**** Creating A Stable Tomcat Web Site(June/2003) ****

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(I)Use The Java Standard Tags(JSTL) Instead Of Writing Your Own Java Code....
(see question below for why you should switch)

• tags: http://jakarta.apache.org/taglibs/doc/standard-doc/intro.html(official JSTL tags)
• ref: http://java.sun.com/webservices/docs/ea2/tutorial/doc/JSTL.html(just a sample)
• book: http://jstlbook.com/
• book: http://TheJSPBook.com/
• book: http://www.core-jstl.com/
• web.xml file example: (see JSTL documentation)

(II)How To Handle MYSQL Databases....

• tags: use <sql> tags included in the JSTL
• driver: http://www.mysql.com/downloads/api-jdbc.html(the standard driver)
• jndi datasource: http://jakarta.apache.org/tomcat/tomcat-4.1-doc/jndi-datasource-examples-howto.html
• web.xml file example:
  <web-app>
    <context-param>
      <param-name>javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.sql.dataSource</param-name>
      <param-value>jdbc:mysql://localhost/DATABASE_NAME,com.mysql.jdbc.Driver,USER,PASSWORD</param-value>
    </context-param>
  </web-app>

(III)How To Handle POSTGRESQL Databases....

• tags: use <sql> tags included in the JSTL
• driver: http://jdbc.postgresql.org/download.html(the standard driver)
• docs: http://jdbc.postgresql.org/doc.html
• web.xml file example:
  <web-app>
    <context-param>
      <param-name>javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.sql.dataSource</param-name>
      <param-value>jdbc:postgresql://localhost/DATABASE_NAME,org.postgresql.Driver,USER,PASSWORD</param-value>
    </context-param>
  </web-app>
• note: example untested(derived from MYSQL example)

(IV)How To Handle Email Sending....

• tags: http://jakarta.apache.org/taglibs/doc/mailer-doc/intro.html
• jndi resources: http://jakarta.apache.org/tomcat/tomcat-4.1-doc/jndi-resources-howto.html
• web.xml file example:
  <web-app>
    <resource-ref>
      <description>jndi mail session</description>
      <res-ref-name>mail/Session</res-ref-name>
      <res-type>javax.mail.Session</res-type>
      <res-auth>Container</res-auth>
    </resource-ref>
  </web-app>

(V)How To Handle Operations Not Yet Implemented In The JSTL...

• You can incorporate java code into your JSTL page if necessary
• You can write your own custom tag libraries

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(1)Why should I switch to JSTL when I know how to code java?

• It provides proven web page stability.
• There is no need to worry about error handling.
• It is easy to learn.
• Tags are the present/future of web site development.
• Tags put .jsp on the same playing field as .asp and .php.
• Sun java has plans to make jsp 2.0(comming soon) synonymous with JSTL.

(2)What version of Tomcat does JSTL work with?

• JSTL website says tested with Tomcat 4.0.4 - But I have had no troubles using JSTL 1.0.3 with 4.1.18 or 4.1.24.
• Tomcat 5.0(comming soon) is designed for JSTL and has it built in.

(3)How can I make my JSTL pages load faster?

• Reduce the number of lines in your .jsp page by putting multiple tags on the same line.
• Break large pages into 2 smaller pages.
• Use Cascading Style Sheets to reduce redundant html tags(always a good idea).
• You should always write code with speed in mind no matter what language you use.

(4)Any miscellaneous things I should know?

• If you web page becomes extra-long it will not compile and will not tell you the real compile error.
• Use JSTL for the 99% of the things it can do, and incorporate java programming for the 1% it can't do.