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List:       velocity-user
Subject:    Re: Struts Servlet Controller + Velocity Template Views
From:       "Geir Magnusson Jr." <geirm () optonline ! net>
Date:       2001-04-20 3:07:20
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Chris Shenton wrote:
> 
> On Thu, 19 Apr 2001 08:38:01 -0700, "Timothy Colson" <tcolson@cisco.com> said:
> 
> Timothy> Up until Gier's work on Struts+Velocity, the Strut framework
> Timothy> has been married to JSP as it's only View Component option.
> Timothy> However - as proven by Gier, Velocity can be used instead of
> Timothy> JSP.
> 
> Excuse my newbiosity: I'm a coder but not a hard-core Java dude yet.
> Recently came across webmacro and velocity, which I expect will cure
> me from my PHP-like tendency to combine logic and view.  The Struts
> package looks very similar to something one of our coders developed
> inhouse for the Controller in MVC.  So I'd ideally like to move our
> current Java-with-HTML cruft into a proper MVC model using Struts +
> Velocity.

A word of warning - the current Struts+velocity support has just a few
hours invested in it, and really should be considered a work in
progress, an experiement.  It does show that it's easy to do, and yes, I
think there are some very nice things in Struts, but I wouldn't bet the
farm on the Stuts+Vel package.

Turbine + <template engine> has thousands of hours, and years of use. If
you really have a chance to make a fresh start with a port, make sure
that you give Turbine a good look.  It's a very active project with
strong developer support.

> 
> Almost everything I've read seems to indicate folks are using Tomcat.
> We're using Apache+Jserv and frequently talking to a a bunch of beans
> in WebLogic.  Is it possible to use Struts+Velocity in such an
> environment?

Eh. Probably, but not sure.  I am pretty sure that you will trip if you
try to use the VelocityServlet base classs for your servlets, as it
probably needs stuff from servletspec 2.2  I am moving a client off of
JServ at the moment. You might as well get it over with.  The migration
should be pretty straightforward (it is for me - others might have more
experience in this...)

And it means then that your app is structured to work with a 'modern'
servlet runner.  Tomcat is great. I really like it.  But I rest
comfortably knowing that in theory anyway, I should be able to easily
move to another servlet runner.
 
> If I sound confused it's because I am :-(.  I'd really like to start
> on the right foot with a proper MVC model and solid tools, instead of
> relying on a home-grown Controller and other hacks.

This stuff is all here in Jakarta.  Be warned - the documentation
sometimes takes a back seat to performance and features, so don't judge
things by documentation.

geir

-- 
Geir Magnusson Jr.                               geirm@optonline.net
Developing for the web?  See http://jakarta.apache.org/velocity/

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