Getting started with Apache Struts 2 , with Netbeans 6.1

There are plenty of guides that tell you how to start with struts 2, but most of them are incomplete or

don’t work. This guide even makes sure you have IDE JavaDoc support for struts 2 libraries. (Press Ctrl-

Space to get details about methods and classes in struts 2 libraries)

Download Struts 2 here : http://struts.apache.org/download.cgi

Download the Full Distro, so that we get all libraries and docs. (docs are important if u want to have IDE

support help and tooltips and syntax)

• Full Distribution:

o struts-2.0.11.2-all.zip (91mb) [PGP] [MD5]

As of this writing , this is the latest version of Struts.

Download Netbeans 6.1 here : http://www.netbeans.org/downloads/

or here : http://dlc.sun.com.edgesuite.net/netbeans/6.1/final/

Download the full bundle (under the All column) size about 220 MB

Choose a folder for all your JAVA material that has NO SPACES in its path. Like C:\Java

“C:\Program Files” has a space, so it has some issues with the Sun Application Platform, which you might

need after development.

Other downloads :

[These are not necessary now, but just download them while working on this guide]

Eclipse for JavaEE Dev : http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/

Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers (163 MB)

Java Application Platform : http://java.sun.com/javaee/downloads/index.jsp

App Platform + JDK†

Java Standard Edition [SE] : http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp

JDK 6 Update 7

Install as follows :

This is how a pro I knew advised to set a comp up for Java EE Dev. You can install anywhere, but

the Guide will use these assume, this is how you’ve installed things.

0. Install Java SE (JDK 6 Update 7) to C:\Java\jdk1.6.0_07 and the packaged Java Runtime

Environment (Public JRE) to C:\Java\jre1.6.0_07 Note : No Spaces in the path

1. Extract struts-2.1.2-all.zip to C:\Java . This will create a folder C:\Java \struts-2.1.2

2. Install Netbeans 6.1 to C:\Java\NetBeans6.1 .[ Note: There is no space in the path]

Along with the Apache Server packed with netbeans, you need to press the customize or

advanced button to install the packaged apache server, and to set your own path.

3. After Netbeans , the packaged apache server will ask for path give C:\Java ApacheTomcat6.0.16

Note: No Space here also

My comp is set up like this

C:\Java\ ApacheTomcat6.0.16 - from netbeans-6.1-ml-windows setup

C:\Java\ NetBeans6.1 - from netbeans-6.1-ml-windows setup

C:\Java\ jdk1.6.0_04 - from jdk-6u4-windows-i586-p setup

C:\Java\ jre1.6.0_04 - from jdk-6u4-windows-i586-p setup

C:\Java\ struts-2.1.2 - from struts-2.1.2-all.zip extract

C:\Java\ Eclipse - from eclipse-jee-ganymede-win32 setup

C:\Java\ AP - from java_app_platform_sdk-5_05-windows setup

C:\Java\glassfish-v2ur2 - from java_app_platform_sdk-5_05-windows setup

C:\Java\Nwork - Netbeans WorkSpace

C:\Java\Ework -Eclipse WorkSpace

C:\Java\ StrutsBlank -Contents of struts2-blank-2.1.2.war file

I Created my POJOs i.e Plain Old Java Objects – Business model classes and helper classes in Eclipse, just

to know whats there in the IDE, and compiled them to JAR files.

Then I used these JARs in the WebApplication fully done in NetBeans. But leave that, we’ll see how to

set up struts 2 and netbeans, fully dev-ready

Important Stuff (so don’t deviate!) :

Create a new Web Application in NetBeans

File-> New Project..-> Category:Web -> Projects:Web Application

Choose Java EE5 as the Java EE Version, and Apache Tomcat 6.0.16 as the Server (which we installed

from the netbeans setup itself) If the server is not there Add it, choosing the path C:\Java\

ApacheTomcat6.0.16 as the home directory of the server.

DO NOT ADD ANY Frameworks like struts of JSF now, you can add ‘em later. Click Finish.

Go to C:\Java\ struts-2.1.2\ apps folder. Open WinZip.

Drag - Drop the struts2-blank-2.1.2.war onto the WinZip window.

Press the Extract button on the top of the WinZip window and extract to C:\Java\ StrutsBlank . You must

type this in cause “StrutsBlank” is a folder WinZip will have to create to place the contents of the WAR

file.

Come back to NetBeans, Go to Tools-> Libraries, Click on New Library.. button

Type in “Struts2Library” as name and Press OK

Then Press Add JAR/Folder.. button and in the open file dialog , navigate to C:\Java\StrutsBlank\WEB-

INF\lib

Select all the JAR files in there pressing the SHIFT key, and add ‘em.

Go to Javadoc Tab, Press Add Zip/Folder button and in the Open Folder Dialog navigate to

C:\Java\struts-2.1.2\docs\struts2-core and select apidocs folder and click Add Zip/Folder button in the

dialog

Press Ok that closes the Library Manager dialog box.

Now Right Click the Libraries folder in the Projects window in the netbeans IDE, select Add Library.. and

add the Struts2Library.

Navigate to C:\Java\StrutsBlank in windows explorer and Drag-Drop the C:\Java\StrutsBlank\example

folder into the NetBeans Web Pages treenode

Delete the Web Pages\WEB-INF\web.xml in netbeans

Drag-Drop the C:\Java\StrutsBlank\WEB-INF\web.xml file into the NetBeans Web Pages\WEB-INF

treenode

Delete the Web Pages\ index.html in netbeans

Drag-Drop the C:\Java\StrutsBlank\index.html file into the NetBeans Web Pages treenode

Right-Click the Source Packages treenode in NetBeans, and New->Java Package, and type in “example”

as the package name. This name is necessary to allow the blank app to get working.

Drag-Drop all the 6 files in C:\Java\StrutsBlank\WEB-INF\src\java\example onto the Source

Packages\example treenode

Drag-Drop the 2 XML files in C:\Java\StrutsBlank\WEB-INF\src\java example.xml and struts.xml to the

Source Packages treenode[ such that they come under the default package]

Thus we have moved all XML and .jsp and .java files from blank app to netbeans. After all that your

Project Explorer will belike :

Build using F11 key.

NetBeans will have created two folders for you build and dist.

build\web\WEB-INF\lib and build\web\WEB-INF\classes are automatically created and populated with

the JAR files and .class files.

dist will have the WAR file that u can use to distribute your web app.

Run using F6 key to see the output.

If any error while building or running, Save everything, close netbeans AFTER closing the server by

pressing the green square stop button in the serve tab of the netbeans IDE. Then go to task manager

close all java.exe process and any and all server process also and reopen netbeans and press f6.

I localized to Tamil. You should see Spanish instead of Tamil in the output.