Hi all,
as a student project we have to develop a web application according to the struts framework with Tamino XML database.

Our question is how to implement database access within struts.
As far as I have read the documentation of X-Application, X-Application has the advantage to easily get db access with the help of JSP-tags. But in my humble opinion having business logic in JSP pages contradicts to the struts framework!!!
What is the benefit of developing struts websites in X-application? The Java API can also be used to generate servlets (Action classes) that manage the db-access?

Thanks a lot in advance,
Holger Schaub

Hi!

I’m not sure if combining Struts and X-Application is a good idea. I’ve seen a work student doing exactly this and the resulting architecture was very complex. Technically, it’s challenging to make them both live in the same web-application. The both have their own idea how to design web-applications - and either design kind of rules out the other.

In my optionion, X-Application is fine for simple applications (mostly create/read/update/search) xml data. If you think your business logic fits into what plugin offer, you should do it with X-Application only - no structs. Otherwise, if you can’t see a solution for your logic, use struts only - no X-Application; you’d have to use Tamino’s Java API, but this gives you full power and the resulting design is much simpler. If Struts is a prerequisite for your project: use Structs+Tamino API, no X-Application.

Michael

Business Logic in JSP pages: from X-Application’s point of view, business logic should go into plugins, the JSP page is just the “GUI” to activate it.

Software AG Germany, Darmstadt

Hi,
thanks a lot for your hints. I was just wondering: I searched in Google for struts and tamino. As a result I found the following overview of x-application: http://tamino.demozone.softwareag.com/demoX-App/description.html
It says that X-Application can be easily combined with other web application frameworks like jakarta struts using the X-Application Java API.
I agree with you that X-Application and struts have different concepts for a framework. Since Struts is a prerequisite, I think we re going to combine the Tamino Java API with struts, now.
Holger

Oops, yes, that’s another option: you could use X-Application’s Java API instead of the Tamino Java API. It’s simpler than the Tamino Java API, but doesn’t provides as much functionality. If the X-Application Java API has the functionality you need, give it a try. If you need more, stick with that Tamino Java API because a mixture of both API would just complicate things.

Michael

Software AG Germany, Darmstadt