The Apache Struts Team is pleased to announce that Struts 2.1.8.1 is available as a "General Availability" release. The GA designation is our highest quality grade. [http://struts.apache.org/download.cgi#struts2181] The release is also available from the central Maven repository under Group ID "org.apache.struts". The 2.1.x series of the Apache Struts framework has a minimum requirement of the following specification versions: * Java Servlet 2.4 and JavaServer Pages (JSP) 2.0 * Java 2 Standard Platform Edition (J2SE) 1.5 The release notes are available online at: * [http://struts.apache.org/2.x/docs/version-notes-2181.html] Should any issues arise with your use of any version of the Struts framework, please post your comments to the user list, and, if appropriate, file a ticket with JIRA. - The Apache Struts Team.
The Apache Struts group is pleased to announce that Struts 2.0.8 is
available as a "General Availability" release. The GA designation is
our highest quality grade.
Apache Struts 2 is an elegant, extensible framework for creating
enterprise-ready Java web applications. The framework is designed to
streamline the full development cycle, from building, to deploying, to
maintaining applications over time.
Apache Struts 2 was originally known as WebWork 2. After working
independently for several years, the WebWork and Struts communities
joined forces to create Struts2. This new version of Struts is simpler
to use and closer to how Struts was always meant to be.
* Build!
o Easy startup - Jumpstart new projects with our bootstrap tutorial
and
template application or Maven archetype.
o Improved Design - Code clean against HTTP-independent framework
interfaces.
o Enhanced Tags - Code less with stylesheet-driven form tags that
provide
their own markup.
o Stateful Checkboxes - Avoid special handling with smart checkboxes
that know when they are toggled.
o Flexible Cancel Buttons - Go directly to a different action on
cancel.
o First-class AJAX support - Add interactivity and flexibility with
AJAX tags
that look and feel just like standard Struts tags.
o Easy Spring integration - Inject dependencies into Actions using
Spring
without glue code or red tape. (Plexus support also available.)
o Enhanced Results - Do more with specialty results for JasperReports,
JFreeChart, Action chaining, and file downloading.
o POJO forms - No more ActionForms! Use any JavaBean to capture form
input or put properties directly on an Action class. Use both
binary and
String properties!
o POJO Actions - Use any class as an Action class -- even the
interface
is optional!
* Deploy!
o Easy plugins - Add framework extensions by dropping in a JAR. No
manual
configuration required! Bundled plugins add support for
JavaServer Faces,
JasperReports, JFreeChart, Tiles, and more ...
o Integrated profiling - Peek inside Struts2 to find where the
cycles are going!
o Precise Error Reporting - Flip directly to the location and line
of an error.
* Maintain!
o Easy-to-test Actions - Test Struts2 Actions directly, without
resorting to mock
HTTP objects.
o Intelligent Defaults - Skip obvious and redundant settings. Most
framework
configuration elements have a default value that we can set and
forget. Say
it once!
o Easy-to-customize controller - Customize the request handling per
action, if
desired. Struts2 only does what you want it to do!
o Integrating Debugging - Research problem reports with built-in
debugging
tools.
o Easy-to-tweak tags - Customize tag markup by editing a FreeMarker
template. No need to grok the taglib API! JSP, FreeMarker, and
Velocity
tags are fully supported.
This release has over 60 bug fixes and improvements since 2.0.6!
New Features include:
o Cookie Interceptor
Inject cookie with a certain configurable name / value into action.
o Restful2ActionMapper
Allow automatic id setting from Restful2ActionMapper.
Struts 2.0.8 is available in a full distribution, or as separate
library, source, example and documentation distributions.
* http://struts.apache.org/download.cgi#struts208
The release is also available through the central Maven repository
under Group ID "org.apache.struts".
The 2.0.8 series of the Apache Struts framework has a minimum
requirement of the following specification versions:
* Servlet API 2.4
* JSP API 2.0
* Java 5
The release notes are available online at:
* http://struts.apache.org/2.x/docs/release-notes-208.html
Should any issues arise with your use of any version of the Struts
framework, please post your comments to the user list, and, if
appropriate, file a ticket with JIRA.
-- The Apache Struts group.
The Apache Struts team is pleased to announce that Struts 1.3.8 has been
promoted to General Availability. This release has over 40 bug fixes and
improvements since 1.3.5!
New Features:
[Action ID]
New "actionId" attribute to uniquely identify action mappings within a
module. Just as the TilesRequestProcessor could recognize a tile
definition and resolve it to the intended JSP, so does Struts now have
built-in recognition for URIs that begin with an actionId and will
automatically translate forwards.
[I18N Properties]
Tag libraries now include the HTML I18N properties. This allows sites
that specialize in internationalization to specify both bi-directional
text and language at the tag level.
[Dynamic Link Parameters]
The Struts <html:link>, <html:frame>, <html:rewrite> tag libraries now
allow their bodies to nest the new <html:param> tag.
[Property MessageResources Modes]
Compatibility mode option which allows message resources to operate in
modes compatible with either JSTL or PropertyResourceBundle.
Struts 1.3.8 is available in a full distribution, or as separate
library, source, example and documentation distributions.
http://struts.apache.org/download.cgi#struts138
The release is also available through the central Maven repository
under Group ID "org.apache.struts".
-- The Apache Struts group.
On behalf of the ASF Board and Struts PMC, we are pleased to announce that Shale has been accepted as a top-level project of the Apache Software Foundation. As a top-level project, Shale will have its own website, mailing lists, repository space, and Project Management Committee. Shale will be an automomous ASF project, rather than a subproject of Apache Struts. The Shale framework for JavaServer Faces is nearing its first stable release. As a top-level project, it will be easier for Shale to attract new developers and expand its growing community. The initial set of PMC members and committers for Shale is: * Craig McClanahan * James Mitchell * Greg Reddin * Sean Schofield * Wendy Smoak * Gary VanMatre * Matthias Wessendorf Apache Shale has strong ties to both the Struts and MyFaces projects. Most of the Shale PMC members are already involved in both projects, and plan on continuing to remain involved in them, along with Shale. Apache Shale is a modern web application framework, intended for developers adopting JavaServer Faces as a core technology. Shale began as a proposal for Struts 2.0, but instead became a subproject, so as to provide a JSF alternative for Struts developers. Recent developments for Struts Action 2 now make it easier for Struts developers to access JSF components from within an "action-based" application. The initial Shale codebase was donated by Craig McClanahan, who also donated the original Struts codebase. -- Martin Cooper PMC Chair, Apache Struts
14 Dec 2005 - Apache Struts, the leading web application framework for Java, and Open Symphony WebWork, a leader in technical innovation, are working to merge their communities and codebases. "A merger is an elegant approach to evolution of existing applications based on action-oriented frameworks," said Craig McClanahan, founder of the Struts project. The merger seems like a win-win for the frameworks. "The technical benefit is that WebWork has already done most everything that is on the Struts Action roadmap," noted Ted Husted, a Struts committer. "This is a way that [Struts] shops can use incremental integration to take advantage of new technologies that are already part of WebWork, like Spring and Rife." "My hope is to take advantage of a larger community (Struts) to allow all of us to do a bit less individual effort." said Patrick Lightbody of WebWork. "I would expect moving to Struts lets us focus on our families and day jobs a bit more." Apache projects help developers balance day jobs with volunteer work through the practice of collaborative developement. Decisions are made jointly by the core community, rather than by one or two key individuals. The projects are organized so that individual developers can focus on other matters for a time, and then return to the development community as schedules allow. Over the past few months, Apache Struts has more than doubled its number of active committers. With the addition of two WebWork developers, there are about fifteen active volunteers. Right now, about half of the committers are working on the original Struts Action Framework and half are working on the new Struts Shale Framework, which utilizes JavaServer Faces. Several volunteers are now working with both frameworks. The merger and other milestones on the Apache Struts roadmap were discussed in a talk at ApacheCon on Tuesday, December 13, 2005, entitled "Struts 2006: An Embarrassment of Riches" [ http://people.apache.org/~husted/apachecon-2005-action.pdf]. The talk will be presented by Lightbody, Husted, and Don Brown, another Struts Committer. The Struts Shale framework is being discussed at a second talk, presented by McClanahan, entitled "Shale: The Next Struts??" [ http://people.apache.org/~husted/apachecon-2005-shale.pdf]. For more about Struts, visit the Apache Struts Website [ http://struts.apache.org/].
14 Dec 2005 - Apache Struts introduced Tiles as a integral component of its Struts 1.1 release in June 2003. Since then, several other projects have been using Tiles, even though it was embedded in the Struts JAR. Soon, it will be much easier to use Tiles with products like Jakarta Velocity, Apache MyFaces, and Struts Shale. Tiles is a templating framework that can be used to create a common look and feel for a web site or application and to create reusable view components. A key aspect of Tiles is that it can be configured from a XML configuration file. A Tile definition can "extend" another definition, giving the component an object-oriented feel. Tile developers can create a base Tile (or screen layout), and then indicate only how other Tiles differ from the base. Changes made to a base Tile "cascade" to Tiles that extend that base. Significant changes can be made to the layout of a website just by changing a single Tile definition. For more about Tiles, visit the Struts Tiles website [ http://struts.apache.org/struts-tiles/].
14 Dec 2005 - To give JavaServer Faces developers a head start on building scalable web applications for the enterprise, Apache Struts now offers the Shale Framework. Like the original "Struts Action Framework", Shale provides developers with a front controller, and several other components, to provide the "invisible underpinnings that hold an application together". "When JavaServer Faces arrived," explains the Struts website, "our development community chose to 'make new friends but keep the old'. Some of us want (or need) to stick with the original request-based framework. Others are ready to switch to an component-based framework that builds on JavaServer Faces. We offer both frameworks because we have volunteers to create and maintain both frameworks." Shale is based on the recently standardized JavaServer Faces APIs, and focuses on adding value, rather than redundantly implementing features that JSF already provides. Shale will run on any compliant JSF implementation, including the one being developed by the Apache MyFaces project. It also includes many features that Struts users appreciate, such as supporting client side validation and the Tiles framework. Struts Shale was discussed by Craig McClanahan in a talk at ApacheCon on Tuesday, December 13, 2005, entitled "Shale: The Next Struts??". Slides from the talk are available online [ http://people.apache.org/~craigmcc/apachecon-2005-shale.pdf]. For more about Shale, visit the Struts Shale website [ http://struts.apache.org/struts-shale/].
14 Dec 2005 - The Apache Struts flagship product, the leading web application framework for Java, is now known as the "Struts Action Framework". To make the framework easier to maintain, Apache Struts subdivided the original monolithic distribution into several subprojects. Each subproject has its own website, documentation, and release cycle, and may be downloaded separately. For consistency, the original core framework component also has its own name now: "Struts Action Framework". The JARs and external dependencies for the extensions to Struts Action Framework are being bundled into a convenient distribution known as the "Struts Action Framework Library". The Struts Action Framework 1.3.0 release will include several exciting new features, including: * Composable Request Processor * ActionDynaForm interfaces * Arbitrary configuration properties * Catalog and Command Elements * Enhanced Global Exception Handlers * Extends attribute for XML configurations * "isCommitted" Exception Handling * Postback Actions * Wildcard ActionConfig properties The key change in this release is the "composable request processor". The request processor is the framework's "kernal". The request processor methods are now command objects in a flexible chain of commands. Rather than subclassing a monolithic object, developers can now just replace commands with their own implementations. Commands can also be inserted or removed, if needed, to extend or streamline the request processing gauntlet, to better meet the needs of different kinds of applications. The Struts Action Framework 1.3.0 release, and other milestones on the Apache Struts roadmap, were discussed at ApacheCon on Tuesday, December 13, 2005, in a talk, entitled "Struts 2006: An Embarrassment of Riches". Slides from the talk are available online [ http://people.apache.org/~husted/apachecon-2005-action.pdf]. For more about Struts Action Framework, visit the framework's Website [ http://struts.apache.org/struts-action/].
"Struts Recipes co-author George Franciscus is back with another great Struts integration recipe -- this time for importing Struts applications into the Spring framework. Follow along as George shows you how to revamp Struts actions so they can be managed just like Spring beans. The result is a boosted web framework that easily reaps the benefits of Spring AOP." * http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/java/library/j-sr2.html
The Apache Struts team is pleased to announce the adoption of its latest subproject, Struts Flow, a continuations-based approach to complex web workflows. Struts Flow originated at the struts.sf.net project and has been formally adopted now as a Struts subproject. Struts Flow is a port of Apache Cocoon's Control Flow to Struts to allow complex workflow, like multi-form wizards, to be easily implemented using continuations-capable Javascript and eventually Java. Today, Struts is comprised of nine subprojects: Core, Taglib, Tiles, El, Faces, Scripting, Applications, Shale, and (now) Flow. Struts Flow is different from Struts Scripting/BSF as where Scripting brings any BSF-supported scripting language to Struts Actions, Struts Flow works on redefining the traditional Model 2 state-driven workflow into simplified scripts whose execution spans multiple requests. Currently, the Rhino engine, a Javascript implementation, is used to provide continuations support, but with the maturation of Commons Javaflow - http://jakarta.apache.org/commons/sandbox/javaflow/ - a Java-based continuations implementation, Java will soon be supported as well. For more information, visit the Struts Flow website at: - http://struts.apache.org/flow/index.html Don Brown
The Apache Struts team is pleased to announce the adoption of its latest subproject, Struts Shale, a JSF-based framework. The Shale codebase was initiated by Craig McClanahan in the Struts sandbox, and development traffic regarding Shale has steadily increased. As the product is heading towards an initial release, the Struts PMC felt it time to formally adopt Struts Shale as a subproject. Today, Struts is comprised of eight subprojects: Core, Taglib, Tiles, El, Faces, Scripting, Applications, and (now) Shale. An initiative is underway to extract the Struts Tiles code into a standalone product. Several Struts developers plan to apply to the ASF to incubate Tiles as a toplevel project. [http://wiki.apache.org/struts/TilesTopLevel ] Extracts from the FAQ *Why are you offering both Struts Shale and Struts Classic? Don't they compete for new development?* We do offer Struts developers a choice, but, hey, choice is good. :) People who want to create and maintain Struts Classic are welcome to do so. People who want to create and maintain Struts Shale are equally welcome. As a volunteer organization, we are not constrained by the economics of competition. All we need are volunteers who are ready, willing, and able to do the work. So long as we have volunteers, we have work for them to do. :) Right now, we have volunteers who want to leverage the new JavaServer Faces framework by using Struts Shale for new development. We also have volunteers who prefer to leverage their existing investment in Struts Classic. All are welcome. For more about volunteering, visit our how to help page [http://struts.apache.org/faqs/helping.html]. *Will Struts Shale become Struts 2.x?* Right now, there are no concrete plans for a 2.x release of Struts Classic. The people working on the 1.x series want to evolve the code base without breaking backward compatibility. If we do our job right, then a 2.x release may never be needed. Meanwhile, Struts Shale has its own identity and its own release cycle. Struts Classic is one subproject, and Struts Shale is another. We encourage you to choose the framework that works best for you. (Even if it is not one of ours!) * Is Struts Shale a fork?* No. It's an entirely new codebase. Struts Shale is an MVC framework for web applications, like Struts Classic, but it's a fresh start. Struts Shale is the best choice for developers eager to leverage the latest technologies, like JavaServer Faces. Both frameworks will have a home here so long as there are volunteers ready to contribute. #### -- Martin Cooper
The Struts team announces the release of Struts 1.2.1, currently ranked at Beta quality. This release removes many features deprecated in prior releases (Struts 1.1 and Struts 1.0.2) and also provides several new features. Fixes to known problems have been applied. More detail is available at * http://struts.apache.org/userGuide/release-notes.html The binary, source, and library distributions are available at * http://cvs.apache.org/dist/struts/v1.2.1/ The library distribution contains only the requisite JARs, without the documentation or example applications. We invite your comments on how well this release works with your own applications. Based on feedback from the Struts community, this release may be dubbed "ready for prime time" and promoted to "General Availabilty" quality. Please note that Struts now uses "Tomcat-style" releases. If the feedback on this release were positive, Struts 1.2.1 may be promoted directly to "GA", without creating yet-another distribution. If a serious problem were found and fixed, then we will issue Struts 1.2.2 and try again. #### --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: user-unsubscribe@struts.apache.org For additional commands, e-mail: user-help@struts.apache.org
Welcome to the announcements@struts.apache.org mailing list! This list should now be archived on Eyebrowse, mail-archive.com and MARC, as well as being available via gmane.org. -- Martin Cooper