Examine your JSP pages for where they generate links to other pages.
You'll find <a href="filename.jsp"> strings there which is precisely
my complaint. JSP treats pages the way html does, as filenames, not
objects, which automatically prevents compile time link checking from
working.
Then look at where JSP deals with field request parameters. You'll
find that request->getParameter() returns Strings/nulls, which is the
point of my complaint that "Fields are not Strings". JSP provides no
tools for treating field parameters as application specific field
types. I explained why this was bad and how to fix it. Even provided
an AbstractField class that you're free to use if you want even
within JSP.
You could of course use WAP (or a homebrew equivalent) within JSP,
which is exactly the path I followed before chucking JSP altogheter.
After all JSP contains Java inside. This is what how I lived with JSP
before I realized that it would be cleaner to just replace it
altogether.
To head off another common misunderstanding, I explained in the
article why separating presentation and logic into separate FILES was
not a priority in my shop, and why moving html into separate METHODS
was sufficient separation for my needs. The article doen't explain
how to use MLS to read/parse HTML from files at runtime. This is only
because this wasn't a priority for my shop and so I never
investigated it well to write up instructions. I'll try to correct
this.
Regarding your last paragraph, the point of the article is that a web
application should be viewed as an object-oriented program that
happens to emit html text. The only limitations html imposes are on
web browsers. The fact that these limitations leaked into JSP
demonstrates my complaint about designing server languages as
extensions to browser languages as starting out on the wrong foot.
At 6:11 AM -0500 05/27/2001, Joseph Ottinger wrote:
>Good thing you sent this on a holiday weekend. :)
>
>At any rate, I agree with the statement that Java should be used as Java,
>and not deficient Perl - but I *do* take slight issue that JSP encourages
>the latter behavior. To a degree it does, sure - but nobody with experience
>in Java thinks that JSP is more than a convenient mechanism for rendering
>data (along with some capability for generating it.) Those who don't think
>that... well, even they can get things done, a testament to the relative
>genericity of JSP.
>
>As far as broad adoption... post to usenet, post to slashdot, post to
>javalobby, post to freshmeat, post to the mailing lists. Good luck replacing
>JSP in J2EE... and I disagree with your statement that JSP encourages the
>view of data as anything other than what it is. Sounds like an axe is being
>ground ("I invented somethin'! Come lookie here!") and I'd be interested in
>how you arrived at the conclusion, because the only limitation JSP has in
>this area is forced upon it by the rendering engine.
>
>>From: Brad Cox <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>Reply-To: A mailing list about Java Server Pages specification and
>>reference <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>Subject: Just say no to JSP
>>Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 17:04:49 -0400
>>
>>I've just completed a major revision of the WAP software and
>>articles that were published in the last two month's Dr. Dobb's
>>Journal.
>>
>>The software and articles are available at
>>http://virtualschool.edu/wap. The demonstration application isn't
>>working there yet (tomcat configuration still underway).
>>
>>Please check it out. I welcome all comments, particularly suggestions
>>as to how to get this approach broadly adopted.
>>
>>Just say no to JSP
>>
>>Perl and JSP encourage the view that web pages are files, links are
>>file names, and request and database fields are strings. But although
>>html does represent everything as data, html is a restriction on
>>browsers, not web applications.
>>
>>Java should be used as a fully object-oriented language, not as a
>>deficient Perl. Pages should be page objects, links between pages
>>should be messages between objects, and fields should be instances of
>>application-specific fields that encapsulate the ability to validate
>>user input.
>>
>>WAP was developed and tested with the Apache/Tomcat/JServ servlet
>>engine but should work with others such as Resin. If the engine
>>supports JSP it is not used. The software replaces the sole useful
>>feature JSP provides with the MLS preprocessor described below.
>>--
>>---
>>For industrial age goods there were checks and credit cards.
>>For everything else there is mybank.dom at http://virtualschool.edu/mybank
>>Brad Cox, PhD; [EMAIL PROTECTED] 703 361 4751
>>
>>===========================================================================
>>To unsubscribe: mailto [EMAIL PROTECTED] with body: "signoff
>>JSP-INTEREST".
>>For digest: mailto [EMAIL PROTECTED] with body: "set JSP-INTEREST
>>DIGEST".
>>Some relevant FAQs on JSP/Servlets can be found at:
>>
>>http://java.sun.com/products/jsp/faq.html
>>http://www.esperanto.org.nz/jsp/jspfaq.html
>>http://www.jguru.com/jguru/faq/faqpage.jsp?name=JSP
>>http://www.jguru.com/jguru/faq/faqpage.jsp?name=Servlets
>
>_________________________________________________________________
>Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
>
>===========================================================================
>To unsubscribe: mailto [EMAIL PROTECTED] with body: "signoff
>JSP-INTEREST".
>For digest: mailto [EMAIL PROTECTED] with body: "set JSP-INTEREST DIGEST".
>Some relevant FAQs on JSP/Servlets can be found at:
>
>http://java.sun.com/products/jsp/faq.html
>http://www.esperanto.org.nz/jsp/jspfaq.html
>http://www.jguru.com/jguru/faq/faqpage.jsp?name=JSP
>http://www.jguru.com/jguru/faq/faqpage.jsp?name=Servlets
--
---
For industrial age goods there were checks and credit cards.
For everything else there is mybank.dom at http://virtualschool.edu/mybank
Brad Cox, PhD; [EMAIL PROTECTED] 703 361 4751
===========================================================================
To unsubscribe: mailto [EMAIL PROTECTED] with body: "signoff JSP-INTEREST".
For digest: mailto [EMAIL PROTECTED] with body: "set JSP-INTEREST DIGEST".
Some relevant FAQs on JSP/Servlets can be found at:
http://java.sun.com/products/jsp/faq.html
http://www.esperanto.org.nz/jsp/jspfaq.html
http://www.jguru.com/jguru/faq/faqpage.jsp?name=JSP
http://www.jguru.com/jguru/faq/faqpage.jsp?name=Servlets
