1) Tomcat is a servlet container :-) It's whole purpose is to run Java Web Applications.
Struts is a web application framework. It sits inside of your application and raises "ground zero" for you so that you needn't invest so much time building tools that you'll wind up either building simplistic models of or not using.
So ... you can use Struts under any Tomcat: standalone, under Apache, under IIS - doesn't matter :-) You don't even have to use Tomcat. Indeed, there are many servlet containers.
2) Grab a binary distribution : http://struts.apache.org/acquiring.html
Unpack it and there are several sample applications you may peruse. There's a blank webapp that is a "ground zero" project waiting for you to flesh out. An example application that is a pretty simple, yet functional, application, ... there's some examples there for sure :-)
3) Re-explaination of (1) above, based on your experience:
Struts is a controller servlet. You configure the servlet in your web.xml. It also uses an XML config file to specify mapping information of different sorts, and to setup some structures. When the servlet gets invoked through however you have it mapped (we prefer extension mapping to *.do) it uses this configuration to determine what it needs to do. That's the 30,000 ft look at it.
Does that make it clear as mud?
Unpack the binary. Find the WARs. Drop them into Tomcat's "webapps" folder, fire up Tomcat, and play around with it :-)
Feel free to examine the User Guide. There's tons of stuff around that's meant to make learning Struts easier.
Good Luck!
Eddie Bush
----- Original Message ----- From: "Scott Purcell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 8:24 AM
Subject: Installation Getting Started Question
I am wanting to see how Struts may help in my J2EE development. I have purchased the O'Reilly book "Jakarta Struts" and want to get started with some examples.
1) I am currently running Tomcat 4.1.31 as a standalone.
Can struts be installed with Tomcat as standalone? I saw somewhere in the install where it says to make sure you have Apache and Tomcat installed? Can someone help clear this up?
2) Is there a hello Struts example somewhere? Just to test the install/setup before I get under way?
3) The book does not start off simple either, so how can one get a handle on this effectively? My background is Servlets/JSP/ Web development. Including taglibs, ant, etc.
Thanks, Scott
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