[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >Hi Graham, > >I've just started using SiteMesh(from opensymphony.org) and I find it >really refreshing and straightforward. I was using Tiles but it >ultimately seemed over complex. > >SiteMesh uses Servlet 2.3 filters so it sits "outside" Struts - this >makes it much easier work with for me or it would help you apply a new >layout and look and feel to an otherwise finished site. > >A few pros of SiteMesh: > > - all the "pagelets" that comprise a full page can be generated as >well-formed HTML documents. This makes it easier for them to be designed >and built than other systems (e.g. Tiles) where a "pagelet" might be >just a table (thinking real world/real people here: designers using >Dreamweaver don't need to get their heads around editing pages at the >code level). > > - the concept is really simple to grasp > > - being Filter-based means you can take your Struts hat off when you >want to put together the presentation layer. > > - it applies the layout/look and feel *after* the "pagelets" have been >generated. This allows the presentation to be more easily reactive to >the generated output. > >Cons of SiteMesh: > > - I haven't found any yet. Anyone else got some? > > > I'm glad to hear this. I've been looking at the opensymphony site for this and their caching tag. I have a project that has a lot of legacy asp tools so the ability to include output from non-java sources looks good. I am in a design centric enviroment so easier integration with Dreamweaver would be a real plus over the Tiles approach.
Maybe you should whip up a Struts meets Sitemesh tutorial. What other rendering tools are people using with Struts? Struts seems good for all the form handling side but I don't think that the template tags are the best approach for the sites I am working on. John Nicholas -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For additional commands, e-mail: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
