JSP for end-users

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Chris - 27 Jun 2006 00:13 GMT

Our JSP-based app gets distributed to end users, who get to edit and
customize the pages. At the moment, we make them put Java code directly
in the page to get info out of our app. This is clearly not suitable for
non-Java developers.

I'd like to offer them an easy-to-use IDE-like environment for editing
pages and dropping in our UI widgets. We'd also like to do some Ajax-y
stuff with some of our new widgets. Two questions:

1. What should I replace the Java snippets with? JSP tags? JSF?
Freemarker/Velocity?

2. Are there any good HTML editors out there that we could bundle with
our app that would support our choice above? For example, let's say I've
got a special custom widget. I'd like to put an icon for it on a
toolbar, let the user drop it on the page, and then click on it to
expose a list of properties or options for the widget.

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Chris Smith - 27 Jun 2006 00:50 GMT

> 1. What should I replace the Java snippets with? JSP tags? JSF?
> Freemarker/Velocity?

JSP tags would certainly require the least changes to the design.

> 2. Are there any good HTML editors out there that we could bundle with
> our app that would support our choice above? For example, let's say I've
> got a special custom widget. I'd like to put an icon for it on a
> toolbar, let the user drop it on the page, and then click on it to
> expose a list of properties or options for the widget.

I don't know. Hopefully someone else can help with this one.

Signature

Chris Smith - Lead Software Developer / Technical Trainer
MindIQ Corporation

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etienno@gmail.com - 27 Jun 2006 10:38 GMT

Hi,

I would go for JSP Tag also, but I am not very familiar with JSF or
Velocity. JSF seems the next big thing. Maybe JSF could work well with
tagLib, or something similiar, I dont know that.

Eclipse 3.1.x IDE (with the JBoss IDE pluggin), or WSAD can help you to
design and debug JSP page with a taglib definition (tld). You can write
custom TagLib for complexe features, but also use the JSTL tags for
helping you clarifying your JSP pages. You could check for Struts if
you didn't use it yet, it works well and can also simplify your JSP
pages a great deal. But your end-user should have a minimal JSP and
java knownledge...

Regards,

Etienne.
Paris

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Andy Dingley <dingbat@codesmiths.com> - 27 Jun 2006 11:46 GMT

> Our JSP-based app gets distributed to end users, who get to edit and
> customize the pages.

Holy mother of bytecode!

> At the moment, we make them put Java code directly
> in the page to get info out of our app. This is clearly not suitable for
> non-Java developers.

That's not suitable for _Java_ developers either.

Before you even think about reworking this WIGGLYWIG user interface,
refactor _ALL_ of your inline Java code from the JSPs into a tag
library. The advantages make it worth doing anyway, but you're right in
the area that needs it doing most.

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JSP for end-users

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