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 Servlet :
 Introduction
Servlet technology is used to create web
application (resides at server side and
generates dynamic web page).

 Servlet is Java program which run on web

server and responding to request of clients
(Web browser).

 Servlet technology is robust and scalable

because of java language.
 Servl
 Webet
applications are helper applications that resides
at web
server and build dynamic web pages.
 A dynamic page could be anything like a page that
randomly chooses picture to display or even a page
that displays the current time.
 Servlet : Defined in many
ways
 Servlet is a technology i.e. used to create web application.
 Servlet is an API that provides many interfaces and
classes including documentations.
 Servlet is an interface that must be implemented
for creating any servlet.
 Servlet is a class that extend the capabilities of the
servers and respond to the incoming request. It can
respond to any type of requests.
 Servlet is a web component that is deployed on the
server to create dynamic web page.
Servlet :
Defined
 Servl
 et Servlet is a Java object that
A Java
responds to HTTP requests. It runs inside
a Servlet container.
 Servl

et is part of a Java web application.
A Servlet
 A Servlet container may run multiple web applications at the
same time, each having multiple servlets running inside.
 Servl
et
 A Java web application can contain other
components than servlets.
 It can also contain Java Server Pages (JSP),
images, text files, documents, Web Services etc.
 HTTP Request and

Response
The browser sends an HTTP request to the Java web
server.
 The web server checks if the request is for a servlet. If it
is, the servlet container is passed the request.
 The servlet container will then find out which servlet
the request is for, and activate that servlet.
 The servlet is activated by calling the
Servlet.service()method.
 Once the servlet has been activated the servlet processes the
request, and generates a response. The response is then sent
back to the browser.
 Servlet
 Java Containers
servlet containers are usually running inside a
Java web
server.
 Example: Tomcat, GlasssFish, Jboss etc.
 Container:

It provides runtime environment for JavaEE
(j2ee) applications.

It performs many operations that are
given below:

Life Cycle Management

Multithreaded support
 Types of
Servlet
 Generic Servlet:

It is in javax.servlet.GenericServlet package

It is protocol independent.
 HTTP Servlet

It is in javax.servlet.HTTPServlet package

Built-in HTTP protocol support.
 Types of
Servlet
Generic Servlet HTTP Servlet

Package: javax.servlet Package: javax.servlet.http

It is protocol independent It is protocol dependent

servlet specifically only HTTP
protocol request- response
handle.
It uses service() method for It uses methods like doPost(),
handling request-response. doGet()
 Servlet life

cycle
Each servlet instance is loaded once.
 Each execution happens in a separate thread
 Three methods:

init() : call only once to initialize servlet.

service() : Call for every request.

destroy() : call only once
 Method service() is invoked every time a request
comes. It spawns off threads to perform doGet or
doPost based on the method invoked.
 Servlet life
1. Loadcycle
Servlet Class.
2. Create Instance of Servlet.
3. Call the servlets init() method.
4. Call the servlets service() method.
5. Call the servlets destroy() method.
Note: Step 1,2,3 executed only once when servlet is initially
loaded.
Step 4 executed "N"-timeswhenever http request comes
Step 5 executed to destroy servlet means unload servlet
class
Servlet life
cycle

Mr. N ilesh Vishwasrao

 Servlet
API
 Servlet API consists of two important packages

that encapsulates all the important classes

and interface, namely :

javax.servlet

javax.servlet.http
 Servlet Interface:
javax.servlet

Interfaces Description
Servlet Declare life cycle methods for servlet. To
implement this interface we have to extends
GenericServlet or HttpServlet classes.

ServletConfig Helps servlet to get initialization parameter

means startup information, basic
information about servlet.

ServletContext Allows servlet to log events and access

information about their environment
 Servlet Classes:
javax.servlet
Classes Description
GenericServlet Used to create servlet (Protocol
independent)
ServletInputStream Provides an input stream for reading
requests from client.
ServletOutputStream This class supports an output stream
for writing responses to a client
ServletException For handling exception: Error Occurred
UnavailableException For handling exception: generate when
servlet not available
 Servlet Interface:
javax.servlet.http
Classes Description
HttpServlet Used to create http servlet (Protocol
dependent)
HttpServletRequest It enables servlets to read data from an
HTTP request
HttpServletResponse It enables servlets to write data to an
HTTP response
HttpSession It allows to read and write session data.

Cookie Cookie class allows state information to

be stored on a client machine
Servlet Interface:
Methods
 GenericServlet
 class Servlet, ServletConfig and
It implements
Serializable interfaces.
 It provides the implementation of all the methods
of these interfaces except the service method (You
have to write code in your servlet class for this
method).
 GenericServlet class can handle any type of
request so it is protocol-independent.
 ServletConfig interface
 Object of ServletConfig created by the web
container for each servlet.
 This object can be used to get configuration
information from web.xml file.
 Advantage: No need to edit the servlet file if
information is modified from the web.xml file.
 ServletConfig

interface
public String getInitParameter(String name):
Returns the parameter value for the specified
parameter name.
 Enumeration getInitParameterNames():
Returns all the initialized parameter names.
 public String getServletName():
Returns the name of the servlet.
 public ServletContext getServletContext():
Returns an object of ServletContext.
ServletConfig
interface
 ServletContext
interface
 An object of ServletContext is created by the
web container at time of deploying the project
(web application).
 This object can be used to get configuration
information from web.xml file.
 There is only one ServletContext object per web
application.
 ServletContext
interface
<context-param>

<param-name>dname </param-name>
<param-value>
sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver
</param-value>

</context-param>
 HttpServl
et
 It extends GenericServlet class and
implements Servlet, ServletConfig and
Serializable interface.
 It provides http specific methods such
as
doGet, doPost, doHead, doTrace etc.
 HttpServl
et
• The most important are six doxxx methods that get
called when a related HTTP request method is
used.
• The six methods are doPost, doPut, doGet, doDelete,
doOptions and doTrace.
• For instance, the doGet method is invoked when the
servlet receives an HTTP request that was sent using
the GET method.
• Of the six doxxx methods, the doPost and the doGet
methods are the most frequently used.
 Implementati
onServlet is just an ordinary Java class
 A Java

which implements the interface


javax.servlet.Servlet;

 The easiest way to implement this interface

is to extend either the
 class GenericServlet or HttpServlet.
Exampl
e
 Implementati
onan HTTP request arrives at the web
 When

server, targeted for your Servlet, the web

server calls your Servlet's service() method.

 The service() method then reads the request,

and generates a response which is sent back
to the client (e.g. a browser).
 Implementation:HT
TP
 The javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet class is a
slightly more advanced base class than
the GenericServlet
 The HttpServlet class reads the HTTP request,
and determines if the request is an HTTP
GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, HEAD etc. and calls
one the corresponding method.
Implementation:
HTTP
 HttpRequest:
 This Interface
interface present in
javax.servlet.http.HttpRequest

 The purpose of the HttpRequest object is to

represent the HTTP request a browser sends to
your web application.
 HttpRequest:
Parameters
 Thus, anything the browser may send,
is accessible via the HttpRequest.
 We can read initialization parameters also
using HttpServletRequest object with
getInitParameter method.
 HttpRequest:
 Parameters
Also we can use following code if request parameters is
send through body part of the Http request.

 If the browser sends an HTTP GET request, the

parameters are included in the query string in the
URL.
 If the browser sends an HTTP POST request, the
parameters are included in the body part of the HTTP
 HttpRequest:
 Header
The request headers are name, value pairs sent by the browser
along with the HTTP request.
 The request headers contain information about e.g. what
browser software is being used, what file types the browser is
capable of receiving etc. In short, at lot of meta data around
the HTTP request.

 Above example reads the Content-Length header sent by the

browser.
 HttpRequest:

InputStream
If the browser sends an HTTP POST request, request
parameters and other potential data is sent to the server
in the HTTP request body.
 If does not have sent data in parameters means may be
binary data, that time we will require InputStream for
accessing request body come from client.
 InputStream requestBodyInput =
request.getInputStream();
 NOTE: You will have to call this
method before
calling any getParameter()
 HttpRequest:
 Session
It is possible to obtain the session object from the
HttpRequest object too.
 The session object can hold information about a given user,
between requests.
 So, if you set an object into the session object during one
request, it will be available for you to read during any
subsequent requests within the same session time scope.
 HttpResponse:

Interface
This interface is present in java.servlet.http package.
 The purpose of the HttpResponse object is to
represent the HTTP response of web application
sends back to the browser.
 HttpResponse: Writing

HTML
To send HTML back to the browser, you have to
obtain the a PrintWriter from the HttpResponse
object.
 HttpResponse:

Headers
Headers must be set before any data is written to the
response.
 Examples:

Syntax:
response.setHeader("Header-Name", "Header Value");

Set Content type:
response.setHeader("Content-Type", "text/html");

Writing text
response.setHeader("Content-Type",
"text/plain"); PrintWriter writer =
response.getWriter(); writer.write("This is
just plain text");

Content-length
 HttpResponse: Writing
Binary Data
 We can also write binary data back to the browser
instead of text.
 For instance, we can send an image back, a PDF file or
a Flash file or something like that.
 First we have to set content type. And need to use
following
code:
OutputStream outputStream =
response.getOutputStream();
outputStream.write(...);
 HttpResponse:

Redirecting
We can redirect the browser to a different URL
from your servlet.
 You cannot send any data back to the browser
when redirecting response.sendRed
irect("http://www.google.com");
Or Another servlet file call
response.sendRedirect(“HelloServ
let");
 HttpSessi
 on
The HttpSession object represents a user session.
 A user session contains information about the user
across
multiple HTTP requests.
 When a user enters your site for the first time, the user
is given a unique ID to identify his session by.
 This ID is typically stored in a cookie or in a request
parameter.
 HttpSessi
 on
We can store values in the session object, and retrieve
them later. Do it in following way:
session.setAttribute("userName",
"theUserName");
 This code sets an attribute named "userName", with
the value "theUserName".
 To read the value again:
String userName = (String)
session.getAttribute("userName");
 Values stored in the session object are stored in the
 HttpSession:

Example
Create one HTML file: index.html which send user name
and password to the servlet file.

 Create two servlet file, one will save user name into
session and that session information is send to another
servlet. This example shows the session tracking.
 RequestDispatc
 her
The RequestDispatcher class enables your servlet to "call"
another servlet from inside another servlet.
 We can obtain a RequestDispatcher from the
HttpServletRequest object.

 The above code obtains a RequestDispatcher targeted at

whatever Servlet (or JSP) that is mapped to the URL
/anotherUrl.simple.
 RequestDispatc
her
 You can call the RequestDispatcher using either its
include() or forward() method.

 The forward() method intended for use in forwarding the

request, meaning after the response of the calling servlet has
been committed. You cannot merge response output using this
method.
 The include() method merges the response written by the
calling servlet, and the activated servlet. This way you can
achieve "server side includes" using the include().
 Servlet: Load on start
up
 The <servlet> element has a sub-element called
<load-on-startup> which you can use to control when the servlet
container should load the servlet.

 If you do not specify a <load-on-startup> element, the servlet

container will typically load your servlet when the first request
arrives for it.

 By setting a <load-on-startup> element, you can tell the servlet

container to
load the servlet as soon as the servlet container starts.
 Remember, the servlets init() method is called when the servlet is
loaded.
 Cooki
e
 HTTP Cookies are little pieces of data that a web
application can store on the client machine of
users visiting the web application.
 Typically up to 4 kilo bytes(KB) of data can be store.

 We can write cookies using HttpServletResponse

object:
 Example:

Cookie cookie = new Cookie("myCookie",

"myCookieValue"); response.addCookie(cookie);
 Cooki
 e each request is considered as a new request.
By default,
 In cookies technique, we add cookie with response
from the servlet.
 So cookie is stored in the cache of the browser.
 After that if request is sent by the user, cookie is added
with request by default. Thus, we recognize the user as
the old user.
 Cookie:
Types
 Non-persistent cookie:

It is valid for single session only. It is removed each time
when user closes the browser.

 Persistent cookie:

It is valid for multiple session . It is not removed each time
when user closes the browser. It is removed only if
user logout or sign-out or clear cookies/cache memory of
browsers.
 Cookie:
Pros/Cons
 Advantages:

Simplest technique of maintaining the state.

Cookies are maintained at client side.

 Disadvantages

It will not work if cookie is disabled from the browser.

Only textual information can be set in Cookie object.
 Cookie:
Constructor
 javax.servlet.http.Cookie class provides the
functionality of using cookies. It provides a lot of
useful methods for cookies.

Constructor Description
Cookie() constructs a cookie.
Cookie(String name, String value) constructs a cookie with a specified
name and value.
 Cookie:
Methods
Useful
methods:
Method Description

public void setMaxAge(int expiry) Sets the maximum age of the cookie in
seconds.

public String getName() Returns the name of the cookie.

public String getValue() Returns the value of the cookie.

public void setName(String name) changes the name of the cookie.

public void setValue(String value) changes the value of the cookie.

 Cookie:
Methods
 Other methods:
 public void addCookie(Cookie ck):method
of HttpServletResponse interface is used to
add cookie in response object.
 public Cookie[] getCookies():method of
HttpServletRequest interface is used to return
all the cookies from the browser.
 Cookie: How to
create?
 Creating cookie object
Cookie ck=new
Cookie("user",”Sandip");

 Adding cookie in the response

response.addCookie(ck);//
 Cookie: For delete
Cookies
 Deleting value of cookie
Cookie ck=new Cookie("user","");

 Changing the maximum age to 0

seconds
ck.setMaxAge(0);

 Adding cookie in the response

response.addCookie(ck);
 Cookie: To get
Cookies
Cookie ck[]=request.getCookies();
for(int i=0;i<ck.length;i++)
{
out.print("<br>"+ck[i].getName()+"
"+ck[i].getValue());
//printing name and value of cookie
}
Cookie:
Example
 Cookie:
Example
 Create one Html file which send user
name to first servlet.
 First servlet file set cookies of that user
name and call second servlet file.
 Second servlet file retrieve name of
user from cookies instead of from
session.
 MC
Q
 Which is of the following are classes and
which are interfaces?
 1. Servlet
 2. ServletConfig
 3. ServletRequest
 4. ServletResponse
 5. HttpServlet
 6. GenericServlet
 7. Cookies
 8. Session
 MC
Q
 What is returntype of the getSession()
method?
 1. Session
 2. int
 3. HttpSession
 4. boolean
 5. void
 MC
Q
 Javax.servlet packages does not
have:
 1. HttpServlet
 2. ServletConfig
 3. ServletContext
 4. Servlet
 5. HttpServletRequest
 6. ServletResponse
 7. HttpServletResponse
 8. Cookies
 MC
Q
 Javax.servlet packages does not
have:
 1. HttpServlet
 2. ServletConfig
 3. ServletContext
 4. Servlet
 5. HttpServletRequest
 6. ServletResponse
 7. HttpServletResponse
 8. Cookies
 MC
Q
 Which is correct package for
HttpServlet and HttpServletResponse?
 1. javax.servlet.*;
 2. javax.servlet.http.*;
 3. javax.servlet.httpservlet.*;
 4. java.lang.*;
 MC
Q
 Which of the following method is invoked
when Http post request?
 1. doPost()
 2. doPostCall()
 3. doHttpPost()
 4. doPut()
 5. doTrace()
 6. doPostOptions()
 MC
Q
 Which of the following method is invoked
when Http post request?
 1. doPost()
 2. doPostCall()
 3. doHttpPost()
 4. doPut()
 5. doTrace()
 6. doPostOptions()