Originally posted by sreenath reddy:
Hi
I have an application which has some 100 jsp and 40 action classes developed entirely using struts.Is it good idea to migrate the appliction to JSF?? i dont think so its wise to migrate at this satge as JSF might not have answered all the issues (may be in next version it might address the all issues) .....................
and even after the next version is relased is it good to migrate r is it better to integrate struts with jsf ?? in what way will it be helpful than struts???
may be the author could give me a hint on this
Sreenath,
For large established applications, I don't think a rewrite is absolutely necessary unless there's an overwhelmingly compelling reason, and you can sustain the risk.
JSF has two main benefits. The first is that it speeds up development by giving you a lot of UI components, and masking the complexity involved with HTTP. If you're not adding much new functionality to your application, this benefit isn't that compelling.
The other benefit is a powerful UI component model, which sets the stage for a third party market of JSF components (see the JSF Central
product directory). Even if you don't use JSF's controller functionality (backing beans and navigation rules), you can use JSF components
with Struts. This can be quite useful if you're expanding your application, but again, if you're not, then there isn't a lot of value.
So I think the safest approach for an established application is to experiment with JSF components (using the
Struts-Faces integration library) inside of your Struts application, and use your existing Struts Actions and ActionForms. That way, if you're adding additional functionality, you can take advantage of third-party JSF components. And, you're not breaking older portions of your application.
Smaller applications, and "legacy" applications, may benefit from a full migration, especially if there is little risk involved with doing so.