Custom Tags (also known as Custom Actions) extend JavaServer Pages’ ability to divide development responsibilities between backend business component developers and front-end presentation designers. Custom Tags enable component developers to encapsulate complex business functionality into XML-like tags that are as simple to use for a page designer as HTML’s BODY tag. This tutorial will demonstrate the development of a functioning custom tag library from initial concept to fully deployed tag library.

Attendees will Learn:
How to create a sophisticated set of JSP Tags, package them into a Tag Library, and deploy them in a Web Archive file.

Tutorial Outline:

1. Introduction to JSP Actions
2. Custom Actions and their Lifecycle
   1. Demo: Custom action development
3. Simple tag introduction: What it will do, how it will work.
   1. Introduction to JSP Tag API
   2. Demo: Construction and compilation of simple tag
4. Tag Library Descriptor (TLD) file introduction
   1. Demo: Creation of TLD for Tutorial Tag Library
5. Packaging custom tags into Tag Libraries
   1. Demo: Creation of WAR for our tag
6. Deployment of tag library package
   1. Demo: Deploy our set of tags
7. Custom Tag use
   1. Tag library directive
   2. Demo: Custom tag use in a JSP Tag
8. Use of tags in JSP scripting
   1. Demo: Addition of code to simple tag, use of tag in JSP
9. Nested and cooperating tags - why would you use this?
   1. Demo: Use of nested and cooperating tags to set of tags being developed
10. How nested tags work - Iteration.
    1. Demo: Addition of nested and cooperating tag code to our set of tags
    2. Demo: Update of TLD
    3. Demo: Re-packaging and re-deployment of custom tag library
11. Use of nested tags in JSPs
    1. Demo: Use of nested and cooperating tags in JSP
12. Help for TagLibs: Special considerations for design technologists and page designers
    1. Demo: Creation of help for our tutorial tag library
13. Questions

Prerequisites:
The tutorial is aimed at Intermediate to advanced Java developers with an understanding of JavaServer Pages.