Hi there,
In my opinion, it depends on the content that you are trying to generate. If your content is fairly static then a template engine (maybe based upon XLST for example) may be the way to go. If, on the other hand, your content is very dynamic (e.g. large tables of data), then they may not be appropriate.
Another option of course is to use JSPs and templates in combination. This is particularly useful for :
(a) delivery to multiple channels - for example a web browser and a mobile device where the screens are different sizes. By using a template, you can say which "parts" of the UI you would like to display on each client.
(b) pages that share a common look and feel - you could define leftnav, topnav and common header areas for example.
The
Struts project has a templates taglib for JSPs although ... take a look at
http://jakarta.apache.org/struts/api/org/apache/struts/taglib/t emplate/package-summary.html#package_description What does everybody else think?
Simon
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Simon Brown
Author of
Professional JSP 2nd Edition
[This message has been edited by Simon Brown (edited July 17, 2001).]