You are viewing a plain text version of this content. The canonical link for it is here.
Posted to dev@tomcat.apache.org by "Craig R. McClanahan" <Cr...@eng.sun.com> on 2000/04/10 03:46:31 UTC
ANNOUNCEMENT: New JAKARTA-TAGLIBS Subproject
The Jakarta Project Management Committee is pleased to announce the
formation of a new subproject called JAKARTA-TAGLIBS. The purpose of
this subproject is to be a repository of custom tag libraries,
contributed to the project under the Apache Source License. These
custom tag libraries can be utilized "as is" in your web applications,
or you can contribute patches and other improvements to the libraries,
or offer your own library as well.
Information about JAKARTA-TAGLIBS will be added to the Jakarta web site
<http://jakarta.apache.org> shortly. In the mean time, please note the
following:
* If you are interested in developing custom tag libraries that are
part of the subproject, please subscribe to the TAGLIBS-DEV
mailing list by sending mail to the mailing list server at
TAGLIBS-DEV-SUBSCRIBE@JAKARTA.APACHE.ORG
and reading the documentation in file "doc/sourcedist.html"
about the organization of the directories and files within the
subproject.
* If you are interested in using custom tag libraries that are
part of the subproject, please subscribe to the TAGLIBS-USER
mailing list by sending mail to the mailing list server at
TAGLIBS-USER-SUBSCRIBE@JAKARTA.APACHE.ORG
((Note: As of Sunday April 9, 2000 this list was not activated
yet. It will be shortly))
* You can use anonymous CVS to check out the source code of this
subproject in the usual way, by executing the command
cvs -d :pserver:anoncvs@jakarta.apache.org:/home/cvspublic checkout
jakarta-taglibs
See <http://jakarta.apache.org/getinvolved/cvsindex.html> for more
information about access via anonymous CVS.
* You can browse the CVS repository online by pointing your browser
at <http://jakarta.apache.org/cvsweb/index.cgi/jakarta-taglibs>.
Note that the JAKARTA-TAGLIBS libraries are a separate initiative from
the proposal to create "A Standard Tag Library for JavaServer Pages",
which is currently under development using the Java Community Process.
See
<http://java.sun.com/aboutJava/communityprocess/jsr/jsr_052_jsptaglib.html>
for more information about this effort.
We hope you enjoy contributing to, and using, the custom tag libraries
contributed to JAKARTA-TAGLIBS.
Craig McClanahan
Re: Project merger / Lots of new tags?
Posted by Donnchadh Ó Donnabháin <d_...@vistech.ie>.
Mike Cannon-Brookes wrote:
> Also, I believe there was an idea here floating around that the
> documentation for any tag or any library could be created by performing an
> XSL translation on the taglib file to create HTML documentation? Has
> anything like this for Jakarta Taglibs been postulated? I think it's an
> excellent way to easily create / update the docs.
I have done something like that. It's very simple at the moment, and I
haven't used XSL that much yet. It doesn't generate containing
<html> or <body> tags beacuase it was designed to be used within a JSP.
Donnchadh
-----------------------------------------------------------
<?xml version='1.0' ?>
<xsl:stylesheet version='1.0'
xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">
<xsl:output method="html" encoding="iso-8859-1"/>
<!-- ROOT RULE -->
<xsl:template match="/">
<xsl:apply-templates select="taglib" />
</xsl:template>
<xsl:template match="taglib">
<H1><xsl:value-of select="shortname"/> Tag Library</H1>
<P>
<xsl:value-of select="info"/>
</P>
<xsl:apply-templates select="tag" />
</xsl:template>
<xsl:template match="taglib/tag">
<H2>Tag: <xsl:value-of select="name"/></H2>
<P>
<xsl:value-of select="info"/>
<UL><xsl:apply-templates select="attribute"/></UL>
</P>
</xsl:template>
<xsl:template match="tag/attribute">
<LI><b>Attribute:</b><xsl:value-of select="name"/></LI>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
// Donnchadh Ó Donnabháin mailto:d_odonnabhain@vistech.ie
// Vistech Software http://www.vistechsoftware.com
// Inchvale House, Douglas West, Cork, Ireland
// Ph. +353-21-918166 Fax +353-21-896142
RE: Project merger / Lots of new tags?
Posted by Mike Cannon-Brookes <mc...@internet.com>.
<content snipped>
> > - We have a good roadmap of where we want to head / what tags
> we have slated
> > to develop in the Tasks section of the SourceForge project,
> might I suggest
> > you take a look and see how that fits with the Tomcat vision?
> (I think there
> > are about 25+ ideas listed there) I hunted around but could not
> find such a
> > roadmap / list of idea tags anywhere to Jakarta taglibs?
> >
>
> I will take a look. We haven't got a roadmap defined yet, but
> that should be a
> short term objective. Your list will probably make a good starting point.
I think we should get this finalised as soon as possible, using Joseph's
http://cupid.suninternet.com/~joeo/roadmap.html as some sort of starting
point?
> What we've done on Tomcat is created a STATUS.html file in the top-level
> directory, outlining areas of functionality that people might be
> interested in
> working on. They can then sign up there with their EMAIL
> addresses, so that
> others interested in the same topic can correspond directly, or
> at least see
> that there is someone else interested in working on the same thing.
This sounds very useful, so as to stop duplication of effort from people
working on the same tags / tag libraries. Also I think it will serve as a
useful planning exercise to work out some of the basics of how the Jakarta
libraries are going to be put together?
The issues as I see them (in no particular order)
- Monolithic tags that do a lot (optionitis) or lots of small tags that are
very specific? (I prefer the latter)
- Lots of small focussed libraries or bigger more encompassing libraries?
(First leads to having to import lots of libraries, but is more memory
efficient I think)
- Should tags with output place it into a variable, or straight into the
page stream for some other tag to deal with? ie <my:tag ...
outputVarname="foo" /> or <my:createVar name="foo"><my:tag ..
/><my:createVar>
<snipped content>
> > - Future slated libraries include DB tags, EJB tags, File tags
> (the current
> > File tag is monolithic and deserves it's own library IMHO) and
> Utility tags.
> >
>
> That sounds good.
>
> One thing I'm not too concerned about is having different custom
> tag libraries
> with overlapping functionality. I don't think it's really our
> place to decide
> whose version of a "for loop" tag is the right one - let people
> define their
> own. What people use will probably dictate where future enhancements get
> focused.
I'm not quite sure what you mean by this? People should create their own
'libraries' by pulling tags from all over? Or people should decide which
"loop" library to use?
> >
> > We also currently have planned to distribute the tags as a single jar
> > libraries AND deployable WAR including documentation, source
> and examples -
> > an idea you might want to consider as it keeps all the elements of the
> > library together and it readily viewable in any spec compliant
> container.
> >
>
> The "distributable" format of a Jakarta Taglibs library, as
> currently defined,
> includes four files:
>
> * {taglib}.tld -- The tag library descriptor suitable for dropping
> in to your WEB-INF directory.
> * {taglib}.jar -- The tag library classes and resources themselves,
> suitable for dropping in your WEB-INF/lib directory.
Aren't these two combined? At least with Orion (my preferred app server b/c
most of my apps cover the full J2EE gambit) the TLD goes inside the jar and
you just point to the jar file in your taglib statements? (either in the
page or in the web.xml file)
> * {taglib}-doc.jar -- A web application containing the documentation
> for page developers who want to use the tags in this library (why
> a webapp? So you can do things that require processing for
> your docs if you want).
>
> * {taglib}-examples.jar -- A web application containing examples
> of the usage of your tags.
I think the above two should be combined into one WAR file? I see little
point in examples without docs or docs without examples? (especially as
neither file is likely to be large?)
Also, I believe there was an idea here floating around that the
documentation for any tag or any library could be created by performing an
XSL translation on the taglib file to create HTML documentation? Has
anything like this for Jakarta Taglibs been postulated? I think it's an
excellent way to easily create / update the docs.
> >
> > Well that's my pitch, how does it sit with you all?
> >
> > Let me know,
> >
>
> That sounds great! You'll be welcomed.
So how should we start? I think we should finalise that 'roadmap' document
and then align ourselves with particular libraries, as well as deciding
answers to some of the q's raised above. Planning is boring (don't we all
know it?) but will lead to better libraries in the end IMHO.
Mike
Re: Project merger / Lots of new tags?
Posted by "Craig R. McClanahan" <Cr...@eng.sun.com>.
Mike Cannon-Brookes wrote:
> G'day,
>
> To introduce myself, I'm currently the lead developer / maintainer of the
> IN16 JSPTags project that's hosted over at SourceForge. My interest in
> creating a comprehensive, stable tag library has been high for a while now -
> the reason we created the SourceForge project. Your taglibs project just
> came up on my radar, and it seems silly to have two efforts running
> concurrently to produce the same end goal?
>
Makes sense, although I'm sure there will be other efforts undertaken.
>
> What I propose (and I've consulted with the two other main developers and
> two main testers), is that we merge our code created so far into the Jakarta
> Taglibs project and come on board?
>
That sounds really good to me.
I've checked in a proposed organization for tag libraries (and their associated
docs and example apps) into the "jakarta-taglibs" CVS workspace. Please take a
look and see how it might work for you, or if you have suggestions for
improvements.
>
> Points
> - The code is currently under the Artistic License and would have to be
> changed to the Apache license (this is no problem with any of the
> developers)
>
Good -- we need Apache license on the code in Jakarta.
> - We have a good roadmap of where we want to head / what tags we have slated
> to develop in the Tasks section of the SourceForge project, might I suggest
> you take a look and see how that fits with the Tomcat vision? (I think there
> are about 25+ ideas listed there) I hunted around but could not find such a
> roadmap / list of idea tags anywhere to Jakarta taglibs?
>
I will take a look. We haven't got a roadmap defined yet, but that should be a
short term objective. Your list will probably make a good starting point.
What we've done on Tomcat is created a STATUS.html file in the top-level
directory, outlining areas of functionality that people might be interested in
working on. They can then sign up there with their EMAIL addresses, so that
others interested in the same topic can correspond directly, or at least see
that there is someone else interested in working on the same thing.
> - The tags (around 20 I think) are currently in 4 main libraries - HTML,
> Forms, External (tags like HTTP / File / Directory) and Mail. They range
> from very solid to very 'beta' but that's what having lots of eyes will help
> right?
:-)
>
> - Future slated libraries include DB tags, EJB tags, File tags (the current
> File tag is monolithic and deserves it's own library IMHO) and Utility tags.
>
That sounds good.
One thing I'm not too concerned about is having different custom tag libraries
with overlapping functionality. I don't think it's really our place to decide
whose version of a "for loop" tag is the right one - let people define their
own. What people use will probably dictate where future enhancements get
focused.
>
> We also currently have planned to distribute the tags as a single jar
> libraries AND deployable WAR including documentation, source and examples -
> an idea you might want to consider as it keeps all the elements of the
> library together and it readily viewable in any spec compliant container.
>
The "distributable" format of a Jakarta Taglibs library, as currently defined,
includes four files:
* {taglib}.tld -- The tag library descriptor suitable for dropping
in to your WEB-INF directory.
* {taglib}.jar -- The tag library classes and resources themselves,
suitable for dropping in your WEB-INF/lib directory.
* {taglib}-doc.jar -- A web application containing the documentation
for page developers who want to use the tags in this library (why
a webapp? So you can do things that require processing for
your docs if you want).
* {taglib}-examples.jar -- A web application containing examples
of the usage of your tags.
Does that sound reasonable?
>
> Well that's my pitch, how does it sit with you all?
>
> Let me know,
>
That sounds great! You'll be welcomed.
>
> Cheers,
> Mike
Craig McClanahan
Project merger / Lots of new tags?
Posted by Mike Cannon-Brookes <mi...@bookmarkbox.com>.
G'day,
To introduce myself, I'm currently the lead developer / maintainer of the
IN16 JSPTags project that's hosted over at SourceForge. My interest in
creating a comprehensive, stable tag library has been high for a while now -
the reason we created the SourceForge project. Your taglibs project just
came up on my radar, and it seems silly to have two efforts running
concurrently to produce the same end goal?
What I propose (and I've consulted with the two other main developers and
two main testers), is that we merge our code created so far into the Jakarta
Taglibs project and come on board?
Points
- The code is currently under the Artistic License and would have to be
changed to the Apache license (this is no problem with any of the
developers)
- We have a good roadmap of where we want to head / what tags we have slated
to develop in the Tasks section of the SourceForge project, might I suggest
you take a look and see how that fits with the Tomcat vision? (I think there
are about 25+ ideas listed there) I hunted around but could not find such a
roadmap / list of idea tags anywhere to Jakarta taglibs?
- The tags (around 20 I think) are currently in 4 main libraries - HTML,
Forms, External (tags like HTTP / File / Directory) and Mail. They range
from very solid to very 'beta' but that's what having lots of eyes will help
right?
- Future slated libraries include DB tags, EJB tags, File tags (the current
File tag is monolithic and deserves it's own library IMHO) and Utility tags.
We also currently have planned to distribute the tags as a single jar
libraries AND deployable WAR including documentation, source and examples -
an idea you might want to consider as it keeps all the elements of the
library together and it readily viewable in any spec compliant container.
Well that's my pitch, how does it sit with you all?
Let me know,
Cheers,
Mike