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Table of contents
1.
Introduction
2.
Struts 2 elements
2.1.
Struts element
2.2.
Package element
2.2.1.
Attributes
2.3.
Action element
2.3.1.
Attributes
2.4.
Result element
2.4.1.
Attribute
2.5.
Other elements
3.
Frequently Asked Questions
3.1.
What are the Struts2 core components?
3.2.
What are the differences between the Struts 1 and Struts 2 frameworks?
3.3.
What is the difference between struts and spring?
4.
Conclusion
Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024
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Struts 2 Elements

Introduction

The struts 2 is an open-source java framework based on the technologies like Java Server Pages(JSP), Extensible Markup Language(XML), Servlet, etc. This framework used the MVC(Model View Controller) architecture. The Struts 2 framework is developed by the Apache foundation. The struts 2 framework helps us to create flexible, responsive web applications with good maintenance. Every framework or language has elements we can use to develop the application. Let’s learn the struts 2 elements in this article.

struts framework

Struts 2 elements

The elements are the basic units in any programming language or framework to build the applications. The struts 2 framework also has the essential elements we use to develop the application. Let’s learn the primary struts 2 elements with examples now. 

struts 2 elements

Struts element

The struts element is used to develop a struts application. It tells the browser where to start the application code and includes all the elements inside it into the application.

Syntax

<struts>
	<!-- code inside elements -->
</struts>

Package element

The package element is a sub-element of the struts element. It is used inside the struts element to define any package or module we extended in the application. The package element extends the struts default package, is we do not extend ay specific package.

Syntax

<package>
	<!-- code inside elements -->
</package>

Attributes

The attributes are used with the elements to define additional properties or characters of an element. The attributes used with the package element are

Name: the name of the package.

Namespace: the namespace in which the package we extended exists.

Extend: used to extend the modules or packages.

Action element

It is the sub-element of the package element and is included inside the code. It is used to define any action that needs to take place. 

Syntax

<action>
	<!-- code inside elements -->
</action>

Attributes

name: the name of the action to be performed

class: the class where we have the method to perform any action

method: the method which contains the code to perform the action.

Result element

The result attribute is a sub-element of the action element. This element defines the result of the action performed. 

Syntax

<result>
	<!-- code inside elements -->
</result>

Attribute

name: name of the result

type: type of the result

Other elements

There are a lot of elements other than the ones mentioned above, like include, constant, etc. The elements mentioned above are the most used and primary struts 2 elements necessary to create an application.

Let’s create a struts.xml file for developing the struts application. We also include the .jsp files for action and results. You can learn how to create a struts application from the article create a struts 2 application.

struts.xml

<?xml version = "1.0" Encoding = "UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE struts PUBLIC
   "-//Apache Software Foundation//DTD Struts Configuration 2.0//EN"
   "http://struts.apache.org/dtds/struts-2.0.dtd">
<struts>
   <package name = "welcome" extends = "struts-default">
      <action name = "welcome" class = "com.struts2.Welcome" method = "execute">
         <result name = "success">/Result.jsp</result>
      </action>
   </package>
</struts>

Result.jsp

<%@ page contentType = "text/html; charset = UTF-8" %>
<%@ taglib prefix = "s" uri = "/struts-tags" %>
<html>
	<body>
		Welcome to the struts 2 framework
   	</body>
</html>
screenshot of struts 2 elements output

We created the struts.xml file for the struts application in the above code. The action will be performed based on the given attributes, and then the result will be displayed according to the result.jsp file. We also create another XML to code the action and java files, which you can learn and code according to your application by referring to the article link provided above.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Struts2 core components?

The core components in the Struts2 framework are the Interceptors, Action, and Result pages. The Struts2 framework provides different ways to create Action classes and configure them via struts.

What are the differences between the Struts 1 and Struts 2 frameworks?

The Struts 1 framework allows the distinct Request Processors (lifecycles) for every module, and every module's Actions must use the same lifecycle. In contrast, the Struts 2 framework creates various lifecycles for each module’s action.

What is the difference between struts and spring?

The spring framework is a framework that has a layered architecture and doesn’t require much coding. In contrast, the struts framework doesn’t have a layered architecture and is less flexible than spring with more code.   

Conclusion

Hey Ninjas! We have discussed the concept of struts 2 elements in Java in this article. We hope this blog helped you better to understand the struts 2 elements concept. You can now use these elements to develop a basic application in Java. Please check out Coding Ninjas for more unique courses and guided paths. Also, try Coding Ninjas Studio for more exciting articles, interview experiences, and fantastic Data Structures and Algorithms problems. Please upvote our blog to help the other ninjas grow.

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