Using Struts 2 and Spring Frameworks Together

8/8/2019 Using Struts 2 and Spring Frameworks Together

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Using Struts 2 and Spring

Frameworks TogetherBruce Phillips

University of Kansas

March 2009

Presentation and code examples available at

http://www.brucephillips.name/spring
http://www.brucephillips.name/springhttp://www.brucephillips.name/spring


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References

Spring Framework -http://www.springsource.org/documentation

Spring Community Forums -http://forum.springsource.org/

Introduction to the Spring Framework 2.5 -

http://www.theserverside.com/tt/articles/article.tss?l=IntrotoSpring25

Spring in Action, 2nd Edition, Manning Publishing,

August 2007 Pro Spring 2.5, Apress Publishing, August 2008

Struts 2 Framework - http://struts.apache.org

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http://www.springsource.org/documentationhttp://forum.springsource.org/http://www.theserverside.com/tt/articles/article.tss?l=IntrotoSpring25http://www.theserverside.com/tt/articles/article.tss?l=IntrotoSpring25http://www.amazon.com/Spring-Action-Craig-Walls/dp/1933988134/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235658285&sr=8-1http://www.amazon.com/Pro-Spring-2-5-Jan-Machacek/dp/1590599217/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235658325&sr=1-1http://struts.apache.org/http://struts.apache.org/http://www.amazon.com/Pro-Spring-2-5-Jan-Machacek/dp/1590599217/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235658325&sr=1-1http://www.amazon.com/Spring-Action-Craig-Walls/dp/1933988134/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235658285&sr=8-1http://www.theserverside.com/tt/articles/article.tss?l=IntrotoSpring25http://www.theserverside.com/tt/articles/article.tss?l=IntrotoSpring25http://forum.springsource.org/http://www.springsource.org/documentation


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References

Using Struts 2 and Spring Frameworks Together, BrucePhillips Blog -http://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2008/10/17/Usi

ng-Struts-2-and-Spring-Frameworks-Together Introduction to the Java Spring Framework,

http://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2009/1/29/Introduction-to-the-Java-Spring-Framework

Struts 2 In Practice, Manning Publishing,http://www.manning.com/wannemacher/

Apache Struts 2 Documentation, Spring Plugin -http://struts.apache.org/2.x/docs/spring-plugin.html

Struts User Forum - http://www.nabble.com/Struts---User-f206.html

Maven - http://maven.apache.org/

Maven - http://books.sonatype.com/maven-book/index.html

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http://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2008/10/17/Using-Struts-2-and-Spring-Frameworks-Togetherhttp://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2008/10/17/Using-Struts-2-and-Spring-Frameworks-Togetherhttp://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2009/1/29/Introduction-to-the-Java-Spring-Frameworkhttp://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2009/1/29/Introduction-to-the-Java-Spring-Frameworkhttp://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2009/1/29/Introduction-to-the-Java-Spring-Frameworkhttp://www.manning.com/wannemacher/http://struts.apache.org/2.x/docs/spring-plugin.htmlhttp://www.nabble.com/Struts---User-f206.htmlhttp://www.nabble.com/Struts---User-f206.htmlhttp://maven.apache.org/http://books.sonatype.com/maven-book/index.htmlhttp://books.sonatype.com/maven-book/index.htmlhttp://maven.apache.org/http://www.nabble.com/Struts---User-f206.htmlhttp://www.nabble.com/Struts---User-f206.htmlhttp://struts.apache.org/2.x/docs/spring-plugin.htmlhttp://www.manning.com/wannemacher/http://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2009/1/29/Introduction-to-the-Java-Spring-Frameworkhttp://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2009/1/29/Introduction-to-the-Java-Spring-Frameworkhttp://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2008/10/17/Using-Struts-2-and-Spring-Frameworks-Togetherhttp://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2008/10/17/Using-Struts-2-and-Spring-Frameworks-Together


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Spring and Struts 2 Frameworks

Introduction to the Java SpringFramework

http://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2009/1/29/Introduction-to-the-Java-Spring-Framework

Introduction to The Struts 2 Java WebApplication Framework

http://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2008/10/7/Introduction-toThe-Struts-2-Java-Web-Application-Framework

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http://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2009/1/29/Introduction-to-the-Java-Spring-Frameworkhttp://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2009/1/29/Introduction-to-the-Java-Spring-Frameworkhttp://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2009/1/29/Introduction-to-the-Java-Spring-Frameworkhttp://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2008/10/7/Introduction-toThe-Struts-2-Java-Web-Application-Frameworkhttp://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2008/10/7/Introduction-toThe-Struts-2-Java-Web-Application-Frameworkhttp://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2008/10/7/Introduction-toThe-Struts-2-Java-Web-Application-Frameworkhttp://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2008/10/7/Introduction-toThe-Struts-2-Java-Web-Application-Frameworkhttp://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2008/10/7/Introduction-toThe-Struts-2-Java-Web-Application-Frameworkhttp://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2008/10/7/Introduction-toThe-Struts-2-Java-Web-Application-Frameworkhttp://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2009/1/29/Introduction-to-the-Java-Spring-Frameworkhttp://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2009/1/29/Introduction-to-the-Java-Spring-Frameworkhttp://www.brucephillips.name/blog/index.cfm/2009/1/29/Introduction-to-the-Java-Spring-Framework


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Advantages of Using

Spring and Struts 2 Together Leverage the strengths of both

frameworks Spring

Dependency management

Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP)

Spring JDBC

Struts 2 Simplifies implementing the model, view,

controller (MVC) pattern in a web application

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Example Applications

Struts2_Spring_Example

Simple Struts 2 application that uses Spring tomanage dependencies

ContactsWebApp

More complicated Struts 2 application thatuses Spring to manage dependencies,implement cross-cutting (AOP) concerns, and

interact with a database repository Code and installation instructions at

http://www.brucephillips.name/spring

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http://www.brucephillips.name/springhttp://www.brucephillips.name/spring


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CreateContact

ContactService

CreateEmail

EmailService

CreatePhone

PhoneService

ContactDataAccess

Classes Depend On Other ClassesDevelopers must manage these class dependencies (coupling)

ContactsWebApp

sampling of class

dependencies

Struts ActionSupport Classes

EmailDataAccessPhoneDataAccess

Service Classes

Persistence Classes

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Struts Without Spring

Struts web applications tend to have quite a fewcontroller (ActionSupport) classes

These controller classes call upon other classes todo the work

Without Spring must use concrete objectinstantiation ContactService contactService = new

ContactServiceImpl();

The same code will be repeated in all the other StrutsActionSupport classes that use a ContactService object

Each class is responsible for managing itsdependencies More difficult to configure, maintain, and change

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Struts With Spring

Use Spring to manage dependencies

Dependencies are specified and managed inone place

Much easier to change dependencies

Most dependencies can be auto-wired

Use the other benefits Spring provides

Aspect Oriented Programming (AOP)

Spring JDBC

Transaction Management

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Jars Required

See Struts2_Spring_Example application

jars are under Referenced Libraries spring.jar is needed to use Spring capabilities

struts2-spring-plugin-2.1.6.jar is needed so

that Struts 2 can use Spring

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How To Integrate Spring Into Struts

Changes to web.xml

Add ContextLoaderListener andRequestContextListener to web.xml

Add applicationContext.xml

Under WEB-INF

Spring configuration and bean definitions

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Use Spring to Manage

Dependencies There are two different ways to have

Spring manage the dependencies in aStruts application

Configure your actions as Spring beans

applicationContext.xml

Configure your actions in struts.xml

applicationContext_alternate.xml In both cases use Spring to manage

dependencies between your ActionSupport

classes and other classes

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Register class is a Struts ActionSupport class

Register class depends upon a PersonService

class

Option 1 use Spring to create and managethe Register objects

See applicationContext.xml

Note the id value for the Register bean

Register class requires a PersonService object and

Spring will manage this dependency In struts.xml create the action node but for the class

value use the id value specified inapplicationContext.xml

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Option 2 See struts_alternate.xml

Create action node as usual by specifying the completeclass for the class attribute

See applicatonContext_alternate.xml Just create those beans for classes that are NOT Struts

ActionSupport classes

Spring will manage any dependencies for theActionSupport classes

Register class depends on PersonService class Before a Register object is provided to the application,

Spring will pass a PersonService object to classRegisters setPersonService method

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Struts 2 and Spring

Configuration Options How both option 1 and option 2 manage

dependencies can be configured to bypassthe defaults

See chapter 3 Struts 2 In Practice

See Struts 2 Spring plugin documentation at:

http://struts.apache.org/2.x/docs/spring-plugin.html

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ContactsWebApp

Very simple contacts manager

Web application that uses Struts 2 andSpring

Database is embedded Derby

Uses Struts to manage ActionSupportclasses (option 2) and Spring to:

Manage dependencies

Implement cross-cutting concerns such as logging,performance timing

Interact with database repository (Spring JDBC)

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FindContact

ContactSearchService

ContactDataAccess

ContactsWebApp FindContact and its dependencies

ActionSupport

Class

Service

Layer

Persistence Layer

PersonDataAccessEmailDataAccessPhoneDataAccess

DataSource

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ContactsWebApp struts.xml and

applicationContext.xml struts.xml

Action nodes specify complete class value

For example FindContact

Note class FindContact needs aContactSearchService object and has a publicsetContactSearchService method

applicationContext.xml

Spring configuration Create Spring beans for all non-

ActionSupport classes that are used by the

ActionSupport class

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Struts 2 Spring Interaction

applicationContext.xml Spring will provide any objects needed by

the ActionSupport classes automatically

Autowire by name For example FindContacts property

contactSearchService will get a value because

Spring will call the setContactSearchServicemethod and pass it a contactSearchService object

Spring is also managing dependencies for theother classes For example see contactSearchService,

contactDataAccess and personDataAccess beans

Be sure to specify scope=request

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Spring AOP

Can use Spring AOP just as we did in the

non-Struts 2 Contact application Same configuration in the Struts 2

projects applicationContext.xml as we

had in the Contact (non-web) projects

applicationContext_DB_Repository.xml

See package edu.ku.si.contact.advice

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AOP Example - Exception Logging

Need to specify where to apply theadvice

See ExceptionLogging class PointCutdefinition

Dont need to apply advice to theActionSupport classes because they wont bethe originator of any Exceptions

Rename c:/derby/contactsDB toc:/derby/tcontactsDB

Run ContactsWebApp

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Spring JDBC

Can use Spring JDBC as we did in theContact (non-Struts 2) application

See package edu.ku.si.contact.data

The data access classes extend Spring

JDBCs SimpleJdbcDaoSupport See PersonDataAccess

Much simpler to query database and process

results

Note Spring JDBC will manage opening andclosing connections, handling exceptions, etc.

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Data Source Management

The data access classes need a Data Sourceobject

See applicationContext.xml

Note no scope is specified for the dataSourcebean

By extending SimpleJdbcDaoSupport thedata access classes inherit the setDataSource

method which Spring uses to inject the datasource object

To use connection pooling see notes in

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Why Use Spring With Struts 2?

Significantly reduces coupling between

classes Central management of dependencies

Applications are easier to maintain and

change

Leverage Spring features that Struts 2

doesnt provide Aspect-oriented programming

Spring JDBC24

Documents

Using Struts 2 and Spring Frameworks Together