Java Servlets

CS-422
Application Mapping
• Your servlet application will be mapped to a directory structure:
– “myapp” maps to some directory C:/docs/apps/myapp
– in the myapp directory create a directory called “Web-inf”
• in Web-inf create
– classes
– jsp
– lib - use this for common things like JDBC drivers
– sessions
• these directories are used for the various components of your application
– when invoking your servlet
• http://www.myserver.com/myapp/servlet/servletname
• the “magic name” myapp/setvlet will really refer to
– c:docs/apps/myapp/Web-inf/classes
Deploying your application
• To deploy a servlet based application create a .war (web archive) file
containing all of the files needed for the application and place it on the
server
• the servlet container will work from the web archive extracting files
as needed
– the base JVM has all of the classes it needed for working with files in the
various versions of zipped files.
• Use the JDK JAR utility to create your .war file
– ex cd myapp; jar -cvf myapp.war (make sure that …JDKnnn/bin is in
your path and all of the files in the current directory will be placed into
the file myapp.war
– copy the .war file to the webapp directory of your server and its work
– make sure to back-up both your development directory and your deployed
war file.
Servlet Life
• A servlet can come into existence for two reasons:
– it was configured to be loaded on start-up of the servlet engine
– a user request called for it
• a servlet object is created on the main thread
• init( ) is started on a secondary thread
– the servlets init( ) method is guaranteed to be called once (and only once)
for the life of a given servlet.
– init( ) is guaranteed to complete before any service methods are invoked.
• the main thread for the servlet will terminate at the end of the init( )
• when a request for the servlet is received the servlet engine spawns a
new thread and calls the appropriate service( ) method
– in the case of http this will be:
• doGet
• doPost
• doDelete
• doOptions
• doPut
• doTrace
 Servlet Life (more)
• Once the servlets life cycle us up (when all associated threads quiesce)
the destroy( ) method will automatically be run
Servlet APIs
• The servlet APIs are split into two packages:
– javax.servlet
• contains classes and interfaces that implement generic, protocol independent
servlets, having this generiv layer allows it to be extended other protocols (like
IIOP)
– javax.servlet.http
• extends javax.servlet for the HTTP protocol
– javax implies it is an official java extension
• TOMCAT is the official reference implementation
Scope

Page N/A Available to the handling servlet

only(within its service method).
These are usually method instance
variables
Request request.setAttribute(key) Available to the handling servlet or
request.getAttribute(key) any servlet or JSP that control is
forwarded to

Session session.setAttribute(key) Available to any servlet or JSP

session.getAttribute(key within the same scope. Most
common example of a session
scoped object would be a shopping
cart.
Application getServletContext() Available to any servlet or JSP
SetAttribute(key,obj) within the same webapp. Usually
obtained in the init( ) method. Note
GetServletContext() that ServletContext object hold
GetAttribute(key) objects of application scope. An
typical application scoped object
 J2EE Application Servers

• Tomcat – Apache Foundation – Open Source

• JRUN – Macromedia
• WebSphere – IBM
• BEA Weblogic – BEA
• Sun Java System Application Server – SUN
• Oracle Application Server – Oracle Corp.
Deployment

• Tomcat v.4 (Apache Foundation, Jakarta

Project)
– Implements the Servlet 2.3 and JSP 1.2
Specifications
• Servlet 2.3 Specification
– Outlines requirements for deploying servlets
• Directory Structure
• Deployment Descriptors
Directory Structure
• /application
• /application/WEB-INF
– Web.xml (deployment Descriptor)
• /application/WEB-INF/classes
– Compiled class files
– May be a WAR (Web Archive file containing
all class files); create using the JAR application
found in the JSDK bin directory
Deployment Descriptors

• XML file describing the application

– Used by the server to deploy the application
– DTD is at java.sun.con/j2ee/dtds/web-app_2_2.dtd
 Web.xml (sample)
<web-app>
<display-name>CS422Sample</display-name>
<description>Steflik’s Sample App for CS422</description>
<servlet>
<servlet-name>BrowserDataServlet</servlet-name>
<servlet-class>BrowserDataServlet</servlet-class>
</servlet>
<servlet-mapping>
<servlet-name>BrowserDataServlet</servlet-name>
<url-pattern>/steflik/BrowserDataServlet</url-pattern>
<servlet-mapping>
</web-app>
Web Application Archive files

• jar cvf mywebapp.war