Amazon.co.uk Review
Ideal for any programmer working with server-side Java, Marty Hall's
More Servlets and JavaServer Pages provides an up-to-the-minute guide to the latest in essential APIs for creating state-of-the-art Web applications. This smart, patient and thorough tutorial gives you exactly what you need to use Java effectively in the field.
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
Product Description
Marty Hall's Core Servlets and JavaServer Pages was last year's #1 servlet/JSP book -- helping over 100,000 Java developers master the power of Java server-side programming to Web-enable an extraordinary range of applications. Now, Hall takes the next step, bringing together even more powerful servlet/JSP techniques. After a quick review of the basics, Hall presents in-depth coverage of the latest servlet and JSP capabilities incorporated in JDK Version 1.4, including filters, application events, and enhancements to JSP's XML support. Next, Hall moves on to Web application development, introducing the latest Servlet 2.3/JSP 1.1 features, and offering in-depth coverage of the Web Application Deployment Descriptor. More Servlets and JavaServer Pages includes a comprehensive section introducing the new tag library features incorporated in JSP 1.2, including a full chapter on Apache tag libraries. Hall concludes with an exceptionally comprehensive library of techniques for performance optimization, from caching to content compression, metering and connection pooling to changing JVM parameters. The book also includes a full chapter on Web application security, as well as a start-to-finish case study application.
