service() and _jspService() methods

[vidula kulkarni]

How does the servlet container differentiate between service() and _jspService() methods?

[Frank Carver]

When the JSP file is processed to generate a Servlet, the JSP processor makes one which conforms to the Servlet API specification, and thus includes a "service" method. Depending on the particular JSP implementation it can do that by inheriting from some generic JSPServlet class or by actually coding it all in the generated servlet. This method does some stuff, then calls a _jspService method. which is also generated in the same way.
As far as the container is concerned, there is only a "service" method, and that's what it calls.

[vidula kulkarni]

Thanks!! But can u elaborate more?<br> When a jsp is complied,the generated servlet has the _jspService() mtd.There is no implementation for the service() method.

[Simon Brown]

The translated JSPs (Servlets) generally extend a container specific superclass where all this sort of stuff is implemented.
Simon

[Maha Annadurai]

The container generated servlet class implements interface 'HttpJspPage' which extends 'JspPage' which in turn extends 'Servlet' interface.
Servlet
1. init(config)
2. public service(req, res)
3. destroy() and others
JspPage extends Servlet and adds
1. jspInit()
2. jspDestroy()
HttpJspPage extends JspPage and adds
1. _jspService(req,res)
So essentially the generated servlet implements all the above listed methods. Some containers have a superclass which has all the above methods implementations done already. The only one method which is generated at the time our jsp's servlet is compiled is, the _jspService(req,res) which is added on the fly during compilation.
As far as the container is concerned, it calls the public Service(req,res) method only. This public service(req,res) method in turn calls _jspService(req,res) in generated servlet.
Regards,
Maha Anna