Apache Tiles

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• Apache Tiles

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Tiles Introduction

• Tiles is a framework for the development user
  interface
• Tiles is enables the developers to develop the
  web applications by assembling the reusable tiles
  (jsp, html, etc..)
• Tiles uses the concept of reuse and enables the
  developers to define a template for the web site
  and then use this layout to populate the content
  of the web site

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Tiles Introduction

• For example, if you have to develop a web site
  having more that 500 page of static content and
  many dynamically generated pages. The layout of
  the web site often changes according to the
  business requirement. In this case you can use
  the Tiles framework to design the template for
  the web site and use this template to populate
  the contents. In future if there is any
  requirement of site layout change then you have
  to change the layout in one page. This will
  change the layout of you whole web site.

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Tiles1 and Tiles2

• Tiles has been designed to use with the Struts
  Framework
• Tiles can be used with or without Struts.
• Tiles which has been design to use with out
  Struts is called as Tiles2

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Steps To Create Tiles Application

• Tiles is very useful framework for the
  development of web applications. Here are the
  steps necessary for adding Tiles to your Struts
  application
• Add the Tiles Tag Library Descriptor (TLD) file
  to the web.xml.
• Create layout JSPs.
• Develop the web pages using layouts.
• Repackage, run and test application.

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Add the Tiles TLD to web.xml file

• lttaglibgt     lttaglib-urigt/tags/struts-tileslt/tagl
  ib-urigt      lttaglib-locationgt/WEB-INF/struts-t
  iles.tldlt/taglib-locationgtlt/taglibgt

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Create layout JSPs.

• Our web application layout is divided into four
  parts To Banner, Left Navigation Bar, Content
  Area and Bottom of the page for copy right
  information. Here is the code for out template
  (template.jsp)

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template.jsp

• lt_at_ page language"java" gtlt_at_ taglib
  uri"/WEB-INF/struts-tiles.tld" prefix"tiles"
  gtlthtmlgtltheadgt    lttitlegtlttilesgetAsString
  name"title" ignore"true"/gtlt/titlegtlt/headgtltbod
  ygtlttable border"1" cellpadding"0"
  cellspacing"0" width"100" bordercolor"000000"
  bgcolor"E7FDFE"gtlttrgtlttd width"100"
  colspan"2" valign"top"gtlttilesinsert
  attribute"header"/gtlt/tdgtlt/trgtlttrgtlttd
  width"23"gtlttilesinsert attribute"menu"/gtlt/tdgt
  lttd width"77" valign"top" valign"top"gtlttilesi
  nsert attribute"body"/gtlt/tdgtlt/trgtlttrgtlttd
  width"100" colspan"2" valign"top"gtlttilesinser
  t attribute"bottom"/gtlt/tdgtlt/trgtlt/tablegtlt/body
  gtlt/htmlgt

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example.jsp

• lt_at_ page language"java" gtlt_at_ taglib
  uri"/WEB-INF/struts-tiles.tld" prefix"tiles"
  gtlttilesinsert page"/tiles/template.jsp"
  flush"true"gt   lttilesput name"title"
  type"string" value"Welcome" /gt   lttilesput
  name"header" value"/tiles/top.jsp" /gt  
  lttilesput name"menu" value"/tiles/left.jsp"
  /gt   lttilesput name"body" value"/tiles/content
  .jsp" /gt   lttilesput name"bottom"
  value"/tiles/bottom.jsp" /gt lt/tilesinsertgt

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Repackage, run and test application

• ltligtlthtmllink page"/tiles/example.jsp"gtTiles
  Examplelt/htmllinkgtltbrgtExample of creating
  first tile application.lt/ligt

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Steps to Use the tiles-defs.xml

• Add the following code in the struts.xml, This
  enables the TilesPlugin to use the
  /WEB-INF/tiles-defs.xml file.
• ltplug-in className"org.apache.struts.tiles.TilesP
  lugin" gt       lt!-- Path to XML definition file
  --gt       ltset-property property"definitions-con
  fig" value"/WEB-INF/tiles-defs.xml" /gt      
  lt!-- Set Module-awareness to true --gt      
  ltset-property property"moduleAware" value"true"
  /gtlt/plug-ingt

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Defining the tiles-defs.xml

• lt?xml version"1.0" encoding"ISO-8859-1"
  ?gtlt!DOCTYPE tiles-definitions PUBLIC"-//Apache
  Software Foundation//DTD Tiles Configuration
  1.1//EN""http//jakarta.apache.org/struts/dtds/ti
  les-config_1_1.dtd"gtlttiles-definitionsgt    
  ltdefinition name"Tiles.Example"
  page"/tiles/template.jsp"gt          ltput
  name"title" type"string" value"Welcome"
  /gt          ltput name"header"
  value"/tiles/top.jsp" /gt          ltput
  name"menu" value"/tiles/left.jsp" /gt         
  ltput name"body" value"/tiles/content.jsp"
  /gt          ltput name"bottom"
  value"/tiles/bottom.jsp" /gt      lt/definitiongt
  
• ltdefinition name"YOUR_DEFINITION_HERE"gt
  lt/definitiongt
• lt/tiles-definitionsgt

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Configure the Struts Action to use Tiles
Definition

• Open the struts.xml file and add the following
  code
• ltaction path"/Tiles/Example"      
  forward"Tiles.Example"/gt

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Testing the Application

• ltligtlthtmllink page"/Tiles/Example.do"gtUsing
  tiles-defs.xmllt/htmllinkgtltbrgtExample shows you
  how to use tiles-defs.xml file.lt/ligt

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For Your Reference

• http//tiles.apache.org/tutorial/index.html
• http//tiles.apache.org/
• http//www.laliluna.de/tutorial/first-tiles/first_
  struts_tiles_tutorial.pdf
• http//www.roseindia.net/struts/struts_tiles.shtml
  

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• Thank You