3. Introduction to Struts.

Struts:

TYPE : FrameWork Software to develop web application
VERSION : Struts 1.x(1.38) compatable with J2SDK 1.4 , 2.x(2.0.11) compatable with J2SDK 1.5.
VENDOR : Apache Foundation
Open Source Software
Download Software as Zip file from www.apache.org
For Help : www.struts.apache.org
For FAQs : www.forum.apache.org
Author: Craig mccallam
Online Tutorials : www.roseindia.com
Books : struts 1.x , Jakarta books(O'rielly press)
Complet reference of Struts(O'rielly press
Struts 2.x, Black Book

Struts 1.x Software.

Base Framework Software
Puugins

Validator plugins
Tiles plugins

Documentaiton
JSP Taglibraries
Example Applications

Installing Struts software but extracting zip file .(Struts 1.3.8-all.zip)file to a folder.
--> A plugin is a readymade solution configurable with applications.
--> JSP tag library is a library that contains set of readily available JSP tags. Struts 1.x Softwares gives six numberof JSP tag libraries. And these tags are JSP tag libraries are useful to make JSPs of webg applications as java codeless JSPs.
--> To make JSP as Java code less JSPs avoid scripting tags(scriptlet,expression,declaration),tags in JSP programming.

Note 1: Opensource software means not only free softwares , all the sources used to design and devolop a software will be given along with software installation.
Note 2: In strts based webapplications controller servlet is built in servlet and its name is action servlet. ActionServlet is given as HttpServlet.

According to java language API is nothing but set of classes and interfaces which come in the form of packages.
Struts API means working with classes and interfaces of org.apache.struts.package, and its subpackages.
To get help regarding struts-api,JSP tag libraries and XML files of struts use struts-home/docs/index.html file.

// The API given by thirdparty organization(other than sun microsystems) will come as jar files.

Struts software is always given by apache foundation, so it is giving struts API in the form of strutshome/lib/struts-core-version.jar file and this jar file is having multiple dependent jar files in the same tag.
Struts software installation gives example web application in strutshome/apps folder. The directory where struts software is installed(zip file is extraced) is called struts home directory.

//Setup required for Struts 1.x based application is nothing but developing normal web application by adding struts api support.