Data from servlet in html

[Shashank Agarwal]

Can we make a html page get data from a servlet.

I mean, if there is a html page, its suppose to be static, but if it is supposed to show data from a servlet, can it? I want it this way instead of using jsp because this html page runs on another server which does not have jsp support.

Thanks in advance.

[Bear Bibeault]

No.

[Shashank Agarwal]

Why cant we do that. Just like a html file gets image from other servers cant it get text. And if the text on the other server is changed the text displayed on this html file also changes?

[Bear Bibeault]

There is no HTML mechanism to do it. Sorry.

The closest thing is a server-side include (which is not HTML standard) but that will not let you include from another server.

Bottom line is: if you want dynamic behavior, you need a server capable of it.

[Shashank Agarwal]

Which is the most universally accepted server script. I dont think JSP is supported by all servers, i had to search a lot to find a good one for my site. Asp i suppose is useful only with windows. What about perl and php? can they be run on any server?

[Bear Bibeault]

Depends on the server you are running. Apache can run perl CGI scripts with the proper configuration, and php with the appropriate add-on module.

[Vanessa Danin]

I am not exactly clear on what you are trying to do Shashank, so please excuse me if I am misunderstanding. However, you don't need a JSP to get data from a servlet. Why can't you invoke the servlet by using a form action, link, button or even applet which invokes the servlet? The servlet could then generate an updated HTML page using HttpServletResponse.

Since JSPs make ideal front-ends to a servlet though, what is preventing you from downloading and installing the opensource Tomcat Servlet Container which supports both servlets and JSPs? (www.jakarta.apache.org/tomcat/index.html).

[Shashank Agarwal]

Thanks for your replies.

Actually i was trying to build a service which can be used by other webmasters. They shall put a few files (html, asp, jsp or any other) which shall have dynamic data. Since the data has to come from my servers database (which has got jsp running capablity) and displayed on their server (this servers capablities are not known) i wanted to know the best possible script available which could be run by almost all the servers. Now i think i'll give an option to the webmasters to choose between cgi and php. Please give me your opinions about this.

[Vanessa Danin]

I am not familiar with server-side languages other than Java but based on a number of articles I've read, PHP and (Perl) CGI scripts remain exceptionally popular and can run on most servers. Some ISPs however may choose to provide support for ASP and exclude support for Perl and PHP as competing languages. My personal opinion is that amongst ISPs, JSPs receive less support than ASPs, whereas in the corporate environment I think JSPs are more widely used. Below is the URL (cannot include link as HTML is not enabled for this post) of an article titled "Which Server-side language is Right for You?" which may be of some value even though its focus is more on the development rather than the support perspective:
www.sitepoint.com/article/server-side-language-right

Last thought - perhaps you could consider exposing a servlet as a web service to your Java and non-Java clients.

[Shashank Agarwal]

Thanks Vanessa,

the article was really helpful. I'm gonna make my team members read and reach a conclusion. Yes, JSP seems to be the most versatile of all and personally i preffer it over other scripts (as though i'm an expert to comment on it ) however, it has not acheived the popularity it is suppose to deserve. Well, exposing servlets to the webmaster community is a good idea but depends if they take up or not.