Tough choice Struts or JSF

[Prakas Subed]

Folks,

at my place we're having too much debate regarding which one to use for a new J2EE web-based app. It'll be typical CRUD application, with lots of validations on data entry/edits. It also has a module that needs to display near real time data using a message queue as the datasource. What to choose; or is combination better? Any reasoning you can provide is appreciated ...

[Gregg Bolinger]

Moving this to the, well, JSF forum I guess. Kind of a toss up, but that's my forum, so let's move it there.

[Gregg Bolinger]

Struts is a durable, proven, reliable framework. It's still the framework of choice.

JSF is still really new. It's gathered quite a following and is an official Sun specification. It is actually making it's way as part of J2EE 1.5 next year (2006).

I'd say it's really a toss up. The only winning argument for JSF over Struts right now would be the fact that Struts development has stopped. The next release (Shale) will actually use JSF for the view with a modifide Struts backend for navigation and what not.

What might really determine which you use is which framework do the developers feel more comfortable developing with? Which framework are you going to be able to get the product out of the door quicker and more reliably with? Not in terms of framework features, but how well your development team knows one over the other.

[Rick O'Shay]

Total no-brainer: use JSF

According to the principal author of JSF, you should use JSF as the framework of choice for new development. Then again he might be biased, however, the principal author of Struts also recommends JSF. Come to think of it, they're the same person!

JSF is the fruition of a new and improved Struts framework designed by those responsible for Struts. They will continue to support it but they want you to use their new baby, JSF.
[ August 25, 2005: Message edited by: Rick O'Shay ]

[Jignesh Patel]

If you are using weblogic then you might think of using pageflow. Which has build on top of struts. And if there is any other app server you can think of using beehive(just 1 day back I got the information from somebody in JavaRanch.)

As far as struts concern I worked extensively on it and then Itried to explore JSF too. I realize JSF is bit more simpler and efficient then the struts. And as mentioned in previous posting the architect who developed struts, involved on JSF development.

So the choice is yours, I believe Struts vs JSF-->JSF is a winner.

[Mahesh Rana]

Gregg, your JSF home page says

JSF is a model-driven web component application framework whose event model has been compared to that of Swing.

Now here is my concern,

I have been using Struts extensively for VoiceXML applications (No role of HTML)

So, do you think the JSF will still be a winner for me ?
Or should I just stay loyal to Struts ?

Thanks.

[Jignesh Patel]

For you it is not a question of better or bad.

Your application is already developed, so from architect point of view you have to count following points.
1. Do you have time to change from Struts to JSF?
2. If yes, do you have time to test the impact of change?
3. If you application is integrated with any other application, do you have time to test the impact on other application.

I believe in most of the projects all 3 have answer no.

[Kevin Galligan]

1. Do you have time to change from Struts to JSF?
2. If yes, do you have time to test the impact of change?
3. If you application is integrated with any other application, do you have time to test the impact on other application.

I believe in most of the projects all 3 have answer no.

Is it this black and white though? I posted recently to see if anybody uses a hybrid approach. Do your routing with whatever, and handle sub-flows with JSF. Just do new parts of your app in JSF. I guess it depends what your particular environment is like, but we've got apps that stretch back a few years. Some of our apps are purely internal, some are external client apps, etc. There's no way we're "converting" everything.

https://coderanch.com/t/210875/JSF/java/Simple-pattern

[Gregg Bolinger]

Originally posted by Kevin Galligan:
Just do new parts of your app in JSF. I guess it depends what your particular environment is like, but we've got apps that stretch back a few years. Some of our apps are purely internal, some are external client apps, etc. There's no way we're "converting" everything.

I wouldn't want to be the one to maintain that application. Debugging an app where you'd thrown in a seperate framework half way through it and then trying to figure out why the heck something isn't working together? I'd be afraid you are going to do more harm than good. As I stated in another thread, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Rick O'Shay]

Originally posted by Jignesh Patel:
If you are using weblogic then you might think of using pageflow...

You might, but then vendor lock-in should have an extremely high threshold. Can't imagine any circumstance I would use that.