all of these services is the underlying database.

Database Layout
Behind every good Web application is a database structure. Our forum application is
no exception. In this section, we discuss the structure of the forum database. This
structure will remain the same throughout the multiple versions of this application
that we develop in the next few chapters.

Introducing the Forum Example

The forum application has been tested primarily with MySQL and Microsoft Access.
You can obtain drivers for both at no charge. For more information on how to install
MySQL, refer to Appendix C, Installing MySQL.
NOTE
Even if you do not own a copy of Microsoft Access, you can download the necessary
drivers from Microsoft. With these drivers installed, you will be able to run the
Access examples presented in this chapter. Download these drivers from
http://www.microsoft.com/data/download.htm.

Setting Up the Forum on SQL Databases

First, we examine how to set up the forum on a SQL database. To properly set up
your database for the forum, you must create a database named forum and assign a
user named forumuser to that database. The procedure for creating databases in
MySQL is covered in Appendix C.
Once youve created this database, you must create the appropriate tables. You can
do this using the database-creation script shown in Listing 7.1. Executing the script
against your database will set up the appropriate tables. We tested our script with
MySQL; if you are using another database, you may have to make some minor
changes.
LISTING 7.1

Forum-Creation Script (createforum.sql)

DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS forum;

CREATE DATABASE forum;
USE forum;
CREATE TABLE t_access(
c_access VARCHAR(1) NOT NULL,
c_description VARCHAR(32) NOT NULL,
PRIMARY KEY (c_access)
);
INSERT INTO t_access(c_access,c_description)
VALUES(
A,Admin User
);
INSERT INTO t_access(c_access,c_description)
VALUES(
R,Regular User

167

168

CHAPTER 7

LISTING 7.1

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

Continued

);
INSERT INTO t_access(c_access,c_description)
VALUES(
G,Guest User
);
CREATE TABLE t_users(
c_uid VARCHAR(32) NOT NULL,
c_pwd VARCHAR(32) NOT NULL,
c_accesses INTEGER NOT NULL,
c_first DATETIME NOT NULL,
c_last DATETIME NOT NULL,
c_bad INTEGER NOT NULL,
c_posted INTEGER NOT NULL,
c_type VARCHAR(1) NOT NULL,
PRIMARY KEY(c_uid),
FOREIGN KEY(c_type) REFERENCES t_access(c_access)
);

INSERT INTO
t_users(c_uid,c_pwd,c_accesses,c_first,c_last,c_bad,c_posted,c_type)
values(
ADMIN,admin,0,04-01-02,2002-04-01,0,0,A
);
INSERT INTO
t_users(c_uid,c_pwd,c_accesses,c_first,c_last,c_bad,c_posted,c_type)
values(
TESTUSER,test,0,04-01-02,2002-04-01,0,0,A
);
INSERT INTO
t_users(c_uid,c_pwd,c_accesses,c_first,c_last,c_bad,c_posted,c_type)
values(
TESTGUEST,test,0,04-01-02,2002-01-02,0,0,A
);
CREATE TABLE t_forums(
c_code VARCHAR(4) NOT NULL,

Introducing the Forum Example

LISTING 7.1

Continued

c_name VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,

c_sequence INTEGER NOT NULL,
PRIMARY KEY(c_code)
);

INSERT INTO t_forums(c_code,c_name,c_sequence)

values(
GNRL,General Discussion,1
);
INSERT INTO t_forums(c_code,c_name,c_sequence)
values(
SUPP,On-Line Support,2
);

CREATE TABLE t_messages(

c_forum_code VARCHAR(4) NOT NULL,
c_number INTEGER NOT NULL,
c_posted DATETIME NOT NULL,
c_subject VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
c_sender VARCHAR(32) NOT NULL,
c_message TEXT NOT NULL,
PRIMARY KEY(c_forum_code,c_number),
FOREIGN KEY(c_sender) REFERENCES t_users(c_uid)
);

Executing this script from MySQL is relatively easy. The procedure for executing the
script and setting up MySQL is covered in Appendix C.
Setting Up the Forum on Microsoft Access
The examples provided in this chapter will also work with the Microsoft Access database. To use our examples, you must have a copy of the database file forum.mdb.
You can find this file with the other source code examples at http://www.sams.com.
You should copy the forum.mdb file to your hard drive. If you own a copy of
Microsoft Access, you can double-click forum.mdb to see the contents of the
database.

169

170

CHAPTER 7

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

Once you install the file, you must create a data source name (DSN) for it. You do
this in the Data Sources (ODBC) window. If you are using Windows XP, youll find
this item under Administrative Tools. If you are using an earlier copy of Windows,
Data Sources (ODBC) is accessible from the main Control Panel.
At this point, double-click Data Sources (ODBC) to open the ODBC Data Source
Administrator window. From here, you can configure new DSNs.
You must create a DSN for the forum application to work properly with Microsoft
Access. This will allow JSTL to locate forum.mdb. Click the System DSN tab; you
want to create a system-level DSN that will be accessible to every user of the operating system. Click the Add button and select the Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb)
option. Then, click OK to open the Microsoft Access ODBC configuration window.
There are only two pieces of information that you must supply. First, you must
provide a name for your DSN. The DSN that you should use for our example is forum.
Second, you must provide the location of the forum.mdb file. To do so, click the
Select button on the Database tab. If you have properly configured your DSN, you
should see the window shown in Figure 7.2.

FIGURE 7.2

Configuring the DSN.

Database Tables
Your database should now be properly configured for either MySQL, Microsoft
Access, or another database system. Now lets examine the structure of the database.

Introducing the Forum Example

Figure 7.3 shows the Access Relationships window, which contains the layout of the
database. This layout applies regardless of which database you are using.

FIGURE 7.3

Our database layout.

To ensure compatibility with the largest number of databases, you must follow
certain conventions when naming tables and columns. For example, you cannot use
a reserved word for the name of a column or table. It would be illegal, for instance,
to have a table named select because this keyword is reserved for a commonly used
SQL command. Certain databases will permit you to enclose the keyword in brackets
to designate it as a column or table name. Unfortunately, support for this is not
universal.
At this point, well describe the naming convention used for tables and columns in
this book. All tables are prefixed with t_. For example, the access type table used by
the forum application is named t_access, not just access. Column names are prefixed
with c_. For example, if we need a column that stores a description, we use the name
c_description. This allows us to be sure that the names used in our application are
compatible with any database system, regardless of the reserved words imposed by
that database.
Lets now examine the tables that make up our forum application; we begin with the
access table. This table stores the different access modes, or user types, that the
system allows. This table is summarized in Table 7.1.

171

172

CHAPTER 7

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

TABLE 7.1

The t_access Table

Column Name

Type

Length Note

c_access
c_description

VARCHAR
VARCHAR

1
32

PK,NOT NULL
NOT NULL

This table allows our forum application to store its three user types:
Administrator, who is the super user and who can perform any action.
Regular User, who can post and read messages but cannot perform any administrative actions.
Guest, a user who has just registered. A guest may only read messages until his
or her access has been upgraded by an administrative user.
As you can see in Table 7.1, the t_access table has two columns. The first, c_access,
contains the access code for the row. Of the three defined users, the administrators
use A, the regular users use R, and the guests use G. The c_description column is
used to specify the verbal user type, such as Administrator or Guest. This table is not
modified as the application runs, since the number of user types is fixed.
The next table that we examine is the table that stores the user identification for the
users who are registered to access the forum application. This table, named t_users, is
shown in Table 7.2.
TABLE 7.2

The t_users Table

Column Name

Type

Length

Note

c_uid
c_pwd
c_accesses
c_first
c_last
c_bad
c_posted
c_type

VARCHAR
VARCHAR
INTEGER
DATETIME
DATETIME
INTEGER
INTEGER
VARCHAR

32
32

PK,NOT NULL
NOT NULL
NOT NULL
NOT NULL
NOT NULL
NOT NULL
NOT NULL
FK:t_access,NOT NULL

The primary key for this table is the c_uid column. This column specifies the users
login name, which, along with the password, is required to gain access to the system.
The password is stored in the c_pwd column in an unencrypted format. For a
production application, we suggest that you encrypt this password for added security. JSTL is not well suited to password encryption; password encryption is normally
done in an EJB or custom tag library. We discuss password encryption in greater
detail in Chapter 11, Creating Your Own Tag Libraries.

Introducing the Forum Example

The c_type column contains a foreign key to the t_access table. Using this key, we
are able to determine the users type. This will become important later for security
reasons.
The other columns in the t_users table simply store statistical information about the
user. We wont use all of these columns in this chapter. We use the c_posted column
in Chapter 11 when we expand this application to use custom tag libraries.
Our application provides several forums that the user can choose to read or post
messages to. The system must track the individual forums available. These forums
are stored in the t_forums table, shown in Table 7.3.
TABLE 7.3

The t_forums Table

Column Name

Type

Length

Note

c_code
c_name
c_sequence

VARCHAR
VARCHAR
INTEGER

4
50

PK,NOT NULL
NOT NULL
NOT NULL

Three pieces of information are stored about a forum. The first is the forum code,
which is the primary key for this forum; it should be a four-character abbreviation.
The second is the name of the forum, which is stored in the c_name column. Finally,
a sequence number is stored in c_sequence; this number allows the forums to be
ordered. When the forums are displayed, they are sorted by sequence number. This
allows the administrator to change the order in which the forums are displayed. This
table contains no foreign keys to other tables.
The last table that we will examine is the table that stores the actual messages the
users will read and post. This table, named t_messages, is shown in Table 7.4.
TABLE 7.4

The t_messages Table

Column Name

Type

Length

Note

c_forum_code

VARCHAR

c_number
c_posted
c_subject
c_sender
c_message

INTEGER
DATETIME
VARCHAR
VARCHAR
TEXT

PK,NOT NULL,
FK:t_forums
PK,NOT NULL
NOT NULL
NOT NULL
FK:t_users,NOT NULL
NOT NULL

50
32

This table has a combined primary key that is made up of the c_forum_code and
c_number columns. The c_forum_code key is also a foreign key to the c_forums
table. The c_forum_code column designates which forum this message belongs to.

173

174

CHAPTER 7

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

The c_number column contains a number assigned to individual messages within a

forum. Messages are assigned increasingly higher numbers as they are posted to a
forum. The person who posted this message is identified in the c_sender column,
which is a foreign key to the t_users table.
The actual text of the message is stored in the c_message column. An entry in this
column should be defined as a text type that can hold larger amounts of data. In
MySQL, youd use the TEXT type. In Microsoft Access, youd use the MEMO type.
The database holds all of the user information for our forum application. This database is used by a series of JSP pages that contain the JSTL that make up this application. Now that we have reviewed that database, lets examine the structure of the JSP
pages that make up our forum application.

Screen Layout
Web applications consist of many Web pages that are interconnected through hyperlinks, posts, and other forms of Web navigation. Figure 7.4 shows the flow from page
to page in our forum application.

FIGURE 7.4

The screen flowchart for our forum application.

Understanding JDBC Drivers

As you can see in Figure 7.4, there are two entry points for the Web application:
index.jsp, an index file that contains the driver used for MySQL
index-msa.jsp, an index file that contains the driver used for Microsoft Access
Except for these two index files, all of the JSP files remain the same as those in the
database programs. Only a few lines are different between index.jsp and indexmsa.jsp. The difference is in how these files access the database. Lets now see how
JDBC drivers are used to access the database.

Understanding JDBC Drivers

The SQL tags provided by JSTL make use of Java Database Connectivity (JDBC)
drivers. Most commonly used databases provide a JDBC driver.
Sun also makes available a bridge driver that allows Java programs to make use of
ODBC databases. Usually, you should try to find a suitable JDBC driver before you
use the ODBC bridge driver. However, if no such driver exists, you may access the
database using the ODBC bridge.

Connecting to a JDBC Data Source

To use the JSTL SQL tags, you have to identify a data source. Each of the JSTL SQL
tags accepts a dataSource attribute that lets the SQL tag know what data source to
use. Once the data source is specified, the JSTL tags will collaborate with that source
to access the data requested.
JSTL provides three primary ways for setting up this collaboration. Lets take a look
at each method.
Transparent Collaboration
For this approach, you must provide initialization code in the application logic of a
server or other related Java code. For example, you could do this by using the application event listener of a server. The servlet must then store the applications default
DataSource object in the javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.sql.dataSource application or sessionscoped variable. This approach is advantageous because it makes the selection of the
data source completely transparent to the page programmer. The JSP programmer
does not need to specify a dataSource attribute to any of the JSTL tags being used, as
shown here:
<sql:query ...>

175

176

CHAPTER 7

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

Explicit Collaboration via Application Logic

It is also possible for servlet Java code to store a data source in a scoped variable for
the page author to use. This variable must be stored at either session or application
scope. You may use any scoped variable name. You must communicate the scoped
variable name and intended scope to the JSP page programmer, who is then free to
use this scoped variable in SQL tags. A typical SQL tag using this method would look
like this:
<sql:query dataSource=${dataSource} ...>

Explicit Collaboration via the <sql:setDataSource> Tag

Both of the previous two approaches require access to more than just the JSP code. It
is also possible to specify a data source using only JSTL tags from JSP. To use this
method, you must use the <sql:setDataSource> tag to create a DataSource object
implemented as a wrapper around JDBCs DriverManager class.
The following code loads the driver with the specified classname, and establishes a
connection to the database associated with the given JDBC URL:
<sql:setDataSource var=dataSource
driver=org.gjt.mm.mysql.Driver
url=jdbc:mysql://localhost/forum?user=forumuser/>
<sql:query dataSource=${dataSource} .../>

Using the <sql:setDataSource> Tag

You use the <sql:setDataSource> tag to create a data source that is contained in a
scoped variable. You can use this tag in calls to the other JSTL SQL tags. The
<sql:setDataSource> tag has one form:
<sql:setDataSource var=varName
[scope={page|request|session|application}]
[driver=driverClassName]
[url=jdbcUrl]
[user=userName]/>

The <sql:setDataSource> tag accepts these attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

driver

The classname of the JDBC data source that is to be used.

scope

The scope of the scoped variable specified by the

attribute var. This attribute defaults to page.

Understanding JDBC Drivers

Attribute

Required

Purpose

url

The URL of the data source.

user

The user that is to be used to log into the data source.

var

The scoped variable that will hold the newly created data
source.

As we mentioned earlier, you can use the <sql:setDataSource> tag to create ad hoc
connections to a data source from JSP pages. This new data source will be assigned to
the variable specified by the var attribute. You specify the scope of this variable with
the scope attribute. If no scope is specified, then page scope is assumed.
JDBC requires two parameters to connect to a data source. First, you must specify the
JDBC driver you are going to use with the driver attribute. Second, you must specify
the URL of the database that you are connecting to by using the url attribute. That
URL is not the HTTP-type URL that you might be familiar with. The exact format of
this URL is specified by the driver you are using. For more information on the
format, consult the documentation associated with the driver you are using.
To show how to use the driver, well now look at the driver tag you must use to
connect to MySQL and Microsoft Access. In the following sections, we assume that
you have already set up either your Microsoft Access or your MySQL environment
for the forum application. First, well show you how to connect to a MySQL data
source.
Connecting to MySQL
The current version of MySQL does not come with a JDBC driver. To use MySQL
with Java, you must obtain a driver elsewhere. One of the most common drivers
used to allow Java to access the MySQL database is known as the MM driver. You can
obtain this driver from http://mmmysql.sourceforge.net/.
Installing the driver is easy. You must copy the MM drivers JAR filemm.mysql2.0.12-bin.jarto the lib directory of your Web application (most likely C:\Program
Files\Apache Tomcat 4.0\webapps\ROOT\WEB-INF\lib). Once youve done this, you
will be ready to use MySQL from your Web applications. If your Tomcat Web server
was already running, you must restart it.
Now lets look at how you use the setDataSource tag to open a connection to the
forum MySQL database. A Web page that performs a simple query is shown in
Listing 7.2.

177

178

CHAPTER 7

LISTING 7.2

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

Connecting to MySQL (query.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/sql prefix=sql %>
<sql:setDataSource var=dataSource
driver=org.gjt.mm.mysql.Driver
url=jdbc:mysql://localhost/forum?user=forumuser/>
<html>
<head>
<title>Query Example</title>
</head>
<body>
<sql:query var = users dataSource=${dataSource}>
select c_uid,c_pwd,c_accesses,c_first,c_last,c_bad,c_posted,c_type
from t_users
</sql:query>
<table border=1>
<c:forEach var=row items=${users.rows}>
<tr>
<td><c:out value=${row.c_uid}/></td>
<td><c:out value=${row.c_pwd}/></td>
<td><c:out value=${row.c_accesses}/></td>
<td><c:out value=${row.c_first}/></td>
<td><c:out value=${row.c_last}/></td>
<td><c:out value=${row.c_bad}/></td>
<td><c:out value=${row.c_posted}/></td>
<td><c:out value=${row.c_type}/></td>
</tr>
</c:forEach>
</table>
</body>
</html>

The program in Listing 7.2 begins by opening a connection to a MySQL database

that resides on the local computer. The following setDataSource command accomplishes this:

Understanding JDBC Drivers

<sql:setDataSource var=dataSource
driver=org.gjt.mm.mysql.Driver
url=jdbc:mysql://localhost/forum?user=forumuser/>

If you want to connect to a MySQL database on a different computer, you must

specify its hostname in place of localhost. Once youve executed this command, this
means the scoped variable dataSource now contains a connection to the forum
MySQL database. We did not specify a scope attribute, so this scoped variable will
have page scope.
With the data connection open, you may now issue queries against it. This page
performs a query against the t_users table and lists all registered users. You must
specify the name of the data source in the <sql:query> tag so that the program finds
the source:
<sql:query var = users dataSource=${dataSource}>
select c_uid,c_pwd,c_accesses,c_first,c_last,c_bad,c_posted,c_type from t_users
</sql:query>

Now that weve seen how to use the <sql:setDataSource> tag with MySQl, lets see
how to use it in Microsoft Access.
Connecting to Microsoft Access
It is not difficult to connect to a Microsoft Access database using JSTL. The
<sql:setDataSource> tag must specify the ODBC bridge and a URL that will enable it
to access a Microsoft Access database. Well take the same basic query that we just
used with MySQL and modify the JSP page so that it works with Access. This page is
shown in Listing 7.3.
LISTING 7.3

Connecting to Microsoft Access

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/sql prefix=sql %>
<sql:setDataSource var=dataSource
driver=sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver
url=jdbc:odbc:forum/>
<html>
<head>
<title>Out Examples</title>
</head>
<body>

179

180

CHAPTER 7

LISTING 7.3

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

Continued

<sql:query var = users dataSource=${dataSource}>

select c_uid,c_pwd,c_accesses,c_first,c_last,c_bad,c_posted,c_type
from t_users
</sql:query>
<table border=1>
<c:forEach var=row items=${users.rows}>
<tr>
<td><c:out value=${row.c_uid}/></td>
<td><c:out value=${row.c_pwd}/></td>
<td><c:out value=${row.c_accesses}/></td>
<td><c:out value=${row.c_first}/></td>
<td><c:out value=${row.c_last}/></td>
<td><c:out value=${row.c_bad}/></td>
<td><c:out value=${row.c_posted}/></td>
<td><c:out value=${row.c_type}/></td>
</tr>
</c:forEach>
</table>
</body>
</html>

Listing 7.3 is nearly identical to Listing 7.2, with the exception of the driver tag. The
driver tag used in Listing 7.3 is designed to work with Access. Heres the
setDataSource tag:
<sql:setDataSource var=dataSource
driver=sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver
url=jdbc:odbc:forum/>

As you can see, the ODBC bridge driver is specified in the driver attribute. The URL
that weve specified gives the DSNforumof the database we are trying to access.
This driver tag will create a new driver in the scoped variable dataSource that holds
the connection to the Access database. Once this connection is made, the remaining
commands are the same ones used for the MySQL connection.
NOTE
There are some subtle differences between the syntax of SQL under MySQL and Microsoft
Access. All of the sample SQL given in this chapter stays generic enough so that it will work

Using SQL Tags

on either. This is not always an easy task. If you want to ensure compatibility between two
databases with the same SQL, you must test the SQL on both databases to be sure that it will
work as you intend.

Connecting to Other Databases

Microsoft Access and MySQL are not the only databases that the JSTL SQL tags will
work with. You can use any database that has a Java JDBC driver available. To use
another database, you must find out the format of its driver and URL values. If you
use these values correctly in the <sql:setDataSource> tag, then the database should be
accessible to JSP pages.

Using SQL Tags

So far, we have examined the <sql:setDataSource> tag. JSTL makes available many
other tags to facilitate the programming of SQL data sources. Lets examine each of
these tags, beginning with the <sql:query> tag.

Using the <sql:query> Tag

The <sql:query> tag is used to perform a query of the database. A query is a SQL
command that causes data to return. Not all SQL commands function in this way.
The SELECT SQL command is most commonly used with the <sql:query> tag. If you
are going to execute a SQL statement that does not return datafor example, INSERT,
UPDATE, or DELETEyou must use the <sql:update> tag. The <sql:query> tag takes three
forms:
// Syntax 1: Without body content
<sql:query sql=sqlQuery
var=varName [scope={page|request|session|application}]
[dataSource=dataSource]
[maxRows=maxRows]
[startRow=startRow]/>
// Syntax 2: With a body to specify query arguments
<sql:query sql=sqlQuery
var=varName [scope={page|request|session|application}]
[dataSource=dataSource]
[maxRows=maxRows]
[startRow=startRow]>
<sql:param> actions
</sql:query>
// Syntax 3: With a body to specify query and optional query
parameters

181

182

CHAPTER 7

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

<sql:query var=varName
[scope={page|request|session|application}]
[dataSource=dataSource]
[maxRows=maxRows]
[startRow=startRow]>
query
optional <sql:param> actions
</sql:query>

The <sql:query> tag accepts the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

dataSource

Specifies the data source to be used with this query.

maxRows

Specifies the maximum number of rows to be returned after

startRow.

scope

Specifies the scope for the scoped variable specified by the var
attribute. This attribute defaults to page scope.

sql

Specifies the SQL command that is to be executed.

startRow

Specifies the starting row that should be returned in the result

set.

var

Specifies the scoped variable that will receive the results of this
query.

The first syntax does not include a body. This allows you to specify a short SQL
command as the sql attribute. If you are going to use longer SQL commands, it will
be more practical to use the second syntax form, which lets you insert your SQL
command into the body of the tag. This way, you can insert long SQL commands
that include carriage returns to properly format the SQL.
The third syntax allows you to specify optional parameters that will be inserted into
the SQL. Just as in JSTL, you may insert question marks (?) into your SQL. The question marks will be filled in with the parameter data that you specify. To learn more
about the parameters, see the section about the <c:param> tag that appears later in
this chapter.
You can control the number of rows returned by using the maxRows and startRow
attributes. The maxRows attribute lets you specify the maximum number of rows that
you would like returned. The startRow attribute lets you specify the row that you
would like the results to begin with. Using these two attributes together, you can
take subsections of data from a very large query.

Using SQL Tags

The query tag will return a collection of the retrieved records. This collection will be
stored in the scoped variable specified by the var attribute. The records returned by
the query may be iterated by using the <c:forEach> tag. The following code demonstrates this:
<c:forEach var=row items=${users.rows}>
<tr>
<c:out value=${row.c_uid}/><br/>
</c:forEach>

This code displays the field named c_uid for every record in the collection users.

Using the <sql:update> Tag

Not all SQL commands return rows of data. The <sql:update> tag is used to invoke a
SQL command that does not return data. Examples of SQL commands that do not
return data are the UPDATE, DELETE, and INSERT commands. The <sql:update> tag has
three forms:
// Syntax 1: Without body content
<sql:update sql=sqlUpdate
[dataSource=DataSource]
[var=varName] [scope={page|request|session|application}]/>
// Syntax 2: With a body to specify update parameters
<sql:update sql=sqlUpdate
[dataSource=DataSource]
[var=varName] [scope={page|request|session|application}]>
<sql:param> actions
</sql:update>
// Syntax 3: With a body to specify update statement and optional
update parameters
<sql:update [dataSource=DataSource]
[var=varName] [scope={page|request|session|application}]>
update statement
optional <sql:param> actions
</sql:update>

The <sql:update> tag accepts these attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

dataSource

Specifies the data source to be used with this command.

scope

Specifies the scope for the scoped variable specified by the

var attribute. This attribute defaults to page scope.

183

184

CHAPTER 7

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

Attribute

Required

Purpose

sql

Specifies the SQL command that is to be executed.

var

Specifies the scoped variable that will receive the results of

this command.

The first syntax does not include a body. This allows you to specify a short SQL
command as the sql attribute. If you are going to use longer SQL commands, you
should use the second syntax form, which lets you insert your SQL command into
the body of the tag. This allows you to insert long SQL commands that may include
carriage returns to properly format the SQL.
The third syntax allows you to specify optional parameters that will be inserted into
the SQL. Just as in JSTL, you can insert question marks (?) into your SQL. The question marks will be filled in with the parameter data that you specify. For more information about the parameters, see the section about the <c:param> tag that appears
later in this chapter.
Just as with the <sql:query> tag, the <sql:update> tag returns a variable specified by
the var attribute. This time, the variable is an Integer object, not a result set. This
integer specifies the number of rows affected by the SQL command.

Using the <sql:transaction> Tag

Often, one SQL command cannot completely accomplish the task that you need.
This can become a problem if one of the SQL commands fails to execute. Consider
the example of two UPDATE commands that are used to move money from one
account to another. The first UPDATE command inserts the money into the new
account, and the second UPDATE command removes the money from the source
account. If the second UPDATE command fails to execute yet the first one did, the user
will be left with extra money. To alleviate this problem, you should use a transaction. This will cause both commands to fail if just one of the commands actually
failed.
JSTL allows you to use transactions through the <sql:transaction> tag. You use this
tag to specify a data source that you can use in calls to their SQL tags. There is one
form of the <sql:transaction> tag:
<sql:transaction [dataSource=DataSource]
[isolation=isolationLevel]
<sql:query> and <sql:update> statements
</sql:transaction>
isolationLevel ::= read_committed
| read_uncommitted
| repeatable_read
| serializable

Using SQL Tags

The attributes accepted by the <sql:transaction> tag are as follows:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

dataSource

Specifies the data source to be used with this transaction.

isolationLevel

Specifies the isolation level for this transaction.

The body of the <sql:transaction> tag is used to specify other <sql:update> tags that
perform the component commands of the transaction. You are given one parameter
that allows you to specify the isolation level. These four transaction isolation levels
are the same as the isolation levels specified to the JDBC Connection class:
TRANSACTION_READ_COMMITTEDDirty reads are prevented; nonrepeatable
reads and phantom reads can occur.
TRANSACTION_READ_UNCOMMITTEDDirty reads, nonrepeatable reads, and
phantom reads can occur.
TRANSACTION_REPEATABLE_READDirty reads and nonrepeatable reads are
prevented; phantom reads can occur.
TRANSACTION_SERIALIZABLEDirty reads, nonrepeatable reads, and
phantom reads are prevented.

Using the <sql:param> Tag

We have already briefly mentioned that you can use parameters with your SQL
commands. You use the <sql:param> tag to represent these parameters. There are two
forms of the <sql:param> tag:
// Syntax 1: Parameter value specified in attribute value
<sql:param value=value/>
// Syntax 2: Parameter value specified in the body content
<sql:param>
parameter value
</sql:param>

The <sql:dateParam> accepts one parameter:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

value

The value to be inserted for this parameter.

The first syntax is the most common. In this form, you specify the value of the parameter by using the value attribute. The second syntax also lets you specify the value
of this attribute in the body of the tag.

185

186

CHAPTER 7

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

The order of the parameter tags in a <sql:update> or <sql:query> tag is important. The
question mark (?) parameters specified in the SQL command are replaced in the
same order as the <sql:param> tags are encountered. The <sql:param> tag should be
used with all data types except dates. To specify a date, you need to use the
<sql:dateParam> tag, as we explain next.

Using the <sql:dateParam> Tag

To specify date parameters, you should use the <sql:dateParam> tag. There are two
forms of the <sql:dateParam> tag:
// Syntax 1: Parameter value specified in attribute value
<sql:dateParam value=value type=[timestamp|time|date] />

The <sql:dateParam> accepts two parameters:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

type

The type: timestamp, time, or date. The default value is

timestamp.

value

The value to be inserted for this parameter.

You specify the value of this parameter by using the value attribute. The second
syntax also lets you specify the value of and type of this attribute in the body of the
tag. If the time type is specified, only a time will be used. If the date type is specified,
only a date will be used. To use both, you should specify timestamp.

Implementing the Forum Example

You have now seen how the JSTL SQL tags work. You have also seen the basic screen
and database structure of the forum application. Well now show you how the forum
application is implemented. This way, you can see all of the JSTL SQL tags in action.
The listings in the following sections make up part of the forum application. We will
examine only those listings that demonstrate unique uses of the JSTL SQL tags. You
can find the source code to the complete forum application on the Sams Publishing
Web site.
Lets start at the very beginning, with logging into the system.

Using a Query to Log In

The first page that a user will encounter on the forum application is index.jsp. This
file displays a form that asks users either to enter their user ID and password, or to
click the Register button to create a new account. Listing 7.4 shows the source code
to this page, and Figure 7.5 shows what the form looks like.

Implementing the Forum Example

NOTE
Listing 7.4 shows an example of an index file designed to work with MySQL. If you are using
Microsoft Access, you should use the provided index-msa.jsp file. This file has been designed
to work with Microsoft Access. All of the other files that make up the forum application will
work with either database.

LISTING 7.4

Logging In with MySQL (index.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core-rt prefix=c-rt %>
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/sql prefix=sql %>

<c:if test=${dataSource==null}>
<sql:setDataSource var=dataSource driver=org.gjt.mm.mysql.Driver
url=jdbc:mysql://localhost/forum?user=forumuser
scope=session />
</c:if>
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<c:if test=${param.reg!=null}>
<c:redirect url=register.jsp />
</c:if>
<sql:query var=users dataSource=${dataSource}>select c_uid,c_type
from t_users where c_uid = ? and c_pwd = ?
<sql:param value=${param.uid} />
<sql:param value=${param.pwd} />
</sql:query>
<c:choose>
<c:when test=${users.rowCount<1}>
<h3 color=red>Sorry, we have no one registered with that
name.</h3>
<sql:update var=result dataSource=${dataSource}>update
t_users set c_bad = c_bad + 1 where c_uid = ?
<sql:param value=${param.uid} />
</sql:update>
</c:when>

187

188

CHAPTER 7

LISTING 7.4

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

Continued

<c:otherwise>
<%
Cookie mycookie = new Cookie(login,request.getParameter(uid));
mycookie.setMaxAge(0x7ffffff);
response.addCookie(mycookie);
%>
<c:forEach var=aUser items=${users.rows}>
<c:set var=userID value=${aUser.c_uid} scope=session />
<c:set var=userType value=${aUser.c_type}
scope=session />
</c:forEach>
<c:redirect url=welcome.jsp />
</c:otherwise>
</c:choose>
</c:if>
<c-rt:if test=<%=request.getCookies()!=null%>>
<c-rt:forEach var=aCookie items=<%=request.getCookies()%>>
<c:if test=${aCookie.name==login}>
<c:set var=uid value=${aCookie.value} />
</c:if>
</c-rt:forEach>
</c-rt:if>
<html>
<head>
<title>Welcome</title>
</head>
<body>
Welcome to the forum. Please login.<br>
<form method=POST>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=49% id=AutoNumber1>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>

Implementing the Forum Example

LISTING 7.4

Continued

<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>Login to

Forum</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=26%>Login Name</td>
<td width=74%>
<input type=text name=uid value=<c:out value=
${uid}/> size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=26%>Password</td>
<td width=74%>
<input type=password name=pwd size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2>
<p align=center>
<input type=submit value=Login name=Login />
<input type=submit value=Register name=reg />
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>&#160;</p>
</form>
<p>Note: use id of
<b>admin

189

190

CHAPTER 7

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

LISTING 7.4

Continued

</b> and password of

<b>admin
</b> on first use.
</p>
</body>
</html>

FIGURE 7.5

The login page.

There are two distinct modes that the index.jsp page operates in. First, it must
prepare to display the login form. Second, it must respond to the data posted by the
login form. Lets first examine how the login form is prepared.
Preparing the Login Form
The first thing that the index page does is establish a connection with the database.
To do this, the index page first checks to make sure that a connection is not already
established. If there is no connection, then a new connection is opened. The following code does this:
<c:if test=${dataSource==null}>
<sql:setDataSource var=dataSource driver=org.gjt.mm.mysql.Driver
url=jdbc:mysql://localhost/forum?user=forumuser
scope=session />
</c:if>

Implementing the Forum Example

As you can see, the connection to the database is stored in the session variable
dataSource. The connection will be maintained as long as the users session remains
active. This data source will be used through the application.
Next, the index.jsp file checks to see whether this request was a POST. If it was a
POST, then we must process the results of the login form. In this section, we show
you what to do if the request is not a POST.
The index page stores as a cookie the name of the user who last logged in. This
allows the forum application to automatically default the user ID to the user ID of
the last user who logged in. The following code attempts to locate the cookie that
holds the ID of the last logged-in user:
<c-rt:if test=<%=request.getCookies()!=null%>>
<c-rt:forEach var=aCookie items=<%=request.getCookies()%>>
<c:if test=${aCookie.name==login}>
<c:set var=uid value=${aCookie.value} />
</c:if>
</c-rt:forEach>
</c-rt:if>

This code uses RT tags to access the cookies collection. The cookies collection is then
scanned for a cookie named login. If the login cookie is found, it will be used to set
the default value for the login ID on the form.
Now, the index.jsp page is ready to display the login form. Once the form is
displayed, the user can select to log in or register. When the user clicks one of these
two buttons, the index.jsp page posts the data that the user entered back to itself.
Lets now see what happens to the login screen when it receives a POST.
Handling a POST
The forum login page is designed to post back to itself. The following JSTL tag allows
us to determine whether data has been posted:
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<c:if test=${param.reg!=null}>
<c:redirect url=register.jsp />
</c:if>

This code also checks to see whether the user clicked the Register button. Users are
redirected to the register.jsp page if they click the Register button. If the user doesnt
click Register, we must determine whether the user ID and password are correct. To
do this, we construct a query that returns the rows that match both the user ID and
password. There should be only one such row. The following code performs a query
that checks to see whether there is a match:

191

192

CHAPTER 7

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

<sql:query var=users dataSource=${dataSource}>select c_uid,c_type

from t_users where c_uid = ? and c_pwd = ?
<sql:param value=${param.uid} />
<sql:param value=${param.pwd} />
</sql:query>

As you can see, this SQL command has two parameters and uses two <sql:param>
tags. Now that the query has been executed, we must check the results. If no results
are found, the following test becomes true:
<c:choose>
<c:when test=${users.rowCount<1}>
<h3 color=red>Sorry, we have no one registered with that
name.</h3>

This means that the user login has failed. In this case, we should increment the bad
login count for this user. The following UPDATE command does this. This command
assumes that the user does exist, which has been verified by the previous <c:when>
tag:
<sql:update var=result dataSource=${dataSource}>update
t_users set c_bad = c_bad + 1 where c_uid = ?
<sql:param value=${param.uid} />
</sql:update>
</c:when>

If the user record is found, then the user is valid. The following code executes when
a valid login occurs:
<c:otherwise>
<%

First, we need to set the cookie so that the users name will default during the next
login. The following code sets this cookie:
Cookie mycookie = new Cookie(login,request.
getParameter(uid));
mycookie.setMaxAge(0x7ffffff);
response.addCookie(mycookie);
%>

Next, we examine the record that was returned. We copy the users type and login
name to session-scoped variables so that they can be accessed later:

Implementing the Forum Example

<c:forEach var=aUser items=${users.rows}>

<c:set var=userID value=${aUser.c_uid} scope=session />
<c:set var=userType value=${aUser.c_type}
scope=session />
</c:forEach>

Now that the user has been logged in, we redirect the user to the welcome page. The
following code does this:
<c:redirect url=welcome.jsp />

In the next section, we examine what happens when the user registers.

Using an Update to Register

We saw how the <sql:query> tag can be used to check the user ID and password of a
user. Now, lets see how to use the <sql:update> tag to add a new user to the database.
Listing 7.5 shows the source code for the registration page, register.jsp, and Figure 7.6
shows our registration page.
LISTING 7.5
<%@
<%@
<%@
<%@

taglib
taglib
taglib
taglib

Registering with the System (register.jsp)

uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core-rt prefix=c-rt %>
uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/sql prefix=sql %>
uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/sql-rt prefix=sql-rt %>

<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<c:choose>
<c:when test=${param.uid==}>
<h3>Must enter a login id!</h3>
</c:when>
<c:when test=${param.pwd==}>
<h3>Must enter a password!</h3>
</c:when>
<c:when test=${param.pwd!=param.pwd2}>
<h3>Passwords do not match!</h3>
</c:when>
<c:otherwise>
<sql:query var=users dataSource=${dataSource}>

193

194

CHAPTER 7

LISTING 7.5

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

Continued

select c_uid from t_users where c_uid = ?

<sql:param value=${param.uid} />
</sql:query>
<c:choose>
<c:when test=${users.rowCount>0}>
<h3>Someone already has that user id.</h3>
</c:when>
<c:otherwise>
<sql:update var=users dataSource=${dataSource}>insert
into t_users(c_uid,c_pwd,c_accesses,c_first,c_last,c_bad,c_
posted,c_type) values (?,?,0,NOW(),NOW(),0,0,G)
<sql:param value=${param.uid} />
<sql:param value=${param.pwd} />
</sql:update>
<c:set var=userID value=${param.uid}
scope=session />
<c:set var=userType value=G scope=session />
<c:redirect url=welcome.jsp />
</c:otherwise>
</c:choose>
</c:otherwise>
</c:choose>
</c:if>
<html>
<head>
<title>Register</title>
</head>
<body>
<p>
Thanks for joining the forum. Please choose a login name
and a password. Please enter your password twice to verify.
</p>

Implementing the Forum Example

LISTING 7.5

Continued

<form method=POST>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=49% id=AutoNumber1>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>Register</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=26%>Login Name</td>
<td width=74%>
<input type=text name=uid size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=26%>Password</td>
<td width=74%>
<input type=password name=pwd size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=26%>Verify Password</td>
<td width=74%>
<input type=password name=pwd2 size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2>
<p align=center>

195

196

CHAPTER 7

LISTING 7.5

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

Continued

<input type=submit value=OK name=OK />

</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>&#160;</p>
</form>
<p>&#160;</p>
</body>
</html>

FIGURE 7.6

The registration page.

The form displayed by this page is a basic HTML form with no data supplied. We
begin by examining the process that the register.jsp page goes through when data is
posted to it. As usual, the page begins with a check to determine whether this is a
POST or simply the first time that the user is displaying the page:
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<c:choose>

Implementing the Forum Example

On this page, the user can log in as a new user. The structure of this page is similar
to that of the login page. The page displays a form, as shown in Figure 7.6, and asks
the user to fill in information. When the user clicks the OK button, the data is
posted back to the register.jsp page.
Once it has been determined that this is a POST, a <c:choose> tag block is entered
that will determine whether the user failed to enter all required information. First,
we check to see whether the user has entered a valid user ID:
<c:when test=${param.uid==}>
<h3>Must enter a login id!</h3>
</c:when>

Next, we check to see whether the user entered a password. The user is asked to enter
the password again for verification. We do not need to check to see whether a
second password has been entered; if the second password is blank, the comparison
between the second and the primary password will fail:
<c:when test=${param.pwd==}>
<h3>Must enter a password!</h3>
</c:when>

Finally, we check to see whether the two passwords match. If they do, then we are
ready to try to create an account for this user:
<c:when test=${param.pwd!=param.pwd2}>
<h3>Passwords do not match!</h3>
</c:when>

Before we can create an account, we must ensure that the name chosen by the user
has not already been taken. The following query checks for this:
<c:otherwise>
<sql:query var=users dataSource=${dataSource}>
select c_uid from t_users where c_uid = ?
<sql:param value=${param.uid} />
</sql:query>

If rows are returned, then we know that the users ID has already been taken. If this
is the case, we display an error and fall back through to the form so that the user
must re-enter the user ID:
<c:choose>
<c:when test=${users.rowCount>0}>
<h3>Someone already has that user id.</h3>
</c:when>

197

198

CHAPTER 7

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

If the users ID did match, we execute an insert statement that will add the user to
the database:
<c:otherwise>
<sql:update var=users dataSource=${dataSource}>insert
into t_users(c_uid,c_pwd,c_accesses,c_first,c_last,c_bad,c_
posted,c_type) values (?,?,0,NOW(),NOW(),0,0,G)
<sql:param value=${param.uid} />
<sql:param value=${param.pwd} />
</sql:update>

WARNING
Our query uses the NOW() function. This function works in Microsoft Access and MySQL, but
may not work in other databases. If your database gives an error for this SQL command, you
must replace the NOW() function with whatever function your database uses to return the
current time and date.

The next step is to register two session variables that associate this session with the
user who just logged in. To do this, we assign the session-scoped variable uid to the
user ID. We also assign the session-scoped variable userType to the type of user who
just logged on. The following code does this:
<c:set var=userID value=${param.uid}
scope=session />
<c:set var=userType value=G scope=session />
<c:redirect url=welcome.jsp />
</c:otherwise>

Now we will remember what user is logged in from page to page. We can simply
access the variable uid and determine the current user. We can also use the userType
scoped variable to determine whether the user has sufficient security to undertake
certain operations. As you can see, we set the users type to G for Guest, since this is
a new user. Now that the user has been registered, he or she will be taken to the
welcome pagethe same page that the login.jsp page goes to after a successful login.

Welcome to the Forum

Weve seen how to query existing data and how to add new data to the database. In
this section, we show you how to update data that already exists in the database.

Implementing the Forum Example

When users successfully register or log in, they are taken to a welcome page. The
source code to welcome.jsp is shown in Listing 7.6.
LISTING 7.6

Updating User Statistics (welcome.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core-rt prefix=c-rt %>
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/sql prefix=sql %>
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/fmt prefix=fmt %>
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/fmt-rt prefix=fmt-rt %>
<c:if test=${ userID==null}>
<c:redirect url=index.jsp />
</c:if>
<html>
<head>
<title>welcome</title>
</head>
<body link=#000000 vlink=#000000 alink=#000000>
<sql:query var=users dataSource=${dataSource}>
select c_uid,c_pwd,c_accesses,c_first,c_last,c_bad,c_posted,c_
type from t_users where c_uid = ?
<sql:param value=${ userID} />
</sql:query>
<c:forEach var=row items=${users.rows}>
<table border=0 style=border-collapse: collapse
bordercolor=#111111 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td bgcolor=#0000FF colspan=2>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF>Welcome
<c:out value=${ userID} />
</font>
</b>
<font color=#FFFFFF>&#160;</font>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor=#FFFF66><b>Login ID</b></td>

199

200

CHAPTER 7

LISTING 7.6

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

Continued

<td bgcolor=#FFFF66>
<c:out value=${row.c_uid} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor=#FFFFFF><b>Times on</b></td>
<td>
<c:out value=${row.c_accesses} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor=#FFFF66><b>First Login</b></td>
<td bgcolor=#FFFF66>
<fmt:formatDate value=${row.c_first} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor=#FFFFFF><b>Last Login</b></td>
<td>
<fmt:formatDate value=${row.c_last} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor=#FFFF66><b>Failed Logins</b></td>
<td bgcolor=#FFFF66>
<c:out value=${row.c_bad} />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>Messages Posted&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></td>
<td>

Implementing the Forum Example

LISTING 7.6

Continued

<c:out value=${row.c_posted} />

</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bordercolor=#000000 bgcolor=#FFFF66><b>User
Type</b></td>
<td bgcolor=#FFFF66>
<c:out value=${row.c_type} />
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</c:forEach>

<sql:update var=result dataSource=${dataSource}>update

t_users set c_accesses = c_accesses + 1, c_bad = 0, c_last =
now() where c_uid = ?
<sql:param value=${ userID} />
</sql:update>
<br />
<a href=main.jsp>[Continue]</a>
</body>
</html>

The welcome page accomplishes two primary functions. First, it updates the users
statistics. The number of logins is increased by one, and the bad logins counter is
reset to 0. The current date is inserted into the last successful login field. Second, this
page displays the users current statistics. The output from welcome.jsp is shown in
Figure 7.7.
The JSTL code in welcome.jsp begins with a quick security check. The following code
ensures that the users session is valid:
<c:if test=${ userID==null}>
<c:redirect url=index.jsp />
</c:if>

201

202

CHAPTER 7

FIGURE 7.7

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

The welcome page.

If you examine any of the other source files, youll notice that they contain this
same check. The only source files that dont are index.jsp and register.jsp, since at
that point the user has not yet logged on. If the user has reached one of the internal
pages protected by the <c:if> tag and the user ID is not valid anymore, this means
one of two things. Most likely, the users session has expired, which happens after 30
minutes of inactivity by default. A second possibility is that a hacker is trying to
access the site by skipping the login page. In either case, the user is simply routed
back to the login page.
The next thing welcome.jsp does is update the users statistics with this update
statement:
<sql:update var=result dataSource=${dataSource}>update
t_users set c_accesses = c_accesses + 1, c_bad = 0, c_last =
now() where c_uid = ?
<sql:param value=${ userID} />
</sql:update>

This code updates the user who has just logged in.

Implementing the Forum Example

Using Transactions to Administer the Forum

Lets now see how the forum application uses the <sql:transaction> tags to properly
delete records from the table. This is done in the main administration page at
admin.jsp, shown in Listing 7.7.
LISTING 7.7

Administration (admin.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core-rt prefix=c-rt %>
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/sql prefix=sql %>
<c:if test=${ userID==null}>
<c:redirect url=index.jsp />
</c:if>
<c:if test=${ userType!=A}>
<c:redirect url=main.jsp />
</c:if>
<c:if test=${param.mode==del}>
<sql:transaction dataSource=${dataSource}>
<sql:update>
delete from t_forums where c_code = ?
<sql:param value=${param.target} />
</sql:update>
<sql:update>
delete from t_messages where c_forum_code = ?
<sql:param value=${param.target} />
</sql:update>
</sql:transaction>
<h3>Forum deleted</h3>
</c:if>
<html>
<head>
<title>Admin</title>
</head>
<body link=#000000 vlink=#000000 alink=#000000>

203

204

CHAPTER 7

LISTING 7.7

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

Continued

<sql:query var=forums dataSource=${dataSource}>select

c_code,c_name from t_forums order by c_sequence</sql:query>
<p>From this screen you can edit forums, delete forums or create
new forums.
<br />
You may also edit users.</p>
<table border=0 width=393>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan=3 bgcolor=#0000FF width=381>
<b>
<font size=4 color=#FFFFFF>The following forums are
available:</font>
</b>
</td>
</tr>
<c:forEach var=row items=${forums.rows}
varStatus=status>
<jsp:useBean id=status
type=javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.core.LoopTagStatus />
<c-rt:choose>
<c-rt:when test=<%=status.getCount()%2==0%>>
<c:set var=color value=#FFFFFF />
</c-rt:when>
<c-rt:otherwise>
<c:set var=color value=#FFFF66 />
</c-rt:otherwise>
</c-rt:choose>
<c:url value=${pageContext.request.requestURI} var=del>
<c:param name=mode value=del />
<c:param name=target value=${row.c_code} />
</c:url>

Implementing the Forum Example

LISTING 7.7

Continued

<c:url value=editforum.jsp var=edit>

<c:param name=mode value=edit />
<c:param name=target value=${row.c_code} />
</c:url>
<tr bgcolor=<c:out value=${color}/>>
<td width=192>
<a href=<c:out value=${del}/>>[Delete]</a>
<a href=<c:out value=${edit}/>>[Edit]</a>
</td>
<td width=22>
<c:out value=${row.c_code} />
</td>
<td width=165>
<c:out value=${row.c_name} />
</td>
</tr>
</c:forEach>
</tbody>
</table>
&#160;
<p>
<a href=newforum.jsp>[New Forum]</a>
<a href=users.jsp>[Edit Users]</a>
<a href=main.jsp>[Exit]</a>
</p>
</body>
</html>

The administration page does the usual checks to see whether the users session has
expired. However, the administration page also ensures that the user has sufficient
access rights to get to this page. If users reach this page without admin security, they
are simply redirected to the main forum page, main.jsp:

205

206

CHAPTER 7

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

<c:if test=${ userID==null}>

<c:redirect url=index.jsp />
</c:if>
<c:if test=${ userType!=A}>
<c:redirect url=main.jsp />
</c:if>

This page is also responsible for handling forum deletes. To delete a forum, the page
first checks to see whether the user has clicked one of the delete hyperlinks:
<c:if test=${param.mode==del}>

If the use has requested a delete, then a transaction is begun on the data source:
<sql:transaction dataSource=${dataSource}>

Deleting a forum involves two operations, and we need to ensure that both are
carried out. If one or the other fails, we want both to fail. To do this, we use a transaction. The first component of the transaction deletes the forum from the t_forums
table:
<sql:update>
delete from t_forums where c_code = ?
<sql:param value=${param.target} />
</sql:update>

In addition, we must ensure that the forum messages are deleted from the
t_messages table:
<sql:update>
delete from t_messages where c_forum_code = ?
<sql:param value=${param.target} />
</sql:update>
</sql:transaction>

If both of these SQL operations can be carried out, then we consider the operation a
success.
We have now seen how the forum example can be implemented using only JSTL
tags. This approach is good for a small, or prototype, application. For larger applications, you should move all database access away from the JSP pages and use JSP for
display only. In the next few chapters, we bring this program to that level. Chapter
10, Understanding JSTL Internationalization, will add multilingual abilities to our
program. Chapter 11 will show you how to use your own tag library to perform all
database access and leave presentation to the JSP.

A General Query Engine

A General Query Engine

Lets look at one more SQL example. In every query that weve examined so far, we
always knew exactly what columns were going to be returned. It is also possible to
write your JSTL so that the results of a query will be displayed, regardless of what the
names of the columns are. Our next example implements a general query form.
Using this form, users can enter any SQL query that they like and see the results of
the query displayed. Figure 7.8 shows this program executing a query.

FIGURE 7.8

A general query page.

This program works in the same way as many of the other pages weve examined. It
presents a form that posts back to the general.jsp page. Listing 7.8 shows the source
code.
LISTING 7.8

A General Query (general.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core-rt prefix=c-rt %>
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/sql prefix=sql %>
<sql:setDataSource var=dataSource driver=org.gjt.mm.mysql.Driver
url=jdbc:mysql://localhost/forum?user=forumuser />
<html>

207

208

CHAPTER 7

LISTING 7.8

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

Continued

<head>
<title>General Query</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:choose>
<c:when test=${param.cmd!=null}>
<c:set var=str value=${param.cmd} />
</c:when>
<c:otherwise>
<c:set var=str
value=select * from t_users />
</c:otherwise>
</c:choose>
Please enter a query:
<br />
<form method=post>
<textarea name=cmd cols=40 rows=5>
<c:out value=${str} />
</textarea>
<br />
<input type=submit />
</form>
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<c:catch var=e>
<sql:query var=users dataSource=${dataSource}
sql=${param.cmd} />
<table border=1>
<c:forEach var=row items=${users.rows}
varStatus=status>
<jsp:useBean id=status
type=javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.core.LoopTagStatus />
<c-rt:if test=<%=status.getCount()==1%>>

A General Query Engine

LISTING 7.8

Continued

<tr>
<c:forEach var=col items=${row}>
<th>
<c:out value=${col.key} />
</th>
</c:forEach>
</tr>
</c-rt:if>
<tr>
<c:forEach var=col items=${row}>
<td>
<c:out value=${col.value} />
</td>
</c:forEach>
</tr>
</c:forEach>
</table>
</c:catch>
<c:if test=${e!=null}>
<h3>Error</h3>
<c:out value=${e} />
</c:if>
</c:if>
</body>
</html>

Like our previous examples, this program first checks to see whether it is being called
with a POST. If so, it prepares to execute the query that the user specified:
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>

It is quite possible that the user might enter an invalid SQL command. To account
for this, we use a <c:catch> tag that will catch these exceptions and allow us to
handle them:
<c:catch var=e>

209

210

CHAPTER 7

Accessing Data with SQL Tags

We now execute a query based on what the user entered. For this query, we use a
bodyless <sql:query> tag. For the sql attribute, we specify the variable param.cmd,
which holds the SQL command entered by the user:
<sql:query var=users dataSource=${dataSource}
sql=${param.cmd} />

The first thing that we must do is obtain the names of the columns. These names
will be used as the column headers for the table columns when the results are
displayed. To do this, we first begin iterating through the returned rows:
<table border=1>
<c:forEach var=row items=${users.rows}
varStatus=status>
<jsp:useBean id=status
type=javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.core.LoopTagStatus />

We now use the row status to determine which row number we are on. If we are on
the first row, we display the column heads. The column heads are displayed by iterating through the row variable returned from the query. Then, we simply display the
key attribute in each column:
<c-rt:if test=<%=status.getCount()==1%>>
<tr>
<c:forEach var=col items=${row}>
<th>
<c:out value=${col.key} />
</th>
</c:forEach>
</tr>
</c-rt:if>

The key attribute is not the only attribute available to iterate through in a row; we
can also display all the values. For the other rows, we do that by using this code:
<tr>
<c:forEach var=col items=${row}>
<td>
<c:out value=${col.value} />
</td>
</c:forEach>

As you can see, the returned rows are collections themselves. By iterating through
these rows, we are able to gain specific information about the structure of the query
that we requested.

Summary

Summary
In this chapter, you learned how to use SQL tags from JSTL. Using SQL tags allows
you to quickly construct JSTL-only applications. For production applications, you
will likely isolate data access away from the JSP files; Chapter 11 will show you how
to do this.
Not all data is obtained using SQL. In the next chapter, we show you how to access
XML data. We explain how you can use the SQL tags discussed in this chapter to
both import and export XML data.

211

8
Accessing Data with
XML Tags
C

onsiderable data is now available in the form of

Extensible Markup Language (XML). Web pages often need
to access XML data and display it. JSTL provides a range of
XML tags that allow you to perform a variety of operations
on XML data.
The JSTL tags enable you to iterate over XML data and
perform comparisons on XML data using XPath expressions. You can also access individual elements of data
within an XML document using XPath. In this way, you
can customize the display of your XML using many of the
JSTL tags you are already familiar with.
In addition, the JSTL tag library allows you to process data
using Extensible Stylesheet Language templates (XSLT). By
creating an XSL template, you can transform your XML
data into HTML output, or even another XML document.
The XML tag library consists of three logical groups. The
core tags perform the basic parsing and access to individual elements. Flow-control XML tags allow you to iterate
over element collections and perform logical operations
based on XPath expressions. Transformation operations
allow you to use XSLT documents to reformat XML documents. We examine all three categories in this chapter. But
first, lets look at XPath, a standard way of specifying
sections of an XML document. The JSTL XML tag libraries
make extensive use of XPath.

Understanding XML
An XML document is a hierarchical file consisting of
nodes, attributes, and node values. Listing 8.1 shows a
typical XML file. The examples presented in this chapter
use this XML file.

214

CHAPTER 8

LISTING 8.1

Accessing Data with XML Tags

A Typical XML File (students.xml)

<?xml version=1.0 encoding=ISO-8859-1?>

<students>
<student id=1>
<name>
<first>John</first>
<last>Smith</last>
<middle>T</middle>
</name>
<grade>
<points>88</points>
<letter>B</letter>
</grade>
</student>
<student id=2>
<name>
<first>James</first>
<last>Smith</last>
<middle>K</middle>
</name>
<grade>
<points>92</points>
<letter>A</letter>
</grade>
</student>
<student id=3>
<name>
<first>Kelly</first>
<last>Lane</last>
<middle>A</middle>
</name>
<grade>
<points>72</points>
<letter>C</letter>
</grade>
</student>
</students>

XML files must always have only one top-level node. As you can see in Listing 8.1,
the top-level node for this file is the <students> tag. Inside the <students> node are
additional nodes, named <student>, for each student. Each of the <student> nodes

Understanding XML

has an attribute called id. Inside each <student> node is a <name> node, and inside the
<name> node are three more nodes: <first>, <last>, and <middle>. These three nodes
have node values that contain the students first name, last name, and middle initial,
respectively.
If you are using Microsoft Windows or a Macintosh with Internet Explorer, you can
use IE to view the XML file in hierarchical fashion. Simply double-click on the XML
file to launch Internet Explorer and display the file, shown in Figure 8.1.

FIGURE 8.1 Viewing an XML file.

By viewing the XML file in this way, you will be able to see its hierarchy. Using IE,
you can easily expand and collapse branches of the XML file to focus on the data
that you are interested in.
It is important to note that the XML standard does not specify how you should
name nodes, attributes, or node values. XML is completely free-formedwhich
makes parsing XML challenging. One standard that attempts to help with this is
XPath.
Next, we introduce the XML tags and learn how XPath is included. Lets begin by
looking at the core XML tags used for basic parsing and access to individual data
elements.

215

216

CHAPTER 8

Accessing Data with XML Tags

Understanding XPath
XPath is a sort of query language for XML. On an abstract level, XPath resembles
SQL. Like SQL, XPath is a language for accessing data. XPath expressions are not
executed by themselves; XPath is always used in conjunction with another programming language. Generally, XPath is used with XSLT, but other languages are now
taking advantage of XPath expressions. JSTL is one of these languages.
Complete coverage of XPath is beyond the scope of this book; we provide only a
brief introduction to XPath. For more information on XPath, you should refer to the
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) site at http://www.w3.org/TR/xpath.
XPath expressions are similar to paths used to reference files. For example, the XPath
expression doc/students/student/name/first would access the first students first
name. The $doc portion of the expression is provided by JSTL, and represents the
actual XML document as the starting point. There are many other more complex
forms of XSLT, some of which we examine in later chapters of this book.

Understanding XML Core Tags

Several core tags are provided by the JSTL XML tag library. These tags perform basic
operations required by the other tags. The <x:parse> tag is used to parse XML data.
When the <x:parse> tag is called, a variable is specified in which the parsed XML
document will be stored. For example, consider the following code:
<!-- parse an XML document -->
<c:import url=http://www.site.com/students.xml var=xml/>
<x:parse source=${xml} var=doc/>
<!-- display using XPath expressions -->
<x:out select=$doc/name/>
<!-- set a scoped variable -->
<x:set var=name scope=request select=$ doc/students/student/
name/first/>

This code begins by accessing the file http://www.site.com/students.xml. This file is

loaded into the variable doc using the <c:import> tag. The <c:import> tag allows the
contents of a URL to be downloaded into a scoped variable. This tag will be covered
in greater detail in Chapter 9, Accessing Internet Resources with JSTL.
The contents of the downloaded XML file are then parsed using the <x:parse> tag.
The resulting document is stored in the scoped variable doc.
Now that the document has been parsed, we can display some of the values. We do
this by using XPath expressions. These expressions are specified as the select
attribute that is passed to the <x:out> and <x:set> tags. The XML document is

Understanding XML Core Tags

accessed by specifying its scoped variable as part of the XPath expression using the
form $doc/students/student/name/first.
You will find that many of the JSTL XML tags use this form. You simply specify a
select attribute that holds an XPath expression that you want to be evaluated.
Now that we have seen how the core XML tags work in general, lets examine each
of these tags in detail. We begin with the <x:parse> tag.

Using the <x:parse> Tag

The <x:parse> tag parses XML data so that it may be accessed using the other XML
JSTL tags. The two forms of the <x:parse> tag are shown here:
// Syntax 1: XML document specified via a String or Reader object
<x:parse {xml=XMLDocument}
[filter=filter]
[systemId=systemId]
[{var=varName [{scope={page|request|session|application}]
|varDom=varName}[scopeDom={page|request|session|application}}]]/>
// Syntax 2: XML document specified via the body content
<x:parse [filter=filter]
[systemId=systemId]
[{var=varName [{scope={page|request|session|application}]
scopeDom={page|request|session|application}}]>
XML Document to parse
</x:parse>

The <x:parse> tag accepts the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

filter

Purpose
Allows a filter of the type org.xml.sax.XMLFilter to be
used to filter the incoming XML data.

scope

Specifies the scope of the scoped variable referenced by

the var attribute.

scopeDom

Specifies the scope of the scoped variable referenced by

the varDom attribute.

systemID

Contains the URI for the parsing XML document.

var

Specifies the scoped variable referenced by the varDom

attribute.

varDom

Specifies the scoped variable that will receive the XML

document as an org.w3c.dom.Document object.

xml

Specifies the XML that is to be parsed.

217

218

CHAPTER 8

Accessing Data with XML Tags

The first syntax is used to parse XML data from a string, which is specified by the xml
attribute. You may also take the XML directly from a URL by using the xml attribute.
The second syntax allows you to specify XML data as the body of the tag. The XML
document will be parsed and stored in the variable referenced by the var attribute.
This variable will be used in conjunction with the other XML tag commands. In
addition, you can specify a scope by using the scope attribute.
You may also obtain access to the newly parsed XML document as a
org.w3c.dom.Document object. To obtain such an object, you have to specify a variable
name by using the varDom attribute. You can also use scopeDom to specify a scope for

this variable.
Lets look at an example that parses XML data. The sample parsing page displays a
text box and allows you to paste XML data into the text box. Our application
expects XML data in the form shown in Listing 8.1. It is permissible to have more
records, but you may not change the structure of the records. When you click
Submit Query, the program attempts to parse the data that you just provided and
display the results. You can see this program in Figure 8.2.

FIGURE 8.2

Parsing XML data.

Lets now see how this program was constructed. The complete source code to this
application appears in Listing 8.2.

Understanding XML Core Tags

LISTING 8.2

Parsing XML (parse.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/xml prefix=x %>
<html>
<head>
<title>Parse Examples</title>
</head>
<body>Please enter an XML file:
<br />
<form method=post>
<textarea rows=10 cols=50 name=xml>
<students>
<student id=1>
<name>
<first>John</first>
<last>Smith</last>
<middle>T</middle>
</name>
<grade>
<points>88</points>
<letter>B</letter>
</grade>
</student>
<student id=2>
<name>
<first>James</first>
<last>Smith</last>
<middle>K</middle>
</name>
<grade>
<points>92</points>

219

220

CHAPTER 8

LISTING 8.2

Accessing Data with XML Tags

Continued

<letter>A</letter>
</grade>
</student>
<student id=3>
<name>
<first>Kelly</first>
<last>Lane</last>
<middle>A</middle>
</name>
<grade>
<points>72</points>
<letter>C</letter>
</grade>
</student>
</students>
</textarea>
<br />
<input type=submit />
</form>
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<x:parse var=doc xml=${param.xml} />
<table border=1>
<tr>
<td>$doc/students/student/name/first</td>
<td>
<x:out select=$doc/students/student/name/first />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>

Understanding XML Core Tags

LISTING 8.2

Continued

<td>$doc/students/student[@id=2]/name/first</td>
<td>
<x:out
select=$doc/students/student[@id=2]/name/first />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>$doc/students/student[@id=1]/name/first</td>
<td>
<x:out
select=$doc/students/student[@id=1]/name/first />
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</c:if>
</body>
</html>

The parsing example in Listing 8.2 operates in the two modes in which most of the
form applications in this book operate. When the user first displays the page, our
application displays only the form. The second half of the program does not begin
until the user clicks the Submit Query button. This process begins by checking to see
whether the current request was a POST, which indicates that the user has responded
to the form. The following code checks to see whether the page was called as a result
of the form being posted:
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>

Once we determine that the user has responded to the form, we can begin to parse
the file. To begin, we call the <x:parse> tag, and pass in the XML data from the form
as the xml attribute:
<x:parse var=doc xml=${param.xml} />

Now, we can begin to display the data. This <x:out> tag displays the first students
first name:
<x:out select=$doc/students/student/name/first />

221

222

CHAPTER 8

Accessing Data with XML Tags

This is accomplished by using the XPath expression doc/students/student/name/first.

Because we have several student records, this XPath statement must decide which
student to use. Whenever a collection is presented to an XPath expression, the first
element will be taken unless another element is specified.
XPath also allows us to get creative with our expressions. XPath can express many
queries in XML data. The following <x:out> tag uses the searching feature of XPath.
The XPath expression searches through all the student records and locates the
student record with an attribute named id that holds the value 2. The following line
of code does this:
<x:out select=$doc/students/student[@id=2]/name/first />

This <x:out> statement used the XPath $doc/students/student[@id=2]/name/first. The

[@id=2] suffix to the student identifier specifies that all student records should be
scanned until one is located that has an attribute named id with the value 2.
Lets take a look at the <x:out> tag in greater detail.

Using the <x:out> Tag

You use the <x:out> tag to display data from a parsed XML document. There is one
form of the <x:out> tag:
<x:out select=XpathExpression [escapeXml={true|false}]/>

The attributes accepted by the <x:out> tag are as follows:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

escapeXml

Specifies whether the special characters of the data

displayed should be escaped. The default value is true.

select

Specifies the XPath expression to be displayed.

This tag accepts an XPath expression from the select attribute. The expression will
be displayed to the browser. You can select to escape the XML by using the escapeXml
attribute. If you specify the value true, the characters <,>,&,, and will be converted
to their character entry codes.
The <x:out> tag has the ability to display parts of the XML file. Lets look at another
example. This program is similar to our earlier example, in which we retrieved the
XML data from the pages form. In this example, we obtain the XML data from an
external file. Well use the same file, students.xml, shown in Listing 8.1. The output
from this program appears in Figure 8.3.

Understanding XML Core Tags

FIGURE 8.3

Using the <x:out> tag.

Lets discuss the differences between this page and the previous example. The Web
page is shown in Listing 8.3.
LISTING 8.3

Using the Out Tag (out.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/xml prefix=x %>
<html>
<head>
<title>Out Examples</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:import var=students url=students.xml />
<x:parse var=doc xml=${students} />
<table border=1>
<tr>
<td>$doc/students/student/name/first</td>
<td>
<x:out select=$doc/students/student/name/first />

223

224

CHAPTER 8

Accessing Data with XML Tags

LISTING 8.3

Continued

</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>$doc/students/student[@id=2]/name/first</td>
<td>
<x:out
select=$doc/students/student[@id=2]/name/first />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>$doc/students/student[@id=1]/name/first</td>
<td>
<x:out
select=$doc/students/student[@id=1]/name/first />
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>

The process by which this example loads the XML data is considerably different from
in the previous example. As we explained, this program loads the XML from an
external file, which is stored on the same Web server as the sample program. This
does not need to be the case; XSTL allows you to easily receive content from other
Web sites, a concept we cover in Chapter 9.
The following code loads the students.xml file for our sample program:
<c:import var=students url=students.xml />
<x:parse var=doc xml=${students} />

As you can see, the XML file is first loaded into a string called students. This string is
fed to the XML parser with the <x:parse> tag. The data is then displayed with the
same <x:out> tags we used in our previous example.

Understanding XML Core Tags

Using the <x:set> Tag

The <x:set> tag works much like the <x:out> tag, except that the output is sent to a
variable rather than displayed. There is one form of the <x:set> tag:
<x:set select=XpathExpression
var=varName [scope={page|request|session|application}]/>

The <x:set> tag accepts these attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

scope

Specifies the scope for the scoped variable references by

the var attribute. This attribute defaults to page scope.

select

Contains the XPath expression that you want to display.

var

Specifies the scoped variable that you want to set.

You must specify the XPath expression using an attribute of the <x:set> tag. You
specify the variable that you want to receive the results of the XPath expression by
using the attribute var. You specify the variables scope with the attribute scope. In
addition, you have to specify the XPath expression that you would like evaluated by
using the select attribute.
Lets look at an example that makes use of the <x:set> tag. This program closely
follows our previous examples. However, rather than simply displaying the XML
elements, this program copies them to scoped variables. These values are then
displayed to the user. The end result is the same as shown in Figure 8.3. Listing 8.4
shows our program.
LISTING 8.4

Using the Set Tag

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/xml prefix=x %>
<html>
<head>
<title>Set Examples</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:import var=students url=students.xml />
<x:parse var=doc xml=${students} />
<x:set var=a select=$doc/students/student/name/first />

225

226

CHAPTER 8

LISTING 8.4

Accessing Data with XML Tags

Continued

<x:set var=b
select=$doc/students/student[@id=2]/name/first />
<x:set var=c
select=$doc/students/student[@id=1]/name/first />
<table border=1>
<tr>
<td>$doc/students/student/name/first</td>
<td>
<x:out select=$a />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>$doc/students/student[@id=2]/name/first</td>
<td>
<x:out select=$b />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>$doc/students/student[@id=1]/name/first</td>
<td>
<x:out select=$c />
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>

This program begins in the same way as the previous program, by loading the file
students.xml:
<c:import var=students url=students.xml />
<x:parse var=doc xml=${students} />

Using XML Flow-Control Tags

Now that the XML file has been loaded, we can use the <x:set> tags to copy the
values from their XML elements to the scoped variables a, b, and c:
<x:set var=a select=$doc/students/student/name/first />
<x:set var=b
select=$doc/students/student[@id=2]/name/first />
<x:set var=c
select=$doc/students/student[@id=1]/name/first />

Using XML Flow-Control Tags

The XML flow-control tags enable your program to make decisions based on the
results of XSL queries. The XML flow-control tags resemble some of the JSTL core
tags.
The <c:if> tag allows the core tag library to perform logic based on whats entered or
stored in scoped variables. The XML tag library adds the tag <x:if>, which enables
your program to conditionally execute other tags based on the result of an XPath
expression. The <c:if> tag is not the only tag that has a counterpart in the XML tag
library; the tags <c:otherwise>, <c:choose>, and <c:when> all have the XML counterparts <x:otherwise>, <x:choose>, and <x:when>.

Using the <x:forEach> Tag

The <x:forEach> tag works much like the <c:forEach> tag. Both tags allow you to
iterate over a collection of values. As we discussed earlier, an XPath expression can
return a collection of nodes, and the <x:forEach> tag allows you to iterate over those
nodes. There is one form of the <x:forEach> tag:
<x:forEach [var=varName] select=XpathExpression>
body content
</x:forEach>

The <x:forEach> tag accepts the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

select

An XPath expression that you want to iterate over.

var

Specifies the scoped variable that will hold each iteration.

The value placed in the variablewhich is specified by the var attributecontains all
the values stored in the node. You can use <x:out> and <x:set> with relative XPaths
that will obtain data from each member of the collection.

227

228

CHAPTER 8

Accessing Data with XML Tags

So far, our examples have accessed only one student name at a time. Using the
<x:forEach> tag, it is possible to iterate through entire branches of the XML file.
Lets now look at an example that reads through the entire list of students and
displays each student and his or her score. The output from this program is shown
in Figure 8.4.

FIGURE 8.4 Using the <x:forEach> tag.

Lets look at how this page is implemented. Youll find that using the <x:forEach> tag
is similar to using the <c:forEach> tag that allows us to iterate over collections.
Listing 8.5 shows how this page was constructed.
LISTING 8.5

Using the <x:forEach> Tag (foreach.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/xml prefix=x %>
<html>
<head>
<title>For Each Examples</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:import var=students url=students.xml />

Using XML Flow-Control Tags

LISTING 8.5

Continued

<x:parse var=doc xml=${students} />

<table border=1>
<tr>
<th>First</th>
<th>Last</th>
<th>Points</th>
<th>Letter</th>
</tr>
<x:forEach var=student select=$doc/students/student>
<tr>
<td>
<x:out select=name/first />
</td>
<td>
<x:out select=name/last />
</td>
<td>
<x:out select=grade/points />
</td>
<td>
<x:out select=grade/letter />
</td>
</tr>
</x:forEach>
</table>
</body>
</html>

The program in Listing 8.5 begins by loading the student.xml file, just as the previous programs did:
<c:import var=students url=students.xml />
<x:parse var=doc xml=${students} />

229

230

CHAPTER 8

Accessing Data with XML Tags

The student list is displayed in an HTML table. The following code sets up the
header for this table:
<table border=1>
<tr>
<th>First</th>
<th>Last</th>
<th>Points</th>
<th>Letter</th>
</tr>

At this point, we must create the individual rows that display each of the students.
This is done with the following <x:forEach> tag, which iterates over all student nodes
contained in the XML file:
<x:forEach var=student select=$doc/students/student>

As the program iterates through the students branch of the XML file, it places each
row in the student scoped variable we specified in the var attribute. As you can see,
were using the XPath query $doc/students/student. We use this code to display each
student as a row in the table containing the first name, last name, grade points, and
letter grade:
<tr>
<td>
<x:out
</td>
<td>
<x:out
</td>
<td>
<x:out
</td>
<td>
<x:out
</td>
</tr>

select=name/first />

select=name/last />

select=grade/points />

select=grade/letter />

Now we have only to end the <x:forEach> tag and the table:
</x:forEach>
</table>

Using XML Flow-Control Tags

Using the <x:if> Tag

You use the <x:if> tag to evaluate the result of an XPath expression. This expression
should result in a Boolean value. There are two forms of the <x:if> tag:
// Syntax 1: Without a body, result copied to var
<x:if select=XpathExpression
var=varName [scope={page|request|session|application}]/>
// Syntax 2: With conditional body content
<x:if select=XpathExpression
[var=varName] [scope={page|request|session|application}]>
body content
</x:if>
<x:if select=PathExpression
[var=varName] [scope={page|request|session|application}]>
body content
</x:if>

The first syntax uses an attribute, var, to specify a scoped variable to hold the
true/false result of the comparison. The second form uses the body of the <x:if> tag
to specify a block of the document that will be executed conditionally. Here are the
attributes accepted by the <x:if> tag:
Attribute

Required

scope

Purpose
If the var attribute is specified, the scope attribute specifies the
scope of that variable. Defaults to page scope.

select

var

The XPath expression that you want to evaluate.

A scoped variable that will receive the value of the expression
being evaluated. This attribute is required if there is no body.

As with many of the JSTL tags, you must provide a select attribute that specifies the
XPath expression that you want to evaluate. You may optionally include a var
attribute that specifies a scoped variable to store the result of the comparison. This
scoped variable will receive the Boolean value true or false. If you include a var
attribute, you can also specify a scope attribute that specifies the variables scope. If
the XPath expression evaluates to true, then the body of the <x:if> tag is executed.

Using the <x:choose> Tag

The <x:choose> tag works much like the <c:choose> tag. The <x:choose> tag allows you
to nest several <x:when> and <x:otherwise> statements into a single comparison block.
There is one form of the <x:choose> tag:
<x:choose>
body content (<x:when> and <x:otherwise> subtags)
</x:choose>

231

232

CHAPTER 8

Accessing Data with XML Tags

There are no attributes to this tag. The <x:choose> tag will begin evaluating
the <x:when> statements until one matches. Our program executes the first
matching <x:when> tag and then exits the <x:choose> block. It is impossible for
more than one <x:when> block to execute. If no <x:when> tag executes, the program
executes an <x:otherwise> tag if one exists.
Lets see an example of using the <x:choose> tag. This example extends our previous
example by attaching a note to the score of each student. The program will display
any one of several predefined messages. The message is determined by how well the
user scored. Weve shown the output from this program in Figure 8.5.

FIGURE 8.5

Using the <x:choose> tag.

This program uses the same iteration loop we used in the previous example. Listing
8.6 shows the contents of this page.
LISTING 8.6

The <x:choose> Tag (choose.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %><%@ taglib

uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/xml prefix=x %>
<html>
<head>
<title>For Each Examples</title>
</head>

Using XML Flow-Control Tags

LISTING 8.6

Continued

<body>
<c:import var=students url=students.xml />
<x:parse var=doc xml=${students} />
<table border=1>
<tr>
<th>First</th>
<th>Last</th>
<th>Points</th>
<th>Letter</th>
<th>Note</th>
</tr>
<x:forEach var=student select=$doc/students/student>
<tr>
<td>
<x:out select=name/first />
</td>
<td>
<x:out select=name/last />
</td>
<td>
<x:out select=grade/points />
</td>
<td>
<x:out select=grade/letter />
</td>
<td>
<x:choose>
<x:when select=grade/points>90>You did
great!</x:when>

233

234

CHAPTER 8

LISTING 8.6

Accessing Data with XML Tags

Continued
<x:when select=grade/points>80>You did
good!</x:when>
<x:when select=grade/points>75>You did
ok.</x:when>
<x:when select=grade/points>70>Well, you
passed.</x:when>

<x:otherwise>You failed</x:otherwise>
</x:choose>
</td>
</tr>
</x:forEach>
</table>
</body>
</html>

We use the <x:choose> tag to display the note for each student:
<x:choose>

The <x:choose> tag is similar to the <c:choose> tag. The primary difference is evident
in the <x:when> tags. The <x:when> tags do not accept a test attribute; instead, they
accept select attributes that specify an XPath expression that you want to evaluate.
It is important that this XPath expression return a Boolean so that the <x:when> tags
can take the most appropriate action.
The program begins by checking whether see if the XPath expression given by
grade/points>90 evaluates to true. If this expression does evaluate to true, then the
program executes the body of the <x:when> tag and terminates the <x:choose> loop:
<x:when select=grade/points>90>You did
great!</x:when>

If the first <x:when> tag does not execute, the page continues to examine <x:when>
tags until one matches:
<x:when select=grade/points>80>You did
good!</x:when>
<x:when select=grade/points>75>You did

Using XML Flow-Control Tags

ok.</x:when>
<x:when select=grade/points>70>Well, you
passed.</x:when>

If none of the <x:when> tags match, then our program executes the <x:otherwise> tag.
If no <x:otherwise> tag exists, the <x:choose> tag will exit. The following <x:otherwise> tag causes the default message to appear:
<x:otherwise>You failed</x:otherwise>
</x:choose>

Using the <x:when> Tag

The <x:when> tag is used in conjunction with the <x:choose> tag. The <x:when> tag
checks to see whether the XPath expression evaluates to true; if it does, the program
executes the body of the <x:when> tag. There is one form of the <x:when> tag:
<x:when select=XpathExpression>
body content
</x:when>

The <x:when> tag accepts one attribute:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

select

An XPath expression that you want to evaluate.

If the XPath expression evaluates to true, then the program executes the body of the
<x:when> tag. If the XPath expression evaluates to false, then the next <x:when> tag is
evaluated. The <x:when> tags are executed in the same order in which they are
presented in the file. Only one <x:when> tag will execute per call to <x:choose>; the
<x:choose> block exits after the first <x:when> tag matches.

Using the <x:otherwise> Tag

The <x:otherwise> tag works like a default <x:when> tag. If no other <x:when> tag evaluates to true in a <x:choose> block, then the <x:otherwise> tag will be executed. You
should have only one <x:otherwise> tag per <x:choose> block. There is one form of
the <x:otherwise> tag:
<x:otherwise>
conditional block
</x:otherwise>

No attributes are accepted by the <x:otherwise> tag. You have to embed the code that
you want executed within the body of the <x:otherwise> tag.

235

236

CHAPTER 8

Accessing Data with XML Tags

Transforming XML with XSLT

Using the flow-control and core XML tags of JSTL, you can transform XML documents into nicely formatted HTML documents. JSTL supports another standard that
makes it even easier to format XML. Using XSLT, you can specify the exact format in
which you would like your XML document to be formatted.
A complete discussion of XSLT is beyond the scope of this book. If you are interested
in learning XSLT, visit http://www.w3.org/TR/xslt. We also recommend Sams Teach
Yourself XSLT in 21 Days (Sams, 2002, ISBN 0672323184).
We limit our discussion of XSLT to how XSLT is integrated with JSTL. JSTL allows
you to specify two input files and receive the output. The input files are an XML
data file and an XSLT formatting file. You specify the output in the XSLT formatting
file. A properly written XSLT format file can output data in nearly any text format.
The two most common forms are HTML and XML. XSLT is often used to generate
HTML output from XML data. In addition, XSLT is used to translate between two
incompatible XML formats.
The JSTL XML tags provide two tags that are used to work with XSLT files. The
primary tag is the <x:transform> tag, which actually does the transformation. The
second tag, <x:param>, allows you to specify parameters that will be passed to the
XSLT script. These script parameters let you customize the operation of your XSLT
script file.
Listing 8.1 shows the XML file that weve used for all the examples in this chapter.
Lets now see how to use XSLT with this sample file. To do this, we must use an XSLT
file designed to work with the students.xml file. Weve shown this XSLT file in
Listing 8.7.
LISTING 8.7

A Sample XSLT File (transform.xsl)

<?xml version=1.0?>
<xsl:stylesheet version=1.0
xmlns:xsl=http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform>
<xsl:template match=students>
<html>
<head>
<title>XSLT Transform</title>
</head>
<body>
<table border=1>
<tr><th>First</th><th>Last</th><th>Points</th><th>Letter</th>
</tr>
<xsl:apply-templates/>

Transforming XML with XSLT

LISTING 8.7

Continued

</table>
</body>
</html>
</xsl:template>
<xsl:template match=student>
<tr>
<td><xsl:value-of select=name/first/></td>
<td><xsl:value-of select=name/last/></td>
<td><xsl:value-of select=grade/points/></td>
<td><xsl:value-of select=grade/letter/></td>
</tr>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>

Our XSLT file (in Listing 8.7) formats our XML file (shown in Listing 8.1) to look
exactly like the HTML shown in Figure 8.4.
Now, lets examine the basic structure of the XSLT file. This file is responsible for
generating the entire HTML documenteverything from the beginning <html> tag to
the ending </html> tag. To do this, we use templates to handle specific blocks of the
XML document. The node that encloses the entire student file is named students. An
XSL template is provided that encapsulates this node, and because the students node
is the root node, this will be the first template executed. The root template is shown
here:
<xsl:template match=students>

As you can see, this template seeks a match on the value students. Since this is the
root node, it will be the first template executed. Our template then goes on to set up
the header information and begin the table:
<html>
<head>
<title>XSLT Transform</title>
</head>
<body>
<table border=1>
<tr><th>First</th><th>Last</th><th>Points</th><th>Letter</th>
</tr>

237

238

CHAPTER 8

Accessing Data with XML Tags

Now that we have reached the body of the table, we can use the XSLT tag
<xsl:apply-templates> to process the child nodes of the current tag. In this case, all
student records will be processed:
<xsl:apply-templates/>
</table>
</body>
</html>
</xsl:template>

For each student record encountered, our program seeks a matching student
<xsl:template>:
<xsl:template match=student>
<tr>

To display each of the attributes for the student, our program uses the <xsl:value-of>
tag. We provide this tag with relative XPath expressions that specify the element we
want to display. The following code displays the attributes for each student:
<td><xsl:value-of
<td><xsl:value-of
<td><xsl:value-of
<td><xsl:value-of
</tr>

select=name/first/></td>
select=name/last/></td>
select=grade/points/></td>
select=grade/letter/></td>

Now that you know how to construct a basic XSLT document, well show you how
to use this document with the JSTL XML tags to create HTML. Lets begin by examining the <x:transform> tag.

Using the <x:transform> Tag

You use the <x:transform> tag to transform XML data based on an XSLT script. There
are three forms of the <x:transform> tag:
// Syntax 1: No body content
<x:transform
xml=XMLDocument xslt=XSLTStylesheet
[xmlSystemId=XMLSystemId] [xsltSystemId=XSLTSystemId]
[{var=varName [scope=scopeName]|result=resultObject}]
// Syntax 2: Transformation parameters specified using body
<x:transform
xml=XMLDocument xslt=XSLTStylesheet
[xmlSystemId=XMLSystemId] [xsltSystemId=XSLTSystemId]

Transforming XML with XSLT

[{var=varName [scope=scopeName]|result=resultObject}]
<x:param> actions
</x:transform>
// Syntax 3: Using a body to specify both an XML document and
transformation parameters
<x:transform
xslt=XSLTStylesheet
xmlSystemId=XMLSystemId xsltSystemId=XSLTSystemId
[{var=varName [scope=scopeName]|result=resultObject}]
XML document being processed
optional <x:param> actions
</x:parse>

The first syntax format contains no body content; the XML document is specified
using the xml attribute. The second syntax allows you to specify XSLT transformation
parameters. The third syntax lets you specify both XSLT parameters and an XML
document. The <x:transform> tag accepts the following attributes:
Attribute

Required

result

Purpose
A scoped variable of type javax.xml.transform.Result
that specifies how the result should be processed.

scope

Specifies the scope of the scoped variable referenced by the

var attribute.

var

Specifies a scoped variable that will hold the transformed

document. If none is specified, the results will be written to
the page.

xml

Specifies a string that holds the XML file to be used with the
transformation.

xslt

Specifies a string that holds the XSLT file to be used with

the transformation.

xmlSystemId

Specifies the URI of the XML document to be used.

xsltSystemId

Specifies the URI of the XSLT document to be used.

You must provide XML to the <x:transform> tag. The two syntaxes give you different
ways to do this. In the first syntax, the XML data is provided through the attributes
of the <x:transform> tag. The second syntax specifies the input XML through the
body data contained in the <x:transform> tag.
The <x:transform> tag must be given a valid XML and XSLT document to work with.
You can specify the XML document either by embedding it in the body of the tag or

239

240

CHAPTER 8

Accessing Data with XML Tags

by referencing it in the xml attribute. You specify the XSLT document using the xslt
attribute.
By default, the results of the transformation are written to the page. If a var attribute
is specified, the contents of the transformation are stored to that variable. This variable is of type org.w3c.dom.Document. The attribute scope allows you to set the scope
for the variable referenced by the var attribute.
You may also specify a Result object by using the result attribute. This value determines how the transformation will take place. The Result object is of type
javax.xml.transform.Result and contains information that is needed to build a transformation result tree. A single property, systemID, is provided by the Result object.
This object contains the system identifier, or URI, of the transformation. For more
information, refer to the Java API documentation for the javax.xml.transform.Result
class.
You should also note that if the XSLT stylesheet is specified via the xslt attribute, the
<x:transform> action may transparently cache transformer objects to improve performance. The <x:transform> tag is not required to fetch the contents of the xslt
attribute each time the <x:transform> tag is used.
Lets look at an example of how we can use the <x:transform> tag in a JSP page. This
example, shown in Listing 8.8, is very short; nearly all the work is done in the XSLT
file. The output from this program is exactly the same as for the <x:forEach> tag
example shown in Figure 8.4.
LISTING 8.8

Using the <x:transform> Tag

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/xml prefix=x %>
<c:import var=xml url=students.xml />
<c:import var=xslt url=transform.xsl />
<x:transform xml=${xml} xslt=${xslt} />

As you can see in Listing 8.8, both the XML file and the XSL file are loaded into
scoped variables. The <x:transform> tag is then used to format the XML using the
XSL. The end result is that the student list is written to the page, as in Figure 8.4.
This brings up an important point. We have seen that there are two ways you can
format the XML file. The end result is the same; they both end up looking like Figure
8.4. On one hand, we can use the <x:forEach> tag and use JSTL to display the XML.
On the other hand, we can use XSLT to transform the XML into the same HTML
output. Which method is better?

Transforming XML with XSLT

The answer is that it depends. There are no set rules. Often, it comes down to
programmer preferences. However, you should keep a few things in mind.
Formatting with XSL does not allow you to interact with other JSTL components,
such as databases. If the XML to be displayed easily fits within an XSL template,
then XSL is probably the better solution. However, if the display requires complex
cross-referencing or other complex processing, using the other JSTL tags might be a
better solution.

Using the <x:param> Tag

XSLT documents can accept parameters to modify their behavior. The <x:param> tag
allows you to pass parameters to the XSLT to be used with the transformation. There
is one form of the <x:param> tag:
// Syntax 1: Parameter value specified in attribute value
<x:param name=name value=value/>
// Syntax 2: Parameter value specified in the body content
<x:param name=name>
parameter value
</x:param>

The attributes accepted by the <x:transform> tag are as follows:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

name

Specifies the name of this parameter.

value

Specifies the value of this parameter.

The two syntaxes allow you to specify how the value of the parameter is to be
specified. The first syntax uses an attribute to specify the value of the parameter.
The second syntax uses the body of the <x:param> tag to specify the value of the
parameter.
Lets look at an example of how to use XSLT parameters with JSTL. Our sample
program displays the same student list. The only difference will be that this time we
use an XSLT parameter to specify the background color of the table. The final output
will look like Figure 8.6.
This program requires a special version of the XSLT file. We have to modify the file
to include the parameters, as shown in Listing 8.9.

241

242

CHAPTER 8

FIGURE 8.6

Accessing Data with XML Tags

Using parameters with XSLT.

LISTING 8.9

XSLT with Parameters (transformparam.xsl)

<?xml version=1.0?>
<xsl:stylesheet version=1.0
xmlns:xsl=http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform>
<xsl:param name=bgColor/>
<xsl:template match=students>
<html>
<head>
<title>XSLT Transform w/Params</title>
</head>
<body>
<table border=1>
<tr><th>First</th><th>Last</th><th>Points</th><th>Letter</th>
</tr>
<xsl:apply-templates/>
</table>
</body>
</html>
</xsl:template>
<xsl:template match=student>

Transforming XML with XSLT

LISTING 8.9

Continued

<tr>
<td bgcolor={$bgColor}><xsl:value-of
</td>
<td bgcolor={$bgColor}><xsl:value-of
</td>
<td bgcolor={$bgColor}><xsl:value-of
</td>
<td bgcolor={$bgColor}><xsl:value-of
</td>
</tr>
</xsl:template>

select=name/first/>
select=name/last/>
select=grade/points/>
select=grade/letter/>

</xsl:stylesheet>

The format of this XSLT file is similar to the one in Listing 8.7. The primary difference is the built-in parameters. First, we have to declare the parameter. In this
program, we use only one parameter, named bgColor:
<xsl:param name=bgColor/>

Next, we declare the background color parameter. This parameter is used inside the
<td> tags to set the background of the table:
<td bgcolor={$bgColor}><xsl:value-of select=name/first/>

Finally, the background color must be specified by the calling JSTL. Listing 8.10
shows our program.
LISTING 8.10

Calling XSLT with Parameters

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/xml prefix=x %>
<c:import var=xml url=students.xml />
<c:import var=xslt url=transformparam.xsl />
<x:transform xml=${xml} xslt=${xslt}>
<x:param name=bgColor value=blue/>
</x:transform>

As you can see in Listing 8.10, we specified the color blue for the background color.

243

244

CHAPTER 8

Accessing Data with XML Tags

Summary
In this chapter, you learned how to access XML data with the XML tag library
provided by JSTL. The JSTL XML tag library makes extensive use of XPath, a standard
query language developed by the W3C that enables you to query XML documents.
JSTL uses XPath to specify individual elements that you want to access, collections
you want to iterate over, and expressions you want to use for Boolean comparisons.
Now you know how to process XML. As you learned in this chapter, XML is often
obtained from files residing on the Web server. XML can also come from completely
external sources. In the next chapter, we show you how to access external data
sources. Often that data is XML, and can be processed using the tags we discussed in
this chapter.

9
Accessing Internet
Resources with JSTL
In the previous chapter, you learned how to work with
XML data, but we did not focus on where this data comes
from. Much data is available on the Internet, in the form
of XML and HTML.
The tags that we discuss in this chapter allow you to access
information that is available on the Internet. Usually, this
data is in XML, but it does not have to be. The JSTL tag
library can easily access any form of text data stored on
the Internet.
Accessing resources on the Internet requires the use of a
URL. JSTL provides tags that let you easily format URLs for
a variety of purposes. You can format URLs that include
parameters for accessing external resources outside your
Web page.
In addition to accessing external resources, you may want
to access resources stored on your own Web site. You can
use the URL tags to create URL strings that specify URLs
within your Web site. This allows portions of your Web site
to send parameters to other parts of your site. We begin
this discussion by showing you the JSTL tags that enable
you to access information on the Internet and manage
URLs.

The URL-Related Tags

JSTL makes available tags that allow you to construct URLs,
import data from external sources, and redirect users to
new Web pages. The <c:url> and <c:param> tags enable
you to construct URLs. Using the <c:import> tag, your
program can access data from external sources, and using

246

CHAPTER 9

Accessing Internet Resources with JSTL

<c:redirect>, you can redirect your user to new Web pages. Lets examine all four of
these tags, beginning with the <c:import> tag.

Using the <c:import> Tag

The <c:import> tag lets you import the contents of another Web page into your page.
This data can be displayed directly to your page or it can be copied to a variable.
There are two forms of the <c:import> tag:
Syntax 1: Resource content inlined or exported as a String object
<c:import url=url [context=context]
[var=varName] [scope={page|request|session|application}]
[charEncoding=charEncoding]>
optional body content for <c:param> subtags
</c:import>
Syntax 2: Resource content exported as a Reader object
<c:import url=url [context=context]
varReader=varReaderName
[charEncoding=charEncoding]>
body content where varReader is consumed by another action
</c:import>

The <c:import> tag accepts these attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

charEncoding

Allows you to specify the character encoding (for example,

UTF16).

context

Specifies the base URL that will be used to resolve a relative

URL given by the url attribute.

scope

Specifies the scope for the scoped variable referenced by the

var attribute. The default is page.

url

Specifies the URL from which the import is to take place.

var

Specifies a variable that will receive the output from the

specified URL.

In the first syntax, the content of the Internet resource is written to the pageunless
a var attribute has been specified. In that case, the content of the Internet resource is
written to the scoped variable specified by the var attribute.
The second syntax stores the content of the Internet object as a java.io.Reader
object. This Reader object does have an important restriction: It cannot be accessed
beyond the closing <c:/import> tag.

The URL-Related Tags

It is also important to remember that if youre using syntax 2, you cannot nest
<c:param> tags. This is because these tags are not able to change the URL that has
been requested. To address this problem, you should construct a URL using the
<c:url> tag and use that URL as input to the <c:import> tag. To use the <c:import> tag
to simply output to the browser, type the following command:
<c:import url=http://www.yahoo.com/>

To copy the contents of a Web site to a variable, use this:

<c:import url=http://www.yahoo.com var=contents/>

This code copies the contents of http://www.yahoo.com into a variable named contents.
It is also important to understand how character encoding and relative URLs are
handled by the <c:import> tag. In the next two sections, we describe character encoding and relative URLs in greater detail.
Character Encoding
If no charEncoding attribute is specified, the following rules apply:
If the response has content information (for example,
URLConnection.getContentEncoding() has a non-null value), then the specified
character encoding is used.
Otherwise, ISO-8859-1the default content type of a JSP pageis used.
NOTE
The charEncoding attribute should normally be required only when youre accessing nonHTTP resources because HTTP resources generally specify their correct encoding.

WARNING
Not all character encodings are supported by JSTL. One very common encoding that is not
supported is GZIP. GZIP allows Web pages to compress their HTML files by applying the GZIP
compression algorithm. If you attempt to access a Web page that uses GZIP encoding, an
invalid encoding exception will be thrown. Short of implementing your own <c:import> tag,
there is no workaround. This problem may not exist in all implementations or versions of JSTL.

Handling Relative and Absolute URLs

Lets see how the <c:import> tag handles relative and absolute URLs. Well start with
a relative URL from the same context.

247

248

CHAPTER 9

Accessing Internet Resources with JSTL

Relative URLSame Context In this section, well show you what is meant by a
relative URL that has the same context as the page using the URL. Consider two
Internet resources that belong to the same Web application. When a relative URL
occurs within the same context as the page using it, that URL is processed in the
same way as the <jsp:include> include tag of the JSP specification.
According to the JSP specification, there are two types of relative URL. Relative URLs
can either be context-relative paths or page-relative paths. A context-relative path is a
path that begins with a /. A URL such as this is to be interpreted as relative to the
application to which the JSP page belongs. A page-relative path is a path that does
not start with a / and that is interpreted as relative to the current JSP page, as
defined by the rules of inclusion of the <jsp:include> action in the JSP specification.
Keep in mind that the context for a relative URL is the Web Archive (WAR) file.
If multiple Web applications are run from the same server, they will not share
application- or session-scoped variables, even if they can be referenced using the
same base as a relative URL.
Relative URLForeign Context If the resource being imported belongs to a different Web application, then its context is considered foreign. In this case, you have to
specify the context name via the context attribute.
The relative URL must be context-relative and start with a / since the including page
does not belong to the same context. Likewise, the context name must also start
with a /.
Absolute URLs Absolute URLs are those stored in the java.net.URL and
java.net.URLConnection classes. Because JSP 1.2 (upon which JSTL is built) requires a
J2SE platform at a minimum, the <c:import> action supports at a minimum the
protocols offered in that platform for absolute URLs. More protocols can still be
available to a Web application, but this will depend on the class libraries made available to the Webapp by the platform the container runs on. An example of this is the
HTTPS protocol, which is not supported by most older JDKs yet could be added.
Lets look at a simple example that uses the <c:import> tag. (Well examine a more
complex example toward the end of this chapter.) Our first example asks the user to
enter an HTTP address into a simple form. Once the user enters this address, the
program will attempt to import the data of that Web page into the current one. The
result is a page that displays the form near the top and the contents of the entered
Web site at the bottom.
Only the HTML of the target Web site is retrieved. As a result, many of the images
wont display. Further, if the site uses external JavaScript code that is accessed from a
different page, these features wont be available either.
Generally, a program will not directly access HTML data from Web sites; the JSP page
will access XML data that will be reprocessed and displayed, as we saw in Chapter 8,
Accessing Data with XML Tags. However, for this example we simply repeat the
HTML data located at the specified URL. You can see this program running in
Figure 9.1.

The URL-Related Tags

FIGURE 9.1

Displaying www.samspublishing.com.

As you can see in Figure 9.1, the Web page is being instructed to import and then
display the contents of the Sams Publishing Web page at
http://www.samspublishing.com. The images are not displayed, and the user sees a
JavaScript error message, indicating that external JavaScript code cannot be accessed.
However, despite these shortcomings you can clearly see that the <c:import> tag has
successfully imported the HTML of the Sams Publishing site. This program is shown
in Listing 9.1.
LISTING 9.1

Importing Data (import.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/fmt prefix=fmt %>
<html>
<head>
<title>Import a Page</title>
</head>
<body>
<form method=POST>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111

249

250

CHAPTER 9

LISTING 9.1

Accessing Internet Resources with JSTL

Continued

width=62% id=AutoNumber1>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>Import
</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=47%>Enter a site to import:</td>
<td width=53%>
<input type=text name=url size=20
value=http://www.samspublishing.com/>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2>
<p align=center>
<input type=submit value=Submit name=submit />
<input type=reset value=Reset name=reset />
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>&#160;</p>
</form>
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<hr>
<c:import url=${param.url}/>
</c:if>
</body>
</html>

The URL-Related Tags

Like many of the examples in this book, Listing 9.1 displays a form from a JSP page
and instructs the JSP page to post to itself. A <c:if> tag near the bottom of the
sample program shows where the page checks to see whether it is being posted to:
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<hr>
<c:import url=${param.url}/>
</c:if>

The <c:import> tag we used here is quite simple. The only attribute we specified is the
url attribute, which indicates which URL we want to use to retrieve the Internet
resource. The contents of this page will be written right to the page since no var
attribute was specified.

Using the <c:url> Tag

The <c:url> tag is used to format a URL. Using this tag, you can easily construct
URLs that resolve relative paths and parameters. There are two forms of the <c:url>
tag:
// Syntax 1: Without body content
<c:url value=value [context=context]
[var=varName] [scope={page|request|session|application}]/>
// Syntax 2: With body content to specify query string parameters
<c:url value=value [context=context]
[var=varName] [scope={page|request|session|application}]>
<c:param> subtags
</c:url>

The attributes accepted by the <c:url> tag are as follows:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

context

Specifies the base URL that will be used to resolve a

relative URL given by the value attribute.

scope

Specifies the scope for the scoped variable referenced

by the var attribute. The default is page.

value

Specifies the URL that the import is to take place

from.

var

Specifies a variable that will receive the output from

the specified URL.

251

252

CHAPTER 9

Accessing Internet Resources with JSTL

In the first syntax, the entire URL is specified inline. For simple parameterless URLs,
you would probably use the first syntax.
The second syntax lets you specify <c:param> tags. These tags will be discussed in the
next section.
The URL will be written to the scoped variable referenced by the var attribute. The
base URL that is to be processed should be stored in the value tag. The scope attribute
determines what scope the scoped variable referenced by the var tag should attain.
We will not look at an example of the <c:url> tag by itself. The <c:url> tag is almost
always used in conjunction with the <c:param> tag. In the next section, we examine
the <c:param> tag.

Using the <c:param> Tag

The <c:param> tag can be attached to either the <c:import> tag or the <c:url> tag to
specify URL parameters. These parameters are of type http://www.jeffheaton.com/cgibin/test.cgi?parama=test&paramb=testing. This URL would specify two parameters,
named parama and paramb, that would hold the values test and testing. There are two
forms of the <c:param> tag:
Syntax 1: Parameter value specified in attribute value
<c:param name=name value=value/>
Syntax 2: Parameter value specified in the body content
<c:param name=name>
parameter value
</c:param>

The <c:param> tag accepts these attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

name

Specifies the name of this parameter.

value

Specifies the value of this parameter.

The first syntax produces a URL using the value attribute to specify the value of the
tag. This works well for short values. If the value that you would like to assign is
long, you should use the second version of the <c:param> tag, which uses the body of
the tag to specify its value. If you are using the second syntax, you must not specify
a value attribute.
One important reason to use the <c:param> tag involves URL encoding. URL encoding
is the process by which characters that are not allowed on a URL line are encoded
properly. For example, the parameter Hello World would be encoded to Hello%20World,
since the space is not a valid character for a URL.

The URL-Related Tags

Lets now examine a sample program that use the <c:import> and <c:param> tags. This
program constructs a parameterized URL based on the specified base URL and parameters. Figure 9.2 shows our program, and Listing 9.2 shows how it was constructed.

FIGURE 9.2

Constructing URLs.

LISTING 9.2

Constructing URLs (url.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/fmt prefix=fmt %>
<html>
<head>
<title>Create a URL</title>
</head>
<body>
<form method=POST>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=62% id=AutoNumber1>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>

253

254

CHAPTER 9

LISTING 9.2

Accessing Internet Resources with JSTL

Continued

<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>URL

</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=47%>Enter a base URL:</td>
<td width=53%>
<input type=text name=url size=20
value=http://www.samspublishing.com/>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=47%>Enter a value for parameter parm1</td>
<td width=53%>
<input type=text name=parm1 size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=47%>Enter a value for parameter parm2</td>
<td width=53%>
<input type=text name=parm2 size=20/>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=47%>Enter a value for parameter parm3</td>
<td width=53%>
<input type=text name=parm3 size=20/>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>

The URL-Related Tags

LISTING 9.2

Continued

<td width=100% colspan=2>

<p align=center>
<input type=submit value=Submit name=submit />
<input type=reset value=Reset name=reset />
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>&#160;</p>
</form>
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<hr>
<c:url value=${param.url} var=url>
<c:param name=parm1 value=${param.parm1}/>
<c:param name=parm2 value=${param.parm2}/>
<c:param name=parm3 value=${param.parm3}/>
</c:url>
<br/><b>The resulting URL is:</b>
<c:out value=${url}/>
</c:if>
</body>
</html>

The program in Listing 9.2 works like many other examples in this book in that it
displays a form and posts back to itself. After the page displays, the form checks to
see whether any data was posted to it:
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>

If data was posted to the page, then we read the base URL and three parameters from
the form data. This data is used to construct a URL. The following code reads in the
parameters and constructs the URL:
<hr>
<c:url value=${param.url} var=url>
<c:param name=parm1 value=${param.parm1}/>
<c:param name=parm2 value=${param.parm2}/>
<c:param name=parm3 value=${param.parm3}/>
</c:url>

255

256

CHAPTER 9

Accessing Internet Resources with JSTL

As you can see, this code implements a single <c:url> tag that has three nested
<c:param> tags. This allows a URL to be constructed that has three parameters. All of
the data that is to be formed into the URL comes from the param collection, which
contains the data that was posted from the form:
<br/><b>The resulting URL is:</b>
<c:out value=${url}/>
</c:if>

Using the <c:redirect> Tag

It is often useful to redirect the user from one Web page to another. An example of
this might be a login page to a Web site. The page displays a form that asks users to
enter their login information; the form posts to the same JSP page that displays it.
The JSP page validates the user, and if a successful login is achieved, the user is redirected to the main page of the secure area of the Web site. The <c:redirect> tag has
two forms:
// Syntax 1: Without body content
<c:redirect url=value [context=context] />
// Syntax 2: With body content to specify query string parameters
<c:redirect url=value [context=context] />
<c:param> subtags
</c:redirect>

The attributes accepted by the <c:redirect> tag are as follows:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

context

Specifies the base URL that will be used to resolve a relative

URL given by the url attribute.

url

Specifies the URL that the user is taken to.

The <c:redirect> tag works much like the <c:url> tag in that it can accept parameters
in the form of <c:param> tags. You append these parameters to the URL in the same
way you do for the <c:url> tag. Keep in mind that once a <c:redirect> tag completes,
the current page stops execution. A successful <c:redirect> will always be the last
line executed for the current page because it transfers control to the redirected page.
Lets look at an example that uses the <c:redirect> tag. This program presents a
simple login screen (similar to our forum example from Chapter 7, Accessing Data
with SQL Tags). This login form allows the user to enter an ID and a password. If
the user is not already registered with the system, the user has the option of clicking
the Register button. Clicking this button takes users to a screen that allows them to

The URL-Related Tags

create a user account. Getting to this registration screen is accomplished with the
<c:redirect> tag. Our login program is shown in Figure 9.3.

FIGURE 9.3

Using the <c:redirect> tag.

When users click the Register button, they are redirected to a file named
register.html. Lets take a look at Listing 9.3 to see how this redirection fits into the
logical flow of the login process.
LISTING 9.3

Redirecting (redirect.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core-rt prefix=c-rt %>
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/sql prefix=sql %>
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<c:if test=${param.reg!=null}>
<c:redirect url=register.html />
</c:if>
<h3 color=red>Sorry, we have no one registered with that
name.</h3>
</c:if>

257

258

CHAPTER 9

LISTING 9.3

Accessing Internet Resources with JSTL

Continued

<html>
<head>
<title>Welcome</title>
</head>
<body>
Please login.<br>
<form method=POST>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=49% id=AutoNumber1>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>Login</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=26%>Login Name</td>
<td width=74%>
<input type=text name=uid size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=26%>Password</td>
<td width=74%>
<input type=password name=pwd size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2>
<p align=center>

The URL-Related Tags

LISTING 9.3

Continued
<input type=submit value=Login name=Login />

<input type=submit value=Register name=reg />

</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>&#160;</p>
</form>
</body>
</html>

The program in Listing 9.3 begins by displaying an ordinary login form. The user ID
is stored in the parameter uid, and the password is stored in the parameter pwd.
When the user clicks either of the input buttons, this form posts back to the same
page, which is redirect.jsp. Once this page posts back to itself, the program executes
the following JSTL code:
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>

Once the program has determined that data has been posted to the page, the following code is executed:
<c:if test=${param.reg!=null}>

First, we must determine whether the user clicked the Register button. If a button is
clicked, a parameter is registered that has the same name as the button. So, to determine whether the user clicked the Register button, we simply check to see whether
the param.reg variable is equal to null. If this value is not null, then we know that
the Register button was clicked:
<c:redirect url=register.html />

Now that we have determined that the user clicked the Register button, we can redirect the user to a page that can handle the registration. Our <c:redirect> tag transfers
the user to the register.html page. This is the page that the user is viewing. The
browser also reflects this in the URL line by indicating that the user is now viewing
the register.html page:
</c:if>

259

260

CHAPTER 9

Accessing Internet Resources with JSTL

It is important to note that the <c:redirect> tag causes execution of the current JSP
page to stop immediately. Any statements that follow the <c:redirect> tag will never
be executed. This includes the following lines of JSTL code:
<h3 color=red>Sorry, we have no one registered with that
name.</h3>
</c:if>

This code displays a message that the user ID is invalid. Since this example serves
only to show how the redirect works, we did not implement the actual login logic, as
we did in Chapter 7. This program simply shows how to redirect to a new page
depending on which button the user clicks.
The preceding sections have shown you how to use the URL-related tags of JSTL. We
have seen some examples that carry out basic URL- and Internet-related functions.
Now, lets look at an example that shows how to access real, publicly available data
that is stored on the Internet. To do this, we must discuss the sources of information
available for access by the URL-related tags.

Understanding Internet Resources

Numerous sources of XML information are available on the Internet. Many are
subscription-based and require you to make payments to their provider. There are
also many free XML resources that you can take advantage of on the Internet.
One benefit of using Internet resources is that many times they allow two platforms
to work together. Microsoft Passport is an example of Java working with a
subscription-based XML service available on the Internet. Passport attempts to
solve the problem of identifying users. Often, a user will maintain accounts with
several different subscription-based Web sites that the user frequents. This requires
the user to register with each individual Web site.
Microsoft Passport attempts to alleviate this burden by having the user register just
once, and then provides a universal registration to every site that the user frequents.
This universal login is provided by the Microsoft Passport Service.
In order for a typical Web site to maintain such a relationship with Microsoft
Passport, the site must exchange information with Microsoft. To accomplish this,
XML is used. This is an example of how a Web site might use the Internet resource
tags provided by JSTL.
There are also many free sources of XML data that you can integrate into your application. One such service is RSS, which we use for many of this chapters examples.
Lets take a look.

Understanding Internet Resources

Introducing RSS
Rich Site Summary (RSS) is an XML standard for making the headlines available
through a news Web site available to the other Web sites. This standard was introduced by Netscape. You can obtain the official specification from
http://my.netscape.com/publish/formats/rss-spec-0.91.html.
This relationship is good for both the site that produces the news stories as well as
the site that displays the stories. Sites that receive the stories are given a source of
fresh content that can easily be integrated right into their Web site. For news producers, RSS can increase traffic, since all exported stories contain links back to the story
at their site.
Many news-related sites make RSS feeds available. Table 9.1 lists some of the
commonly used RSS feeds.
TABLE 9.1

Some RSS Feeds

Web Site

RSS Feed URL

FreshMeat
MacWeek
Motley Fool
NewsForge
NewsForge
Reuters Health
Salon
Slashdot
Wired

http://freshmeat.net/backend/fm.rdf
http://macweek.zdnet.com/macweek.xml
http://www.fool.com/About/headlines/rss_headlines.asp
http://www.newsforge.com/newsforge.rdf
http://www.newsforge.com/newsforge.rss
http://www.reutershealth.com/eline.rss
http://www.salon.com/feed/RDF/salon_use.rdf
http://www.slashdot.org/slashdot.rdf
http://www.wired.com/news_drop/netcenter/netcenter.rdf

The RSS format is a relatively simple XML format. Listing 9.4 shows a sample of RSS
data.
LISTING 9.4

A Sample RSS Feed File (sample.rss)

<?xml version=1.0 ?>

<!DOCTYPE rss PUBLIC -//Netscape Communications//DTD RSS 0.91//EN
http://www.wired.com/news_drop/rss-0_91.dtd>
<rss version=0.91>
<channel>
<title>My Information Service</title>
<link>http://www.jeffheaton.com/</link>
<description>
This is where the description for this channel goes.
</description>
<language>en-us</language>

261

262

CHAPTER 9

LISTING 9.4

Accessing Internet Resources with JSTL

Continued

<pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2002 17:38 PDT</pubDate>

<image>
<title>My Image Title</title>
<url>http://www.jeffheaton.com/images/jeffpic1.jpg</url>
<link>http://www.jeffheaton.com</link>
</image>
<item>
<title>First Story Title</title>
<link>http://www.jeffheaton.com/news/story1.html</link>
<description>
This is where the brief description to the first story
belongs.
</description>
</item>
<item>
<title>Second Story Title</title>
<link>http://www.jeffheaton.com/news/story2.html</link>
<description>
This is where the brief description to the second story
belongs.
</description>
</item>

<item>
<title>Third Story Title</title>
<link>http://www.jeffheaton.com/news/story3.html</link>
<description>
This is where the brief description to the third story
belongs.
</description>
</item>
</channel>
</rss>

Lets examine the major tags used by the XML-based RSS file format. As you can see
in Listing 9.4, the entire file is contained in the <rss> tag. This tag can contain one
or more channels. Most RSS feeds will have a single channel.

Understanding Internet Resources

The <channel> tag encloses one news feed. Inside the <channel> tag, you first
encounter some tags that provide general information about the channel. The first
piece of information is usually the title:
<title>My Information Service</title>

The title is typically displayed on a Web site with a link back to the original news
site that provided the story. The Web application must know where this link should
point. The destination of the title <link> tag should specify the Web address that the
news provider would like people to visit when they click on the title. The following
is an example of a <link> tag:
<link>http://www.jeffheaton.com/</link>

In addition to the link and title, the RSS format specifies that a description of the
channel be provided. The following code shows the <description> tag:
<description>
This is where the description for this channel goes.
</description>

The RSS standard also allows for languages other than English to be used within RSS
feeds. To do this, you must specify the language that your site is in by using the
<language> tag. The following <language> tag specifies that U.S. English is the
language being used:
<language>en-us</language>

How current news stories are is often a critical factor in their success. The <pubDate>
tag allows you to specify the date that the channel was published. Heres an example
of the <pubDate> tag:
<pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2002 17:38 PDT</pubDate>

In addition to the title provided by the RSS feed file, you are given an image to
display. The image is determined by the tags beneath the <image> tag. The following
shows how the <image> tag is represented in an RSS feed file:
<image>
<title>My Image Title</title>
<url>http://www.jeffheaton.com/images/jeffpic1.jpg</url>
<link>http://www.jeffheaton.com</link>
</image>

263

264

CHAPTER 9

Accessing Internet Resources with JSTL

As you can see, the <image> node contains a number of subnodes that describe the
image. The <title> tag contains the title of the image, which is usually specified as a
part of the HTML <img> tags ALT attribute. The <url> tag specifies the URL of the
image, which is included in the display. Finally, the <link> tag specifies the URL that
users will be taken to if they click the image.
These tags provide the header information for an RSS news feed. Now, lets look at
the individual news stories contained in a feed. A news story is stored in an <item>
tag:
<item>

Each story is provided with a title. The title is specified using the <title> tag:
<title>First Story Title</title>

Usually, this title will be linked to the actual story on the news providers Web site.
The following <link> tag specifies the URL to be accessed if the user clicks the title:
<link>http://www.jeffheaton.com/news/story1.html</link>

A short description accompanies the RSS news story. This allows readers to get a
general idea of what the story is about before they click the link that will take them
back to the news publishers site:
<description>
This is where the brief description to the first story belongs.
</description>
</item>

Now that you understand the basic format of the RSS XML file format, lets look at a
simple Web application that displays the headlines of the news provider.

Using the RSS Format

When executed, our sample Web page will display a table that tells readers what
news stories are available from the Wired RSS feed. This program is shown in
Listing 9.5.
LISTING 9.5

Reading from an RSS feed(news.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/xml prefix=x %>
<html>
<head>
<title>Reading RSS</title>

Understanding Internet Resources

LISTING 9.5

Continued

</head>
<body>
<c:import var=news
url=http://www.wired.com/news_drop/netcenter/netcenter.rdf />
<x:parse var=doc xml=${news} />
<table border=1 width=100%>
<tr bgcolor=blue>
<td align=center>
<font color=white size=+2>
<b>
<x:out select=$doc/rss/channel/title />
</b>
</font>
<br />
<font color=white size=-2>
<x:out select=$doc/rss/channel/pubDate />
</font>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign=top>
<x:out select=$doc/rss/channel/description />
</td>
</tr>
<x:forEach var=story select=$doc/rss/channel/item>
<tr bgcolor=blue>
<td align=center>
<a href=<x:out select=link/>>
<font color=white>
<x:out select=title />
</font>
</a>
</td>
</tr>

265

266

CHAPTER 9

LISTING 9.5

Accessing Internet Resources with JSTL

Continued

<tr>
<td valign=top>
<x:out select=description />
</td>
</tr>
</x:forEach>
</table>
</body>
</html>

The first thing that our program does is connect to the Wired RSS feed:
<c:import var=news
url=http://www.wired.com/news_drop/netcenter/netcenter.rdf />

As you can see, the contents of the Wired RSS feed are copied into the scoped variable news. This XML data must then be parsed:
<x:parse var=doc xml=${news} />

With the document properly parsed, our program is ready to display the header
information. The program displays this information in an HTML table.
The title of the news story is displayed using an <x:out> tag, and can easily be
accessed using an XPath. The following tag displays the title:
<x:out select=$doc/rss/channel/title />

The publication date and description are displayed in a similar manner:

<x:out select=$doc/rss/channel/pubDate />
<x:out select=$doc/rss/channel/description />

The individual stories are contained in a collection. To display the stories, we use the
<x:forEach> tag:
<x:forEach var=story select=$doc/rss/channel/item>

Individual stories can now be displayed as the <x:forEach> tag iterates through each
story in the collection:
<a href=<x:out select=link/>>
<font color=white>
<x:out select=title />

Summary

Our program displays the title with an enclosing <a> tag that provides the hyperlink
to the real story. The description of the story is displayed using the <x:out> tag:
<x:out select=description />

As you can see, the RSS format can easily be integrated into most Web sites. Other
XML formats are available that you can include just as easily into your Web site, and
still others are being created. By using XML from external resources, you can keep
your Web site content fresh. The URL tags allow you to take advantage of XML data
sources.

Summary
In this chapter, we explained how to use the URL-related tags provided by JSTL. We
can use these tags to construct URLs that include parameters that enable communication to take place across Web pages. In the next chapter, we introduce I18N
programming in JSTL.

267

10
Understanding JSTL
Internationalization
Java was designed to support internationalization. All
strings in Java are stored internally as Unicode strings,
which normally are transparent to the programmer.
However, when your program has to support a language
such as Japanese or Chinese, you must use Unicode.
One of the most common reasons for making a program
international is the need to display the programs data in a
variety of languages. JSTL provides several tags that make it
easy to create a multilingual program. In this chapter, we
show you how to make our forum example from Chapter 7
work with multiple languages.

The I18N-Related Tags

To create a multilingual JSTL Web application, you must
isolate all language-dependent parts of the program to one
area. The language-dependent parts are the strings that
your program displays.
To make our forum example multilingual, we must go
through the individual source files and find all the strings
that are currently in the English language. We then have
to move these strings to a resource bundle.
A resource bundle is a collection of strings in one particular
language, such as English. When you want your program
to support languages other than English, you simply translate the resource bundle to another language. These
resource bundles are then made available to the Web application. Your program can dynamically choose between
resource bundles and change the language that people are
using as they work with the application.

270

CHAPTER 10

Understanding JSTL Internationalization

A resource bundle is something that exists in standard Java as well as JSTL. In fact,
you may have already worked with resource bundles. Later in this chapter, we
describe how to create them, but lets begin by explaining the tags that you can use
to work with resource bundles. The first tag that well look at is the <fmt:setLocale>
tag, which enables you to select the locale that your Web application is being used
from.

Using the <fmt:setLocale> Tag

The <fmt:setLocale> command is used to set the locale of a Web session. It lets you
set the locale for one user or for the entire Web application. Usually, it is preferable
to have the Web server maintain individual locales for each of the logged-in users.
The locale determines how resource bundles are chosen and how other formatting
operations act. There is one form of the <fmt:setLocale> tag:
<fmt:setLocale value=locale
[variant=variant]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]/>

The <fmt:setLocale> tag accepts these attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

value

Specifies a two-part code that represents the ISO-639

language code and an ISO-3166 country code.

scope

Specifies the scope of this locale setting. The default is page.

variant

Specifies a vendor- or browser-specific variant of the language

referenced by value. For more information, refer to the
java.util.Locale JavaDocs.

With the <fmt:setLocale> tag, you are able to set the current language and country.
The scope attribute enables you to specify the locale for either the user or the entire
Web application. You accomplish this by specifying one of the standard scopes
page, request, session, or application. Typically, youll use session scope and set the
locale for the current user.
Using the value attribute, you can convey both the language and the country. You
separate the two by either a hyphen (-) or an underscore (_). You supply the
language code first. This is an ISO-639 code, and you must enter it in lowercase
letters (see Table 10.1 for a list of some of the ISO-639 languages). After this, you
insert either a hyphen or an underscore and then specify the country code. The
country code is an ISO-3166 standard code that you must enter in uppercase letters.

The I18N-Related Tags

TABLE 10.1

Some ISO-639 Languages

Language Name

Code

Language Family

ARABIC
AZERBAIJANI
CZECH
DANISH
GERMAN
GREEK
ENGLISH
ESPERANTO
SPANISH
PERSIAN (Farsi)
FINNISH
IRISH
HEBREW
HINDI
CROATIAN
HUNGARIAN
ICELANDIC
ITALIAN
JAPANESE
JAVANESE
GREENLANDIC
KOREAN
LATIN
LITHUANIAN
LATVIAN; LETTISH
MACEDONIAN
MONGOLIAN
MOLDAVIAN
NEPALI
DUTCH
NORWEGIAN
PUNJABI
POLISH
PASHTO; PUSHTU
PORTUGUESE
ROMANIAN

ar
az
cs
da
de
el
en
eo
es
fa
fi
ga
he
hi
hr
hu
is
it
ja
jv
kl
ko
la
lt
lv
mk
mn
mo
ne
nl
no
pa
pl
ps
pt
ro

SEMITIC
TURKIC/ALTAIC
SLAVIC
GERMANIC
GERMANIC
LATIN/GREEK
GERMANIC
INTERNATIONAL AUX.
ROMANCE
IRANIAN
FINNO-UGRIC
CELTIC
SEMITIC
INDIAN
SLAVIC
FINNO-UGRIC
GERMANIC
ROMANCE
ASIAN
OCEANIC/INDONESIAN
ESKIMO
ASIAN
LATIN/GREEK
BALTIC
BALTIC
SLAVIC
[not given]
ROMANCE
INDIAN
GERMANIC
GERMANIC
INDIAN
SLAVIC
IRANIAN
ROMANCE
ROMANCE

271

272

CHAPTER 10

Understanding JSTL Internationalization

TABLE 10.1

Continued

Language Name

Code

Language Family

RUSSIAN
SANSKRIT
SINDHI
SLOVAK
SLOVENIAN
SERBIAN
SWEDISH
SWAHILI
TAJIK
THAI
TURKISH
UKRAINIAN
URDU
UZBEK
VIETNAMESE
YIDDISH
YORUBA
CHINESE
ZULU

ru
sa
sd
sk
sl
sr
sv
sw
tg
th
tr
uk
ur
uz
vi
yi
yo
zh
zu

SLAVIC
INDIAN
INDIAN
SLAVIC
SLAVIC
SLAVIC
GERMANIC
AFRICAN
IRANIAN
ASIAN
TURKIC/ALTAIC
SLAVIC
INDIAN
TURKIC/ALTAIC
ASIAN
GERMANIC
AFRICAN
ASIAN
AFRICAN

Using the <fmt:setBundle> Tag

The <fmt:setBundle> tag loads a resource bundle and stores it in the specified scoped
variable. Using this tag, you can load a resource bundle that will be used by subsequent <fmt:message> tags. The <fmt:setBundle> tag has one form:
<fmt:setBundle basename=basename
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]>

These attributes are accepted by the <fmt:setBundle> tag:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

basename

Specifies the base name of the resource bundle that is to

be loaded.

scope

Specifies the scope of the variable contained in the var

attribute. The default is page.

var

Specifies a scoped variable that will hold the newly

instantiated resource bundle.

The I18N-Related Tags

A resource bundle is a Java class that extends the java.util.ListResourceBundle class.

The base name specifies the name of the class that implements the base resource
bundle, which a program uses when it cant locate any other suitable resource
bundle. You use the basename attribute to specify the full name of the resource bundle
class. In our sample program later in this chapter, the base name of the resource
bundle is com.heaton.bundle.Forum.
Using this base name allows a program to load the correct resource bundle using the
current locale. For example, suppose you have a program that uses the languages
English, Spanish, and Chinese. The English translation is stored in the base resource
bundle, named com.heaton.bundle.Forum. The Spanish translation is stored in the
bundle specified by com.heaton.bundle.Forum_es, and the Chinese translation is stored
in the bundle specified by com.heaton.bundle.Forum_zh. The program uses the current
locale (referenced in the <fmt:setLocale> tag) to determine which resource bundle
variant it should load.
The program loads the resource bundle into the scoped variable specified by the var
attribute. You can specify the scope of this variable by using the scope attribute.
Once loaded, the resource bundle must be passed to the <fmt:message> tag in order
for the multilingual text to be displayed.
You have several options when determining the scope. Loading a resource bundle as
request or page scope means that the resource bundle will have to be reloaded
frequently. Because of this, programmers rarely choose request or page scope.
If you load your resource bundle as application scope, then every user will have
access to it. This is a good solution when youve designed your Web site to support
several languages, but will have one language specified by the Webmaster. You can
define this language in the web.xml file so that you can easily specify it as the
default language.
Usually, you want to allow your users to pick their own language. To do this, you
should use the session scope, which lets you load a different resource bundle for
each user. This means that all users can see the Web site content in the language of
their choice.

Using the <fmt:bundle> Tag

You use the <fmt:bundle> tag to specify a resource bundle to be used with the JSTL
tags inside the body of the <fmt:bundle> and ending </fmt:bundle> tags. The
<fmt:bundle> tag has one form:
<fmt:bundle basename=basename/>
</fmt:setBundle>

273

274

CHAPTER 10

Understanding JSTL Internationalization

The <fmt:setBundle> tag accepts the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

basename

Specifies the base name of the resource bundle that is to

be loaded.

prefix

Specifies a prefix that will be added to every key

attribute specified in the <fmt:message> tags.

The <fmt:bundle> tag will make the specified bundle available to all <fmt:message> tags
that occur between the bounding <fmt:bundle> and </fmt:bundle> tags. This saves you
the extra step of having to specify the resource bundle for each of your <fmt:message>
tags. For example, the following two <fmt:bundle> blocks would produce the same
output:
<fmt:bundle basename=com.heaton.bundles.Forum>
<fmt:message key=login.title/>
</fmt:bundle>
<fmt:bundle basename=com.heaton.bundles.Forum prefix=login.>
<fmt:message key=title/>
</fmt:bundle>

Using the <fmt:message> Tag

You use the <fmt:message> tag to access the language-specific strings inside a resource
bundle. As you construct your multilingual Web applications, you can sprinkle
<fmt:message> tags throughout your program in place of language-specific strings.
There are three forms of the <fmt:message> tag:
// Syntax 1: Without body content
<fmt:message key=messageKey
[bundle=resourceBundle]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]/>
// Syntax 2: With a body to specify message parameters
<fmt:message key=messageKey
[bundle=resourceBundle]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]>
<fmt:param> subtags
</fmt:message>
// Syntax 3: With a body to specify key and optional message parameters

The I18N-Related Tags

<fmt:message [bundle=resourceBundle]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]>
key
optional <fmt:param> subtags
</fmt:message>

The <fmt:message> tag accepts the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

bundle

Specifies the resource bundle that is to be used. If this tag

occurs from within a <fmt:bundle> tag, then no bundle
has to be specified. You could set a default localization
context, either by using a <setBundle> tag or in the
configuration file; in either case, you dont have to specify
a bundle.

key

Specifies the lookup key that identifies the desired string

inside the bundle.

scope

Specifies the scope of the scoped variable referenced by

the var attribute. If the var attribute is not needed, then
the scope attribute should not be specified. The default is
page.

var

Specifies a scoped variable that will receive the value of

the string that is being looked up. If no var attribute is
specified, then the output will be written to the page.

The first syntax specifies a message that contains no body text. You use the first
syntax if you simply want to display a string that contains no parameters. The
second syntax allows you to specify parameter values, which we discuss further in
the next section. The third syntax lets you use parameter values as well as specify the
key of the string, all in the body of the <fmt:message> tag. You use the third syntax if
you need to dynamically define the key with an embedded tag.
The <fmt:message> tag is the most commonly used internationalization tag in JSTL.
To create a multilingual Web application, you must insert the <fmt:message> tag at
every position in which you would normally have language-specific text. This results
in a large number of <fmt:message> tags. The following code shows how youd use the
<fmt:message> tag:
<p><fmt:message key=login.note bundle=${lang}/>
</p>

275

276

CHAPTER 10

Understanding JSTL Internationalization

In this code, the <fmt:message> tag is freely mixed with other HTML code. Here, we
are reading a string from the bundle identified by the scoped variable lang and identified by the key login.note. Both of these values are entirely arbitrary and can be set
to any value that you can easily remember. Later in this chapter, well show you how
to create resource bundles and assign these keys.
It is also possible to copy the string directly from the resource bundle into a scoped
variable. You accomplish this by specifying a scoped variable in the var attribute. The
value obtained by looking up the key in the resource bundle is copied directly to the
variable specified by the var attribute. You can also specify a scope for this variable
by using the scope attribute.

Using the <fmt:param> Tag

We have just seen how the <fmt:message> tag can be used to inject multilingual text
in the HTML code of JSP pages. The <fmt:message> tag is quite flexible in that you
can specify parameters for inclusion in the output. You do this by using the
<fmt:param> tag, of which there are two forms:
// Syntax 1: Value specified via attribute value
<fmt:param value=messageParameter/>
// Syntax 2: Value specified via body content
<fmt:param>
body content
</fmt:param>

The <fmt:param> tag accepts one attribute:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

value

Specifies the value that is to be inserted for the parameter.

The first syntax uses the value tag to specify the value that is to be inserted for the
parameter. The second syntax uses the body of the tag to specify that value.
To use the <fmt:param> tag in your code, you must include parameters in your
resource bundle strings. You do this by placing brace-delineated numbers inside your
message text. For example, the following string would accept one parameter:
Welcome back {0}!

This string allows a parameter to be inserted in place of the {0} parameter. To make
use of this parameter, use the following code:
<fmt:message key=welcome bundle=${lang}>
<fmt:param value=${user}/>
</fmt:message>

Resource Bundles

Here, the value stored in the scoped variable user is inserted as the first parameter.
Parameter numbers always start with 0. The first <fmt:param> tag specified fills in
parameter 0; the second fills in parameter 1.
One limitation of JSTL messages is that they are based on the Java class
java.text.MessageFormat. As a result, you are restricted to only 10 parameters. If you
need more than 10, you will have to use multiple tags.

Using the <fmt:requestEncoding> Tag

The <fmt:requestEncoding> tag is used to specify the encoding type used by forms
that post data back to the Web application. There is one form of the
<fmt:requestEncoding> tag:
<fmt:requestEncoding [value=charsetName]/>

The <fmt:requestEncoding> tag accepts one attribute:

Attribute

Required

value

Purpose
Name of character encoding you want to apply when decoding request parameters.

You use the <fmt:requestEncoding> tag when you want to specify character encoding
for decoding data posted from forms. This tag must be used with character encodings
that are different from ISO-8859-1. The tag is required since most browsers do not
include a Content-Type header in their requests.
The purpose of the <fmt:requestEncoding> tag is to specify the content type of the
request. You must specify the content type, even if the encoding of the page generating the response is specified via the contentType attribute of a page directive. This is
because the responses actual locale (and thus character encoding) may differ from
the value specified in the page directive. If the page contains an I18N-capable formatting action that sets the responses locale (and thus character encoding) by calling
ServletResponse.setLocale(), any encoding specified in the page directive will be
overridden.

Resource Bundles
In this section, we show you how to create a resource bundle. You create resource
bundles for JSTL the same way you do for ordinary Java applications.
Programmers create resource bundles for a variety of languages. For someone who is
already familiar with English, it is quite easy to create a resource bundle for English
or one of the other Romance languages. Non-Romance languages, such as the Asian
languages, present some additional challenges, however.

277

278

CHAPTER 10

Understanding JSTL Internationalization

What Is a Resource Bundle?

First, well describe a resource bundle and show you how to construct one. The
method that we focus on involves creating compiled Java classes that extend the
java.util.ListResourceBundle class. You must compile these class files and make them
available to the classpath of your Web application.
A Java resource bundle file contains a series of key-to-string mappings. The following
demonstrates a simple Java resource bundle:
package com.heaton.bundles;
import java.util.*;
public class Example extends ListResourceBundle {
public Object[][] getContents() {
return contents;
}
static final Object[][] contents = {
{count.one, One},
{count.two, Two},
{count.three, Three},
}
}

If you compiled this resource bundle and made it available to the classpath, you
could use the following JSTL tags to display the three numbers:
<fmt:setLocale value=en/>
<fmt:setBundle basename=com.heaton.bundles.Example var=lang
scope=session/>
<fmt:message key=count.one bundle=${lang}/><br/>
<fmt:message key=count.two bundle=${lang}/><br/>
<fmt:message key=count.three bundle=${lang}/><br/>

The power of resource bundles becomes apparent when you want to translate the site
to another language. To accomplish this, you need only provide another resource
bundle. You make no changes to the JSTL code; you only have to specify a different
locale. The following code shows how the short resource bundle can be modified for
Spanish:
package com.heaton.bundles;
import java.util.*;
public class Example_es extends ListResourceBundle {
public Object[][] getContents() {

Resource Bundles

return contents;
}
static final Object[][] contents = {
{count.one, Uno},
{count.two, Dos},
{count.three, Tres},
}
}

As you can see, the name of the resource bundle has changed. Previously, the
resource name was Example; now the name is Example_es. This is because the code es
represents Spanish. Now a user can change the locale to Spanish, and the Spanish
strings appear as follows:
<fmt:setLocale value=es/>

Creating a Properties File Resource Bundle

It is also possible to create a resource bundle using a properties file. A properties file
in Java should contain the same base name as a compiled resource. For example, the
forums English properties file should be stored in a file named forum_en.properties.
The format of a properties file is simple. The entire file consists of lines that are keys
to the text data. The following code illustrates a simple properties file:
# this is
property1
property2
property3

a
=
=
=

comment
value of property 1
value of property 2
value of property 3

Users access this file in the same way they would a compiled resource. The base
name is used to identify the file. The suffix to this file must always be .properties
for example, forum_en.properties.

Creating a Resource Bundle for a Romance Language

In this section, we show you how we created the resource bundles for our forum
application. We first look at constructing a resource bundle for a Romance language.
As you may already know, a Romance language is one based on Latin. Languages
such as English, French, Italian, and Spanish all fall into this category. Romance
languages use basically the same character set, known as the Latin character set.
Because Java uses the Latin character set for source code, it is always easier to deal
with a Romance language than a non-Romance language, such as Chinese.

279

280

CHAPTER 10

Understanding JSTL Internationalization

The resource bundles containing the English translation are Forum.java and
Forum_en.java. Forum.java is the base translation that a program will use if it does not
find the translation in the localized resource bundle. Listing 10.1 shows the English
resource bundle used by our forum example.
LISTING 10.1

An English Resource Bundle (Forum.java)

package com.heaton.bundles;
import java.util.*;
public class Forum extends ListResourceBundle {
public Object[][] getContents() {
return contents;
}
static final Object[][] contents = {
{lang.english, English},
{lang.spanish, Spanish},
{lang.chinese, Chinese},
{button.ok, OK},
{button.save, Save},
{button.add, Add},
{button.cancel, Cancel},
{button.login, Login},
{button.register, Register},
{word.welcome, Welcome},
{word.password, Password},
{word.continue, Continue},
{word.admin, Administrator},
{word.exit, Exit},
{word.action, Action},
{word.user, User},
{word.type, Type},
{word.edit, Edit},
{word.delete, Delete},
{word.register, Register},
{type.a,Admin User},
{type.g,Guest User(cant post)},
{type.r,Regular User},
{login.name, Login Name},

Resource Bundles

LISTING 10.1

Continued

{login.welcome,Welcome to the forum. Please login.},

{login.title,Login to Forum.},
{login.note,Note: use id of admin and password of admin
on first use. },
{login.badpw,Sorry, we have no one registered with that name.},

{reg.thanks,Thanks for joining the forum. Please choose a

login name and a password. Please enter your password twice to
verify.},
{reg.verify,Verify Password},
{reg.needlogin,Must enter a login id!},
{reg.needpw,Must enter a password!},
{reg.badpw,Passwords do not match!},
{welcome.id,Login ID},
{welcome.times,Times on},
{welcome.first,First Login},
{welcome.last,Last Login},
{welcome.failed,Failed Logins},
{welcome.posted,Messages Posted},
{welcome.type,User Type},
{main.welcome,Select one of the following forums. Each
form contains messages on the given topic.},
{main.please,Please select a forum.},
{main.forumdeleted,Forum Deleted.},
{admin.welcome1,From this screen you can edit forums,
delete forums or create new forums.},
{admin.welcome2,You may also edit users.},
{admin.prompt,The following forums are available:},
{admin.newforum,New Forum},
{admin.editusers,Edit Users},
{editforum.title,Edit Forum},
{editforum.ins1,Forum code is a unique code for this
forum.},
{editforum.ins2,Sequence number determines the order
forums will list.},
{editforum.code,Forum Code},

281

282

CHAPTER 10

LISTING 10.1

Understanding JSTL Internationalization

Continued

{editforum.name,Forum Name},
{editforum.number,Sequence Number},
{newforum.title,Add New Forum},
{editusers.title,Edit Users},
{editusers.ins,The following users exist in your forum.},
{editusers.deleted,User deleted.},
{edituser.title,User Editor},
{edituser.ins,This page allows you to edit a user. The
only attribute you can change is the users type.},
{forum.none,No messages posted yet.},
{forum.post,Post a new message},
{forum.from,From:},
{forum.date,Date:},
{forum.subject,Subject:},
{post.ins,Posting to forum:},
{post.title,Post Message}
};
}

As you can see in Listing 10.1, every string ever displayed in the forum application
has been segregated to this file. The forum example will now refer to this file to get
the text when English is the current language.
Listing 10.2 shows the forum application translated to Spanish. I apologize in
advance for the translation. It was made through a combination of a Spanish dictionary, a Spanish computer dictionary, and AltaVistas Babelfish. While the translation
may not be perfect, it does demonstrate how to load another Romance language as a
resource bundle.
TIP
Babelfish, which you can find at http://world.altavista.com, is a useful Internet-based
translation service. For a quick prototype translation, youll find Babelfish useful. However,
using AltaVistas translation system on a production system can result in sentences being interpreted incorrectly. Heres an example: The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak translated to
Spanish gives us, El alcohol est dispuesto, pero la carne es dbil. Translating this Spanish

Resource Bundles

back to English should give the original sentence, yet heres the result: The alcohol is
arranged but the meat is weak. As you can see, the service cannot determine which
synonyms to use in place of spirit and flesh.

LISTING 10.2

A Spanish Resource Bundle (Forum_es.java)

package com.heaton.bundles;
import java.util.*;
public class Forum_es extends ListResourceBundle {
public Object[][] getContents() {
return contents;
}
static final Object[][] contents = {
{lang.english, Ingleses},
{lang.spanish, Espaol},
{lang.chinese, Chinois},
{button.ok, Ok},
{button.save, Guardar},
{button.add, Ampliar},
{button.cancel, Cancelar},
{button.login, Hacer la conexin},
{button.register, Registro},
{word.welcome, Bienvenue},
{word.password, Contrasea},
{word.continue, Seguir},
{word.admin, Operador del Sistema},
{word.exit, Aalir},
{word.action, Hacer},
{word.user, Persona},
{word.type, Tipo},
{word.edit, Corrigen},
{word.delete, Eliminar},
{word.register, Registro},
{type.a,Operador del Sistema},
{type.g,Persona Invitado},
{type.r,Persona Regular},
{login.name, Su nombre de usuario},

283

284

CHAPTER 10

LISTING 10.2

Understanding JSTL Internationalization

Continued

{login.welcome,Recepcin al foro. Por favor conexin.},

{login.title,Recepcin al foro. Por favor conexin. },
{login.note, Employez lidentification de ladmin et du mot
de passe de ladmin sur la premire utilisation.},
{login.badpw,Apesadumbrados, tenemos nadie registrados con
ese nombre.},

{reg.thanks,Gracias por ensamblar el foro. Elija por favor

un nombre de la conexin y una palabra de paso. Incorpore por
favor su palabra de paso dos veces para verificar.},
{reg.verify,Vrifiez Le Mot de passe},
{reg.needlogin,Debe incorporar una identificacin de la
conexin!},
{reg.needpw,Debe incorporar una palabra de paso!},
{reg.badpw,Las palabras de paso no corresponden con!},
{welcome.id,Identificacin De la Conexin},
{welcome.times,pocas encendido},
{welcome.first,Premire Ouverture},
{welcome.last,Conexin Pasada},
{welcome.failed,Falladas Conexiones},
{welcome.posted,Los Mensajes Fijaron},
{welcome.type,Tipo Del Utilizador},
{main.welcome,Seleccione uno de los foros siguientes.
Cada forma contiene mensajes en el asunto dado.},
{main.please,Seleccione por favor un foro.},
{main.forumdeleted,Foro Suprimido.},
{admin.welcome1,De esta pantalla usted puede corregir
foros, suprimir foros o crear foros nuevos.},
{admin.welcome2,Usted puede tambin corregir a
usuarios. },
{admin.prompt,Los foros siguientes estn disponibles:
{admin.newforum,Foro Nuevo},
{admin.editusers,ditez Les Utilisateurs},

},

{editforum.title,Corrija El Foro},
{editforum.ins1,El cdigo del foro es un cdigo nico para
este foro.},

Resource Bundles

LISTING 10.2

Continued

{editforum.ins2,El nmero de serie determina los foros de

la orden enumerar.},
{editforum.code,Cdigo Del Foro},
{editforum.name,Nom De Forum},
{editforum.number,Nmero De Serie},
{newforum.title,Ajoutez Le Nouveau Forum},
{editusers.title,Corrija A Utilizadores},
{editusers.ins,Los utilizadores siguientes existen en su
foro.},
{editusers.deleted,Utilizador suprimido.},
{edituser.title,Redactor Del Usuario},
{edituser.ins,Esta paginacin permite que usted corrija a
un utilizador. El nico atributo que usted puede cambiar es el
tipo del utilizador. },
{forum.none,Ningunos mensajes fijados con todo.},
{forum.post,Fije un nuevo mensaje},
{forum.from,De:},
{forum.date,Fecha:},
{forum.subject,Tema:},
{post.ins,Posting to forum:},
{post.title,Mensaje Del Poste}

};
}

As you can see in Listing 10.2, every string in the resource bundle has been translated to a Spanish string. This is an ordinary text file that you can edit using
Notepad, vi, or another editor.

Creating a Resource Bundle for a Non-Romance Language

Well now show you how to translate a resource bundle into a non-Romance
language. For this example, we use the Chinese language.

285

286

CHAPTER 10

Understanding JSTL Internationalization

NOTE
The method I used to translate this file to Chinese is typical of how you might translate actual
resource bundles. I used a third party; the translation was done by Jenny Yao, a student in one
of the Java classes that I teach. I provided Jenny with only the English translation of the
Forum.java file. After a couple of emails to verify the correct meanings of some terms, she
emailed me a version of my resource bundle translated to Chinese.
This is an important feature of JSTL. It is only necessary to provide your translator with the
resource bundle; you do not need to provide any of your Web applications source code. This
has several benefits. For example, you dont have to worry about your translator inadvertently
changing some of the JSTL code and causing an error. In addition, keeping your JSTL code
inside your company and not disclosing it to third-party translation services adds a layer of
security.

The Chinese version of the resource bundle is contained in the file Forum_zh.java.
You cannot simply open this file with Notepad to view it. If youre using Windows,
we suggest that you use WordPad to view the file, as shown in Figure 10.1. You can
obtain this file from the Sams Web site.

FIGURE 10.1 Viewing the Chinese resource bundle.

It is also important to note that you must have the Chinese fonts installed in order
for WordPad to display your file correctly. In Windows XP, select Settings, Control
Panel, Regional and Language Options. In the resulting dialog box, click the
Advanced tab and select the option Simplified Chinese, as shown in Figure 10.2.

Resource Bundles

FIGURE 10.2

Installing the Chinese character set.

Compiling the Resource Bundles

Now that weve created four resource bundles to use with our forum application, we
must compile the bundles. Listing 10.3 contains a simple build script named build.sh
(build.bat for Windows) that will build these files. The same script file will work
under either Windows or Unix.
LISTING 10.3

A Resource Bundle Build Script (build.sh)

javac -encoding UTF-16 ./com/heaton/bundles/Forum_zh.java

javac ./com/heaton/bundles/Forum_es.java
javac ./com/heaton/bundles/Forum.java
javac ./com/heaton/bundles/Forum_en.java
jar cvf bundle.jar ./com/heaton/bundles/*.class

As you can see, the Chinese file, Forum_zh.java, is given special handling. This is
because it cannot be compiled by Java unless we specify the encoding. For this file,
we used UTF-16 encoding, as revealed in the first line of Listing 10.3.
If all goes well, this script creates a file named bundle.jar, which you should place
in Tomcats lib directory so that it is exposed to the classpath. You can download a
zipped version of the Tomcat root directory from the Sams Web site; this version has
all of the files in the correct locations for every example in this book.

287

288

CHAPTER 10

Understanding JSTL Internationalization

A Multilingual Forum Application

You should now have the necessary resource bundles for our forum application. Lets
see how to convert the forum example shown in Chapter 7 to a multilingual application. The majority of the work involves changing all the English text to
<fmt:message> tags. We wont show you every converted JSP file; rather, well just
examine the index.jsp file in order to demonstrate how to use the <fmt:message> tags.
The index page for our forum application now allows you to easily switch between
the three languages. The default language, English, is shown in Figure 10.3.

FIGURE 10.3

Our multilingual form in English.

Simply clicking on the Spanish link will cause the site to redisplay in Spanish. Figure
10.4 shows this transformation.
If you click the Chinese link, the site will be displayed in Chinese. Youll notice that
the Chinese characters display just fine in the text regions and buttons. However,
those characters do not display properly in the browsers title bar. This is because
very few browsers can correctly display Chinese characters contained in the
<title></title> tags of a page. Romance languages will display just fine. Because of
this, you may want to replace all the HTML <title> tags with generic English titles
that will not be translated. Figure 10.5 shows the example running in Chinese.

A Multilingual Forum Application

FIGURE 10.4

FIGURE 10.5

The forum in Spanish.

The forum in Chinese.

289

290

CHAPTER 10

Understanding JSTL Internationalization

Now that youve seen how the forum looks in each of the three languages, lets
examine how this was actually done. The only file that changes significantly is the
index.jsp file. The other files change only in that they now specify UTF-8 as the
character encoding, and they use <fmt:format> to display strings. Listing 10.4 shows
the index.jsp file from Chapter 7, rewritten for multilingual processing.
LISTING 10.4
<%@
<%@
<%@
<%@
<%@

A Multilingual index.jsp (index.jsp)

page contentType=text/html; charset=UTF-8 %>

taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/fmt prefix=fmt %>
taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>
taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core-rt prefix=c-rt %>
taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/sql prefix=sql %>

<c:if test=${dataSource==null}>
<sql:setDataSource var=dataSource driver=org.gjt.mm.mysql.
Driver
url=jdbc:mysql://localhost/forum?user=forumuser
scope=session />
</c:if>
<c:if test=${lang==null}>
<fmt:setBundle basename=com.heaton.bundles.Forum var=lang
scope=session/>
</c:if>
<c:if test=${param.lang!=null}>
<fmt:setLocale value=${param.lang}/>
<fmt:setBundle basename=com.heaton.bundles.Forum var=lang
scope=session/>
<c:redirect url=index.jsp/>
</c:if>
<c:if test=${pageContext.request.method==POST}>
<c:if test=${param.reg!=null}>
<c:redirect url=register.jsp />
</c:if>
<sql:query var=users dataSource=${dataSource}>select c_
uid,c_type
from t_users where c_uid = ? and c_pwd = ?
<sql:param value=${param.uid} />

A Multilingual Forum Application

LISTING 10.4

Continued

<sql:param value=${param.pwd} />

</sql:query>
<c:choose>
<c:when test=${users.rowCount<1}>
<h3 color=red><fmt:message key=login.badpw
bundle=${lang}/></h3>
<sql:update var=result dataSource=${dataSource}>update
t_users set c_bad = c_bad + 1 where c_uid = ?
<sql:param value=${param.uid} />
</sql:update>
</c:when>
<c:otherwise>
<%
Cookie mycookie = new Cookie(login,request.
getParameter(uid));
mycookie.setMaxAge(0x7ffffff);
response.addCookie(mycookie);
%>
<c:forEach var=aUser items=${users.rows}>
<c:set var=userID value=${aUser.c_uid}
scope=session />
<c:set var=userType value=${aUser.c_type}
scope=session />
</c:forEach>
<c:redirect url=welcome.jsp />
</c:otherwise>
</c:choose>
</c:if>
<c-rt:if test=<%=request.getCookies()!=null%>>
<c-rt:forEach var=aCookie items=<%=request.getCookies()%>>
<c:if test=${aCookie.name==login}>
<c:set var=uid value=${aCookie.value} />
</c:if>
</c-rt:forEach>
</c-rt:if>

291

292

CHAPTER 10

Understanding JSTL Internationalization

LISTING 10.4

Continued

<html>
<head>
<title><fmt:message key=login.title bundle=${lang}/></title>
</head>
<body>
<fmt:message key=login.welcome bundle=${lang}/><br>
<form method=POST>
<table border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0
style=border-collapse: collapse bordercolor=#111111
width=49% id=AutoNumber1>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2 bgcolor=#0000FF>
<p align=center>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>
<fmt:message key=login.title bundle=${lang}/>
</font>
</b>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=26%><fmt:message key=login.name
bundle=${lang}/></td>
<td width=74%>
<input type=text name=uid value=<c:out
value=${uid}/> size=20 />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=26%>
<fmt:message key=word.password bundle=${lang}/></td>
<td width=74%>
<input type=password name=pwd size=20 />
</td>

A Multilingual Forum Application

LISTING 10.4

Continued

</tr>
<tr>
<td width=100% colspan=2>
<p align=center>
<input type=submit value=<fmt:message
key=button.login bundle=${lang}/> name=Login />
<input type=submit value=<fmt:message
key=button.register bundle=${lang}/> name=reg />
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>&#160;</p>
</form>
<p><fmt:message key=login.note bundle=${lang}/>
</p>
<a href=index.jsp?lang=en>English(<fmt:message
key=lang.english bundle=${lang}/>)</a><br>
<a href=index.jsp?lang=es>Espanol(<fmt:message
key=lang.spanish bundle=${lang}/>)</a><br>
<a href=index.jsp?lang=zh>Chinese(<fmt:message
key=lang.chinese bundle=${lang}/>)</a><br>
</body>
</html>

Notice the first line of the file:

<%@ page contentType=text/html; charset=UTF-8 %>

This line specifies that the file is using UTF-8 encoding. Without this line, the
Chinese characters will not display correctly. To switch between the languages, weve
provided several hyperlinks near the bottom that will take you back to the index file
with the language value contained in the parameter param. This will allow the following code to correctly change the language:

293

294

CHAPTER 10

Understanding JSTL Internationalization

<c:if test=${lang==null}>
<fmt:setBundle basename=com.heaton.bundles.Forum
var=lang scope=session/>
</c:if>

First, we check to see whether any language bundle is loaded. This handles the
default first view when English is selected. The above line loads the bundle into the
scoped variable lang:
<c:if test=${param.lang!=null}>
<fmt:setLocale value=${param.lang}/>
<fmt:setBundle basename=com.heaton.bundles.Forum var=lang scope=session/>
<c:redirect url=index.jsp/>
</c:if>

Next, we check to see whether a new language was specified. If a language was specified, we set it to the current locale. We then reload the resource bundle, reflecting
the change in locale. Finally, to make the browser redisplay the index page, we redirect to that page using a <c:redirect> tag.

Summary
In this chapter, we saw how you can add languages to a Web application. We
extended the sample program from Chapter 7 to support Spanish and Chinese. Our
forum application is now a multilingual Web application.
In the next chapter, we make one final change to our forum application. We take the
many SQL commands that exist in the application and isolate them to a custom tag
library. Youll learn how you can use your own custom tag libraries, in conjunction
with JSTL, to create Web applications.

11
Creating Your Own Tag
Libraries
In this chapter, we show you how to create custom tag
libraries. We focus particularly on creating tag libraries that
work well with the JSTL tag library. By designing your tag
libraries so that they can deal with JSTL scoped variables
and the JSP 1.3 expression language (EL), you will be able
to create tag libraries that easily integrate with JSTL code.
Tag libraries allow you to take procedures that would be
lengthy to write using just JSTL and encapsulate them in a
tag. One perfect example of this is the JSTL SQL tags. It is
generally not a good idea to put SQL database code in JSP
pages. Database code is an implementation detail that
should be separated from the presentation-oriented JSP
pages. The example we present in this chapter shows you
how to take our forum example from Chapter 10,
Understanding JSTL Internationalization, and isolate all
the database logic behind a custom tag library. We begin
with a discussion of how we should structure the tag
library.

Developing Custom Tag Libraries

While our goal in this chapter is to develop a custom tag
library that encapsulates the database management of our
forum application, this is not to say that we will
completely replace the use of JSTL. Rather, we want to
design a number of custom tags that are capable of
processing forum information. We will still use JSTL for
formatting, iteration, flow, and other basic presentationlevel issues.

296

CHAPTER 11

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

It is important to correctly spread the application across the necessary tags. This
requires some design to determine the best mix of classes and tags that will be used
by your JSP pages. In the next section, we examine the tags that we created for our
forum application.

Tags Used by the Forum Application

The forum applications tag library consists of 16 tags. These tags are summarized in
Table 11.1.
TABLE 11.1

Custom Tags Used by the Forum Application

Tag Name

Attributes

Purpose

createForum

code, name, sequence

deleteForum

code

deleteMessage

code, number

deleteUser

id

Creates a new forum.

Deletes an existing forum.
Deletes a forum message.
Deletes a user.
Edits a forum.
Edits a user.
Checks to see if the login has expired.
Lists all of the forums.
Lists all of the messages in a forum.
Lists all of the users.
Loads a forum.
Loads a user.
Logs in the specified user.
Creates a new user.
Posts a new message.
Saves the specified user.

editForum

code, name, sequence

editUser

id, type

expire
listForums

scope, var

listMessages

code, scope, var

listUsers

var

loadForum

code, scope, var

loadUser

id, scope,var

loginUser

id, password, scope, var

newUser

id, password, scope, var

postMessage

code, from, message, subject

saveUser

var

These tags are used throughout the JSP pages that make up our forum application.
The structure of the JSP pages remains the same. The only difference is that each of
these JSP pages uses the tags listed in Table 11.1 rather than the JSTL SQL tags to
process information.
If you examine the tags in Table 11.1, youll notice that they map closely to the SQL
queries and updates performed by our forum application. This allows implementation details to be separated from the presentations. For example, when a user first
logs in, the last login, number of failed logins, and number of connections are all
updated. In our forum application, this update task was performed by a SQL UPDATE
command that we embedded into the login page. Now we have a tag called
<forum:loginUser> that performs this operation. The JSP programmer simply calls
<forum:loginUser> and the user is logged in. The JSP programmer does not need to be

Developing Custom Tag Libraries

concerned with what data is updated behind the scenes as the <forum:loginUser> tag
is executed.
When the <forum:loginUser> tag is called and a successful login occurs, an object is
returned that contains the information specific to the user who just logged in. In
this case, a class named User is returned that contains the user. The other tags used
by the forum application return data in a variety of ways. Some return simple strings
or numbers, but most use three classes that we created to hold the data for users,
forums, and messages. We examine these data classes in the next section.
For this application, we chose to use a number of tags that process data in the form
of several data classes. In the next sections, we discuss the overall structure of the
forum application.

Data Structures Used by the Forum Application

As you will recall from Chapter 7, Accessing Data with SQL Tags, three primary
tables make up our forum application. These three tables store the users, forums, and
messages. To implement the tag library, we need to create three Java classes capable
of holding each of these three record types. The first of these is the User class.
Storing Users
The forum application stores basic information about the users that access it. This
data is stored in the t_users table. When the forum application uses the tag library to
access data from the t_users table, it returns records using the User class, shown in
Listing 11.1.
LISTING 11.1

The User Class (User.java)

package com.heaton.forum;
import java.util.*;
public class User

/**
* The login id of this user.
*/
private String id;
/**
* The password for this user.
*/
private String password;

297

298

CHAPTER 11

LISTING 11.1

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

Continued

/**
* The number of times the user has accessed the forum.
*/
private int accesses;
/**
* The first time time the user has connected.
*/
private Date first;
/**
* The last time the user has logged on.
*/
private Date last;
/**
* The number of failed logins for this user.
*/
private int bad;
/**
* The number of messages posted.
*/
private int posted;
/**
* The type of this user.
* A = admin
* R = regular
* G = guest
*/
private String type;
public String getId()
{
return this.id;
}
public void setId(String id)
{
this.id = id.toLowerCase();

Developing Custom Tag Libraries

LISTING 11.1

Continued

}
public String getPassword()
{
return this.password;
}
public void setPassword(String password)
{
this.password = password;
}
public int getAccesses()
{
return this.accesses;
}
public void setAccesses(int accesses)
{
this.accesses = accesses;
}
public Date getFirst()
{
return this.first;
}
public void setFirst(Date first)
{
this.first = first;
}
public Date getLast()
{
return this.last;
}
public void setLast(Date last)
{
this.last = last;
}

299

300

CHAPTER 11

LISTING 11.1

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

Continued

public int getBad()

{
return this.bad;
}
public void setBad(int bad)
{
this.bad = bad;
}
public int getPosted()
{
return this.posted;
}
public void setPosted(int posted)
{
this.posted = posted;
}

public String getType()

{
return this.type;
}
public void setType(String type)
{
this.type = type;
}
}

Listing 11.1 contains an ordinary Java data class that has one field property for each
of the fields in the underlying table.
Storing Forums
The t_forums table stores the individual forums where the users post and read
messages. When the forum application uses the tag library to access data from the
t_forums table, it returns records using the Forum class, shown in Listing 11.2.

Developing Custom Tag Libraries

LISTING 11.2

The Forum Class (Forum.java)

package com.heaton.forum;
import java.util.*;
public class Forum {
/**
* The code that identifies this forum.
*/
private String code;
/**
* The name of this forum
*/
private String name;
/**
* The sequence number of this forum.
* Forum sequence numbers are used to
* determine the order that the forums are
* listed in.
*/
private int sequence;
public String getCode()
{
return this.code;
}
public void setCode(String code)
{
this.code = code.toUpperCase();
}
public String getName()
{
return this.name;
}
public void setName(String name)
{
this.name = name;

301

302

CHAPTER 11

LISTING 11.2

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

Continued

}
public int getSequence()
{
return this.sequence;
}
public void setSequence(int sequence)
{
this.sequence = sequence;
}
}

This structure represents only the forums, or message areas. The Forum class does not
store individual messages. All individual messages are stored in a common table.
Lets now examine the Java class used to hold individual messages.
Storing Messages
A forum may have many different messages. These messages are stored in the
t_messages table. The individual records from this table are stored in instances of the
Message class, shown in Listing 11.3.
LISTING 11.3

Storing a Message (Message.java)

package com.heaton.forum;
import java.util.*;
public class Message {
/**
* The forum code that designates the forum
* that this message belongs to.
*/
private String forumCode;
/**
* The message number.
*/
private int number;
/**

Developing Custom Tag Libraries

LISTING 11.3

Continued

* When this message was posted.

*/
private Date posted;
/**
* The subject of this message.
*/
private String subject;
/**
* The sender of this message.
*/
private String sender;
/**
* The message body.
*/
private String message;
public String getForumCode()
{
return this.forumCode;
}
public void setForumCode(String forumCode)
{
this.forumCode = forumCode.toUpperCase();
}
public int getNumber()
{
return this.number;
}
public void setNumber(int number)
{
this.number = number;
}
public Date getPosted()
{

303

304

CHAPTER 11

LISTING 11.3

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

Continued

return this.posted;
}
public void setPosted(Date posted)
{
this.posted = posted;
}
public String getSubject()
{
return this.subject;
}
public void setSubject(String subject)
{
this.subject = subject;
}
public String getSender()
{
return this.sender;
}
public void setSender(String sender)
{
this.sender = sender;
}
public String getMessage()
{
return this.message;
}
public void setMessage(String message)
{
this.message = message;
}
}

The Components of a Tag Library

The Components of a Tag Library

You have now seen the basic structure of the forum applications tag library. We
must now implement this tag library and modify the JSP files to use the new tag
library rather than the SQL tags we used in Chapter 10.
In essence, a tag library is a JAR and an XML-formatted tag library descriptor (TLD)
configuration file. Installing a tag library consists of three steps:
1. Copy the tag library descriptor file (*.tld) to the WEB-INF directory for your

Web application.
2. Modify the web.xml file for your Web application so that it includes the TLD

file that you copied in step 1.

3. Copy the tag librarys JAR file to the /lib directory of your Web application so

that your Web server can access it.

Lets now examine each of these steps in detail. In particular, we focus on the structure of the JAR and TLD files so that you will be able to create your own tag libraries
that you can use to supplement JSTL with your own company-specific procedures.

The Tag Library Descriptor File (TLD)

The forum applications tag library stores its TLD information in a file called
forum.tld. This file is quite lengthy, and will not be included here in its entirety. It
contains definitions for each of the 16 tags that make up the forum tag library.
The TLD File Header
The forum.tld file begins with basic header information:
<?xml version=1.0 encoding=iso-8859-1?>
<!DOCTYPE taglib
PUBLIC -//Sun Microsystems, Inc.//DTD JSP Tag Library 1.2//EN
http://java.sun.com/dtd/web-jsptaglibrary_1_2.dtd>
<taglib>
<tlib-version>1.0</tlib-version>
<jsp-version>1.2</jsp-version>
<short-name>forum</short-name>
<uri>http://java.jeffheaton.com/taglib/jstl/forum</uri>
<display-name>Forum Example</display-name>
<description>An example tag library used to implement a
forum.</description>

305

306

CHAPTER 11

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

This header contains basic information about the forum tag library and what sort of
environment it expects. This information should be made available for any TLD file
that you create. One of the most important elements is the <uri> tag. This identifier
enables the JSP pages to use this tag library. As you may recall from Chapter 1,
Understanding JSP Custom Tags, we used the following taglib directive:
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

As you can see, a URI is specified. This URI corresponds to a URI specified in the TLD
for the core JSTL tag library. If you wanted to use the forum tag library, you must use
a similar taglib directive, except you insert the forum URI:
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.jeffheaton.com/taglib/jstl/forum
prefix=forum %>

The URI is not an actual Web address. If you copy and paste a URI from a tag library
into a browser, you may or may not see anything of meaning. The URI is simply a
common identifier that is used to tie the JSP pages to the appropriate TLD file. Next,
we look at the tag definitions that follow the header.
Tag Definitions
After the header information, you see <tag> tags that specify the individual tags in
the library. This tag is defined in our forum application tag library:
<tag>
<name>loadUser</name>
<tag-class>com.heaton.forum.LoadUserTag</tag-class>
<body-content>empty</body-content>
<description>Used to load a user.</description>
<attribute>
<name>var</name>
<required>true</required>
<rtexprvalue>false</rtexprvalue>
</attribute>
<attribute>
<name>id</name>
<required>true</required>
<rtexprvalue>false</rtexprvalue>
</attribute>
<attribute>
<name>scope</name>
<required>false</required>
<rtexprvalue>false</rtexprvalue>
</attribute>
</tag>

The Components of a Tag Library

This tag defines the <forum:loadUser> tag. Each tag consists of two parts. First, each
tag has header information of its own. This includes the tags name and other important information. Following the tags header information are several attribute tags. If
no attributes are used with the tag, then this section is empty.
Table 11.2 describes the tag header elements.
TABLE 11.2

Tag Header Elements

Element Name

Purpose

attribute

There will be zero or more such elements. They specify the attributes that
can be used with this tag. Table 11.3 defines the elements that make up an
attribute node.
Specifies the type of body that this tag has. If the tag has no body, the value
empty should be used. If other JSP code can be contained in the body, the
value jsp should be used.
A text description that defines what this tag does.
The name of the tag. This is the name the JSP code will use when referring
to this tag.
The class that implements the tag.

body-content

description
name
tag-class

The attribute element contains several subelements. This allows you to include
information about each of the attributes. Table 11.3 summarizes these subelements.
TABLE 11.3

Tag Attribute Subelements

Element Name

Purpose

name

The name of the attribute.

A true/false value that specifies whether this tag is required. If the tag is
specified as required and the tag is not provided, an error will be raised
before your tag is executed.
Allows RT expressions to be used for the value of the attribute. RT expressions are expressions such as <%=request.getMethod()%>.

required

rtexprvalue

Youll notice that the tags do not accept RT expressions. Consider the following tag:
<testlib:printIt value=<%=10*10%>/>

If you had specified a value of false for the rtexprvalue attribute, your tag would get
the value <%=10*10%> when the value attribute was retrieved. If a value of true had
been specified for the rtexprvalue attribute, the value 100 would be retrieved. The
tags we are using in this example are designed to use EL expressions and not RT
expressions.

307

308

CHAPTER 11

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

Whenever possible, you should use EL expressions rather than RT expressions. EL

expressions are an important part of JSP 1.3 and offer more flexibility than the older
RT expressions. Because of this you will usually set the rtexprvalue attribute to false.
The forum tag library tags do not make use of RT expressions. The tag that we just
examined could be expressed using an EL expression as follows:
<testlib:printIt value=${10*10}/>

Setting the rtexprvalue attribute to true will not help you process EL expressions.
Processing EL expressions is important if you want your tag library to be used in
conjunction with the JSTL tag libraries. We discuss processing EL expressions later in
this chapter.

Updating web.xml for Custom Tags

Now that you have created a TLD file for your tag library, you must modify your
web.xml file so that it uses the TLD file. Listing 11.4 shows the web.xml file for our
forum application.
LISTING 11.4

The web.xml File

<?xml version=1.0 encoding=iso-8859-1?>

<!DOCTYPE web-app
PUBLIC -//Sun Microsystems, Inc.//DTD Web Application 2.3//EN
http://java.sun.com/dtd/web-app_2_3.dtd>
<web-app>
<context-param>
<param-name>javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.fmt.timeZone</param-name>
<param-value>US/Central</param-value>
</context-param>
<context-param>
<param-name>database-driver</param-name>
<param-value>org.gjt.mm.mysql.Driver</param-value>
</context-param>
<context-param>
<param-name>database-url</param-name>
<param-value>
jdbc:mysql://localhost/forum?user=forumuser</param-value>
</context-param>
<taglib>

The Components of a Tag Library

LISTING 11.4

Continued

<taglib-uri>http://java.sun.com/jstl/fmt</taglib-uri>
<taglib-location>/WEB-INF/fmt.tld</taglib-location>
</taglib>
<taglib>
<taglib-uri>http://java.sun.com/jstl/fmt-rt</taglib-uri>
<taglib-location>/WEB-INF/fmt-rt.tld</taglib-location>
</taglib>
<taglib>
<taglib-uri>http://java.sun.com/jstl/core</taglib-uri>
<taglib-location>/WEB-INF/c.tld</taglib-location>
</taglib>
<taglib>
<taglib-uri>http://java.sun.com/jstl/core-rt</taglib-uri>
<taglib-location>/WEB-INF/c-rt.tld</taglib-location>
</taglib>
<taglib>
<taglib-uri>http://java.sun.com/jstl/sql</taglib-uri>
<taglib-location>/WEB-INF/sql.tld</taglib-location>
</taglib>
<taglib>
<taglib-uri>http://java.sun.com/jstl/sql-rt</taglib-uri>
<taglib-location>/WEB-INF/sql-rt.tld</taglib-location>
</taglib>
<taglib>
<taglib-uri>http://java.sun.com/jstl/x</taglib-uri>
<taglib-location>/WEB-INF/x.tld</taglib-location>
</taglib>
<taglib>
<taglib-uri>http://java.sun.com/jstl/x-rt</taglib-uri>
<taglib-location>/WEB-INF/x-rt.tld</taglib-location>
</taglib>
<taglib>
<taglib-uri>

309

310

CHAPTER 11

LISTING 11.4

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

Continued

http://java.jeffheaton.com/taglib/jstl/forum</taglib-uri>
<taglib-location>/WEB-INF/forum.tld</taglib-location>
</taglib>
</web-app>

The file in Listing 11.4 contains several important pieces of information. The
<taglib> elements are used to specify configuration information to be used with the
forum tag library. Lets look at the <taglib> statements next.
Including Tag Libraries in web.xml
Each of the <taglib> elements that you see in Listing 11.4 is a tag library that we are
making available. Most of the <taglib> elements are used to include JSTL tag
libraries. This element is used to include the forum applications tag library:
<taglib>
<taglib-uri>
http://java.jeffheaton.com/taglib/jstl/forum</taglib-uri>
<taglib-location>/WEB-INF/forum.tld</taglib-location>
</taglib>

As you can see, weve provided a path to the TLD file. The URI is also specified again
with the <taglib-uri> element. By including this taglib node in your web.xml file,
you make the tag library available.
Of course, taglib directives are not the only thing stored in the web.xml file. You
can also store configuration information about your application.
Storing Configuration Information in web.xml
The forum example in Chapter 7 contained two index.jsp files. We configured the
main index.jsp file to work with the MySQL database, and we configured the
secondary index-msa.jsp file to work with Microsoft Access. This is no longer necessary now that we are using a custom tag library. In the version of the forum example
presented in this chapter, we store information about the database connection in the
web.xml file, and allow our tag library and JSP files to remain free of ties to Microsoft
Access or MySQL.
Configuration information stored in the web.xml file is contained in <context-param>
tags. The following two <context-param> tags are used to store information about the
database well use:
<context-param>
<param-name>database-driver</param-name>

The Components of a Tag Library

<param-value>org.gjt.mm.mysql.Driver</param-value>
</context-param>
<context-param>
<param-name>database-url</param-name>
<param-value>
jdbc:mysql://localhost/forum?user=forumuser</param-value>
</context-param>

A context tag named database-url provides the JDBC URL of the database we plan to
access. A second context tag, named database-driver, is used to specify the database
driver that well use to connect to the database. This code is configured to work with
a MySQL database. If you want the example to work with the Microsoft Access database provided in Chapter 7, you have to modify the code as follows:
<context-param>
<param-name>database-driver</param-name>
<param-value>sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver</param-value>
</context-param>
<context-param>
<param-name>database-url</param-name>
<param-value>
jdbc:odbc:forum</param-value>
</context-param>

This code assumes that you are using the DSN forum as specified in Chapter 7. The
values stored in <context-param>, which is located in web.xml, can easily be accessed
from a tag library. We see how this is done in the next section.

Creating the Tag Classes

So far, weve explained how to set up the configuration files that go with the tag
libraries, but we havent yet seen how to create the tag libraries. If you examine the
files that make up the forum tag library, youll notice that there are essentially three
classes of files:
Tag files of the form xxxTag.java, such as LoadUserTag.java
Data classes such as Forum.java or User.java
The session management file, Session.java
We have already described the data classes. Next, we examine session management
and the tag files.

311

312

CHAPTER 11

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

Handling Sessions
Much of the functionality for our forum applications tag library is contained in the
Session class. The Session class is used to ensure that each user session uses only one
database connection. It would be inefficient for each user session to create and
dispose of database connections for each SQL command issued.
One potential hazard of this approach is that database connections will remain open
even after the user has closed the browser. Once the browser is closed, it will be 30
minutes (or whatever session timeout is set to) until the session is closed. In a very
high-volume Web site, this could lead to high resource usage.
The best way to handle such an issue is to use a connection pool. Implementing a
JDBC connection pool is beyond the scope of this book. You may want to look at a
prebuilt JDBC connection pool, such as struts GenericDriver.
Note that the Session class is not a required component of a tag library. It is simply a
utility class that we created to encapsulate some of the common functionality
required by all of the forum applications tags. Because every tag in the forum
example makes use of the Session class, lets begin by examining the Session class.
The Session class works by creating a new Session object for each user session. This is
done by storing the Session object as a session-scoped attribute.
Obtaining a New Session
To obtain a Session object, the static method getSession() should be called from the
Session object:
/**
* Factory method to create sessions. This method
* will ensure that there is only one object created
* per user session.
*
* @param ctx The page context.
* @return A Session object.
* @exception JspException Thrown on general error.
*/
static Session getSession(PageContext ctx)
throws JspException
{
Session session = (Session)ctx.getAttribute(FORUM,PageContext.
SESSION_SCOPE);
if ( session==null ) {
String driver = ctx.getServletContext().
getInitParameter(database-driver);
String url = ctx.getServletContext().

The Components of a Tag Library

getInitParameter(database-url);
session = new Session(driver,url);
ctx.setAttribute(FORUM,session,PageContext.SESSION_SCOPE);
}
return session;
}

First, this method checks to see whether a Session object has already been created for
this session:
Session session = (Session)ctx.getAttribute(FORUM,PageContext.
SESSION_SCOPE);

If a session does not exist, then one is created:

if ( session==null ) {

To open a connection to the database, the program must retrieve the database driver
and URL. These variables will be used later to open connections to the database as
needed. As we mentioned in the previous section, these two values are stored in the
web.xml file. The following code retrieves these values:
String driver = ctx.getServletContext().
getInitParameter(database-driver);
String url = ctx.getServletContext().
getInitParameter(database-url);

These two variables are passed to the constructor of the Session class:
session = new Session(driver,url);
ctx.setAttribute(FORUM,session,PageContext.SESSION_SCOPE);

The constructor to the Session class is simple. The database driver and URL are
passed in and stored. The constructor for the Session class is shown here:
/**
* The constructor. Constructs a Session object
* from a page context. To create a session
* object you should use the getSession factory
* method.
*
* @param driver A database driver
* @param driver A database url
*/
Session(String driver,String url)

313

314

CHAPTER 11

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

{
this.url = url;
this.driver = driver;
}

As the user uses the forum site, database connections are opened and closed as
needed. The following method is used to open a connection to the database. This
method makes use of the database driver and URL obtained previously:
/**
* Factory method to create sessions. This method
* will ensure that there is only one object created
* per user session.
*
* @return A Connection object.
* @exception JspException Thrown on general error.
*/
Connection getConnection()
throws JspException
{
try {
Class.forName(driver);
Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection(url);
return conn;
} catch ( ClassNotFoundException e ) {
throw new JspException(e);
} catch ( SQLException e ) {
throw new JspException(e);
}
}

Our program can now connect to the database. This is accomplished with the usual
JDBC commands for establishing a database connection:
Class.forName(driver);
conn = DriverManager.getConnection(url);

Now that the database connection has been opened, we can instantiate a new
Session object. The object receives the connection to the database and is registered as
a session-scoped attribute.

The Components of a Tag Library

Handling Scope
The forum tag library must frequently create scoped variables to contain the data
that the tag library retrieves. Unfortunately, when the scoped variables are created,
their scope must be specified using integer constants stored in the PageContext class:
/**
* Called to get the int constant for a character scope
* value such as page.
*
* @param str A string that should contain page, session, etc.
* @return The numeric form of the specified scope.
*/
static public int getScope(String str)
{
if ( str==null )
return PageContext.PAGE_SCOPE;
if ( str.equalsIgnoreCase(request) )
return PageContext.REQUEST_SCOPE;
else if ( str.equalsIgnoreCase(session) )
return PageContext.SESSION_SCOPE;
else if ( str.equalsIgnoreCase(application) )
return PageContext.APPLICATION_SCOPE;
else return PageContext.PAGE_SCOPE;
}

As you can see, the getScope() method is simple. The input string is compared
against four constant string values that represent each of the four possible scopes.
Once the scope is determined, the integer constant for that scope is returned. This
method is called any time a scope attribute is specified in any of the forum application tags. This will allow the variable access to occur at the correct scope.
Retrieving a Single Record
One of the primary jobs of the Session class is to perform database queries. All of the
JDBC code used by the forum application is concentrated here. The Session class
includes various methods for database access. We wont cover each of them in this
chapter because they all operate in a similar manner. Instead, we highlight some of
database access methods that are representative of how the others work.
One such method is getUser(). This method performs one of the most basic operations of the Session class: It retrieves a single record. The getUser() method is shown
here:

315

316

CHAPTER 11

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

/**
* Called to load a user from the database.
*
* @param id The user that is to be loaded.
* @return A user object.
* @exception JspException Thrown on general error.
*/
public User loadUser(String id)
throws JspException
{
Connection connection = null;
PreparedStatement stmt = null;
try {
connection = getConnection();
stmt = connection.prepareStatement
(select c_uid,c_pwd,c_accesses,c_
first,c_last,c_bad,c_posted,c_type +
from t_users +
where c_uid=?);
stmt.setString(1, id.toLowerCase());
ResultSet rs = stmt.executeQuery();
if ( !rs.next() )
return null;
User user = new User();
user.setId(rs.getString(c_uid));
user.setPassword(rs.getString(c_pwd));
user.setAccesses(rs.getInt(c_accesses));
user.setFirst(rs.getDate(c_first));
user.setLast(rs.getDate(c_last));
user.setBad(rs.getInt(c_bad));
user.setPosted(rs.getInt(c_posted));
user.setType(rs.getString(c_type));
return user;
} catch ( SQLException e ) {
throw new JspException(e);
}
finally
{

The Components of a Tag Library

try
{
if(stmt!=null)
stmt.close();
if(connection!=null)
connection.close();
}
catch ( SQLException e ) {
throw new JspException(e);
}
}
}

The getUser() method begins by preparing a SQL statement that will search for a user
by that users user ID. The SQL statement is constructed so that all of the fields associated with that user will be returned in the result set.
The individual values contained in the result set must be copied to the properties of
a User object. This is done by a series of calls to the various put methods of the User
object.
Not all accesses to the database are as simple as requesting a single record. Often,
multiple records will have to be returned, or some update or insertion will need to be
preformed against the database. Next, we discuss the process used to retrieve a collection of rows from the database. This process is nearly the same as the single-record
access method, except that the collection method will need to process records in a
loop.
Retrieving a Collection
Often, the data we want to retrieve is more than a single record. Sometimes, the
forum application displays a table of data. To display such a table, the program must
return a collection of data.
One such table is the list of all of the forum users. This list is accessible from the
forum applications administration screens, and allows you to edit or delete users. To
display this collection of users, the Session class provides a method named
listUsers():
/**
* Called to return a collection of all
* of the users.
*
* @return A collection that contains all of

317

318

CHAPTER 11

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

* the users.
* @exception JspException Thrown on general error.
*/
public Collection listUsers()
throws JspException
{
Connection connection = null;
PreparedStatement stmt = null;
try {
connection = getConnection();
Collection c = new LinkedList();
stmt = connection.prepareStatement
(select c_uid,c_pwd,c_accesses,c_
first,c_last,c_bad,c_posted,c_type +
from t_users order by c_uid );
ResultSet rs = stmt.executeQuery();
while ( rs.next() ) {
User user = new User();
user.setId(rs.getString(c_uid));
user.setPassword(rs.getString(c_pwd));
user.setAccesses(rs.getInt(c_accesses));
user.setFirst(rs.getDate(c_first));
user.setLast(rs.getDate(c_last));
user.setBad(rs.getInt(c_bad));
user.setPosted(rs.getInt(c_posted));
user.setType(rs.getString(c_type));
c.add(user);
}
return c;
} catch ( SQLException e ) {
throw new JspException(e);
}
finally
{
try
{
if(stmt!=null)
stmt.close();
if(connection!=null)
connection.close();

The Components of a Tag Library

}
catch ( SQLException e ) {
throw new JspException(e);
}
}
}

This method first instantiates a new ArrayList with an arbitrary length of 3. This
collection will hold the individual User objects that will be created. The method
begins by submitting a query to the database. This query retrieves all of the users
currently registered and orders them by their user ID.
The program then loops through the returned records. It copies each field into the
corresponding property of the User class. Once the query has been completely
processed, the collection of User objects is returned to the calling method.
Encapsulating Functionality
In addition to retrieving individual and collections of records, another important
benefit of moving the database functionality away from the JSP pages is that
complex operations can be hidden from the presentation logic contained in the JSP
pages. The two examples that we examined so far were simple result sets that were
returned in essentially the same form as they were retrieved from the database.
Database operations are not always that simple.
One such example from the forum application is what transpires when the user posts
a message to one of the forums. When a message is posted to a forum, a new row
must be added to the t_messages table. To properly add a message, the program must
calculate a new message number. In addition, it must fill in the current date that the
message was posted. These tasks are handled by the createMessage() method
provided by the Session class:
/**
* Called to create a new forum message.
*
* @param code The forum that the message is to be created in.
* @param from The login id of the user that this message is from.
* @param subject The subject of this message.
* @param message The actual message text.
* @exception JspException Thrown on general error.
*/
public void createMessage(String code,String from,String
subject,String message)
throws JspException

319

320

CHAPTER 11

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

{
Connection connection = null;
PreparedStatement stmt = null;
try {
connection = getConnection();
code = code.toUpperCase();
stmt = connection.prepareStatement
(select max(c_number)+1 as msgnum
from t_messages+
where c_forum_code = ?);
stmt.setString(1, code.toUpperCase());
ResultSet rs = stmt.executeQuery();
int num;
if ( rs.next() )
num = rs.getInt(msgnum);
else
num = 1;
stmt = connection.prepareStatement
(insert into t_messages(c_forum_code,c_number,c_
posted,c_subject,c_sender,c_message)+
values(?,?,now(),?,?,?));
stmt.setString(1,code);
stmt.setInt(2,num);
stmt.setString(3,subject);
stmt.setString(4,from);
stmt.setString(5,message);
stmt.execute();
User user = loadUser(from);
user.setPosted(user.getPosted()+1);
saveUser(user);
} catch ( SQLException e ) {
throw new JspException(e);
}
finally
{
try
{
if(stmt!=null)
stmt.close();

The Components of a Tag Library

if(connection!=null)
connection.close();
}
catch ( SQLException e ) {
throw new JspException(e);
}
}
}

The createMessage() method must accomplish two key tasks to post the message.
First, it must determine the message number that will be assigned to the newly
created message. This is done by doing a SQL SELECT with the max aggregate function.
Whatever the maximum message number used by the forum, the new message
number will be one higher. Once this number is determined, the message can be
posted.
The same Connection object can be reused with the second task. However, a new
Statement object is instantiated. The message is inserted into the t_messages table
using the SQL INSERT INTO command.
The message number, along with the parameter information, is copied to the statement for use by the insert statement. Once the Statement object is prepared, its
execute() method is called and the new record is created.

Constructing the Tags

In the previous section, we saw how the database queries were constructed to
perform three basic types of operations. In this section, we explain how these database operations are tied to the actual tags.
Retrieving a Single Record
First lets construct a tag that will return one record. Weve named this tag
<forum:loadUser>, and it will be responsible for loading an individual user from the
database. Listing 11.5 shows the LoadUserTag class file that implements the custom
tag.
LISTING 11.5

Loading a User (LoadUserTag.java)

package com.heaton.forum;
import javax.servlet.jsp.*;
import javax.servlet.jsp.tagext.*;
import java.util.*;
import java.io.*;
import org.apache.taglibs.standard.tag.el.core.*;

321

322

CHAPTER 11

LISTING 11.5

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

Continued

import java.sql.*;
/**
* Example program from Chapter 11
* JSTL: JSP Standard Template Library Kick Start
* Published by Sams Publishing
*
*
* This file implements the loadUserTag tag for the
* forum custom tag library example.
*
* @author Jeff Heaton(http://www.jeffheaton.com)
* @version 1.0
*/
public class LoadUserTag extends TagSupport {
private String id_el;,
private String var;
private String scope;
private String id;
public void setId(String id) {
this.id_el = id;
}
public void setVar(String var) {
this.var = var;
}
public void setScope(String scope) {
this.scope = scope;
}
/**
* The start of the tag, used to process the EL
* expressions.
*
* @return A status to indicate if the body is to be
* processed. Here the body is not processed.
* @exception javax.servlet.jsp.JspException Thrown on general
error.

The Components of a Tag Library

LISTING 11.5

Continued

*/
public int doStartTag()
throws javax.servlet.jsp.JspException
{
id = (String)ExpressionUtil.evalNotNull(
setUser, id, id_el, String.class, this, pageContext);
return SKIP_BODY;
}
/**
* The ending tag method is called when the tag
* is ready to complete. It is here that
* the user is loaded.
*
* @return A status code that indicates if the rest of the
* page is to be processed.
* @exception JspException Thrown on general error.
*/
public int doEndTag() throws JspException {
Session session = Session.getSession(pageContext);
User user = session.loadUser(id);
if ( user==null ) {
pageContext.removeAttribute(var);
} else {
pageContext.setAttribute(var,user);
}
return EVAL_PAGE;
}
}

Youll notice that several methods and properties are used to implement the loadUser
tag. Lets examine these components so you can easily create your own tag libraries.
Accessing Attributes One of the most basic components of any JSP tag is the
attributes given to that tag. The <forum:loadUser> tag must be provided with the user
ID to be loaded. Likewise, the <forum:loadUser> tag must be provided with the name
of the scoped variable in which the user is to be stored. Finally, the <forum:loadUser>
tag must be provided with the scope that the scoped variable must be created in.

323

324

CHAPTER 11

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

This gives the <forum:loadUser> three attributes, named id, var, and scope. Calling
<forum:loadUser> to load the admin user might look like this:
<forum:loadUser id=admin var=user scope=page/>

Your program must be able to read in each of these values if the tag is to function
properly. Reading in these three values would be quite easy, since they are just
simple constant values. There is no command that actually reads in these values. To
gain access to these values, you must create set methods for each of them. The Web
server calls your set methods and allows your tag to receive all three attributes. For
example, we use the setId() method to retrieve the value of the id attribute:
public void setId(String id) {
this.id_el = id;
}

This set tag stores the value specified for the id attribute in the variable id_el. If your
tag is provided only to support simple constant values, this is sufficient.
Evaluating EL Expressions If you would like your tag to be able to accept EL
expressions, you must take a few additional steps. Consider the following tag, which
uses an EL expression:
<forum:loadUser id=${param.uid} var=user scope=page/>

In this tag, the user ID is not just a simple constant value. When our set method is
called, it is passed the string ${param.uid}. We want this value to be evaluated, but it
is not evaluated in the set method. Instead, the set method simply stores it away in
the id_el variable for the doStartTag() method to evaluate. The only operation
performed by the doStartTag() method of the <forum:loadUser> tag is to evaluate the
value of the id attribute:
id = (String)ExpressionUtil.evalNotNull(
setUser, id, id_el, String.class, this, pageContext);

This code allows you to call the Apache expression evaluator to evaluate the EL
expression.
The ExpressionUtil.evalNotNull() method is provided by the Apache implementation
of JSTL and allows you to access individual attributes of your tags. Its primary benefit
is that it is capable of evaluating EL expressions.
WARNING
The ExpressionUtil class is not a part of the standard JSTL implementation. This is a class
that the Apache implementation of JSTL included for convenience. The command to evaluate

The Components of a Tag Library

an EL expression when using an implementation of JSTL other than Apache may be slightly
different. It is also important that the JAR files servlet.jar, standard.jar, and jstl.jar all be added
to the classpath so that your tag has access to the ExpressionUtil class while your tag is
being compiled. This is covered in greater detail in Appendix B, Installing Tomcat and JSTL.

Once the result of the expression has been stored in the id variable, the work of
the doStartTag() method is done. The method can now return with the following
statement:
return SKIP_BODY;

Because the <forum:loadUser> tag does not expect body content, we can safely return
the SKIP_BODY identifier to halt further evaluation of the tags body. After the body is
processed, the doEndTag() method is called.
The doEndTag() Method Most bodyless tags perform their primary action in the
doEndTag() method. In the case of the <forum:loadUser> tag, the doEndTag() method
begins by obtaining the Session object so that a database command can be invoked:
Session session = Session.getSession(pageContext);

Once we have access to the session, we can load the user. This is done by calling the
loadUser() method of the Session object:
User user = session.loadUser(id);

We discussed the loadUser() method earlier in this chapter. If the user is found, the
loadUser() method returns null. If the value returned is null, then we want to
remove the scoped variable, specified by the var attribute, from the context. This is
done with the following code:
if ( user==null ) {
pageContext.removeAttribute(var);
} else {

If a valid user is returned, then we store this user in the scoped variable specified by
the var attribute. The following code sets the appropriate scoped variable with the
User object:
pageContext.setAttribute(var,user);
}

Once the User object has been copied, the tags work is nearly done. Now, the tag
must return with a constant that specifies the next action to be taken:
return EVAL_PAGE;

325

326

CHAPTER 11

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

In this example, we use the constant EVAL_PAGE, which allows the rest of the page to
be evaluated. If the SKIP_PAGE constant were returned, the remaining data on the
page would not be evaluated.
Retrieving a Collection
Collections are an important part of the JSTL tag library. Many tags are provided that
allow you to work with collections. This includes not only accessing the data
members of the collections, but also iterating through them. By having your tag
return a collection, you are able to use the <c:forEach> tag to process the elements of
your collection.
One such example of this is the <forum:listUsers> tag. This tag returns a complete
list of the users as a collection. This allows admin screens to display a complete
listing of users for editing. The <forum:listUsers> tag is implemented inside
ListUsersTag.java. The source code to ListUsersTag.java is shown in Listing 11.6.
LISTING 11.6

The listUsers Tag (ListUsersTag.java)

package com.heaton.forum;
import javax.servlet.jsp.*;
import javax.servlet.jsp.tagext.*;
import java.util.*;
import java.io.*;
import org.apache.taglibs.standard.tag.el.core.*;
import java.sql.*;
/**
* Example program from Chapter 11
* JSTL: JSP Standard Template Library
* Published by Sams Publishing
*
*
* This file implements the listUsers tag for the
* forum custom tag library example.
*
* @author Jeff Heaton(http://www.jeffheaton.com)
* @version 1.0
*/
public class ListUsersTag extends TagSupport {
private String var;
private String scope;

The Components of a Tag Library

LISTING 11.6

Continued

public void setVar(String var) {

this.var = var;
}
public void setScope(String scope) {
this.scope = scope;
}
/**
* The start of the tag, used to process the EL
* expressions.
*
* @return A status to indicate if the body is to be
* processed. Here the body is not processed.
* @exception javax.servlet.jsp.JspException Thrown on general
error.
*/
public int doStartTag()
throws javax.servlet.jsp.JspException
{
return SKIP_BODY;
}
/**
* The ending tag method is called when the tag
* is ready to complete. It is here that
* the users are listed.
*
* @return A status code that indicates if the rest of the
* page is to be processed.
* @exception JspException Thrown on general error.
*/
public int doEndTag() throws JspException {
Session session = Session.getSession(pageContext);
Collection list = session.listUsers();
pageContext.setAttribute(var,list,Session.getScope(scope));
return EVAL_PAGE;
}
}

327

328

CHAPTER 11

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

The <forum:listUsers> tag is similar in structure to the <forum:loadUser> tag. The

primary difference is that the tag returns a collection rather than an individual user
record.
Encapsulating Functionality
So far, we have seen tags that simply map to database queries. While a program will
usually have many such tags, another key feature of tag libraries is their ability to
encapsulate common functionality. PostMessageTag.java is shown in Listing 11.7.
LISTING 11.7

Posting a Message (PostMessageTag.java)

package com.heaton.forum;
import javax.servlet.jsp.*;
import javax.servlet.jsp.tagext.*;
import java.util.*;
import java.io.*;
import org.apache.taglibs.standard.tag.el.core.*;
import java.sql.*;
/**
* Example program from Chapter 11
* JSTL: JSP Standard Template Library
* Published by Sams Publishing
*
*
* This file implements the postMessages tag for the
* forum custom tag library example.
*
* @author Jeff Heaton(http://www.jeffheaton.com)
* @version 1.0
*/
public class PostMessageTag extends TagSupport {
private String code_el;
private String code;
private String from_el;
private String from;
private String subject_el;
private String subject;
private String message_el;
private String message;
public void setCode(String code) {

The Components of a Tag Library

LISTING 11.7

Continued

this.code_el = code;
}
public void setFrom(String from) {
this.from_el = from;
}
public void setSubject(String subject) {
this.subject_el = subject;
}
public void setMessage(String message) {
this.message_el = message;
}

/**
* The start of the tag, used to process the EL
* expressions.
*
* @return A status to indicate if the body is to be
* processed. Here the body is not processed.
* @exception javax.servlet.jsp.JspException Thrown on general
error.
*/
public int doStartTag()
throws javax.servlet.jsp.JspException
{
code = (String)ExpressionUtil.evalNotNull(
postMessage, code, code_el, String.class, this,
pageContext);
from = (String)ExpressionUtil.evalNotNull(
postMessage, from, from_el, String.class, this,
pageContext);
subject = (String)ExpressionUtil.evalNotNull(
postMessage, subject, subject_el, String.class, this,
pageContext);
message = (String)ExpressionUtil.evalNotNull(

329

330

CHAPTER 11

LISTING 11.7

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

Continued

postMessage, message, message_el, String.class, this,

pageContext);
return SKIP_BODY;
}
/**
* The ending tag method is called when the tag
* is ready to complete. It is here that
* the message is posted.
*
* @return A status code that indicates if the rest of the
* page is to be processed.
* @exception JspException Thrown on general error.
*/
public int doEndTag() throws JspException {
Session session = Session.getSession(pageContext);
session.createMessage(code,from,subject,message);
return EVAL_PAGE;
}
}

From the tags perspective, this is an easy operation. All of the work is done by the
createMessage() method of the Session object. We defined this method earlier in this
chapter.
The doEndTag() method begins by establishing a Session object. With access to the
session, the method calls the createMessage() method. Nothing is returned by this
method; the tag simply returns with the directive to process the rest of the page.
Tags with Bodies
Sometimes, you will want to create a custom tag that also has a body. One example
of this is the <forum:expire> tag. This tag works like an if statement. If the users
session has expired, the program executes the body of the <forum:expire> tag. This
tag is used in instances such as the following:
<forum:expire>
<c:redirect url=index.jsp />
</forum:expire>

This tag checks to see whether the users session has expired. If it has, then the
program executes the body of the tag. The body contains a single JSTL command
that redirects the page back to the index.jsp file.

The Components of a Tag Library

Lets now look at how to construct a tag that also contains a body. The source code
behind the <forum:expire> tag is shown in Listing 11.8.
LISTING 11.8

Checking to See if the User Has Expired (ExpireTag.java)

package com.heaton.forum;
import javax.servlet.jsp.JspTagException;
import javax.servlet.jsp.PageContext;
import javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.core.ConditionalTagSupport;
/**
* Example program from Chapter 11
* JSTL: JSP Standard Template Library Kick Start
* Published by Sams Publishing
*
*
* This file implements the expireTag tag for the
* forum custom tag library example. This tag is
* used to determine if the session has timed out.
*
* @author Jeff Heaton(http://www.jeffheaton.com)
* @version 1.0
*/
public class ExpireTag extends ConditionalTagSupport {
/**
* @return true if the Session object has not been created in the
session scope.
*/
protected boolean condition() throws JspTagException {
return pageContext.getAttribute(Session.FORUM,PageContext.
SESSION_SCOPE) == null;
}
}

With a tag such as <forum:expire>, the majority of processing is done in the condition() method rather than the doEndTag() method. This is because we overrode the
ConditionalTagSupport class. The ConditionalTagSupport class is used to provide tags
similar to <c:if>. The method simply returns true if the body is to be executed or
false if it is not.
There are other helper classes like ConditionalTagSupport. You are not required to use
these helper classes. For example, we could have implemented the expire tag using
the TagSupport class. Other helper classes provided by JSTL include:

331

332

CHAPTER 11

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

LoopTagStatusProvides status information for loops

LoopTagSupportProvides tags that repeat their body statements in a loop
LocaleSupportUsed for I18N support
SQLExecutionTagProvides tags that use SQL
ResultSupportProvides your own result sets
The tags that weve examined are ones youll use in most cases. For more information about these classes, refer to the JavaDoc pages at http://java.sun.com.

Creating the JAR File

Tag libraries are usually distributed as JAR files. In this section, we show you how to
compile the forum applications JAR file. We provide a script file that allows you to
compile the JAR file. If you are using Unix, you should use the build_taglib.sh script.
If you are using Windows, you should use build_taglib.bat. The contents of both
script files are essentially the same. The build_taglib.sh script file is shown in Listing
11.9.
LISTING 11.9

Building the Taglib (build_taglib.sh)

javac ./com/heaton/forum/LoadUserTag.java
javac ./com/heaton/forum/SaveUserTag.java
javac ./com/heaton/forum/LoginUserTag.java
javac ./com/heaton/forum/ExpireTag.java
javac ./com/heaton/forum/NewUserTag.java
javac ./com/heaton/forum/ListForumsTag.java
javac ./com/heaton/forum/ListMessagesTag.java
javac ./com/heaton/forum/LoadForumTag.java
javac ./com/heaton/forum/PostMessageTag.java
javac ./com/heaton/forum/DeleteMessageTag.java
javac ./com/heaton/forum/DeleteUserTag.java
javac ./com/heaton/forum/ListUsersTag.java
javac ./com/heaton/forum/EditForumTag.java
javac ./com/heaton/forum/EditUserTag.java
javac ./com/heaton/forum/CreateForumTag.java
javac ./com/heaton/forum/DeleteForumTag.java
jar cvf forum.jar ./com/heaton/forum/*.class

The script file in Listing 11.9 executes the Java compiler on each of the tag files.
Once the tag files are compiled, the jar command is used to package all the class

The Components of a Tag Library

files into a single JAR file. You need to place this JAR file, named forum.jar, in the
/lib directory of your Web server. The examples directory that you will download
from the Sams Publishing Web site will already contain the JAR file in the /lib
directory.
WARNING
If you get a compile error, you must make sure that your classpath has all of the required JAR
files.

You have now learned to create tags. This includes setting up the configuration files
as well as compiling the actual Java source files. Now, lets see how to use these tags.

Using the Tags from JSP

Tags are used from JSP pages. Lets look at a JSP pageone of the admin pagesthat
uses some of the tags we just created. The user administration page must present a
list of all the users of the system. This page, shown in Figure 11.1, uses several of the
forum applications tags.

FIGURE 11.1

Listing the users.

333

334

CHAPTER 11

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

The source code to the user administration JSP page is shown in Listing 11.10.
LISTING 11.10

Our User Admin Page (users.jsp)

<%@ page contentType=text/html; charset=UTF-8 %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/fmt prefix=fmt %>
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core-rt prefix=c-rt %>
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.jeffheaton.com/taglib/jstl/forum
prefix=forum %>
<forum:expire>
<c:redirect url=index.jsp />
</forum:expire>
<c:if test=${user.type!=A}>
<c:redirect url=main.jsp />
</c:if>
<c:if test=${param.mode==del}>
<forum:deleteUser id=${param.target} />
</c:if>
<html>
<head>
<title><fmt:message key=editusers.title bundle=${lang}/>
</title>
</head>
<body link=#000000 vlink=#000000 alink=#000000>
<p><fmt:message key=editusers.ins bundle=${lang}/></p>
<forum:listUsers var=list/>
<table border=0 width=410>
<tr>
<td bgcolor=#0000FF width=115>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>
<fmt:message key=word.action bundle=${lang}/></font>
</b>
</td>
<td bgcolor=#0000FF width=45>

The Components of a Tag Library

LISTING 11.10

Continued

<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>
<fmt:message key=word.user bundle=${lang}/></font>
</b>
</td>
<td bgcolor=#0000FF width=246>
<b>
<font color=#FFFFFF size=4>
<fmt:message key=word.type bundle=${lang}/></font>
</b>
</td>
</tr>
<c:forEach var=row items=${list}
varStatus=status>
<c:url value=${pageContext.request.requestURI} var=del>
<c:param name=mode value=del />
<c:param name=target value=${row.id} />
</c:url>
<c:url value=edituser.jsp var=edit>
<c:param name=mode value=edit />
<c:param name=target value=${row.id} />
</c:url>
<jsp:useBean id=status
type=javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.core.LoopTagStatus />
<c-rt:choose>
<c-rt:when test=<%=status.getCount()%2==0%>>
<c:set var=color value=#FFFFFF />
</c-rt:when>
<c-rt:otherwise>
<c:set var=color value=#FFFF66 />
</c-rt:otherwise>
</c-rt:choose>

335

336

CHAPTER 11

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

LISTING 11.10

Continued

<tr bgcolor=<c:out value=${color}/>>

<td width=115>
<a href=<c:out value=${del}/>>[
<fmt:message key=word.delete bundle=${lang}/>]</a>
<a href=<c:out value=${edit}/>>[
<fmt:message key=word.edit bundle=${lang}/>]</a>
</td>
<td width=35>
<b>
<c:out value=${row.id} />
</b>
</td>
<td width=246>
<c:choose>
<c:when test=${row.type==A}><fmt:message
key=type.a bundle=${lang}/></c:when>
<c:when test=${row.type==R}><fmt:message
key=type.r bundle=${lang}/></c:when>
<c:when test=${row.type==G}><fmt:message
key=type.g bundle=${lang}/></c:when>
<c:otherwise>
<c:out value=${row.type} />
</c:otherwise>
</c:choose>
</td>
</tr>
</c:forEach>
</table>
<br />
<a href=admin.jsp>[<fmt:message key=word.exit
bundle=${lang}/>]</a>
</body>
</html>

The Components of a Tag Library

First, the JSP page must use the appropriate import tags to gain access to the forum
tag library. At the top of the JSP page, among the other tags, you can see the import
tag used to import the forum tag library:
<%@ taglib uri=http://java.jeffheaton.com/taglib/jstl/forum
prefix=forum %>

As you can see, the taglib statement uses the URI

http://java.jeffheaton.com/taglib/jstl/forum. This is the same URI specified earlier
when we created the tag library. This tag makes the forum applications tag library
accessible under the prefix forum. Now that the forum tag library is accessible, we can
begin to use it.
The first thing the user administration page does is ensure that the users session is
still valid. If the user session is invalid, this means that the user has been inactive for
too long and has been logged off:
<forum:expire>
<c:redirect url=index.jsp />
</forum:expire>

Next, the page must check to see whether the user is actually an administrator. If the
user is not an administrator, the user should not have made it to this page, because
the page is accessible only from the main administration screen. However, it is still
important to actually check to see whether the user has administrative access. This is
because it is possible that the user might have directly entered the URL to this page,
thus bypassing previous security. By doing this check, we make absolutely sure that
this page has been entered by legitimate means and by an administrative user. This
check is done using the user session variable:
<c:if test=${user.type!=A}>
<c:redirect url=main.jsp />
</c:if>

At this point, we have successfully validated that the users session still exists and
that the user is a legitimate administrative user. We are now ready to perform the
actual duty of this page. As previously stated, the primary purpose of this page is to
display every users login name with links that allow the administrator to delete or
edit users.
To list all the users, we must first obtain a collection of every user record contained
in the t_users table. We do this by using the <forum:listUsers> tag. This tag is called
specifying a scoped variable in which we want to place the collection:
<forum:listUsers var=list/>

337

338

CHAPTER 11

Creating Your Own Tag Libraries

Now that we have access to the collection of users, we can iterate through them. We
do this by using the familiar <c:forEach> tag:
<c:forEach var=row items=${list}
varStatus=status>

We must display the users ID from each of these row variables:

<td width=35>
<b>
<c:out value=${row.id} />
</b>
</td>

As the user collection is iterated through, each users record allows the users ID to be
displayed. In addition, we construct valid URLs for both the edit and delete links.
By using our own tags, we have now isolated the database access to our tag library.
Rather than using the <sql:query> tag to access the database, we use our own tag that
hides the exact table and column names.

Summary
In this chapter, we showed you how to create your own tag libraries. We described
the steps necessary to allow your tags to process EL-based expressions. It is important
to design your tag libraries to be compatible with the JSTL tag libraries. That way,
you wont have to design the common formatting and iteration tags that make up
the JSTL tag library.
In the next (and final) chapter, youll learn how to tie everything together. We
explain how to deploy Web applications that consist of a mixture of custom tag
libraries, JSTL, and JSP code. These components can all be combined into one
common file called a Web Archive (WAR) file.
Debugging is an important aspect of Web development. In the next chapter, we also
examine how to debug JSTL tag libraries. We show you how to output trace information, read error messages, and use the JDK 1.4 logging API with Tomcat.

12
Debugging and
Deploying Tag Libraries
Up to this point, you have learned how to use the JSTL
tag libraries and how to create your own tag libraries.
There are two other important factors that you must also
consider when developing a Web application.
Debugging is always a considerable part of the development process. Programs rarely work as designed on the first
try. In this chapter, we show you how to read error
messages generated by the Web server. You will also learn
how to use an integrated development environment (IDE)
to debug your Web applications.
Packaging and deployment of your Web applications is
another important factor. Web applications are often
deployed onto multiple computers. Properly packaging
your application makes this deployment process easy. In
this chapter, we also show you how to deploy your Web
applications.

Debugging
Debugging is a critical process for any programming
endeavor. JSTL, like any other programming language, is
susceptible to programming errors. To effectively program
JSTL and custom tag libraries, you must know how to
combat these errors. In this section, we show you debugging techniques you can use to debug errors youre likely
to encounter when using JSTL and your own custom tag
libraries.
Various types of errors can be returned from a JSTL page.
The error reports that JSTL displays are designed to provide
information that will lead you to the cause of the problem.

340

CHAPTER 12

Debugging and Deploying Tag Libraries

Error reports returned from a JSP server may look like a complex jumble of text and
numbers, but you must learn how to read them to determine the cause of the error.
Several types of errors are common with JSTL pages; they range from general exceptions to JSTL-specific parsing errors. We begin by examining a general exception.

General Exceptions
An application displays a general exception whenever it executes a JSP page that
causes a Java exception to be thrown. More than one type of exception can be
thrown to a JSP page. Any exception that can be thrown by Java can cause a JSP page
to terminate if the exception is not caught.
General exceptions have many causes, and we wont attempt to list them all. In this
section, we examine the exception that is thrown when the JSTL processor encounters beginning and ending tags that do not match. This can often happen when you
forget an ending tag. When such an error occurs, youll see output similar to
Figure 12.1.

FIGURE 12.1

A general JSTL exception.

In Figure 12.1, we neglected to include an ending tag, as the exception indicates. The
JSP page that causes the error is shown in Listing 12.1.

Debugging

LISTING 12.1

A Missing Ending Tag (general.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>General JSTL</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:forEach var=i begin=1 end=10 step=1>
</body>
</html>

A missing ending tag error occurs as a result of an exception being thrown by the
parser. With this type of error, you are not provided with the line number within the
JSP page where this error occurred. Instead, you are given a line number in the
compiled servlet. While this number is not as helpful, the error text does yield some
information:
org.apache.jasper.compiler.ParseException: End of content reached
while more parsing required: tag nesting error?

As you can see, Tomcat has reported that an ending tag is missing.
WARNING
Note that these errors are tied not only to which Web server you use but also to the version.
These errors may look different on different Web servers and versions of those Web servers.

In the next section, we examine a JSTL-specific error that gives you the line number
and column that caused the error.

A JSTL-Specific Error
A JSTL-specific error can occur when you forget an attribute to JSTL tag. There are
other causes, but forgetting required attributes is one of the most common. When
you receive a JSTL-specific exception, the output looks similar to that shown in
Figure 12.2.

341

342

CHAPTER 12

FIGURE 12.2

Debugging and Deploying Tag Libraries

A JSTL-specific exception.

A JSTL-specific error gives the line number and column that this error occurred on.
This allows you to determine the exact part of the JSP page that caused this error. If
you look closely at the first line of the exception thrown, youll notice the following
text:
/example/ch12/debug/jstl.jsp(8,6) According to the TLD attribute
value is mandatory for tag out

This text tells you exactly which file caused the error. In this case, the error was
caused by a file named jstl.jsp. The numbers following the filename tell you exactly
which line and column in the JSP page caused this error. The number 8 indicates the
eighth line, and the number 6 indicates the sixth column. Using this information
you can quickly track down exactly which tag caused the error that JSTL is complaining about.
For this error, we have simply forgotten to include the value attribute for the <c:out>
tag. To see this program, refer to Listing 12.2.
LISTING 12.2

A Missing Attribute (jstl.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<html>
<head>
<title>Count to 10 Example(using JSTL)</title>
</head>

Debugging

LISTING 12.2

Continued

<body>
<c:forEach var=i begin=1 end=10 step=1>
<c:out />
<br />
</c:forEach>
</body>
</html>

The errors that weve examined are the result of JSTL code. Lets now look at how to
handle errors that occur inside your own tag libraries.

An Error in a Tag Library

In Chapter 11, we showed you how to create your own custom tag libraries. These
custom tag libraries are Java programs, and like all Java programs, they can develop
errors. If an error occurs in your custom tag, it is likely that a general exception will
be thrown. You must recognize this form of general exception so that you can
quickly determine which of your tags has caused the error. If you receive an error
from one of your custom tag libraries, the output from your browser will look similar
to that shown in Figure 12.3.

FIGURE 12.3

A tag library exception.

343

344

CHAPTER 12

Debugging and Deploying Tag Libraries

As you can see in Figure 12.3, an error is being raised by the custom tag library. To
understand the source of this error, we must examine the JSP code, shown in Listing
12.3, that produced the error.
LISTING 12.3

A Custom Tag Error (custom.jsp)

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.sun.com/jstl/core prefix=c %>

<%@ taglib uri=http://java.jeffheaton.com/taglib/jstl/forum
prefix=forum %>
<html>
<head>
<title>Custom Tag Error</title>
</head>
<body>
<forum:newUser id=admin password=admin var=user
scope=session/>
</body>
</html>

The cause of our error is that we are attempting to create a user that has the same
name as an existing user. We are attempting to create a user named admin, and the
forum application should already have a user named admin. Therefore, this tag
throws an error.
Most bugs are not as simple as the ones weve discussed. Often, your code will have
logic errors and will not throw an exception, yet the code will not do what it is
supposed to do, either. To handle this sort of bug, you must use a debugger.
Debuggers are usually made available as part of an IDE. In the next section, we step
you through the code of our custom tag library using a debugger.

Debugging with an IDE

An integrated development environment (IDE) is a GUI application that allows you
to develop a Java application using a convenient editor. Though using an IDE makes
it convenient to develop your application, one of the chief benefits to using an IDE
is debugging. You have likely already used an IDE to debug your Java applications. It
is also possible to use an IDE to debug a custom tag library, such as the tag library
used in Chapter 11.

Debugging with an IDE

In this section, we show you how to use an IDE to debug a custom tag library. Using
the IDE, you can easily debug your application as you step through your routines
and observe the values of variables as your program runs. This can be invaluable for
debugging your program and learning why it does what it does.
Commercial IDEs include Visual Cafe, JBuilder, and Visual Age. Many IDEs are available for free. For example, Suns Forte includes a community edition that you can
download for free Forte at http://java.sun.com.
In addition, the Eclipse IDE is a completely open source project being developed by
IBM. Next, we show you how to install this IDE to use with Tomcat.

Introducing Eclipse
Eclipse is an advanced and very popular IDE for the Java platform. There is some
speculation as to where the name for Eclipse came from. Some say that it IBM meant
to imply that they will eclipse Sun Microsystems in the Java tools market.
Whatever the meaning behind the name, it is a valuable tool.
You can download Eclipse from the IBM Web site at http://www.eclipse.org. The
Eclipse IDE can be used with many platforms. If youre using Windows or Linux, you
can download a binary version that is ready for install.
When you download Eclipse, youll notice that the program is in one large Zip
archive. Inside this archive is a single folder, named eclipse. You should copy the
eclipse folder to a convenient location on your computer. Inside the eclipse archive
is a single executable file named eclipse.exe. Double-click this file to start the Eclipse
system.
It may be convenient to create a shortcut, or link, to this executable and place this
shortcut at a convenient location, such as your desktop.
The Eclipse IDE does not come with a JDK. You must have already downloaded and
installed a JDK prior to installing Eclipse. We suggest you use JDK version 1.4 or
higher. Once you have installed the JDK and Eclipse on your system, you are ready
to begin using Eclipse.
When Eclipse first starts, youll see the blue Eclipse splash screen as the program
loads. Once Eclipse loads, youll see the Eclipse main screen, shown in Figure 12.4.
For the IDE debugging example shown in this chapter, we debug the tag library we
presented in Chapter 11. To debug the forum application, you must set up a project
file that builds the forum tag library and includes the Tomcat Web server. In the next
section, youll learn how to set up a project that uses Tomcat.

345

346

CHAPTER 12

FIGURE 12.4

Debugging and Deploying Tag Libraries

The Eclipse IDE.

Using Eclipse with Tomcat

Debugging a Web application is not as simple as debugging a normal Java application using an IDE. To debug a JSP-based application, you must bring the entire Web
server, in this case Tomcat, into the debugging context. There are several ways that
you can do this. One approach is to use a third-party plug-in that has been developed for the Eclipse IDE.
Sysdeo developed the Tomcat plug-in that allows you to use Tomcat with Eclipse.
This free tool makes it easier to work with Tomcat and Eclipse. You can download
this tool from http://www.sysdeo.com/eclipse/tomcatPlugin.html.
For our examples, we dont use a third-party Tomcat plug-in. It is easy enough to
configure Eclipse to recognize the JAR files included with the Tomcat distribution.
However, if the process we describe here causes difficulty, you might consider using a
third-party plug-in for Tomcat.
To debug your Web application with Eclipse, you must set up an Eclipse project.
Eclipse stores projects in individual folders. These folders contain the settings, Java
files, and other information needed to execute to that project. You can download the
project file being used here from the Sams Publishing Web site. This folder is named
eclipse-forum; copy the folder to a convenient location on your computer. The
source files available from the Web site contain a sample project in a directory

Debugging with an IDE

named eclipse-forum. In this chapter, well assume youve copied the folder to your
local directory (c:\eclipse-forum).
At this point, you must inform Eclipse of the folders existence by creating a new
project. When you choose to create a new project in Eclipse, youll see a screen
similar to the one shown in Figure 12.5.

FIGURE 12.5

Creating a project.

We are not really creating a new project, but it is necessary to use this method to
make Eclipse aware of the forum folder. Simply type in the name of the copied
folder, and Eclipse will begin using that folder. Once youve successfully created a
new project, youll see a screen like the one shown in Figure 12.6.
Next, make sure that everything is accessible by attempting to rebuild your project.
From the Project menu, select Rebuild All. If all goes well, youll see a progress bar
indicating that your project is being recompiled. After the build completes, you
should not see any errors. If errors are reported, you must investigate the causes of
these errors and correct them. If you are receiving errors, the most likely cause is that
the JAR files, which are necessary for Tomcat to run, are not being found by the
Eclipse IDE. These JAR files were set up in the Project Properties window and have
absolute paths pointing to them. If you installed Tomcat to a folder other than the
standard c:\Program Files\Apache Tomcat 4.0, then you must modify the location of
each JAR file.

347

348

CHAPTER 12

FIGURE 12.6

Debugging and Deploying Tag Libraries

The forum project.

If you installed Tomcat into a nonstandard location, youll have to adjust the library
setting in Project Properties. Begin by right-clicking on the project node on the tree
at the left side of the Eclipse IDE. This opens a window that allows you to choose
from several tabs. Select the Java Build Path option, and then select the Libraries tab
to display a window similar to the one shown in Figure 12.7.
You must now go through each of the entries in the libraries and make sure they
point to the correct location of the JAR files. The JAR files are all included within the
Tomcat directory. When youve corrected the locations of the JAR files, you should
be able to recompile the forum application.
Once youve recompiled the forum application, you should run it to ensure that it
actually works. To run the application from Eclipse, click the toolbar item that looks
like a running man. This launches the application and allows you to test it.
To test the application, launch a Web browser and attempt to access the forum
examples just as you did previously when you were running Tomcat without a
debugger. With Tomcat running, you should be able to display the URL
http://127.0.0.1:8080/example. If this URL displays, this means you have Tomcat
working properly with Eclipse.

Debugging with an IDE

FIGURE 12.7

Locating the JAR files.

If you examine the project file, you may notice that one additional source file was
added other than what was already available with the forum application. This source
file, named DebugTomcat.Java, starts the Tomcat Web server and allows you to
debug it. This short program is shown in Listing 12.4.
LISTING 12.4

The DebugTomcat File (DebugTomcat.java)

import java.io.*;
import org.apache.catalina.startup.*;
public class DebugTomcat {
public static void main(String args[]) {
String a[] = {start};
System.setProperty(catalina.home,c:\\Program
Files\\Apache Tomcat 4.0);
try {
Bootstrap.main(a);
} catch (Exception e) {
System.out.println(e);
}
}
}

349

350

CHAPTER 12

Debugging and Deploying Tag Libraries

As you can see, the main point of this file is to simulate launching Tomcat from the
command line. You should also notice the path that is hard-coded into the file. Keep
in mind that you will have to change this file path if you stored Tomcat in a
nonstandard location.
Now that you have successfully launched Tomcat from the Eclipse IDE, youre ready
to begin debugging the forum application.

Creating Your Own Project

If you are going to create your own project, you must add all of the necessary files
yourself. You should start with an empty Java project in Eclipse.
Next, import all of the files that you need to compile your tag library. You can
import files by right-clicking the project directory and choosing Import. If your .java
files are inside packages, create corresponding packages in Eclipse. You create packages by right-clicking the project, selecting New, and choosing Package.
You must also include the starter .java file that we discussed in the previous section.
This file is named DebugTomcat.java. Modify the path information, as we described
earlier. This allows Tomcat to find your JSP and configuration files.
Now you must include all of the JAR files from Tomcat. We usually like to add all the
JAR files from Tomcat into the project. They may not all be necessary, depending on
which features of Tomcat you are using, but adding them all saves you from running
into problems later, when Tomcat cant find them. The Tomcat JAR files are in the
/common directory. You should include the JSTL JAR files as well, which are usually in
the WEB-INF/lib directory.
Now that youve set up your project, you are ready to launch Tomcat. If prompted
for a class to execute, you should choose the DebugTomcat file we added earlier.

Debugging the Forum Application

Youre now ready to begin debugging the forum application. The first step is to place
a breakpoint. A breakpoint is a specific line in your program that should pause execution when that line is reached. The program will run normally until the breakpoint
is hit. At that point, you can pause and examine variables. You can also step through
the program one line at a time once you have reached the breakpoint. When youve
finished debugging that portion of the program, you can allow the program to
continue executing. The program will then continue until it reaches another breakpoint.
For this example, lets place a breakpoint inside one of the source files used for the
forum tag library. Well place the breakpoint in one of the most important source
files contained in the forum application: the Session.java file. This file handles

Debugging with an IDE

database connections used by the forum application. Nearly every tag in the forum
tag library uses this source file.
To begin, open the Session.java file. You want to place a breakpoint on the first line
of the getSession() method. Right-click the gray area to the left of every line in the
source file. This will open up a small pop-up menu that allows you to choose to add
a breakpoint. Once you have added this breakpoint, your screen should look like the
one in Figure 12.8.

FIGURE 12.8

Setting a breakpoint.

Once youve set the breakpoint, you are ready to execute your program. Keep in
mind that you should not click the running-man icon that we used in the previous
section; if you use this icon to start your program, breakpoints will not be honored
because the program is only running in execute mode. (Execute mode is much faster
than debug mode, and you should use it when you do not need breakpoints.) To
start the program in debug mode, click the toolbar icon that looks like a bug.
Tomcat launches, and you should see the output from Tomcat near the bottom of
the Eclipse screen. This output should look exactly like it does when you start
Tomcat in a standalone mode. You can use a browser and open your Web page. You
should now open the forum application and proceed to log on normally. Once this
process is complete, wait until your program hits the breakpoint.

351

352

CHAPTER 12

Debugging and Deploying Tag Libraries

At this point, you are free to perform any of the debugging operations. This includes
examining variables, using watches, or stepping through your program line by line.
WARNING
The Web server may reach your breakpoint and not stop. There could be several reasons for
this. The most common is that a compiled JAR file that contains the tag libraries is already in
the Tomcat path. If Tomcat has access to the forum.jar file that we previously used, it will use
the tags in this JAR file, not the tags in the debugging session. The result is that Eclipse never
gets a chance to see the breakpoints, and thus never stops.

You have now seen how to debug your application. Once an application is debugged,
you will likely want to prepare it for distribution. The next section explains how you
can package your Web application for easy distribution.

Deploying Web Applications

Installing and packaging your Web application is a critical step. Your application will
not be successful if it is not easy to install. Web applications that make use of JSTL
and your own custom tag libraries are distributed in exactly the same way as other
Web applications. In this section, youll learn how to create a single archive that
stores all of your Web applications files.

Understanding WAR Files

A Web Archive, or WAR file, is a common means of distributing Web applications. A
WAR file resembles a Java JAR file: Both have exactly the same format and are based
on the Zip file format. A WAR file allows you to package all of the files that are
necessary to run your Web application. This includes the JSP pages, the JAR files, and
other configuration files. This file is then placed in the Web applications directory
(webapps) of a JSP Web server, where it can be executed.
Although a WAR file allows you to store many of the components of your Web application, it cannot store everything. Programs that are completely external to your
Web application are not stored in the WAR file. For example, the database in your
database connection must be configured separately from the WAR file. The forum
application uses a MySQL database to store its data.
While you are not able to store the database as part of the WAR file, the configuration settings used to connect to that database are probably stored in other configuration files. These configuration files will be stored in the WAR file.
Lets look at an example, using the forum application we created in Chapter 11. The
forum application is just a directory off the ROOT directory of Tomcat. Well move

Deploying Web Applications

this directory to a WAR file. That way, we can distribute the forum application as one
single file component that we can place on a Web server.
Creating a WAR file is relatively simple. If you know how to create a JAR file, you
already know how to create a WAR file. The procedure for creating a WAR file is
identical to that for creating a JAR file. The only difference is that the final output
file has a .war extension rather than .jar.
If you are using a Unix system, you will likely use the following two jar commands
to create the WAR file:
jar cvf forum.war /var/jakarta-tomcat-4.0.4/webapps/ROOT/example/
ch11/forum/*.jsp
jar uvf forum.war /var/jakarta-tomcat-4.0.4/webapps/ROOT/WEB-INF/

If you are using Microsoft Windows, use the following two jar commands to create
the WAR file:
jar cvf forum.war C:\Program Files\Apache Tomcat 4.0\webapps\ROOT\
example\ch11\forum\*.jsp
jar uvf forum.war C:\Program Files\Apache Tomcat 4.0\webapps\ROOT\
WEB-INF\

For both commands, you have to change the directory slightly if youve installed
Tomcat in another location.
The WAR file forum.war is shown in Figure 12.9 as a Zip file so that you can see the
contents.

Distributing a WAR File

Now that youve created the Web archive, you must distribute it. Distributing a WAR
file is easy. You dont have to make any changes to the Web configuration files to
take advantage of the new WAR file. Copy the WAR file to the webapps directory
inside Tomcat. When Tomcat is next started, this file will be expanded. The filename
of the WAR file becomes part of the URL. For example, to access forum.war, you
would likely access the URL http://127.0.0.1:8080/forum.
WAR files are scanned only when the Web server starts up. If you do not restart the
Web server after deploying a WAR file, the Web server will never become aware of
the WAR file. Figure 12.10 shows the directory structure of a Web server containing a
WAR file that has been expanded by the server.

353

354

CHAPTER 12

FIGURE 12.9

FIGURE 12.10

Debugging and Deploying Tag Libraries

Creating a Zip file that becomes a WAR file.

A deployed WAR file.

Summary

You have now seen how to properly deploy a WAR file. Now, lets see how to access
and test that WAR file. When you place a WAR file in the webapps directory, the
contents of that file are automatically made available under a path that corresponds
to the name of the archive. For example, you could access the Web archive forum.jar
from the Web path http://127.0.0.1:8080/forum.

Summary
In this chapter, we showed you how to debug and deploy Web applications that
make use of JSTL and custom tag libraries. We can package Web applications as WAR
files that can be easily integrated with a Web server such as Tomcat. WAR files are a
common way to distribute Web applications.
Throughout this book, you learned how to use the JSTL tag library. You are now
ready to design and implement Web applications that use the JSTL tags. You have
also learned how to develop your own custom tag libraries that are compatible with
JSTL. This allows you to create advanced Web applications and encapsulate their
unique functionality within custom tag libraries. You can then create advanced Web
applications using your own custom tag libraries and using JSTL to tie the entire
application together.

355

A
JSTL Reference
T

his appendix contains an alphabetical listing of the JSTL

tags. The tags are grouped according to the four tag
libraries that make up JSTL. We present each tag, along
with the attributes used with that tag.
JSTL supports the notion of twin tag libraries. The tags
shown here are from the more commonly used EL library.
These tags are capable of handling expressions of the
following form:
<c:set var=a value=${100*100}/>

In addition to the EL expression language, JSTL includes a

second set of tags that are able to process RT expressions.
To specify the RT twin library, you must append the suffix
-rt to the end of the tag library name. For example, the
tag <c:set> becomes <c-rt:set>. The following tag uses the
RT expression language:
<c-rt:set var=a value=<%=100*100%>/>

In general, you should use the EL expression language

whenever possible. The older RT expression language is
included primarily for compatibility with older code.

The Core Tags

The core tags perform operations that form the foundation
of the JSTL tag library. Using the core tags, you can set
scoped variables, iterate over collections, and handle
exceptions.

358

APPENDIX A

JSTL Reference

The <c:catch> Tag

The <c:catch> tag is used to allow JSP pages to handle exceptions that might be
raised by any of the code contained in the body of the <c:catch> tag.
<c:catch var=e>
... Program code that may throw an exception ...
</c:catch>

The <c:catch> tag has one attribute:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

var

Specifies the scoped variable that should receive the

exception.

The <c:choose> Tag

The <c:choose> tag is used to form the body of a mutual exclusion. The tags <c:when>
and <c:otherwise> should be embedded inside the <c:choose> tag. When the
<c:choose> block is reached, only one of the <c:when> tag blocks will be executed. If
none of the <c:when> tags evaluates to true, then the <c:otherwise> tag, if present,
will be executed. The <c:choose> block works much like the switch, case, and default
statements in the Java programming language. The <c:choose> tag has no attributes.
<c:choose>
body content (<when> and <otherwise> subtags)
</c:choose>

The <c:forEach> Tag

The <c:forEach> tag is used to loop in several different ways. The most common use
for this tag is to loop over a collection. It is also possible to make the <c:forEach> tag
operate similar to the Java for statement. By including begin, end, and step attributes,
you can specify that the <c:forEach> tag loop a certain number of times.
// Syntax 1: Iterate over a collection of objects
<c:forEach [var=varName] items=collection
[varStatus=varStatusName]
[begin=begin] [end=end] [step=step]>
body content
</c:forEach>
// Syntax 2: Iterate a fixed number of times
<c:forEach [var=varName]
[varStatus=varStatusNamev]

The Core Tags

begin=begin end=end [step=step]>

body content
</c:forEach>

The <c:forEach> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

begin

Purpose
If items is specified, iteration begins at this item. If items is
not specified, iteration begins with the index at this value.

end

If items is specified, iteration ends at this item. If items is not

specified, iteration ends with the index at this value.

items

A collection of items to iterate.

step

The amount added to the index through each iteration.

var

Holds the current item in the iteration.

varStatus

Allows you to specify a

javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.core.LoopTagStatus object to

give you information about the iteration as it processes.

The <c:forTokens> Tag

The <c:forTokens> tag works much like the <c:forEach> tag, except that the
<c:forTokens> tag iterates over a delineated string rather than a collection. You are
allowed to specify a delineator for the string.
<c:forTokens items=stringOfTokens delims=delimiters
[var=varName]
[varStatus=varStatusName]
[begin=begin] [end=end] [step=step]>
body content
</c:forEach>

The <c:forTokens> tag has these attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

begin

Iteration will begin at this token. The first token has an index
of 0.

delims

The delimiters used to parse with.

end

Iteration will end at this token.

items

A string of tokens to iterate through.

359

360

APPENDIX A

JSTL Reference

Attribute

Required

Purpose

step

The amount added to the index through each iteration.

var

Holds the current item in the iteration.

varStatus

Allows you to specify a

javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.core.LoopTagStatus object to

give you information about the iteration as it processes.

The <c:if> Tag

The <c:if> tag allows you to conditionally execute a block of tags if the condition
specified in the <c:if> tag is met. It is important to note that JSTL does not include
an else tag. If you need to perform an if statement with an else, you must use a
<c:choose> tag with a <c:otherwise> tag.
// <! Syntax 1: Without body content >
<c:if test=testCondition
var=varName [scope={page|request|session|application}]/>
// <! Syntax 2: With body content >
<c:if test=testCondition
[var=varName] [scope={page|request|session|application}]>
body content
</c:if>

The <c:if> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

test

Specifies the test that is to be performed.

scope

Specifies the scope; the default is page.

var

Specifies the scoped variable that should receive the result of

the compare.

The <c:import> Tag

The <c:import> tag is used to read data from an external URL address. When the
<c:import> tag is executed, the contents of the specified URL are downloaded and
stored in a string specified in the <c:import> tag. This tag can be useful for retrieving
XML data from Web addresses.
// Syntax 1: Resource content inlined or exported as a String object
<c:import url=url [context=context]
[var=varName] [scope={page|request|session|application}]

The Core Tags

[charEncoding=charEncoding]>
optional body content for <c:param> subtags
</c:import>
// Syntax 2: Resource content exported as a Reader object
<c:import url=url [context=context]
varReader=varReaderName
[charEncoding=charEncoding]>
body content where varReader is consumed by another action
</c:import>

The <c:import> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

charEncoding N

Purpose
Allows you to specify the character encoding (for example,
UTF16).

context

Specifies the base URL that will be used to resolve a relative

URL given by the url attribute.

scope

Specifies the scope for the scoped variable referenced by the

var attribute.

url

Specifies the URL from which the import is to take place.

var

Specifies a variable that will receive the output from the specified URL.

varReader

A Reader object to output to.

The <c:otherwise> Tag

The <c:otherwise> tag works much like the default statement in Java. The <c:otherwise> tag can be used only inside a <c:choose> tags body. Use the <c:otherwise> tag to
specify a block of code that is to be executed if none of the <c:when> tags (which are
also contained inside the body of the <c:choose> tag) are executed. The <c:otherwise>
tag has no attributes.
<c:otherwise>
conditional block
</c:otherwise>

The <c:out> Tag

The <c:out> tag is used to output data to the current page. Using this tag, you can
display the results of variables and other expressions.

361

362

APPENDIX A

JSTL Reference

// Syntax 1: Without a body

<c:out value=value [escapeXml={true|false}]
[default=defaultValue] />
// Syntax 2: With a body
<c:out value=value [escapeXml={true|false}]>
default value
</c:out>

The <c:out> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

default

Specifies the value that will be displayed if the specified value

evaluates to null.

escapeXml

Uses a value of true to escape any special characters, or false

to display text as is. The default is true.

value

The value that is to be displayed.

The <c:param> Tag

The <c:param> tag is used to specify a parameter to the <c:redirect>, <c:url>, and
<c:import> tags. These parameters will be appended to the URL as URL-based
parameters.
// Syntax 1: Parameter value specified in attribute value
<c:param name=name value=value/>
// Syntax 2: Parameter value specified in the body content
<c:param name=name>
parameter value
</c:param>

The <c:param> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

name

Specifies the name of this parameter.

value

Specifies the value of this parameter.

The <c:redirect> Tag

The <c:redirect> tag is used to completely move the Web user to another page. This
allows you to redirect the user before the current page is displayed. This can be
useful for many purposes, such as redirecting users away from a page to which they

The Core Tags

do not have access. If the <c:redirect> tag is used, no other processing will occur on
the page.
// Syntax 1: Without body content
<c:redirect url=value/>
// Syntax 2: With body content to specify query string parameters
<c:redirect url=value/>
<c:param> subtags
</c:redirect>

The <c:redirect> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

context

Specifies the base URL that will be used to resolve a relative

URL given by the url attribute.

url

Specifies the URL that the user is taken to.

The <c:remove> Tag

The <c:remove> tag is used to delete a scoped variable. Scoped variables are created by
<c:set> and other tags. The <c:remove> tag allows you to reclaim the space occupied
by the specified scoped variable.
<c:remove [scope={page|request|session|application}] var=var/>

The <c:remove> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

scope

Specifies the scope of the var variable; defaults to page.

var

Specifies the scoped variable that is to be removed.

The <c:set> Tag

The <c:set> tag is used to assign the specified expression to the specified scoped variable. This allows the <c:set> tag to be used to specify the values of scoped variables.
Once a scoped variable is no longer needed, you can remove it by calling the
<c:remove> tag.
// Syntax 1: Set using value attribute
<c:set value=value
var=varName [scope={page|request|session|application}]/>
// Syntax 2: Set the value of a scoped variable using body content
<c:set var=varName [scope={page|request|session|application}]>

363

364

APPENDIX A

JSTL Reference

body content
</c:set>
// Syntax 3: Set the value of a target object using value attribute
<c:set value=value
target=target property=propertyName/>
// Syntax 4: Set the value of a target object using body text
<c:set target=target property=propertyName>
body content
</c:set>

The <c:set> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

property

If target specifies an object, then property specifies the

property.

scope

Specifies the scope of the var variable; defaults to page.

target

An object that will have one of its properties set.

value

Specifies the value that is to be set to the scoped variable var.

var

Specifies the scoped variable that is to be set.

The <c:url> Tag

The <c:url> tag is used to construct a URL from a specified context URL and optional
parameters (specified using the <c:param> tag).
// Syntax 1: Without body content
<c:url url=value
[var=varName] [scope={page|request|session|application}]/>
// Syntax 2: With body content to specify query string parameters
<c:url url=value
[var=varName] [scope={page|request|session|application}]>
<c:param> subtags
</c:url>

The <c:url> tag has the following parameters:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

context

Specifies the base URL that will be used to resolve a relative

URL given by the value attribute.

The I18N Tags

Attribute

Required

Purpose

scope

Specifies the scope for the scoped variable referenced by the

var attribute. The default is page.

value

Specifies the URL from which the import is to take place.

var

Specifies a variable that will receive the output from the

specified URL.

The <c:when> Tag

The <c:when> tag is used as part of a <c:choose> block. The <c:choose> tag will be
examined until one <c:when> tag is found that contains a test that is satisfied.
<c:when test=testCondition>
body content
</c:when>

The <c:when> tag has one attribute:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

test

Specifies the test that is to be performed.

The I18N Tags

Java contains extensive support for internationalization, or I18N. Multilingual
programming is supported by allowing strings to be stored in language-specific Java
resource bundles. These bundles can be exchanged as language needs vary. JSTL also
includes formatting tags that allow you to properly format numbers, dates, and
currencies for specific locales.

The <fmt:bundle> Tag

The <fmt:bundle> tag is used to load the specified bundle and use it as the default
bundle for any <fmt:message> tags that fall inside the <fmt:bundle> block. If you want
to load a bundle to a scoped variable, you should use the <fmt:setBundle> tag.
<fmt:bundle basename=basename prefix=prefix/>
</fmt:setBundle>

The <fmt:bundle> tag has the following attributes:

365

366

APPENDIX A

JSTL Reference

Attribute

Required

Purpose

basename

Specifies the base name of the resource bundle that is to be

loaded.

prefix

Specifies a prefix that will be added to every key attribute

specified in the <fmt:message> tags.

The <fmt:formatDate> Tag

The <fmt:formatDate> tag is used to format dates in a variety of standard forms.
<fmt:formatDate [value=date]
[type={time|date|both}]
[dateStyle={default|short|medium|long|full}]
[timeStyle={default|short|medium|long|full}]
[pattern=customPattern]
[timeZone=timeZone]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]/>

The <fmt:formatDate> tag uses the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

dateStyle

Purpose
A predefined formatting style for dates. Applied only when
formatting a date, or both a date and time (that is, if type is
missing or is equal to date or both); ignored otherwise.

pattern

A custom formatting style for dates and times.

scope

The scope of var; the default is page.

timeStyle

A predefined formatting style for times. Applied only when

formatting a time, or both a date and time (that is, if type is
equal to time or both); ignored otherwise.

timeZone

Specifies the time zone in which to represent the formatted

time.

type

Specifies whether only the time, the date, or both the time
and date components of the given date are to be formatted.
The default is date.

value

The date and/or time that should be formatted.

var

The name of the exported scoped attribute that stores the

formatted result as a String.

The I18N Tags

The <fmt:formatNumber> Tag

The <fmt:formatNumber> tag is used to format dates in a variety of standard forms.
// Syntax 1: Without a body
<fmt:formatNumber value=numericValue
[type={number|currency|percent}]
[pattern=customPattern]
[currencyCode=currencyCode]
[currencySymbol=currencySymbol]
[groupingUsed={true|false}]
[maxIntegerDigits=maxIntegerDigits]
[minIntegerDigits=minIntegerDigits]
[maxFractionDigits=maxFractionDigits]
[minFractionDigits=minFractionDigits]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]/>
// Syntax 2: With a body to specify the numeric value to be
formatted
<fmt:formatNumber [type={number|currency|percent}]
[pattern=customPattern]
[currencyCode=currencyCode]
[currencySymbol=currencySymbol]
[groupingUsed={true|false}]
[maxIntegerDigits=maxIntegerDigits]
[minIntegerDigits=minIntegerDigits]
[maxFractionDigits=maxFractionDigits]
[minFractionDigits=minFractionDigits]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]>
numeric value to be formatted
</fmt:formatNumber>

The <fmt:formatNumber> tag uses the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

currencyCode

String ISO 4217 currency code. Applied only when

formatting currencies (that is, if type is equal to
currency); ignored otherwise.

currencySymbol

String Currency symbol. Applied only when formatting currencies (that is, if type is equal to currency);
ignored otherwise.

367

368

APPENDIX A

JSTL Reference

Attribute

Required

Purpose

groupingUsed

Specifies whether the formatted output will contain

any grouping separators. The default is true.

maxFractionDigits N

The maximum number of digits in the fractional

portion of the formatted output.

maxIntegerDigits

The maximum number of digits in the integer

portion of the formatted output.

minFractionDigits N

The minimum number of digits in the fractional

portion of the formatted output.

minIntegerDigits

The minimum number of digits in the integer

portion of the formatted output.

pattern

String Custom formatting pattern. Applied only

when formatting numbers (that is, if type is missing
or is equal to number); ignored otherwise.

scope

type

The scope of var. The default is page.

Specifies whether the value is to be formatted as
number, currency, or percentage. The default is
number.

value

The String or Number Numeric value to be

formatted.

var

The name of the exported scoped attribute that

stores the formatted result as a String.

The <fmt:message> Tag

The <fmt:message> tag is used to insert multilingual text into JSP pages. This tag references strings stored in resource bundles. If the <fmt:message> tag is inside a
<fmt:bundle> block, then <fmt:message> will use <fmt:bundle> to determine which
resource bundle to use. If the <fmt:message> tag is outside a <fmt:bundle> block, then
resourceBundle must be scoped variable obtained from a previous call to
<fmt:setBundle>. It can also use a configured localization context.
// Syntax 1: Without body content
<fmt:message key=messageKey
[bundle=resourceBundle]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]/>
// Syntax 2: With a body to specify message parameters

The I18N Tags

<fmt:message key=messageKey
[bundle=resourceBundle]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]>
<fmt:param> subtags
</fmt:message>
// Syntax 3: With a body to specify key and optional message
parameters
<fmt:message [bundle=resourceBundle]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]>
key
optional <fmt:param> subtags
</fmt:message>

The <fmt:message> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

bundle

Specifies the resource bundle that is to be used. If this tag

occurs from within a <fmt:bundle> tag, then no bundle
needs to be specified.

key

Specifies the lookup key that identifies the desired string

inside the bundle.

scope

Specifies the scope of the scoped variable referenced by the

var attribute. If the var attribute is not needed, then the
scope attribute should not be specified. The default is page.

var

Specifies a scoped variable that will receive the value of the

string that is being looked up. If no var attribute is specified,
then the output will be written to the page.

The <fmt:param> Tag

The <fmt:param> tag is used to specify parameters that will fill in the <fmt:message>
string.
// Syntax 1: Value specified via attribute value
<fmt:param value=messageParameter/>
// Syntax 2: Value specified via body content
<fmt:param>
body content
</fmt:param>

369

370

APPENDIX A

JSTL Reference

The <fmt:param> tag has one attribute. Only 10 parameters may be specified.
Attribute

Required

Purpose

value

Specifies the value that is to be inserted for the parameter.

The <fmt:parseDate> Tag

The <fmt:parseDate> tag is used to transform a string into a Java date.
// Syntax 1: Without a body
<fmt:parseDate value=dateString
[type={time|date|both}]
[dateStyle={default|short|medium|long|full}]
[timeStyle={default|short|medium|long|full}]
[pattern=customPattern]
[timeZone=timeZone]
[parseLocale=parseLocale]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]/>
// Syntax 2: With a body to specify the date value to be parsed
<fmt:parseDate [type={time|date|both}]
[dateStyle={default|short|medium|long|full}]
[timeStyle={default|short|medium|long|full}]
[pattern=customPattern]
[timeZone=timeZone]
[parseLocale=parseLocale]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]>
date value to be parsed
</fmt:parseDate>

The <fmt:parseDate> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

dateStyle

The style for the date. Should be default, short, long,

medium, or full. The default is default. This attribute uses
DateFormat semantics.

parseLocale

Specifies the locale that should be used. This attribute should

be of type String or java.util.Locale.

pattern

Specifies how the date is to be parsed using a pattern.

The I18N Tags

Attribute

Required

Purpose

timeStyle

The style for the time. Should be default, short, long,

medium, or full. The default is default.

timeZone

The zone that the parsed time is from. This value should be of
type String or java.util.TimeZone.

type

The type of date to parse. Should be time, date, or both. The

default is date.

value

The string to be parsed.

var

The name of the exported scoped attribute that stores the

parsed result (of type java.lang.Number).

The <fmt:parseNumber> Tag

The <fmt:parseNumber> tag is used to parse strings into numeric values. If the value
specified cannot be transformed into a numeric value, then an exception will be
thrown.
// Syntax 1: Without a body
<fmt:parseNumber value=numericValue
[type={number|currency|percent}]
[pattern=customPattern]
[parseLocale=parseLocale]
[integerOnly={true|false}]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]/>
// Syntax 2: With a body to specify the numeric value to be parsed
<fmt:parseNumber [type={number|currency|percent}]
[pattern=customPattern]
[parseLocale=parseLocale]
[integerOnly={true|false}]
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]>
numeric value to be parsed
</fmt:parseNumber>

The <fmt:parseNumber> tag has the following attributes:

371

372

APPENDIX A

JSTL Reference

Attribute

Required

Purpose

integerOnly

Specifies whether just the integer portion of the given value

should be parsed. Defaults to false.

parseLocale

The locale whose default formatting pattern (for numbers,

currencies, or percentages, respectively) is to be used during
the parse operation, or to which the pattern specified via the
pattern attribute (if present) is applied.

pattern

Custom formatting pattern that determines how the string in

the value attribute is to be parsed. Applied only when parsing
numbers (that is, if type is missing or is equal to number);
ignored otherwise.

scope

The scope of var. Defaults to page.

type

Specifies whether the string in the value attribute should be

parsed as number, currency, or percentage. Defaults to
number.

value

The string to be parsed.

var

The name of the exported scoped attribute that stores the

parsed result (of type java.lang.Number).

The <fmt:requestEncoding> Tag

The <fmt:requestEncoding> tag is used to specify the encoding method used in the
form that posted to the current page. This allows JSTL to properly determine the
parameters that were posted to the current page.
<fmt:requestEncoding [value=charsetName]/>

The <fmt:requestEncoding> tag has one attribute:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

value

The name of the character encoding to be applied when

decoding request parameters.

The <fmt:setBundle> Tag

The <fmt:setBundle> tag is used to load a Java resource bundle into a JSTL scoped
variable. The scoped variable can then be provided to future calls to the
<fmt:message> tag.

The I18N Tags

<fmt:setBundle basename=basename
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]>

The <fmt:setBundle> tag contains the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

basename

Specifies the base name of the resource bundle that is to be

loaded in the form or fully qualified classname.

scope

Specifies the scope of the variable that is contained in the var

attribute. Defaults to page.

var

Specifies a scoped variable that will hold the newly instantiated resource bundle.

The <fmt:setLocale> Tag

The <fmt:setLocale> tag is used to specify the current locale for the Web application.
<fmt:setLocale value=locale
[variant=variant]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]/>

The <fmt:setLocale> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

value

The locale species a two-part code that represents the ISO639 language code and an ISO-3166 country code (for
example,en-US).

scope

Specifies the scope of this locale setting. The default is page.

variant

Specifies a vendor- or browser-specific variant of the language

referenced by value. For more information, refer to the
java.util.Locale JavaDocs.

The <fmt:setTimeZone> Tag

The <fmt:setTimeZone> tag is used to specify the time zone for the Web application.
<fmt:setTimeZone value=timeZone
[var=varName]
[scope={page|request|session|application}]

373

374

APPENDIX A

JSTL Reference

The <fmt:setTimeZone> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

scope

Specifies the scope of scoped variable referenced by var. The

default is page.

value

Specifies the time zone that should be used by the tags

enclosed in the body of this tag. See the java.util.TimeZone
JavaDoc for formats.

var

Specifies the scoped variable that is to receive the time zone.

The <fmt:timeZone> Tag

The <fmt:timeZone> tag is used to specify a time zone that will be used by all tags
inside the body of the <fmt:timeZone> tag. The <fmt:timeZone> tag has one attribute:
Attribute

Required

Purpose

value

Specifies the time zone that should be used by the tags

enclosed in the body of this tag. See the java.util.TimeZone
JavaDoc for formats.

The Relational Database Tags (SQL)

The relational database tags allow a Web application to access a SQL database. You
must have a JDBC driver and know the correct URL to use to access this database.
You can use the SQL tags to perform queries, updates, and use transactions.
The SQL tags are intended primarily for rapid prototyping or very small Web applications. For most nontrivial Web applications, we suggest that you isolate your database access into tag libraries of your own. Chapter 11 shows how to do this.

The <sql:dateParam> Tag

If you are going to specify a parameter to the <sql:query> or <sql:update> tags and
that parameter is a date, you must use the <sql:dateParam> tag. If the parameter is
not a date, then use the <sql:param> tag.
<sql:dateParam value=value type=[timestamp|time|date] />

The <sql:dateParam> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

value

The value to be inserted for this parameter.

type

Must be timestamp, time, or date. The default is timestamp.

The Relational Database Tags (SQL)

The <sql:param> Tag

If you are going to specify a parameter to the <sql:query> or <sql:update> tags and
that parameter is any value but a date, you must use the <sql:param> tag. If the value
is a date, then you should use the <sql:dateParam> tag.
// Syntax 1: Parameter value specified in attribute value
<sql:param value=value/>
// Syntax 2: Parameter value specified in the body content
<sql:param>
parameter value
</sql:param>

The <sql:param> tag has one attribute:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

value

The value to be inserted for this parameter.

The <sql:query> Tag

A query, as defined by JSTL, is any SQL command that is going to return records. The
most common SQL commands that return records are the SELECT SQL command and
calls to stored procedures. Using the <sql:query> tag, you can submit a query and
receive back a collection of records. You can then process these records using the
core iteration tags, such as <c:forEach>.
// Syntax 1: Without body content
<sql:query sql=sqlQuery
var=varName [scope={page|request|session|application}]
[dataSource=dataSource]
[maxRows=maxRows]
[startRow=startRow]/>
// Syntax 2: With a body to specify query arguments
<sql:query sql=sqlQuery
var=varName [scope={page|request|session|application}]
[dataSource=DataSource]
[maxRows=maxRows]
[startRow=startRow]>
<sql:param> actions
</sql:query>
// Syntax 3: With a body to specify query and optional query
parameters
<sql:query var=varName
[scope={page|request|session|application}]

375

376

APPENDIX A

JSTL Reference

[dataSource=DataSource]
[maxRows=maxRows]
[startRow=startRow]>
query
optional <sql:param> actions
</sql:query>

The <sql:query> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

dataSource

Specifies the data source to be used with this query.

maxRows

Specifies the maximum number of rows to be returned.

scope

Specifies the scope for the scoped variable referenced by the

var attribute. Defaults to page.

sql

Specifies the SQL command that is to be executed.

startRow

Specifies the starting row that should be returned in the result

set.

var

Specifies the scoped variable that will receive the results of

this query.

The <sql:setDataSource> Tag

To use a <sql:update>, <sql:query>, or <sql:transaction> tag, you must have a data
source. The <sql:setDataSource> tag is used to open a connection to a data source.
You must know both the driver name and access URL for the data source. Consult
the documentation associated with your database to see what these values are.
<sql:setDataSource var=varName
[scope={page|request|session|application}]
[driver=driverClassName]
[url=jdbcUrl]
[user=userName]/>

The <sql:setDataSource> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

dataSource

The data source that should be used.

driver

The classname of the JDBC data source that should be used.

scope

The scope of the scoped variable referenced by the attribute

var. The default is page.

The Relational Database Tags (SQL)

Attribute

Required

Purpose

url

The URL of the data source.

password

The password used to establish the connection.

user

The user that should be used to log into the data source.

var

The scoped variable that will hold the newly created data
source.

The <sql:transaction> Tag

Often, when updating a database, you must perform several updates to complete one
transaction. Usually, it is preferable that if a single operation fails, the entire transaction will fail. This is the purpose of the <sql:transaction> tag. Any <sql:update> tags
inside the body of the <sql:transaction> tag will operate as one transaction. If any
one of these <sql:update> tags fails, the entire transaction fails.
[isolation=isolationLevel]
<sql:query> and <sql:update> statements
</sql:transaction>

The <sql:transaction> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

dataSource

Specifies the data source to be used with this

transaction.

isolationLevel

Specifies the isolation level for this transaction

TRANSACTION_READ_COMMITTED,
TRANSACTION_READ_UNCOMMITTED,
TRANSACTION_REPEATABLE_READ, or
TRANSACTION_SERIALIZABLE).

The <sql:update> Tag

JSTL defines an update as a SQL command that does not return a result set. SQL
updates usually modify the database in some way, though this is not an absolute
requirement. The changes made by the <sql:update> tag are immediate, unless the
tag is being used as part of a <sql:transaction> block.
// Syntax 1: Without body content
<sql:update sql=sqlUpdate
[dataSource=DataSource]
[var=varName] [scope={page|request|session|application}]/>

377

378

APPENDIX A

JSTL Reference

// Syntax 2: With a body to specify update parameters

<sql:update sql=sqlUpdate
[dataSource=DataSource]
[var=varName] [scope={page|request|session|application}]>
<sql:param> actions
</sql:update>
// Syntax 3: With a body to specify update statement and optional
update parameters
<sql:update [dataSource=DataSource]
[var=varName] [scope={page|request|session|application}]>
update statement
optional <sql:param> actions
</sql:update>

The <sql:update> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

dataSource

Specifies the data source to be used with this command.

scope

Specifies the scope for the scoped variable referenced by the

var attribute. Defaults to page.

sql

Specifies the SQL command that should be executed.

var

Specifies the scoped variable that will receive the results of

this command.

The XML Tags

XML is becoming a common form of data encountered on the Internet. JSTL makes
available several XML tags that allow XML documents to be formatted and
processed. Most of the XML tags use XPath expressions to specify the operation you
want to perform. XPath is covered in Chapter 8.

The <x:choose> Tag

The <x:choose> tag is used to specify a mutual exclusion block. Inside the <x:choose>
tags body, <x:when> and <x:otherwise> tags reside. The first <x:choose> tag that is
satisfied will execute the tags inside the <x:choose> tags body. If no <x:choose> tags
are satisfied, then the <x:otherwise> tag, if present, will be executed. The <x:choose>
tag has no attributes.
<x:choose>
body content (<x:when> and <x:otherwise> subtags)
</x:choose>

The XML Tags

The <x:forEach> Tag

The <x:forEach> tag allows you to iterate through child nodes of an XML document.
The <x:forEach> tag works much like the <c:forEach> tag, in that the body is executed
for each item in the collection. As the loop progresses, each item is copied to the var
attribute.
<x:forEach [var=varName] select=XpathExpression>
body content
</x:forEach>

The <x:forEach> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

select

An XPath expression to iterate over.

var

Specifies the scoped variable that will hold each iteration.

The <x:if> select Tag

The <x:if> tag is used to perform basic logic on the XML document that has been
parsed. Using the <x:if> statement, you can examine individual elements in the
node you specify using the XPath data in the select attribute.
// Syntax 1: Without body, result copied to var
<x:if select=XpathExpression
var=varName [scope={page|request|session|application}]/>
// Syntax 2: With conditional body content
<x:if select=XpathExpression
[var=varName] [scope={page|request|session|application}]>
body content
</x:if>

The <x:if> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

scope

Specifies the scope for the scoped variable referenced by the

var attribute. The default is page.

select

An XPath expression that should be evaluated (true or false).

var

Specifies the scoped variable that can be set to the result of

the if statement.

379

380

APPENDIX A

JSTL Reference

The <x:otherwise> Tag

The <x:otherwise> tag is used as part of an <x:choose> block. If none of the <x:when>
tags is satisfied, then the <x:choose> block will execute the <x:otherwise> tag. The
<x:otherwise> tag does not have any attributes.
<x:otherwise>
conditional block
</x:otherwise>

The <x:out> Tag

The <x:out> tag is used to display individual elements from the XML document.
<x:out select=XpathExpression [escapeXml={true|false}]/>

The <x:out> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

escapeXml

Specifies whether the displayed data should have its special

characters escaped. Defaults to true.

select

An XPath expression that you want to display.

The <x:param> Tag

The <x:param> tag is used to specify parameters that can be passed to the XSLT script
being executed by the <x:transform> tag. The <x:param> tag should be used only
inside the body of an <x:transform> tag.
// Syntax 1: Parameter value specified in attribute value
<x:param name=name value=value/>
// Syntax 2: Parameter value specified in the body content
<x:param name=name>
parameter value
</x:param>

The <x:param> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

name

Specifies the name of this parameter.

value

Specifies the value of this parameter.

The XML Tags

The <x:parse> Tag

The <x:parse> tag is used to parse an XML document. This tag must be called before
any of the other XML tags can be used. Once the document has been parsed, it may
be fed to the other XML tags for processing.
// Syntax 1: XML document specified via a String or Reader object
<x:parse {xml=XMLDocument}
[filter=filter]
[systemId=systemId]
[{var=varName [{scope={page|request|session|application}]
|varDom=varName}[scopeDom={page|request|session|application}}]]/>
// Syntax 2: XML document specified via the body content
<x:parse [filter=filter]
[systemId=systemId]
[{var=varName [{scope={page|request|session|application}]
scopeDom={page|request|session|application}}]>
XML Document to parse
</x:parse>

The <x:parse> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

filter

Purpose
Allows a filter, of the type org.xml.sax.XMLFilter, to be
used to filter the incoming XML data.

scope

Specifies the scope of the scoped variable referenced by the

var attribute. Defaults to page.

scopeDom

Specifies the scope of the scoped variable referenced by the

varDom attribute. Defaults to page.

systemId

Allows a system ID to be specified to return information about

the parse.

var

Specifies the scoped variable to hold the parsed XML

document.

varDom

Specifies the scoped variable that will receive the XML

document as an org.w3c.dom.Document object.

xml

Specifies the XML that is to be parsed.

The <x:set> Tag

The <x:set> tag is used to set a scoped variable to one of the values found inside the
XML document.

381

382

APPENDIX A

JSTL Reference

<x:set select=XpathExpression
var=varName [scope={page|request|session|application}]/>

The <x:set> tag has the following attributes:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

scope

Specifies the scope for the scoped variable referenced by the

var attribute. The default is page.

select

An XPath expression that you want to display.

var

Specifies the scoped variable that is to be set.

The <x:transform> Tag

The <x:transform> tag is used to transform an XML document using the specified
XSLT template. This allows you to use server-side XSLT in conjunction with your
JSTL Web applications.
// Syntax 1: No body content
<x:transform
xml=XMLDocument xslt=XSLTStylesheet
[xmlSystemId=XMLSystemId] [xsltSystemId=XSLTSystemId]
[{var=varName [scope=scopeName]|result=resultObject}]
// Syntax 2: Transformation parameters specified using body
<x:transform
xml=XMLDocument xslt=XSLTStylesheet
[xmlSystemId=XMLSystemId] [xsltSystemId=XSLTSystemId]
[{var=varName [scope=scopeName]|result=resultObject}]
<x:param> actions
</x:transform>
// Syntax 3: Using a body to both specify an XML document and
transformation parameters
<x:transform
xslt=XSLTStylesheet
xmlSystemId=XMLSystemId xsltSystemId=XSLTSystemId
[{var=varName [scope=scopeName]|result=resultObject}]
XML document being processed
optional <x:param> actions
</x:parse>

The <x:transform> tag has the following attributes:

The XML Tags

Attribute

Required

result

Purpose
A scoped variable of type javax.xml.transform.Result that
specifies how the result should be processed.

scope

Specifies the scope of the scoped variable referenced by the

var attribute. Defaults to page.

var

Specifies a scoped variable that will hold the transformed

document. If none is specified, the results will be written to
the page.

xml

Specifies a string that holds the XML file to be used with the
transformation.

xslt

Specifies a string that holds the XSLT file to be used with the
transformation.

The <x:when> Tag

The <x:when> tag should be used inside the body of an <x:choose> tag. The first
<x:when> tag that is satisfied will execute any tags in its body. If no <x:when> tags are
satisfied, then the <x:otherwise> tag will be executed.
<x:when select=XPathExpression>
body content
</x:when>

The <x:when> tag has one attribute:

Attribute

Required

Purpose

select

An XPath expression that you want to evaluate.

383

B
Installing JSTL and
Tomcat
In this appendix, we show you how to install Tomcat and
JSTL for use with this book. We focus on the Windows
installation, but you can use these instructions with other
operating systems as well. For specific information on how
to install JSTL in a Unix environment, refer to Appendix
D, Unix Installation Notes.
To compile and execute the examples in this book, you
must install several components: a JDK version, Tomcat,
and JSTL. Once these three components are installed, you
are ready to develop JSTL Web applications and use the
examples in this book.
Some of our examples also use a database connection. To
use these examples, you must also install a database, such
as MySQL. We cover installing MySQL in Appendix C.

Installing JDK
To run any of the examples in this book, you have to
install the JDK. We tested our examples with JDK 1.4, so
we suggest you use JDK 1.4 or higher for JSTL.
You can download the JDK from the Sun Web site at
http://java.sun.com/j2se. Make sure that you download
the full SDK, not just a runtime environment (JRE).
The file you download will be named j2sdk-1_4_0_01windows-i586.exe, or something similar. You should
execute this file to begin the process of installing the JDK.
Executing the downloaded file will launch an Install Shield
installation program. This program makes the process of
installing the JDK relatively easy. Once youve installed the
JDK, the installation program exits and you are ready to
install Tomcat.

386

APPENDIX B

Installing JSTL and Tomcat

Installing Tomcat
JSTL requires JSP pages to execute. To execute JSP pages, you must have a JSPcompatible Web server installed on your system. JSTL should work with any JSP 1.2
or higher Web server. The Web server we use in this book is the Apache Tomcat Web
server. In this section, we show you how to install Tomcat.
The examples in this book were tested with Apache Tomcat v4.0.3. We recommend
that you use at least this version of Tomcat. Before you install Tomcat, it is
absolutely essential that you have the JDK installed. Refer to the previous section for
more information on installing the JDK.
You can download the Tomcat Web server from the Apache Web site at
http://jakarta.apache.org/tomcat/. When you begin the download, youll notice that
several versions are available. If you are using Windows, you can choose between a
light (LE) and a full version. Both versions are meant to function exactly the same. The
only difference is that the LE version does not include some of the JAR files normally
included with JDK 1.4, such as for XML processing. The result is that if you are using
JDK 1.4, you can choose the LE version and not have to download JAR files that you
already have. The safest route is usually just to install the full (non-LE) version.
Once you download Tomcat, you should have a file named Jakarta-tomcat-4.0.3.exe.
This file, when executed, functions as the installer for the Tomcat Web server. To
begin the installation, execute Jakarta-tomcat-4.0.3.exe. Once the Tomcat installation
program begins, you see a window that looks like the one shown in Figure B.1.

FIGURE B.1

Installing Apache Tomcat.

Installing Tomcat

The first thing that the installation program will do is attempt to locate your JDK
installed path. If the program finds a valid JDK, it displays the path, as shown in
Figure B.1. If the program does not find a valid JDK, it displays an error.
The installation program will guide you through the process of installing Tomcat.
One option that the program provides is the ability to install Tomcat as a service. If
you are using Windows XP, 2000 Pro, or Windows NT, you should install Tomcat as a
service. Doing this will cause Tomcat to run in the background of your computer,
even when no user is logged into the computer.
Installing Tomcat as a service requires that you select this as one of the options while
the Tomcat installation program is running. The window that allows you to specify
to run Tomcat as a service is shown in Figure B.2.

FIGURE B.2

Tomcat install options.

If you choose to run Tomcat as a service, you must use the services manager to start
Tomcat. From the services control panel, you are able to see all of the services that
your computer is currently running or is aware of. If you look at the line for the
Tomcat Web server, youll notice that it is set to automatically start, yet it is not
running. This means that Tomcat will be started the next time you restart your
computer.
While you could restart your computer now to start Tomcat, it is preferable to use
the Services window to start Tomcat. To do so, right-click the Tomcat line and
choose Start. Once you do, Tomcat will start. Figure B.3 shows this process.

387

388

APPENDIX B

FIGURE B.3

Installing JSTL and Tomcat

Starting Tomcat.

The Services window allows you to restart Tomcat when needed. This is a handy
feature because you will frequently need to restart Tomcat. Any time that you deploy
new JAR files to Tomcat, for example, youll have to restart the Tomcat service. If
Tomcat is not installed as a service, the installation program places shortcuts for
starting and stopping Tomcat in the Programs menu.
Now that Tomcat is installed and running, we can test it. To test Tomcat, open a
browser on the computer that Tomcat is running on. Once this browser starts, enter
the Web address http://localhost:8080/. This Web address takes you to the Web
server that is running on your local computer on port 8080. If localhost does not
work, you can try entering the Web address http://127.0.0.1:8080/. If all works well,
your screen should resemble the one shown in Figure B.4.
By default, Tomcat will use port 8080 as the Web address. If you would like to set up
Tomcat so that it runs on port 80, which is the usual Web port, you must modify
Tomcats server.xml file. Once you modify Tomcat to run on port 80, you will no
longer need to specify a port address. If Tomcat is running on port 80, it is enough
to use the Web address http://localhost alone to access the Web server.

Installing the Book Examples

FIGURE B.4

Accessing Tomcat.

Installing the Book Examples

Now that you have Tomcat properly installed, you are ready to install the sample
programs from this book. You can download these programs from
http://www.samspublishing.com. The examples are packaged as one Web directory that
you can copy to the Tomcat Web server. This directory contains both the examples
and JSTL 1.0. This is the easiest way to install the examples. However, there are times
when you may want to directly install each component. Later in this appendix, we
explain how to install JSTL without the book examples.
Tomcat stores all of the Web files it needs in a directory named webapps. When you
download the examples that come with this book, youll notice that the Zip archive
includes a directory named webapps, which contains all of the book examples.
Simply overwrite your Tomcat Web servers webapps directory with this one from
Sams. Figure B.5 shows the directory structure.

389

390

APPENDIX B

FIGURE B.5

Installing JSTL and Tomcat

The Tomcat directories.

The Classpath and Search Path

It is usually a good idea to make the BIN directory for the JDK a part of the system
search path. Doing this will allow you to type the command javac from any directory and be able to compile a program. You also have to modify your classpath so
that certain Tomcat JAR files are available to the Java compiler. You must do this in
order to execute the examples from Chapter 11.
Both the classpath and system search path are defined in the same area. If you are
using Windows XP, Windows 2000 Pro, or Windows NT, you set them in the System
window in Control Panel, as shown in Figure B.6.
You have to modify the system path to include the path of your JDKs BIN directory.
The system path is stored in the environment variable named PATH. Your JDK BIN
directory is most likely C:\j2sdk1.4.0\bin or something similar. Add this path to your
PATH environment variable.
In addition, you have to add a few JAR files to your classpath. This allows the Java
compiler to correctly compile the tag library that we create in Chapter 11. If you do
not want to modify your classpath, you can modify the Chapter 11 script files to
include the required classpath, as shown here:

Installing JSTL without the Examples

C:\Program
C:\Program
C:\Program
C:\Program

FIGURE B.6

Files\Apache
Files\Apache
Files\Apache
Files\Apache

Tomcat
Tomcat
Tomcat
Tomcat

4.0\webapps\ROOT\WEB-INF\lib\mm.mysql-2.0.12-bin.jar
4.0\common\lib\servlet.jar
4.0\webapps\ROOT\WEB-INF\lib\jstl.jar
4.0\webapps\ROOT\WEB-INF\lib\standard.jar

The System window.

The first file is the MM driver that allows us to access the MySQL database. The
second file, servlet.jar, allows us to access the servlet context variables. The last two
lines enable us to access the JSTL tag library; this is important because the tag library
that we create in Chapter 11 is designed to work with the tag library.

Installing JSTL without the Examples

If you follow the instructions in the previous section, you will correctly install JSTL
and the book examples. In this section, we explain how to install JSTL apart from
the books examples. If you want to install JSTL into a server environment, this is the
procedure you follow.
The exact directory that JSTL will install into varies somewhat, depending on the
version. In the 1.0 version, there is a jstl-1.0 directory, and in 1.0.1 it is called standard-1.0.1. Inside this directory is a lib directory that contains several files. Table B.1
documents the purpose of each of these files.

391

392

APPENDIX B

TABLE B.1

Installing JSTL and Tomcat

The JSTL Files

File

Purpose

c.tld
c-rt.tld
dom.jar
fmt.tld
fmt-rt.tld
jaxp-api.jar
jaxen-full.jar
jdbc2_0-stdext.jar
jstl.jar
sax.jar
saxpath.jar
sql.tld
sql-rt.tld
standard.jar
xalan.jar
xerxesImpl.jar
x.tld
x-rt.tld

The core tag library (EL version)

The core tag library (RT version)
The I18N tag library (EL version)
The I18N tag library (RT version)
Required JAR file for JSTL
Required JAR file for JSTL
Required JAR file for JSTL
Required JAR file for JSTL
Required JAR file for JSTL
Required JAR file for JSTL
Database tag library (EL version)
Database tag library (RT version)
Required JAR file for JSTL
Required JAR file for JSTL
Required JAR file for JSTL
XML tag library (EL version)
XML tag library (RT version)

To properly install JSTL for your Web application, you must copy these files to
specific locations. The two JAR files (standard.jar and jstl.jar) must be copied to your
Webapps library directory. This ensures that these files will be part of the classpath.
Under the Windows operating system, your lib directory for Tomcat will be
C:\Program Files\Apache Tomcat 4.0\webapps\ROOT\WEB-INF\lib.
You copy the tag definition files, which have a .tld extension, to your WEB-INF
directory. This is typically a child directory of the Web root directory for your Web
application. The Web root directory is the directory that holds all your JSP and
HTML files. Under the Windows operating system, Tomcats Web root directory is
typically C:\Program Files\Apache Tomcat 4.0\webapps\ROOT. Tomcats WEB-INF directory is typically C:\Program Files\Apache Tomcat 4.0\webapps\ROOT\WEB-INF.
The last step is to let the Web server know where the TLD files are stored. You do this
by modifying the web.xml file, which should be located in your WEB-INF directory.
Listing B.1 shows a web.xml file that uses all four JSTL tag libraries.

Installing JSTL without the Examples

LISTING B.1

A web.xml That Uses All Four JSTL Taglibs

<?xml version=1.0 encoding=ISO-8859-1?>

<!DOCTYPE web-app
PUBLIC -//Sun Microsystems, Inc.//DTD Web Application 2.3//EN
http://java.sun.com/dtd/web-app_2_3.dtd>
<web-app>
<taglib>
<taglib-uri>http://jakarta.apache.org/taglibs/
core</taglib-uri>
<taglib-location>/WEB-INF/c.tld</taglib-location>
</taglib>
<taglib>
<taglib-uri>http://jakarta.apache.org/taglibs/sql</taglib-uri>
<taglib-location>/WEB-INF/sql.tld</taglib-location>
</taglib>
<taglib>
<taglib-uri>http://jakarta.apache.org/taglibs/fmt</taglib-uri>
<taglib-location>/WEB-INF/fmt.tld</taglib-location>
</taglib>
<taglib>
<taglib-uri>http://jakarta.apache.org/taglibs/xml</taglib-uri>
<taglib-location>/WEB-INF/x.tld</taglib-location>
</taglib>
</web-app>

As you can see in Listing B.1, each of the four tag libraries has a separate taglib entry.
This is the same format that is used for every tag library youll use. To use any tag
library, you simply include the correct taglib-uri and taglib-location properties.
Now that you have successfully installed the JSTL required files to their proper locations, you can construct a JSP page that contains JSTL tags.

393

C
Installing MySQL
T

o create useful Web applications, you must use some

sort of a database. In this appendix, we show you how to
install a MySQL database. MySQL is a popular database
that is released under a GNU Public License (GPL). There is
no charge for using MySQL.
Some of the applications we present in this book require
that you use a relational database. Several chapters use a
forum application that demonstrates JSTL features. The
forum application requires a database to maintain its user
lists and message areas. In this appendix, youll learn how
to create a MySQL database that is ready to work with the
forum applications we present in this book.

Obtaining and Installing MySQL

You must download a copy of MySQL to install it to your
computer system. Prebuilt binary versions of MySQL are
available for all popular operating systems. To download a
copy of MySQL, go to http://www.mysql.com. From this Web
site, you can access a download section that allows you to
choose among several versions of MySQL.
Notice that there are two main versions of MySQL. A fullfeatured version, named MySQL-Max, is the one you
should download. The regular version of MySQL has no
support for some of the more advanced features. For this
book, we assume that you are using the Max version; we
used MySQLMax 3.23.
Once you download the Windows version of MySQL, you
should have a file named something like mysql-3.23.48win.zip. (This is a zipped file. If you are unable to unzip
files, refer to the site http://www.winzip.com.) Once you

396

APPENDIX C

Installing MySQL

unzip the MySQL file, youll find a standard installation program. Run the program
named setup to install MySQL to your system. This process is shown in Figure C.1.

FIGURE C.1

Installing MySQL.

Now that MySQL is installed, you must expose its BIN directory to the system path.
Doing this allows you to execute MySQL commands from any directory at a
command prompt. By default, c:\mysql\bin is the directory where MySQL is
installed.
The procedure for adding the MySQL BIN directory to your system path differs,
depending on which operating system you are running. If youre using Windows XP,
Windows 2000 Pro, or Windows NT, you set the system path using the System
Properties window in Control Panel, shown in Figure C.2.
Figure C.2 shows the System window for Microsoft Windows XP. Although this
window will look slightly different in older versions, the procedure is the same. You
must add the c:\mysql\bin directory to the end of your PATH environment variable.
If there is already a path in your PATH environment variable, you must separate the
new path with a semicolon (;), as shown in Figure C.2.
If you are using an older version of Windows, such as Windows 95, Windows 98, or
Windows ME, you must modify your autoexec.bat file in order to change the system
path. In your autoexec.bat file, you should see a PATH statement. The exact layout of

Setting Up MySQL

your autoexec.bat file depends on what other software has already been installed on
your computer system. Once you locate the PATH statement, you must append the
path c:\mysql\bin\ to the end of the specified PATH statement. Of course, you should
use a semicolon (;) to separate the new path.

FIGURE C.2

Setting environment variables.

When you installed the Java JDK, you also modified the system path. It is important
that you do not change the JDK path information that you set up before. Make sure
that you just append the MySQL path information to the end of what is already
there.
If youve followed these steps properly, you now have the MySQL software installed
on your system. Now you have to set up the database so that it is ready for use. In
the next section, we look at that process.

Setting Up MySQL
Now that youve installed your MySQL database system, you must be able to launch
your server. If youre using Windows XP, Windows 2000 Pro, or Windows NT, we
suggest that you configure MySQL to run as a service. If youre using an older
version of Windows, refer to the MySQL documentation.

397

398

APPENDIX C

Installing MySQL

If youre using Unix, you do not need to worry about services. MySQL for Unix
installs to be ran as a daemon process. For more information about using Unix, refer
to Appendix D, Unix Installation Notes.
By configuring MySQL to work as a service, you are guaranteed that the MySQL database system will always be running. Services run even when no user is currently
logged into the system. To set MySQL to run as a service, you have to start a
command prompt window. From this window, change the current directory to the
BIN directory of MySQL.
Earlier, we set up the path so that you can execute the MySQL commands from
anywhere. When youre installing the service, it is important that you do not install
these commands from anywhere. To install MySQL to run as a service, you must
change to the c:\mysql\bin directory. To do this, issue the following command in the
command prompt window:
cd \mysql\bin

Now that you are in the BIN directory, you have to instruct MySQL to install itself as
a service:
mysql-max-nt install

At this point, MySQL is set up to run as a service. The next time that you restart your
computer, MySQL will run in the background and you can easily access it. To start
the service without having to restart your computer, use this command:
net start mysql

Now that the service is running, you can connect to your MySQL database for the
first time. The following mysql command connects you to the MySQL instance you
just installed (as the root user):
mysql u root

Notice that you are allowed to access the system with no password. This is necessary
for the first-time install of MySQL. We suggest that you now change your password
for security reasons. For example, this command sets the root users password to
joshua:
SET PASSWORD FOR root@localhost = PASSWORD(joshua);

If you followed each of these steps correctly, your screen should look like the one in
Figure C.3. You can now exit MySQL with the following command:
exit

Setting Up MySQL

FIGURE C.3

Setting the MySQL service.

Now you must enter MySQL with the root user and specify a password. Use the
following command:
mysql u root p

You are not allowed to specify your password as part of the command line because of
security reasons. Other users can easily view a list of running processes for your
account. This list shows all command-line parameters that you used, so if you specify
your password on the command line, other users could see it. Instead, specifying the
p parameter tells MySQL that you are going to log in using a password.
MySQL will now prompt you for a password. Enter joshua (or whatever you choose
as your password).
Now that the root user has been properly set up, lets create the forum database that
we use for the examples in this book. First, issue this command:
create database forum;

Once you execute this command, youll have a new database named forum. Now
you have to create a user to access the forum database. We suggest you always create
users specific to your Web applications. This is more secure than using the root user
to access each of these databases. To create a user, you must grant the user rights.

399

400

APPENDIX C

Installing MySQL

Granting a user rights for the first time also creates that user:
grant all privileges on forum.* to forumuser@localhost

You now have a user named forumuser that can access your forum database. If youve
followed each step correctly, your screen should now look like the one in Figure C.4.

FIGURE C.4

Logging in using a password.

One very important thing to note about this command is that it ties the server name
to the user. If youd like to access your database from another computer, it is necessary to also create a user account for that machine. For example, if you want to
access the forum database from a computer with the IP address of 192.168.1.100,
issue the following command:
grant all privileges on forum.* to [email protected]

You have now successfully installed MySQL and created a database to hold the forum
application. In the next section, youll learn how to create tables inside the forum
database.

Creating the Forum Example

Creating the Forum Example

Now that youve installed MySQL and created a forum database, you must install the
database. You do this using a script file provided at the Sams Web site. This script
file, which is explained in greater detail in Chapter 7, contains all of the SQL necessary to create your forum database. The script is designed to be called against either a
blank database or a database that already has a forum. If you run this script against
an existing forum database, it will reset the database back to its original state.
To run this script, you must be at a command prompt. Make sure you are in a directory that contains createforum.sql. From the command prompt, issue this command:
mysql u forumuser <createforum.sql

Once this command executes, you will have the tables necessary to test the forum
application. To ensure that you installed everything correctly, you should perform a
query against the t_users table. To do this, enter MySQL with the following
command:
mysql u forumuser

Now that you are inside MySQL, you must set the correct database:
use forum;

At this point, you can perform a basic SQL SELECT statement, such as the following:
select * from t_users;

If all of these commands execute properly, your screen should look like the one
shown in Figure C.5.
You now have MySQL properly installed and the forum database ready for use. One
configuration issue remains: You must install a driver so that Java can get to MySQL.

401

402

APPENDIX C

FIGURE C.5

Installing MySQL

Setting up the forum database.

Installing a JDBC Driver

For Java to use a database, you have to have a JDBC driver. Several drivers are available that you can use. The driver that we use in this book is the MM driver, which
you can download from http://mmmysql.sourceforge.net. If you followed the instructions in Appendix B, you wont need to install the MM driver. The examples download contains the MM driver already properly installed.
The MM driver is distributed as a JAR file named mm.mysql-2.0.14-you-must-unjarme.jar. This is not an ordinary JAR, and it cannot be used directly by Java. The
author of MM is simply using JAR as an archive format, similar to Zip. The easiest
way to extract from this archive is to rename it to a .zip file and use a Zip tool.
Once you access the contents of this archive, locate the MM JAR file, which should
be named mm.mysql-2.0.12-bin.jar or something similar. You must make this file
accessible to the classpath. For the purposes of this book, this involves placing the
file in the directory C:\Program Files\Apache Tomcat 4.0\webapps\ROOT\WEB-INF\lib.

Installing a JDBC Driver

Now that you have the MM driver installed, you are ready to use MySQL from JDBC.
To access any driver from JDBC, you must know the driver name and the URL of the
database. The driver name for the MM driver is org.gjt.mm.mysql.Driver, and the
URL is jdbc:mysql://localhost/forum?user=forumuser. To use this information in JSTL,
use the following <sql:setDataSource> tag:
<sql:setDataSource var=dataSource driver=org.gjt.mm.mysql.Driver
url=jdbc:mysql://localhost/forum?user=forumuser
scope=session />

See Chapters 7 and 11 for more information about using databases from JDBC.

403

D
Unix Installation Notes
T

his book contains many examples that illustrate the use

of JSTL. Appendixes B and C explain how to set up your
environment for the Windows platform. The instructions
in these two appendixes generally apply to using JSTL with
Unix as well.
We developed our examples on a system that runs Red Hat
Linux 7.2. This was our primary development environment, so all of the code in this book is well tested under
Linux.
Linux versions are available for Tomcat, MySQL, and the
JDK. You should install all of these programs to their standard locations. You must also modify your profile file so
that the classpath and system path are set up properly.
Under Unix, the procedure for changing your profile file
varies greatly, depending on which shell you are running.
Listing D.1 shows a simple profile for the BASH shell,
which is the default shell for Red Hat Linux.

406

APPENDIX D

LISTING D.1

Unix Installation Notes

A Sample .bash_profile File

# .bash_profile
# Get the aliases and functions
if [ -f ~/.bashrc ]; then
. ~/.bashrc
fi
# User specific environment and startup programs
PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin:/usr/java/j2sdk1.4.0/bin
JAVA_HOME=/usr/java/j2sdk1.4.0/
CLASSPATH=./usr/jar/mm.mysql-2.0.12-bin.jar:/var/tomcat4/common/lib/
servlet.jar:/var/tomcat4/webapps/ROOT/WEB-INF/lib/jstl.jar:/var/
tomcat4/webapps/ROOT/WEB-INF/lib/standard.jar
export PATH
export JAVA_HOME
export CLASSPATH
unset USERNAME

It is unlikely that you will want to copy this file directly over your existing profile.
We used the script file in Listing D.1 with a test user we created to test examples for
this book. Regardless of how much of this file you use, it does show you where the
various paths are likely to be set up. If your system installs these components to
different paths, you must use your own paths.

Index
Symbols
${} notation (EL), 9, 73
+ operator (addition), 8990
/ operator (division), 90
== operator (equality), 9192
> operator (greater than), 91
>= operator (greater than or equal), 91
!= operator (inequality), 9192
< operator (less than), 91
<= operator (less than or equal), 91
% operator (modulo), 90
* operator (multiplication), 8990
[ ] operator (property access), 85, 8889
. operator (property access), 85, 8889
- operator (subtraction), 8990
- operator (unary minus), 9091
! operator (unary not), 9293

A
Access. See Microsoft Access
accessing application data
form data
data handler (params2.jsp), 3941
HTML form example, 3538
page context data
request data, 34
sample page listing, 3033
session data, 35
accessing attributes (custom tags), 323324
accessing properties, 8587
addition operator (+), 8990
AltaVistas Babelfish translation tool, 282283
and operator, 92
Apache Taglibs project, 11
application data access
form data
data handler (params2.jsp), 3941
HTML form example, 3538
page context data
request data, 34
sample page listing, 3033
session data, 35

408

application scope variables

application scope variables, 2829

chat application, 70
creating, 29
session scope comparison, 29
applicationScope object (EL), 94
arithmetic operators (EL)
addition (+), 8990
division (/), 90
modulo (%), 90
multiplication (*), 8990
subtraction (-), 8990
unary minus (-), 9091
attributes, accessing (custom tags), 323324

B
Babelfish translation tool, 282283
bodies, creating tags with, 330332
breakpoints, setting, 350351
browsers, determining with RT, 9799

C
Calendar program (date formatting), 156163
case-insensitive string comparisons (RT), 99100
catching exceptions, 5254
<c:catch> tag, 5457, 358
<c:choose> tag, 61, 358
<c:forEach> tag, 102103, 358359
fixed-length loops, 108110
tag collaboration
with collections, 120122
with fixed loops, 117120
<c:forTokens> tag, 110113, 359360
tag collaboration
with collections, 120122
with fixed loops, 117120
<channel> tag, 263
chat application. See also forum application
login, 6568
main chat screen, 6871
Chinese resource bundle example, 279280
<c:if> tag, 58, 360
with body, 5860
without body, 6061
<c:import> tag
absolute URLs, 248
attributes, 246, 360361
character encoding, 247
example program, 248251
forms, 246, 360361
relative URLs, 248
classpath, modifying, 390391

coercing (type conversion

to a Boolean, 95
to a character, 95
to a primitive numeric type, 95
to a string, 95
ColdFusion, counting example, 89
collections. See also iteration
defined, 101102
dynamically modifying, 113117
specifying, 102
conditional statements
chat application, 6871
else, 6365
if
<c:if> tag, 5861, 360
<x:if> tag, 231, 379
if/else, 6365
JSTL implementation, 57
mutual exclusion
<c:choose> tag, 61, 358
<c:when> tag, 6163
<x:choose> tag, 231235
<x:when> tag, 235, 383
nesting, 65
connecting to data sources, 175176
converting types
coercing to a Boolean, 95
coercing to a character, 95
coercing to a primitive numeric type, 95
coercing to a string, 95
cookie object (EL), 94
Core tag library, 12
<c:otherwise> tag, 6365, 361
counting example
ColdFusion implementation, 89
HTML implementation, 67
JSP scriptlet implementation, 78
JSTL implementation, 911
testing, 1516
troubleshooting, 17
<c:out> tag, 14, 361362
default values, 7576
displaying expressions, 7475
special characters, 76
tag escaping, 7678
<c:param> tag, 252256, 362
<c:redirect> tag, 256260, 362363
<c:remove> tag, 8385, 363
<c:set> tag
attributes, 364
forms, 7879, 363364

EL (expression language)

setting scope, 8083

with and without body, 7980
<c:url> tag, 251252, 364365
currency, parsing (<fmt:parseNumber> tag)
example program, 142145
tag attributes, 140141
tag forms, 140
custom tag libraries
attributes, accessing, 323324
bodies (tags with), 330332
debugging, 343344
doEndTag() method, 325326
EL capabilities, adding, 324325
forum application
collections, retrieving, 317319, 326328
forum storage, 300302
message-posting functionality, 319321,
328330
message storage, 302304
scope, 315
session management, 312314
single records, retrieving, 315317, 321325
tags, 296297
user storage, 297300
including in JSPs, 333338
installing, 305
JAR files, creating, 332333
overview, 295296
TLDs
file headers, 305306
tag definitions, 306308
web.xml file updates
including tag libraries, 310
storing configuration information, 310311
<c:when> tag, 6163

D
data sources, creating, 170
databases. See also forum application
data source connections, 175176
Microsoft Access, 179181
MySQL, 177179
other databases, 181
date parameters, 186
DSNs, creating, 170
Microsoft Access, downloading drivers, 167
querying, 181183
transactions, 184185
update command (SQL), 183184

dates
Calendar program, 156163
formatting (<fmt:formatDate> tag)
date-formatting codes, 135136
example program, 136140
overview, 134
tag attributes, 134135
parsing (<fmt:parseDate> tag)
example program, 147151
tag attributes, 146147
tag forms, 146
debugging. See also error handling
custom tag library errors, 343344
with Eclipse
breakpoints, setting, 350351
configuring for Tomcat, 346350
overview, 344345
projects, creating, 350
Tomcat plug-in, 346
forum application, 350352
general exceptions, 340341
with IDEs, 344345
JSTL-specific errors, 341343
overview, 339340
deploying applications, 352355
<description> tag, 263
determining browsers (RT), 9799
distributing WAR files, 353355
division operator (/), 90
doEndTag() method, 325326
DSNs, creating, 170

E
Eclipse (debugging with)
breakpoints, setting, 350351
configuring for Tomcat, 346350
forum application, 350352
overview, 344345
projects, creating, 350
Tomcat plug-in, 346
EL (expression language). See also RT expression
language
${} notation, 9, 73
accessing properties, 8587
accessing, versus RT, 96
counting example, 9
in custom tag libraries, 324325
escaping characters, 88
implicit objects, 94

How can we make this index more useful? Email us at [email protected]

409

410

EL (expression language)

literals, 8788
operators
arithmetic, 8991
logical, 9293
precedence, 9293
property access, 85, 8889
relational, 9192
reserved words, 9394
type conversion
coercing to a Boolean, 96
coercing to a character, 96
coercing to a primitive numeric type, 95
coercing to a string, 95
else statements, 6365
English resource bundle example, 280282
equality operator (==), 9192
error handling. See also debugging
<c:catch> tag, 5254, 358
generating exceptions, 5254
overview, 5152
try blocks, 5152
errors
custom tag libraries, 343344
general exceptions, 340341
JSTL-specific, 341343
explicit collaboration (JDBC)
via application logic, 176
via <sql:setDataSource> tag, 176
expression language. See EL
expression tags, 7374
<c:out>, 361362
default values, 7576
displaying expressions, 7475
special characters, 76
tag escaping, 7678
<c:remove>, 8385, 363
<c:set>, 363364
forms, 7879
setting scope, 8083
with and without body, 7879
expressions. See EL; RT expression language
Extensible Markup Language. See XML
Extensible Stylesheet Language Templates.
See XSLT

F
favorite color example
query strings, 4244
state, 4850
fixed-length loops, 108110
flow control, 51. See also iteration; loops
<fmt:bundle> tag, 273274, 365366

<fmt:formatDate> tag
attributes, 134135, 366
date-formatting codes, 135136
example program, 136140
forms, 366
overview, 134
<fmt:formatNumber> tag
attributes, 124126, 367368
example program, 127130
forms, 124, 367
numeric formatting codes, 126
percents, 130134
<fmt:message> tag, 274276, 368369
<fmt:param> tag, 276277, 369370
<fmt:parseDate> tag
attributes, 146147, 370371
example program, 147151
forms, 146, 370
<fmt:parseNumber> tag
attributes, 140141, 372
example program, 142145
forms, 140, 371
<fmt:requestEncoding> tag, 277, 372
<fmt:setBundle> tag, 272273, 372373
<fmt:setLocale> tag, 270, 373
<fmt:setTimeZone> tag, 152, 373374
<fmt:timeZone> tag, 152, 374
foreign languages. See I18N
form data access
data handler (params2.jsp), 3941
HTML form example, 3538
single values, 4446
formatting
dates (<fmt:formatDate> tag)
Calendar program, 156163
date-formatting codes, 135136
example program, 136140
overview, 134
tag attributes, 134135
defined, 123
numbers (<fmt:formatNumber> tag)
example program, 127130
numeric formatting codes, 126
tag attributes, 124126
tag forms, 124
percents (<fmt:formatNumber> tag), 130134
URLs (<c:url> tag), 251252
forms
accessing data
data handler (params2.jsp), 3941
HTML form example, 3538
single values, 4446
creating, 3538

I18N (internationalization)

forum application
administration, 203206
bodies (tags with), 330332
collections, retrieving, 317319
ListUsersTag class, 326328
creating database
on Microsoft Access, 169170
on SQL, 167169
custom tags, 296297
data source connections
Microsoft Access, 179181
MySQL, 177179
other databases, 181
overview, 175176
<sql:setDataSource> tag, 175176
database layout, 170171
debugging, 350352
forum storage
Forum class, 300302
t_forums table, 173
general query engine, 207210
I18N, 288294
JAR file, creating, 332333
logging in
login form, 190191
login query, 186190
POST handling, 191193
message-posting functionality, 319321
PostMessageTag class, 328330
message storage
Message class, 302304
t_messages table, 173174
MySQL setup, 401
overview, 165166
registration, 193198
scope, 315
screen layout, 174175
session management
obtaining new sessions, 312314
Session class, 312
single records, retrieving
database query, 315317
LoadUserTag class, 321325
t_access table, 172
TLD
file header, 305306
tag definitions, 305306
user storage
t_users table, 172173
User class, 297300
user validation, 201202

411

web.xml file updates

including tag libraries, 310
storing configuration information, 310311
web.xml file listing, 308310
welcome page, 198202

G
general exceptions (debugging), 340341
general query engine (forum application), 207210
generating exceptions, 5254
getBegin() method, 105
getCount() method, 103104, 117120
getCurrent() method, 104
getEnd() method, 105
getIndex() method, 104
getStep() method, 105
greater than operator (>), 91
greater than or equal operator (>=), 91

H
handling errors
<c:catch> tag, 5254, 358
generating exceptions, 5254
overview, 5152
try blocks, 5152
header object (EL), 94
headerValues object (EL), 94
HTML
advantages, 7
counting example, 67
disadvantages, 7
hyperlinks, variable scope and, 2533

I
I18N (internationalization)
Babelfish translation tool, 282283
forum application, 288294
ISO codes, 271272
overview, 269270
resource bundles, 269
compiling, 287
loading, 272273
non-Romance language bundle, 285287
overview, 12, 278279
properties file bundle, 279
Romance language bundles, 279285
specifying, 273274
tags, 1213
<fmt:bundle>, 273274, 365366
<fmt:formatDate>, 366
<fmt:formatNumber>, 367368

How can we make this index more useful? Email us at [email protected]

412

I18N (internationalization)

<fmt:message>, 274276, 368369

<fmt:param>, 276277, 369370
<fmt:parseDate>, 370371
<fmt:parseNumber>, 371372
<fmt:requestEncoding>, 277, 372
<fmt:setBundle>, 272273, 372373
<fmt:setLocale>, 270, 373
<fmt:setTimeZone>, 373374
<fmt:timeZone>, 374
IDEs (integrated development environments),
344345. See also Eclipse
if/else statements, 6365
if statements
<c:if> tag, 58, 360
with body, 5860
without body, 6061
<x:if> tag, 231, 379
<image> tag, 263264
implicit objects (EL), 94
importing Web pages
<c:import> tag
absolute URLs, 248
attributes, 246
character encoding, 247
example program, 248251
forms, 246
relative URLs, 248
<c:param> tag, 252256, 362
<c:url> tag, 251252
include directive, scoped variables, 2325
inequality operator (!=), 9192
initParam object (EL), 94
installing
custom tag libraries, 305
JDBC drivers, 402403
JDK, 385
JSTL, 391393
adding to your Web server, 13
testing, 1516
troubleshooting, 17
MySQL, 395397
sample programs, 389
Tomcat, 386389
internationalization. See I18N
Internet resources
accessing. see URL-related tags
overview, 260
RSS
<channel> tag, 263
<description> tag, 263
example program, 264267
feeds, 261
<image> tag, 263264

<item> tag, 264

<language> tag, 263
<link> tag, 263
overview, 261
<pubDate> tag, 263
<rss> tag, 262
sample feed file, 261262
<title> tag, 264
Internet tags. See URL-related tags
isFirst() method, 105
isLast() method, 105
ISO codes, 271272
<item> tag, 264
iteration
<c:forEach> tag, 102103, 358359
<c:forTokens> tag, 110113, 359360
fixed-length loops, 108110
list box example, 113117
loop status methods
getBegin(), 105
getCount(), 103104
getCurrent(), 104
getEnd(), 105
getIndex(), 104
getStep(), 105
isFirst(), 105
isLast(), 105
over strings, 106107
tag collaboration
with collections, 120122
with fixed loops, 117120
<x:forEach> tag, 227230, 379

J
JAR files, creating, 332333
Java Community Process, 5
Java Database Connectivity. See JDBC
Java Specification Requests (JSRs), 5
JavaServer Pages. See JSP
JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library. See JSTL
JDBC (Java Database Connectivity). See also databases; forum application
data source connections, 175176
Microsoft Access, 179181
MySQL, 177179
other databases, 181
drivers, 175, 402403
JDK, installing, 385
JSPs (JavaServer Pages)
including custom tag libraries, 333338
advantages, 8
counting example, 78
disadvantages, 8
session data, 410

operators

JSRs (Java Specification Requests), 5

JSTL (JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library)
benefits, 6
components of, 1113
counting example, 911
defined, 6
including in Web pages, 1415
installing, 391393
adding to your Web server, 13
testing, 1516
troubleshooting, 17
tag components, 14
JSTL-specific errors (debugging), 341343

L
<language> tag, 263
less than operator (<), 91
less than or equal operator (<=), 91
<link> tag, 263
literals (EL), 8788
logical operators (EL)
and, 92
or, 92
unary not, 9293
login form example
accessing values, 4446
state, 4648
login query (forum application), 186190
loops
<c:forEach> tag, 102103, 358359
fixed-length, 108110
loop status methods
getBegin(), 105
getCount(), 103104
getCurrent(), 104
getEnd(), 105
getIndex(), 104
getStep(), 105
isFirst(), 105
isLast(), 105
string iteration, 106107
token iteration, 111113

M
Microsoft Access
connecting to, 179181
data sources, creating, 170
drivers, downloading, 167
forum application, creating database, 169170

413

MM driver (MySQL), 177

modulo operator (%), 90
multinational Web sites. See I18N
multiplication operator (*), 8990
mutual exclusion statements
<c:choose> tag, 61, 358
<c:when> tag, 6163
<x:choose> tag, 231235
<x:when> tag, 235, 383
MySQL
connecting to
MM driver, 177
<sql:setDataSource> tag query, 178179
forum example, creating, 401
installing, 395397
setup, 397400

N
nesting conditional statements, 65
non-Romance language resource bundles, 279280
not operator, 9293
null values, 76
numbers
formatting (<fmt:formatNumber> tag)
example program, 127130
numeric formatting codes, 126
percents, 130134
tag attributes, 124126
tag forms, 124
parsing (<fmt:parseNumber> tag)
example program, 142145
tag attributes, 140141
tag forms, 140

O
operators
arithmetic
addition (+), 8990
division (/), 90
modulo (%), 90
multiplication (*), 8990
subtraction (-), 8990
unary minus (-), 9091
logical
and, 92
or, 92
unary not, 9293
precedence, 9293
property access, 85, 8889

How can we make this index more useful? Email us at [email protected]

414

operators

relational
equality (==), 9192
greater than (>), 91
greater than or equal (>=), 91
inequality (!=), 9192
less than (<), 91
less than or equal (<=), 91
or operator, 92

P
page context data access
request data, 34
sample page listing, 3033
session data, 35
page scope variables, 21
creating, 21
linked pages, 2533
pageContext object (EL), 94
pageScope object (EL), 94
param object (EL), 94
parameters, SQL commands, 185186
paramValues object (EL), 94
parsing
dates (<fmt:parseDate> tag)
Calendar program, 156163
example program, 147151
tag attributes, 146147
tag forms, 146
numbers (<fmt:parseNumber> tag)
example program, 142145
tag attributes, 140141
tag forms, 140
XML data (<x:parse> tag)
attributes, 217
example program, 218222
tag forms, 217
percents
formatting, 130134
parsing (<fmt:parseNumber> tag)
example program, 142145
tag attributes, 140141
tag forms, 140
POST handling (forum application), 191193
precedence of operators, 93
properties file resource bundles, creating, 279
property access operators (EL), 85, 8889
<pubDate> tag, 263

Q
query strings
accessing values, 4142
favorite color example, 4244
passing values, 41
querying databases, 181183

R
Relational DBTags (SQL) tag library, 13
relational operators (EL)
equality (==), 9192
greater than (>), 91
greater than or equal (>=), 91
inequality (!=), 9192
less than (<), 91
less than or equal (<=), 91
request page context objects, 34
request scope variables, 27
requestScope object (EL), 94
reserved words (EL), 9394
resource bundles
compiling, 287
creating
non-Romance language bundles, 285287
properties file bundle, 279
Romance language bundles, 279285
loading, 272273
overview, 12, 269270, 278279
specifying, 273274
Rich Site Summary (RSS)
example program, 264267
feeds, 261
overview, 261
sample feed file, 261262
tags
<channel>, 263
<description>, 263
<image>, 263264
<item>, 264
<language>, 263
<link>, 263
<pubDate>, 263
<rss>, 262
<title>, 264
Romance language resource bundles
English resource bundle example, 280282
overview, 279280
Spanish resource bundle example, 283285

tags

RSS. See Rich Site Summary

<rss> tag, 262
RT expression language. See also EL
accessing, versus EL, 96
case-insensitive string comparisons, 99100
components, 97
determining browsers, 9799
specifying tag library, 357
variable access, 100

S
scoped variables
application scope, 2829, 70
<c:set> tag, 8083
forum application, 315
linking pages, 2533
overview, 2021
page scope, 21
request scope, 27
reusing code, 2325
scope level comparison, 2123
session scope, 2728
specifying scope, 20
scriptlets (JSP)
advantages, 8
counting example, 78
disadvantages, 8
search path, modifying, 390391
session page context objects, 35
session scope variables, 2728
application scope comparison, 29
creating, 28
sessionScope object (EL), 94
set command, 20
Spanish resource bundle example, 283285
SQL. See also forum application
date parameters, 186
parameters, 185186
querying databases, 181183
Relational DBTags (SQL) tag library, 13
transactions, 184185
update command, 183184
<sql:dateParam> tag, 186, 374
<sql:param> tag, 185186, 375
<sql:query> tag, 181183, 375376
general query engine (forum application),
207210
login form (forum application), 186190
<sql:setDataSource> tag
attributes, 177178, 376377

415

data source connections

Microsoft Access, 179181
MySQL, 177179
other databases, 181
tag form, 176, 376
<sql:transaction> tag, 184185, 377
form administration (forum application),
203206
<sql:update> tag, 183184, 377378
user registration (forum application), 193198
welcome page (forum application), 198202
state
defined, 46
favorite color example, 4850
login form example, 4648
strings
comparing (RT), 99100
iteration over, 106107
subtraction operator (-), 8990

T
tag-based programming, 6
tag collaboration
with collections, 120122
with fixed loops, 117120
tag libraries. See also custom tag libraries
Apache Taglibs project, 12
Core (JSTL), 12
defined, 5
I18N, 1213
Relational DBTags (SQL), 13
XML, 12
taglib directives, 1415
tags
<c:catch>, 5457, 358
<c:choose>, 61, 358
<c:forEach>, 102103, 358359
fixed-length loops, 108110
tag collaboration, 117122
<c:forTokens>, 110113, 359360
tag collaboration, 117122
<c:if>, 5861, 360
<c:import>
absolute URLs, 248
attributes, 246, 361
character encoding, 247
example program, 248251
forms, 246, 360361
relative URLs, 248
components of, 14
core tags, 357

How can we make this index more useful? Email us at [email protected]

416

tags

<c:otherwise>, 6365, 361

<c:out>, 14, 7478, 361362
default values, 7576
displaying expressions, 7475
special characters, 76
tag escaping, 7678
<c:param>, 252256, 362
<c:redirect>, 256260, 362363
<c:remove>, 8385, 363
<c:set>
attributes, 364
forms, 7879, 363364
setting scope, 8083
with and without body, 7980
<c:url>, 251252, 364365
custom. see custom tag libraries
<c:when>, 6163
expression, 7374
<fmt:bundle>, 273274, 365366
<fmt:formatDate>, 134140, 366
<fmt:formatNumber>, 124134, 367368
<fmt:message>, 274276, 368369
<fmt:param>, 276277, 369370
<fmt:parseDate>
attributes, 146147, 370371
example program, 147151
forms, 146, 370
<fmt:parseNumber>
attributes, 140141, 372
example program, 142145
forms, 140, 371
<fmt:requestEncoding>, 277, 372
<fmt:setBundle>, 272273, 372373
<fmt:setLocale>, 270, 373
<fmt:setTimeZone>, 153, 373374
<fmt:timeZone>, 152, 374
formatting, 15
iteration, 102
RSS files
<channel>, 263
<description>, 263
<image>, 263264
<item>, 264
<language>, 263
<link>, 263
<pubDate>, 263
<rss>, 262
<title>, 264
<sql:dateParam>, 186, 374
<sql:param>, 185186, 375

<sql:query>, 181183, 375376

general query engine (forum application),
207210
login form (forum application), 186190
<sql:setDataSource>
attributes, 177178, 376377
data source connections, 177181
Microsoft Access connections, 179181
MySQL connections, 177179
other databases, 181
tag form, 176, 376
<sql:transaction>, 184185, 377
form administration (forum application),
203206
<sql:update>, 183184, 377378
user registration (forum application),
193198
welcome page (forum application), 198202
<x:choose>, 231235, 378
<x:forEach>, 227230, 379
<x:if>, 231, 379
XML core tags, 216217
<x:otherwise>, 235, 380
<x:out>, 222224, 380
<x:param>, 241243, 380
<x:parse>
attributes, 217, 381
example program, 218222
forms, 217, 381
<x:set>, 225227, 381382
<x:transform>, 238241, 382383
<x:when>, 235, 383
time zones
example program, 153156
setting
<fmt:setTimeZone> tag, 153
<fmt:timeZone> tag, 152
in web.xml files, 152
<title> tag, 264
TLDs (Tag Library Descriptor files)
file headers, 305306
tag definitions, 305306
Tomcat
configuring for Tomcat, 346350
Eclipse plug-in, 346
installing, 386389
transactions (databases), 184185
transparent collaboration (JDBC), 175
troubleshooting, counting example, 17
try blocks, 5152

<x:when> tag

type conversion
coercing to a
coercing to a
coercing to a
coercing to a

Boolean, 95
character, 95
primitive numeric type, 95
string, 95

U
unary minus operator (-), 9091
unary not operator, 9293
Unix, 405406
update command (SQL), 183184
URL-related tags
<c:import>, 360361
absolute URLs, 248
attributes, 246
character encoding, 247
example program, 248251
forms, 246
relative URLs, 248
<c:param>, 252256, 362
<c:redirect>, 256260, 362363
<c:url>, 251252, 364365
overview, 245246

V
variables
creating, 20
removing, 8385
scoped
application scope, 2829
linking pages, 2533
overview, 2021
page scope, 21
request scope, 27
reusing code, 2325
scope level comparison, 2123
session scope, 2728
specifying scope, 20

417

storing configuration information, 310311

setting time zones, 152

X
<x:choose> tag, 231235, 378
<x:forEach> tag, 227230, 379
<x:if> tag, 231, 379
XML (Extensible Markup Language)
core tags, 216217
example file, 214215
tags
overview, 12
<x:choose>, 231235, 378
<x:forEach>, 227230, 379
<x:if>, 231, 379
<x:otherwise>, 235, 380
<x:out>, 222224, 380
<x:param>, 241243, 380
<x:parse>, 217222, 381
<x:set>, 225227, 381382
<x:transform>, 238241, 382383
<x:when>, 235, 383
viewing files, 215
XPath, 216
<x:otherwise> tag, 235, 380
<x:out> tag, 222224, 380
<x:param> tag, 241243, 380
<x:parse> tag
attributes, 217, 381
example program, 218222
forms, 217, 381
XPath, 216, 222
<x:set> tag, 225227, 381382
XSLT (Extensible Stylesheet Language Templates)
overview, 236
sample file, 236238
<x:param> tag, 241243, 380
<x:transform> tag, 238241, 382383
<x:transform> tag, 238241, 382383
<x:when> tag, 235, 383

WAR files, 352355

web.xml files
custom tag libraries
including tag libraries, 310

How can we make this index more useful? Email us at [email protected]