I am in the processing of customising Struts controller to do dynamic
properties and would like to hear how you handled this.
Niall
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dan - Blue Lotus Software [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: 12 April 2001 17:51
> To: Jakarta Struts
> Subject: A struts-compatible controller
>
>
> After looking at the various projects for delivering dynamic content over
> the Web, I set out to develop my own MVC/Model 2-based dynamic content
> engine. Well, after a few months of part time work and refactoring the
> design, the engine is working.
>
> The architecture is similar in concept to Struts, so it seemed
> logical to me
> to make the system compatible with struts. Looking at the architecture, I
> don't envision any issues in adding a Struts compatibility layer to my
> engine. In fact, it looks like I'll only have to build 3 adapter
> classes to
> get the code in a compatible state--to wrap the model, view, and
> controller
> beans of struts to be compatible with my own. I also plan to write an XSL
> file for converting Struts configuration files to those for my own engine.
> Of course, when this functionality is complete, I I can also get some
> realistic comparisons in terms of performance, as well.
>
> You may be wondering where I'm taking this. Well, looking at the
> to-do list
> for Struts, I see a couple of areas that I have already completed.
> Additionally, there are a couple of things mine does that Struts does not
> even attempt.
>
> Struts To-Do Items:
> 1) ActionForms with dynamic properties. If I understand what is required
> here, I believe my engine already has this functionality.
>
> 2) Workflow processing. My system supports workflow processing, where
> multiple actions (or the equivalent in my architecture) can be chained
> together, with workflows specified by the result of the previous action.
>
> 3) Role-based action execution. The controller can be configured
> to execute
> separate workflows depending upon system state. System state can be user
> roles, IP addresses, or any other item that is set on the session.
>
> Additional Features:
> a) Workflows can be attached to "realms" rather than individual URL
> requests. This allows the view to be a template .jsp file, with
> the content
> being set depending upon the incoming request. This template
> functionality
> does not require the use of a proprietary templating language, simplifying
> template creation considerably beyond that of Velocity.
>
> b) Dynamic page caching. Using the workflow concept, dynamic pages can
> generate HTML & saved to disk. Depending upon the cache settings, future
> requests can be simply forwarded to the static HTML pages, improving
> performance considerably.
>
> c) Dynamic content caching. Dynamic content can be cached for rapid
> inclusion in a template JSP. This provides the ability to create
> Jetspeed-like functionality for news portal content. I intend to build
> Model classes that retrieve dynamic RSS-based content. This content can
> then be wrapped by a caching object. The resulting content can
> be included
> into a template, as mentioned in a).
>
> Now, I feel that I have something significant here. I'm strongly
> considering releasing it open source, and was wondering what the Struts
> developers' reaction would be to it. In particular, I'd like to
> incorporate
> the concepts, if not the code, into the Struts code base.
>
> Assuming I can make the controller completely compatible with the Struts
> controller, it would seem logical that my controller code live
> side-by-side
> (in a contrib directory, no doubt) with the Struts controller. Over time,
> functionality can be moved over between the two, creating a hybrid of
> sorts--taking the best from each. Any opinions on this?
>
> Strong attention would be paid at making my portal reverse-compatible with
> Struts actions, allowing developers to utilize existing beans designed for
> Struts with a different controller. The tag libraries, too, will remain
> 100% compatible with this controller.
>
> If interest is sufficient, I can also outline a sample configuration file
> for this controller, which should provide more information about
> how I think
> the two can work together. I just want to get a little developer reaction
> before I put my head on the chopping block.
>
> Thanks for your time. I look forward to reading your feedback on this.
>
> -dan
> --
> Dan Kirkpatrick, Software Architect
> Blue Lotus Software +44 (0) 1224 575 985
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> http://www.bluelotussoftware.com
>
>
