integrating hibernate and struts: do we have to code separately and call struts?

[Monica Shiralkar]

I was reading about using hibernate with struts and got confused from what was written about integration.Below is my understanding.Please confirm that this is correct.

For integrating struts with hibernate we just need to place hibernate jars in build path along with sruts jars.After this code for hibernate separately code for struts separately and call hibernate code from struts.Thats all we have to do. There is no such thing as intergrating hibernate with struts:we have to code struts and hibernate and then call hibernate.

thanks.

[Sumit Bisht]

yep!
both are different frameworks.
Your controller will call a method using the model, which in turn will use the hibernate context to deal with the database.
Ultimately a piece of 'code' will call another, whatever frameworks that you are using is just coincidental.

[Joe Ess]

There is a Hibernate Plugin available for Struts 2 that provides Hibernate Validator integration, Hibernate Core Sessions and Transactions injection capabilities. Personally, we use a home-grown interceptor that obtains the session and injects it into interested actions.

[Monica Shiralkar]

What i understand is it is separate Struts Code calling separate Hibernate Code.Then why is struts hibernate plugin used? what advantage would one get by using it instead of approach of separate Struts Code calling separate Hibernate Code.

thanks

[Joe Ess]

The plugin gives you a handy way to get a Hibernate session into your Action without you writing any code. You don't have to reinvent the wheel.
Whether or not the Action has any Hibernate code is up to you. If it is small enough, just a call to save() or createQuery, it may make sense to put the Hibernate code in the action (this option is depected in the Hibernate Integration tutorial). I tend to use the Action to assemble the required resources, then either invoke a business logic bean that does the work or directly call a data access object that contains the Hibernate code.
This Struts 1.3.x FAQ Entry is still relevant.