Struts Product Line

原文：http://struts.apache.org/kickstart.html

初学Struts，了解一下Struts的现状吧。

Which Apache Struts Framework should I use on my next project?

First, you should decide which user interface technology you would like to use: JavaServer Faces (JSF), conventional JavaServer Pages (JSP), or another templating technology like Velocity .

JSF is designed to work well with visual design tools, much like ASP.NET. Some people are finding that JSF is a faster way to write new applications. A good place to learn more about JSF is JSF Central .

Conventional JSP is a tried and true strategy. When used as part of a MVC architecture, applications based on server pages or templates are known to be easy to create, maintain, and extend over time.

we would suggest Struts Shale for JSF or Struts Action for JSP.

Why are there so many subprojects now?

Over the years, the Action framework grew to include not only a controller and a set of taglibs but several other extensions, like Tiles, EL, Scripting, and Flow. There were also some optional classes that some people liked, but not everyone needed (like DispatchAction).

Releasing all of this code together has been like hanging wall paper. We smooth a crease here, and another wrinkle crops up over there. In order to promote lighter, regular releases, we've subdivided the monolithic Struts 1.2 distribution into seven distinct subprojects: Action, EL, Extras, Site, Taglib, and Tiles.

Now, if we want to make a change to a JSP tag, we can release Taglib without re-releasing everything else. Likewise, if we want to add a nifty new Action to Extras, we can just release Extras, without re-releasing everything else.

Of course, the next question is: "Which versions work with the best available release of Action?" To answer that question, we provide the Struts Action Library, which contains the set of JARs that work with the "best available" release of Action 1.3.

What about Ti? What about WebWork?

Struts Ti (short for Titanium) is a codename for Struts Action Framework 2.x. In late November 2005, the Ti proposal was amended to include a merger with Open Symphony WebWork . Under this plan, the next stable release of WebWork is being donated to Apache Struts, and the lead WebWork committers are joining the Struts community. The WebWork codebase is being brought into the ASF through the Apache Incubator. Once licensing and related issues are resolved, the codebase will be made part of the Apache Struts framework.

WebWork started as a Struts Revolution. Over the years, it has evolved into a superb action-based framework that retains many Struts 1.x paradigms.

People who have worked with both Struts 1.x and WebWork 2.x tend to agree that it is a logical candidate for Struts Action Framework 2.x. If you look the Struts Action 1.x roadmap and the WebWork 2.x feature set, you'll see that WebWork has already does most of what we wanted Struts Action to do. If we finished the roadmap ourselves, Struts Action would end up as a WebWork workalike. Rather than reinvent the wheel, Ti has become a proposal to put the WebWork wheel back on the Struts axle.

At this point, the Ti codename is being dropped, and we are referring to the incoming WebWork codebase as Action 2.

Is Shale the Next Struts? Or is Action 2 the Next Struts?

Shale is the Next Struts for JSF. Action 2 is the next Struts for JSP.

If you'd like a head-start on Action 2, you could start new development with WebWork 2 today. WebWork is joining Apache Struts, and Action 2 will be an updated release of WebWork 2.2. Undoubtedly, there will be some changes, but the core API and architecture will remain the same.

What about OverDrive or Struts Nexus?
OverDrive is a working proposal to use a set of case-study applications to drive the design and creation of a business layer framework. The codename for the business layer framework under development is "Nexus". Like Action and Shale, the Nexus internals are based on the Chain of Responsibility pattern.

OverDrive and Nexus do not complete with frameworks like Action and Shale. Nexus begins where these frameworks end. Nexus is the "rest of the stack".

The codebase underlying the proposal is being coded in C#, but a version for Java is expected in due course.

总结：

"If you look the Struts Action 1.x roadmap and the WebWork 2.x feature set, you'll see that WebWork has already does most of what we wanted Struts Action to do. If we finished the roadmap ourselves, Struts Action would end up as a WebWork workalike."

"If you'd like a head-start on Action 2, you could start new development with WebWork 2 today. WebWork is joining Apache Struts,and Action 2 will be an updated release of WebWork 2.2. Undoubtedly, there will be some changes, but the core API and architecture will remain the same. "

先学JSP技术上的Struts Action，从WebWork开始吧！