Web Application Programming Using Java.doc

Web Application Programming Using Java Web applications are used for a number of different purposes including e-commerce, on-line library access, clubs and associations, and school classes. They consist of a collection of programs and web pages written in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). The programs can be in a number of computer languages including Java, Visual Basic, Perl, PHP, Python, and more. Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) was developed by Tim Berners-Lee in 1992 along with his invention of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Together HTML and HTTP created the World Wide Web. Originally the web was designed to display hypertext documents, i.e. documents containing links to other web pages. Consequently HTTP was designed for rapid ‘hops’ from one web page to another. Because web users were expected to remain a relatively brief time on any one page, HTTP does not maintain a connection for more than a quick page request and server response. It is said to be ‘stateless’. That means that the server does not store information about recent requests. This works very well for web surfing, but it is a problem for web applications that have to track users doing business on a site. This document will consider ways to create and manage a web application written using Java servlets and Java Server Pages (JSP). We will see how to get a request from the client, process it by either accessing or modifying a database, and then create a response to send back to the client. Setup information for Java, the Apache Tomcat server, and the JCreator IDE (Integrated Development Environment) can be found in an Appendix. The Client’s Web Page There are many objects that can be placed on a web page, but the only one of interest for web programming is that of a form. A form is used to collect information from the client and submit it to the server for processing. It contains an action attribute that tells the server what program to use to process the data and a method attribu