O’Reilly news

"JavaServer Pages, Third Edition": Help for Server-Side Java Developers

January 7, 2004

Sebastopol, CA--JavaServer Pages (JSP) has built a huge following since the release of JSP 1.0 in 1999, providing Enterprise Java developers with a flexible tool for the development of dynamic web sites and web applications. While new point releases have incrementally improved the rough areas of the first version of the JSP specification, JSP 2.0, released late in 2003, takes this technology to new heights.

JavaServer Pages, Third Edition (O'Reilly, US $44.95), by Hans Bergsten is completely revised and updated to cover the JSP 2.0 and JSTL 1.1 specifications. The book includes detailed coverage of the Expression Language (EL) incorporated into JSP 2.0, the JSTL 1.1 tag libraries and the new function library, the new tag file format that enables custom tag library development without Java code, the simplified Java tag library API, improvements in the JSP XML syntax, and more. Further, it details setup of the Apache Tomcat server, JSP and JSTL syntax and features, error handling and debugging, authentication and personalization, database access, XML processing, and internationalization.

Readers of the previous edition of "JavaServer Pages" will note that many of the custom components used in the second edition have now been replaced with equivalent standard components from JSTL, a specification to which the author contributed. In fact, Bergsten helped shape the standard based on many of the ideas explored in the first and second editions of this book.

The examples in the book guide readers through solutions to common JSP design problems, from basic issues, such as retrieving and validating user input, to more advanced areas, such as developing a database-driven site, authenticating users, providing personalized content, caching data for better performance, and implementing internationalization. "The latter part of the book describes how you can combine JSP with other Java technologies," Bergsten explains. "In particular, I describe the combination of JSP and servlets using the popular Apache Struts framework, and provide an overview of how JSP fits into the larger scope of J2EE."

"JavaServer Pages" recognizes the different needs of the two groups of professionals who want to learn JSP: page authors interested in using JSP elements in web pages, and programmers concerned with learning the JSP API and using JSP effectively as a part of an enterprise application. Readers in the first group will learn from the practical web application examples in the second part of the book. Those in the latter group will appreciate the detailed coverage of advanced topics in the third part, such as how to integrate servlets and JavaBeans components with JSP using the popular Apache Struts MVC framework, and how to develop custom tag libraries using the JSP API, with realistic examples that they can use as a springboard for their own libraries.

Advance praise for "JavaServer Pages, Third Edition":
"Hans Bergsten, a JSP expert group veteran and one of our most active contributors, has thoroughly and accurately captured the new features of JSP 2.0 and JSTL 1.1 in a way that is well-organized and easy to understand. With excellent, to-the-point examples, this book is a 'must have' for any serious JSP 2.0 developer."
--Mark Roth, JSP 2.0 Specification Lead, Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Praise for the previous editions:
"This book is both well informed and well organized. It provides experts with invaluable tips and insights, while newcomers will find all they need to assess and implement their first JSP applications."
--Tim Anderson, Amazon.co.uk

"It will definitely be a well used reference from my bookshelf."
--Carl Trusiak, JavaRanch.com, February 2001

"An excellent printed resource on JSPs, unsurprisingly called 'JavaServer Pages' written by Hans Bergsten...I have been extremely impressed by its depth, clarity, and attention to detail."
--Reuven M. Lerner, Linux Journal, May 2001

"This is a great book: it was written by a key contributor not only to the JSP specification, but also to the JSP and Servlet reference implementations. Filled with useful examples, it stands as an important text in the adoption of JSP in the market."
--Eduardo Pelegri-Llopart, lead JSP Specification Engineer

Additional Resources:

JavaServer Pages, Third Edition
Hans Bergsten
ISBN 0-596-00563-6, 764 pages, $44.95 US, $69.95 CA, 31.95 UK
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000

About O’Reilly

O’Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O’Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying “faint signals” from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

Email a link to this press release