I'd been waiting to announce/propose this until I could write up a
decent proposal and have the code in a better state, but with all the
talk about Struts 2.0, "good" now is better than "better" tomorrow I
suppose. The following is a proposal for Struts Ti, a possible
successor to Struts classic:
Struts Ti is a simplified Model 2 framework for developing webapps which
allows the developer better access to the underlying servlet/portlet
environment. It serves a niche of web applications that don’t want the
additional complexity of server-side components and verbose
configuration, yet want the structure and controller features of a
modern web framework. Struts Ti builds on the directions of Struts 1.x,
yet re-implements the framework to provide a clean slate for the next
generation of Struts Ti. It aims to combine the simplicity of Ruby on
Rails and NanoWeb, the refinement of WebWork 2, the tool-friendly
authoring and Page Flow of Beehive, and the lessons learned from Struts 1.x.
The key word for Struts Ti is simplicity. Ideally, Struts Ti should
approach Ruby on Rails levels of easy of use, yet scale up to large
applications providing a smooth transition to JSF/Shale if desired.
Key Features
* POJO-based action that combines an Action and ActionForm in a
similar manner to JSF backing beans and WebWork 2 Commands
* Intelligent defaults utilizing naming and placement conventions
to require minimal, if any, configuration per page, however it will be
possible to override everything on a global and per-action basis
* Configuration can be “assumed” or declared through annotations,
xml or properties files, or any other pluggable mechanism
* Pluggable EL for data binding defaulting to JSP 2.0 EL but
allowing OGNL or even BeanUtils
* Integration of a dialog or page flow capability drawing from
Beehive, Spring’s web flow, and Shale’s Dialogs.
* Per-Action optional interceptor chain ala WebWork 2
* Built-in dependency injection support
Design Goals
* No servlet dependency in core framework, portlet and JSF support
out of the box
* Spring-based dependency injection in core to allow for pluggability
* No bias to any view technology
* Ability to layer Struts 1.x compatibility on top
* Highly toolable
* Smooth integration into a portal/portlet environment
* AJAX-friendly
Implementation
* Built on the backbone of commons-chain
* No restriction on multiple Servlets and/or Servlet Filter
implementations
* Key decision points (action selection for example) use CoR chain
for maximum flexiblity
* Configuration specified using XDoclet (Java 1.4) or Annotations
(Java 5+), both supported out of the box
Dependencies
* Servlets 2.4
* Java 1.4 runtime, Java 1.5 to build
* JSP 2.0 if taglibs used
Existing project collaboration
* XWork/WebWork using their XWork and possibly parts/all of their
tag libraries
* Beehive using the Page Flow and annotations
Status
I've setup a project site for myself and have a working, if feature
sparce, framework in place. In feeling out the scope of the project,
I've been working with the two projects above as I want to avoid
reimplementing anything I don't have to, and think there is a lot of
synergy to be had.
At this point, the project site, code, and more detailed design
discussions are on my personal server:
https://www.twdata.org/projects/struts-ti
However, I plan to move everything over to the sandbox to start the
incubation process and await acceptance by the Struts PMC and developer
community. I've stated before and I'm sure I'll be stating again, and
again, Struts Ti does NOT compete with Struts Shale, as I see them, if
accepted, as two sibiling projects serving different niches.
I've been watching the Struts 2.0 threads with interest and hope this
proposal meets the needs of the Struts community for a successor to
Struts Classic.
Don
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