wanted: a concise, dense JSP tutorial or cheat-sheet

[Benjamin Weaver]

Hi. I am a fairly experienced Java developer but need to review skills I have not used in a while.

Where can I find a concise refresher-tutorial on JSPs? Things I want to refresh myself on include,
the basics of JSTL expression language
the basic tags <%, etc.
(which is better--JSTL or embedded java)
page-scope
use of tag-library directives
current techniques how to develop, test, compile and deploy JSPs in eclipse or Spring STS.


For that matter, I am looking for exactly the same kind of tutorial covering Java 1.5 and above, and for servlets.


I am interested in hard-copy but since time is limited anything on the web would be great.

Thanks for reading and in advance for any and all suggestions!

[Bear Bibeault]

I'm not sure of any "dense" tutorials that I can recommend. If you're after a book, the Head First book is widely acclaimed.

Here's some getting started tips:

Benjamin Weaver wrote:the basics of JSTL expression language

the JSTL Spec is acutally an easy read and a good reference.

the basic tags <%, etc.

While it is important to understand scriptlets in case you need to deal with legacy code, scriptlets have been obsolete and discredited since the introduction of JSP 2 in 2002.

(which is better--JSTL or embedded java)

See above. Scriptlets ("embedded Java") are not acceptable in modern code. See this JspFaq entry.

page-scope

Page scope exists for the duration of a single JSP.

use of tag-library directives

Do you mean to define a tag library for use? That's fairly straightforward. See the JSTL Spec for info in including the JSTL. Including any other library will be similar.

I also recommend that newcomers to JSP/Servlets read the following articles:

The Secret Life of JSPs

The Front Man