few questions about design struts application

[ashish kulkarni]

Hi,
I have to develop a website using struts, most all my webpages will be
add, change, delete, display type.
Like, i will show about 20 records per page, each one will have a
checkbox, there will be 3 buttons on bottom.. Add, Change, Delete,
so if the user clicks add, i will show him add screen and add the
record, if user selects one record and presses change i will show the user
data where he can change and same in delete..
now how can i decide on the action class on my first display page, also
the form tag, so when the user clicks add direct him to add.jsp, if
change or delete to change or delete.jsp with the selected value and also
have validtion like user cannot use change unless he clicks one row,
also cannot click more then one row for change etc.

Any comments will be appreciated

[Matthew Phillips]

ashishkulkarni,
JavaRanch has a naming policy which is strictly enforced. Please read the policy and change your display name if you wish to continue posting here.
You can change your name:
here

[Jason Menard]

Using the scenario as you've outlined it...
jsp1.jsp

<html:form action="/update">
<html:submit>Add</html:submit><br>
<html:submit>Change</html:submit><br>
<html:submit>Delete</html:submit>
</html:form>

struts-config.xml

<action    path="/update"
           type="UpdateAction"
          input="/jsp1.jsp">
  <forward name="add"    path="/add.jsp"/>
  <forward name="change" path="/do/change"/>
  <forward name="delete" path="/do/delete"/>
</action>
<action    path="/change"
           type="ChangeAction"
          input="/jsp1.jsp">
  <forward name="success" path="/change.jsp"/>
</action>
<action    path="/delete"
           type="DeleteAction"
          input="/jsp1.jsp">
  <forward name="success" path="/delete.jsp"/>
</action>

UpdateAction.java

String submitVal = request.getParameter("submit");
if ("Add".equals(submitVal))
   return mapping.findForward("add");
else if ("Change".equals(submitVal))
   return mapping.findForward("change");
else if ("Delete".equals(submitVal))
   return mapping.findForward("delete");

ChangeAction.java

// Get record# from request
// Perform validation if you need to
// returning to input and displaying 
// errors if validation failes,
// else return success.

DeleteAction.java

// Get record# from request
// Perform validation if you need to
// returning to input and displaying 
// errors if validation failes,
// else return success.

Personally, since you only want one record to be changed or at a time, I would do something in jsp1.jsp like when each row is displayed, the "name" or whatever field, on each row is a hyperlink to the "change" action which passes the correct parameter identifying which record to change.
Additionally I would display checkboxes next to each row, which when checked, indicate that you want that record deleted. Let's say you give your checkboxes names of "deleted" and values corresponding to the record number you want deleted. In that case your code would look something like this:
jsp1.jsp

<html:form action="/update">
<table>
<tr>
<th>Delete</th>
<th>Name</th>
</tr>
... iterating... (assume bean "data" exposed)
<tr>
<td><input type="checkbox" name="deleted" value='<bean:write name="data" property="recordNum"/>'>
</td>
<td>
<html:link page="/do/change" paramId="recordNum" paramName="data" paramProperty="recordNum">
<bean:write name="data" property="recordNum"/>
</html:link>
</td>
</tr>
... end iteration ...
</table>
<html:submit>Add</html:submit><br>
<html:submit>Delete</html:submit>
</html:form>

struts-config.xml

<action    path="/update"
           type="UpdateAction"
          input="/jsp1.jsp">
  <forward name="add"    path="/add.jsp"/>
  <forward name="delete" path="/do/delete"/>
</action>
<action    path="/change"
           type="ChangeAction"
          input="/jsp1.jsp">
  <forward name="success" path="/change.jsp"/>
</action>
<action    path="/delete"
           type="DeleteAction"
          input="/jsp1.jsp">
  <forward name="success" path="/do/ActionThatLoadsJsp1"/>
</action>

UpdateAction.java

String submitVal = request.getParameter("submit");
if ("Add".equals(submitVal))
   return mapping.findForward("add");
else if ("Delete".equals(submitVal))
   return mapping.findForward("delete");

ChangeAction.java

// Get record# from request,
// load up that record and
// return "success"

DeleteAction.java

String[] itemsToDelete = request.getParameterValues("deleted");
if (itemsToDelete != null)
{
    for (int i = 0; i < itemsToDelete.length; i++)
        // delete record# itemsToDelete[i]
}
return "success"

Hope this helps.
[ August 27, 2002: Message edited by: Jason Menard ]

[ashish kulkarni]

Hi Jason,
I really appreciate you giving such a nice answer for my question, i will build the application keeping it in mind..
thanx again

[Erik Hatcher]

Please take this advice: do not hardcode values of buttons into an Action subclass. What if your user/client says "please make this button say 'OK' instead of 'Save'". Then you are stuck modifying Java code when simply changing ApplicationResources.properties would have sufficed.
Have a look at DispatchAction or (my creation) LookupDispatchAction.

[Jason Menard]

Originally posted by Erik Hatcher:
Please take this advice: do not hardcode values of buttons into an Action subclass. What if your user/client says "please make this button say 'OK' instead of 'Save'". Then you are stuck modifying Java code when simply changing ApplicationResources.properties would have sufficed.
Have a look at DispatchAction or (my creation) LookupDispatchAction.

This is good advice. The example is only provided for brevity and to get the point across.

[rock cordial]

I got perhaps the same question with it,but I want to delete or select one or more items at a time,what should I do?

[Matthew Phillips]

cordialreal,
JavaRanch has a naming policy which is strictly enforced. Please read the policy and change your display name if you wish to continue posting here.
You can change your name: here

[rock cordial]

I changed it!
And now would anyone answer my question?

[Venkata Hari]

Hi, Could any of you suggest on how to use LookupDispatchAction with hyper links? I have a hyper link (with <a> tag) and I need to direct this to a LookupDispatchAction. I know when you click on a <html:submit> button, it carries the key of <bean:message>, but how can I pass the same information when I click on a hyper link?
I would greatly appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks in advance!!!

Cheers,
Venkat