14 Dec 2005 - The Apache Struts flagship product, the leading web
application framework for Java, is now known as the "Struts Action
Framework".
To make the framework easier to maintain, Apache Struts subdivided the
original monolithic distribution into several subprojects. Each
subproject has its own website, documentation, and release cycle, and
may be downloaded separately. For consistency, the original core
framework component also has its own name now: "Struts Action
Framework". The JARs and external dependencies for the extensions to
Struts Action Framework are being bundled into a convenient
distribution known as the "Struts Action Framework Library".
The Struts Action Framework 1.3.0 release will include several exciting new features, including:
* Composable Request Processor
* ActionDynaForm interfaces
* Arbitrary configuration properties
* Catalog and Command Elements
* Enhanced Global Exception Handlers
* Extends attribute for XML configurations
* "isCommitted" Exception Handling
* Postback Actions
* Wildcard ActionConfig properties
The key change in this release is the "composable request processor".
The request processor is the framework's "kernal". The request
processor methods are now command objects in a flexible chain of
commands. Rather than subclassing a monolithic object, developers can
now just replace commands with their own implementations. Commands can
also be inserted or removed, if needed, to extend or streamline the
request processing gauntlet, to better meet the needs of different
kinds of applications.
The Struts Action Framework 1.3.0 release, and other milestones on the
Apache Struts roadmap, were discussed at ApacheCon on Tuesday, December
13, 2005, in a talk, entitled "Struts 2006: An Embarrassment of
Riches". Slides from the talk are available online
[http://people.apache.org/~husted/apachecon-2005-action.pdf].
For more about Struts Action Framework, visit the framework's Website [http://struts.apache.org/struts-action/].
