Advice required? Uisng Struts

[Vikrama Sanjeeva]

Hi All,

I am about to develop a real life project and currently in Requirement Analysis phase. I have moderate experience in working with JSP/Servlets using Apache Tomcat. Have good idea of Design Patterns. The project I am going to develop can simply use MVC model 1. But now I am thinking to use STRUTS frameWork for this project. I don't know STRUTS. Never worked with it. But have listen many advantages of using STRUTS. Like CSS file feature.
Now tell me is it possible to learn STRUTS from book and apply it on my real life project simultaneosuly? Mean learning and implementing in parallel? Will this appraoch will be time consuming?

Also tell me any good book on STRUTS which starts from scratch and gradually make the concept adnvance?


Bye,
Viki.

[Pankaj Narang]

hi Vikrama

That is good decision to use sturts in your project to start from the scratch u should use the book STURTS IN ACTION by Tem Husted , it is very nice book.

If you want any help you can write to me at my mail id or call me i will help you as far as possible

Best Regards
Pankaj
[e-mail]
9818418298

[Vikrama Sanjeeva]

Hi Pankaj,
Thanks for giving help on personal address. I will definitely buy STRUTS IN ACTION as soon as possible. Could you please answer the questions I made in my first post? Here they are:

"Now tell me is it possible to learn STRUTS from book and apply it on my real life project [i]simultaneosuly[i]? Means learning and implementing in parallel? Will this appraoch will be time consuming?"


Bye,
Viki.

[Pankaj Narang]

hi viki

It will be some what time consming but not much you first be clear with the architecture , in first 4 to 5 daysand then proceed to your project it will be easy for you then, because as you go deep into struts there are many things to learn, but they will come as you go further.

Best regards
Pankaj

[poornima balagopal]

Hi,
I would like to share my own experience . When i started working on Struts i didn't know anything including the work flow of struts(i didnt have the time to learn it then work since i have to start working ). I was following Orelly's 'Programming Jakarta Struts' book.I felt it as a very good book since they explained the concepts in a very simple way and they maintain an order for the chapters as the work flow of struts .Once you learn the flow , it will be easy to work with struts. As pankaj said once you learn the basic part , you can learn the other things which comes as a part of struts very easily.
Both Jakarta site and Orelly's onjava.com site will be helpful for you.
All the best

[Sam Smoot]

I was on a project 2 years ago that attempted to use Struts as the framework. Unfortunately, the management of the project took over the common sense part of the project and we (at the time) didn't fully take advantage of the framework as it should have been used and deployed. I have since moved from that group, so I'm not sure if they are still using it or doing somthing else.

Starting from the ground up would be the best way to go, and, whatever you do, don't try to get real fancy right off the bat. Take some small steps and the rest will come easy. You can find some help here as well.

http://www.husted.com/struts/

I am (hopefully) getting a chance at another development project and, if the opportunity arises, I'm willing to give it another shot.

[John Boot]

Hi

If you don't know nothing abut struts and want to learn
it on the job and apply to project within deadline
, u r in trouble. (can't help thinking haa haa in my
mind)

I have to say learning curve is sharp at start up
according to my own experience. Can be really
frustrating to learn.

I read 1 survey report from few hundred projects development
feedback, most teams surveyed hate struts as they learn it on
job, and hope to apply it smoothly to project as learning JSP
and failed terribly. (yeah blame technology, may have something
to do with their IQ)

As a result, summary was:
harsh critics on Struts, saying ditch struts and
endorse velocity.

Personally, I believe struts can be invaluable
in long term.

Anyhow, I believe the lowest learning curve
is to read "Struts Kick Start" 1st, then read
"Struts in Action". I read "Struts in Action"
1st when learning struts, and boy that was
self-torture, fliping pages back and forth.
It's a good book but a bit too advanced for
beginner and move fast.

For good model layer framework, u may want to try ibatis. www.ibatis.com.
It takes care of most JDBC code for u.

For view layer framework, u may want to try SiteMesh. I heared
it is easier to use than Tiles.

For control framework, use Struts ;P


Regards