More Servlets and Javaserver Pages (Sun Microsystems Press) [Paperback]

While many books on Java try to cover just about everything, this title's focus on what's hot in server-side Java makes this one a standout. The book begins with a very solid tutorial to servlets and JSPs, including important HTTP fundamentals (such as request headers and processing forms). The author does a good job at summarising APIs and common options, which help make this book useful as a working reference, too. The level of discussion here will work best with those with a little Java experience, but even beginners could do a lot worse than this title as an introduction to Web programming.

A great feature of this text is that the author walks you through the actual details of deploying your Web applications (notoriously tricky, even for experts). Screenshots on installing and using tools (such as the free Apache and Tomcat software packages), plus detailed advice on deployment will make sure your code actually runs. (A standout here is the summary of all configuration options available in today's containers.)

If you are coming to servlets and JSPs from an earlier version, this text excels at covering the latest in custom and standard-tag libraries. Besides explaining new JSP 1.2 tag conventions, later sections also look at an important new development in Sun's evolution of the Java platform, the JSP Standard Tag Library (JSTL). Coverage of tag programming (including several sections on looping) closes out the book. There's also material on important new advances in servlets, such as filters (which allow you to log or change requests) and servlet events (which afford a greater measure of control for your Web applications).

Whether you are a JSP beginner or expert, More Servlets and JavaServer Pages gives you an excellent mix of topics in server-side Java in a well-presented programming tutorial. It's sure to be a worthwhile addition to any working Java Web developer's bookshelf. --Richard Dragan

• Companion to the worldwide bestseller Core Servlets and JavaServer Pages
• Practical guide to the use of the Java Platform for Web-enabled applications and dynamic Web sites
• Focus on new capabilities: the servlet 2.3 and JSP 1.2 specifications, the standard JSP tag library (JSPTL), filters, life-cycle event listeners, security, Web applications, and much more
• Configuration and usage details for Apache Tomcat, Macromedia JRun, and New Atlanta ServletExec

The Java 2 Platform has become the technology of choice for developing professional e-commerce applications, dynamic Web pages, and Web-enabled applications and services. Servlet and JSP technology is the foundation of this platform: it provides the link between Web clients and server-side applications. But, the field has been evolving rapidly, and few developers have been able to keep up. In this companion to Core Servlets and JavaServer Pages, Marty Hall shows you how to apply recent advances in servlet and JSP technology. The book provides everything you need to know to leverage the latest servlet 2.3 and JSP 1.2 standards: real-world insight, advanced techniques, industrial-strength code, and hands on coverage of three top servers: Apache Tomcat, Macromedia JRun, and New Atlanta ServletExec.

• Part I gives a thorough introduction to programming with servlet and JSP technology. It shows you how to configure your server, read form data and HTTP headers, handle cookies, track sessions, apply JSP scripting elements, use JavaBeans components, develop JSP tag libraries, and apply the MVC architecture.
• Part II provides exhaustive details on Web application development and deployment. It explains how to register Web applications, how to organize them, how to deploy them in WAR files, how to deal with relative URLs, and how to share data among Web applications. It also gives details on every element in version 2.3 of the deployment descriptor (web.xml).
• Part III describes Web application security in detail. It explains two general strategies for securing your applications: declarative security and programmatic security. Within each of these strategies, it shows you how to use form-based or BASIC authentication and how to protect your network traffic with SSL.
• Part IV covers two features introduced with servlets 2.3: filters and life-cycle events. It explains how to use filters to debug, modify, and optimize the output of previously existing servlets and JSP pages. It also shows you how to use event listeners to respond to major events in the server life cycle.
• Part V looks at new tag library developments. It shows you how to improve your own tag libraries by making use of new capabilities of the JSP 1.2 specification and explains how to streamline your code by using the new standard JSP tag library (JSPTL).

More Servlets and JavaServer Pages delivers:

• The same clear, step-by-step explanations that make Marty's books so popular
• In-depth, hands-on coverage of the latest standards: servlets 2.3 and JSP 1.2
• Hundreds of completely portable, fully documented, industrial-strength examples
• On-line access to all source code, available free for unrestricted use