Robert, I've gone to the opposite extreme as you. I don't want the action to be responsible for where it goes, only for telling users which forward states it supports. I've removed the forward from both the Action and the struts-config.xml file. The action still returns the forward, but the forward is dynamically created based on what the page has passed to the action. In my situation I resorted to this because I was using a single action to handle multiple applications on the same site. This meant that my path would not be the same between each application. Resorting to multiple mappings in the configuration file would rapidly get out of control for me as some of these applications can be created and removed rather quickly. I do have separate pages per application and this is why the page drives the actions result.
I know this bends the MVC pattern, but it allows me to concentrate on developing actions, form beans, and all the back end business logic, while letting the Creative Designers develop pages and GUI workflow. Is anyone else doing something similar? I posted my DynaAction class that I use to do this with a couple of weeks ago. It really surprises me that there hasn't been a greater need for something like this in the community. I'd be curious to hear how others have solved this problem. Brian McClung Senior Programmer Belo Interactive 214-977-4083 -----Original Message----- From: Vic Cekvenich [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 2:18 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Disadvantages of Struts? I disagree with you as well Robert. Having a confgiration nudges you toward design and separation, and everyone on the team know where to find things. In fact, when not doing Web apps, I use HiveMind, just so that I can have the structure. Anyway, there a lot of MVC compeitoris. .V Robert H. Tran wrote: > My point was not against configuration altogether, but rather against the > current rigid and centralized configuration. There should be options. If > there is configurations in a component, it should be self-contained by the > component. It is no framework's business. If there is an api in Struts, this > can be done nice and easy, as I said with Eclipse. > > - Robert. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Martin Cooper" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 11:51 AM > Subject: Re: Disadvantages of Struts? > > > >>"Robert H. Tran" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message >>news:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >>>I think an action's mapping is a decision by the action itself. Like I >> >>said >> >>>earlier, when an application development finishes, that decision will >> >>become >> >>>static. At that point, when an Action's mapping changes, its code will >> >>have >> >>>to change too (unless the new mapping is kind of a synonym to the old >>>mapping, which doesn't bear any shift in the semantics). As such, there > > is > >>>almost no point in keeping the decision and the code separate (i.e. > > making > >>>the decision's configuration a loose end of the code). Or at least, >>>configuration shouldn't be the only way to add or modify an Action. >> >>I disagree with this almost completely. If actions are written properly, > > you > >>should be able to reconfigure the application, to some extent at least, by >>changing the config alone and not touching the Java code. This is > > immensely > >>useful when an app needs to be customised after the fact, and when the >>source code is not available (e.g. by a customer, in their own > > environment). > >>-- >>Martin Cooper >> >> >> >>>Even though each Action's configuration may be small, the configurations >> >>for >> >>>all the Actions need to be kept track of and maintained (for integrity). >>>That may be a significant but unnecessary side work. To view the > > mappings, > >>>there can be a tool to traverse the structure by api calls and display > > it. > >>>That can be done after the fact and doesn't have to be before it. In >>>addition to that, when the decision (or configuration if any) goes where >> >>the >> >>>code lives, modularity increases. >>> >>>IMHO, >>> >>>- Robert. >>> >>> >>>----- Original Message ----- >>>From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>>To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>>Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 6:55 AM >>>Subject: RE: Disadvantages of Struts? >>> >>> >>>I have to disagree with you on the first point. I find that there is >>>just a small amount of necessary configuration required to build an >>>Action class (most of my Action configurations have about a half dozen >>>lines, even less if there is no associated ActionForm). I'm not really >>>sure what you mean by "paddle back and forth between the code and the >>>configuration", could you explain? >>> >>>Thanks. >>> >>>Robert H. Tran wrote: >>> >>>>I am not sure that is true. Struts seems to lack of an API. IMO, there >>> >>>are >>> >>>>more required configurations than necessary. Take Action for example, >>> >>>to >>> >>>>write an Action, one has to paddle back and forth between the code and >>> >>>the >>> >>>>configuration. It is like an executable having to configure each of >>> >>>its >>> >>>>dlls. The visibility of the mappings is nice to have but the mappings >>> >>>can >>> >>>>be generated after the fact as in a debugging view. When the >>> >>>application is >>> >>>>finished, configurations become static. But since configurations are >>>>required, they will be like loose ends of the application. Another >>> >>>issue: >>> >>>>how can one componentize his code and deploy it in a self-contained >>> >>>plug-in, >>> >>>>as with Eclipse? Please forgive my novice. >>>> >>>>- Robert. >>>> >>>>----- Original Message ----- >>>>From: "Rick Hightower" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>>>To: "'Struts Developers List'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>>>Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2003 6:24 PM >>>>Subject: RE: Disadvantages of Struts? >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>>Don't be silly. Struts is perfect. >>>>> >>>>>-----Original Message----- >>>>>From: Robert H. Tran [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >>>>>Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2003 2:10 PM >>>>>To: Struts Developers List >>>>>Subject: Disadvantages of Struts? >>>>> >>>>>I just wonder if Struts comes with any significant drawback. I mean >>> >>>not in >>> >>>>>terms of when to use Struts and when not to use it necessarily, but >>> >>>more >>> >>>>in >>>> >>>> >>>>>the line of anyone's wishes that it had been better. Any advice is >>> >>>very >>> >>>>>appreciated. >>>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>-- >> >>>---- >>> >>> >>> >>>>--------------------------------------------------------------------- >>>>To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>>>For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> >> >> >>--------------------------------------------------------------------- >>To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
