BACKGROUND: About a year ago, I developed a custom tag library that implements JSP Templates. Templates let you to build JSP pages from pluggable components by encapsulating RequestDispatcher includes in custom tags. I wrote an article about that tag library for JavaWorld, which you can read at: http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-09-2000/jw-0915-jspweb_p.html
I contributed the templates tag library to the Apache Struts JSP framework. Subsequently, I received a great deal of feedback from JavaWorld readers and Struts users concerning that library, and I incorporated that feedback into a second-generation template tag library that I rewrote from scratch. The second-generation tag library implements the Composite and Strategy design patterns, which results in some features that were not present in the original library, such as creating new templates that "inherit" from an existing template. You can read about that tag library at: http://www.phptr.com/advjsp/pdf/ch4_mod.pdf. PROPOSAL: I would like to contribute the 2nd generation templates tag libary to Jakarta Taglibs. I doubt that I can update the Struts tag library, because the syntax of the tags in the 2nd generation library is different than the original, which would break many existing struts applications. Therefore, I would like to contribute the library to Jakarta Taglibs. (Note: the 2nd generation taglib can coexist peacefully with the original library in Struts, so Struts users could choose between the two). BENEFITS: As you can see from http://www.phptr.com/advjsp/pdf/ch4_mod.pdf, there are many benefits to the templates tag library. With the templates tag library, you can create modular JSP pages from pluggable components, in much the same way that you can build GUI applications with the AWT and Swing. Templates can have optional and role-based content, and you can nest templates within other templates anyway you see fit. Templates can be defined somewhere other than where they are used, which allows template definitions to be grouped in a single file, simplifying their maintenance. Templates can "inherit" their definitions from existing templates, which makes them easier to create and understand. This 2nd generation template library is a solid implementation that has been subjected to public scrutiny, and has been refactored a number of times to eliminate bugs and add features. I think it would make a great addition to Jakarta Taglibs. david geary
