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Struts 2.0.0 is the first distribution of WebWork 2 as an Apache Struts product.

For your convenience, a one-stop all distribution is available. Individaul elements of the distribution may also be downloaded separately.

• If you are a Maven developeruser, you might want to get started using the Maven Archetype.
• Another quick-start entry point is the blank application. Rename and deploy the WAR as a starting point for your own development.

Known Issues

• For known issues, see Struts 2.0.1

Key Snippets

Maven Artifact ID

<dependency>
  <groupId>org.apache.struts</groupId>
    <artifactId>struts2-core</artifactId>
      <version>2.0.0-SNAPSHOT<0</version>
</dependency>

Struts Configuration DTD XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE struts PUBLIC
    "-//Apache Software Foundation//DTD Struts Configuration 2.0//EN"
    "http://struts.apache.org/dtds/struts-2.0.dtd">
<struts>
    <include file="struts-default.xml"/>
    <package name="support" extends="struts-default">
        <action name="$name" class="$class">
            <result>$location</result>
        </action>
    </package>
</struts>

XWork Validation XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE validators PUBLIC 
   "-//OpenSymphony Group//XWork Validator 1.0.2//EN" 
   "http://www.opensymphony.com/xwork/xwork-validator-1.0.2.dtd">
<validators>
    <field name="$name">
        <field-validator type="$type">
            <message>$message</message>
        </field-validator>
    </field>
</validators>

New Features and Extensions

• Can we use Acegi Security with the framework extension is available.
• CheckBox Interceptor detects unchecked checkboxes and adds a parameter with a default value (usually 'false') .
• JavaServer Faces extension is available.
• A struts.xml file can be placed in a JAR and automatically plugged into an application, so that modules can be self-contained and automatically configured.
  • In the case of Freemarker and Velocity modules, the templates can also be loaded from the classpath, so the entire module can be plugged in as a single JAR.
• DebuggingInterceptor displays the value stack at runtime.

Key Changes

Depending on whether you are coming from a Struts 1 or a WebWork 2 or Struts 1 background, your perspective on the key changes will differ.

From Struts 1

• See Comparing Struts 1 and 2
• More notes to come ...

From WebWork2 WebWork 2

• Struts 2 is dependant on XWork 2 (nightly build).
• Java 1.5 is required to build the and deploy Struts 2 distribution from source, but .
  • For Java 1.4 deployments, RetroWeaver or RetroTranslater may be used to provide Java 1.4
  is targeted for the binary JARs.
• Rich text editor tag has been removed (a possible replacement would be to use the textarea tag with theme="ajax", this will used dojo's rich text editor)

  Code Block
  <s:textarea theme="ajax" />

• Datepicker tag is now using dojo's (limited in terms functionality and internationalization)
• foo!bar functionality is off by default (could be truned on by having struts.compatibilityMode=true in struts.properties)

  Code Block
  title struts.properties
  struts.compatibilityMode = true

• • support
  • A pre-packaged set of RetroTranslator JARs is being provided with the distribution.

For other changes from WebWork 2, see the "Members to rename", "New property settings", "New features or feature changes", and "Removed or deprecated".

Members to rename

The tag prefix conventions in the example applications have changed.

New property settings

New features and feature changes

• Various changes to ConfigurationManager
  • ConfigurationManager is no longer a static factory. It is now an instance created through Dispatcher. Custom configuration could be done through DispatcherListener.
  • Custom configuration to ConfigurationManager and Configuration cannot be done statically anymore, instead use Dispatcher's DispatcherListener to achieve the same effect.
• The prepare interceptor now uses reflection to call prepareXXX where XXX prepare_Method_ where method is the action method configured for the particular action in struts.xml.

  Code Block

  <action name="myAction" method="executeinsert" ....> ..... </action> // with the above configuration, and preparatorPrepareInterceptor interceptor in placeplay, call // sequencecallsequence will be 1] prepareExecuteprepareInsert() (If it exists) 2] prepare() (couldUnless beInterceptor's leftalwaysInvokePrepare outparameter dependingis onset interceptor's alwaysInvokePreapre parameterto false) 3] executeinsert()

• Default workflow interceptor DefaultWorkflowInterceptor (named workflow in struts-default.xml) now uses reflection to call validateXXX validateMethod on the action class that implements Validateable interface where XXX method is the action method configured for the particular action in struts.xml.

  Code Block

  <action name="myAction" method="executeinsert" ...> ... </action> // with the above configuration, and workflow interceptorDefaultWorkflowInterceptor in placeplay, call // call sequence for action that imlpementsimplements Validateable interface will be 1] validateExecutevalidateInsert() 2] validate() (couldunless beInterceptor's leftalwaysInvokeValidate outparameter dependingis onset interceptor's alwaysInvokeValidate parameterto false) 3] executeinsert()

• doXXX fallback method call is being removed.

  Code Block
  <action name="myAction" method="execute" ...> ... </action> // with the above, if execute() method is not found in the action, no doExecute() will be fallbacked. It is considered as an error

• ConfigurationManager is no longer a static factory. It is now an instance created through Dispatcher. Custom configuration could be done through DispatcherListener.
• Configuration is no longer statically accesible, it is created by ConfigurationManager. Custom configuration could be done through DispatcherListener.
• Custom configuration to ConfigurationManager and Configuration cannot be done statically anymore, instead use Dispatcher's DispatcherListener to achieve such effect.

  Code Block
  Dispatcher.addDispatcherListener( new DispatcherListener() { public void dispatcherInitialized(Dispatcher dispatcher) { // do custom stuff here eg. dispatcher.setConfigurationManager(....); } public void dispatcherDestroyed(Dispatcher dispatcher) { // do clean up of custom stuff here } });

Members to rename

New property settings

New members

...

Removed or deprecated

• Datepicker tag is now using dojo's (limited in terms functionality and internationalization)
• Tiles integration extension is available.
• Wildcards can be specified in action mappings.
• MessageStoreInterceptor is introduced to allow field errors / action errors and messages to be store and retrieve through session, resulting them to be preservable across request.

Removed or deprecated

From Struts 1

...

 <s:textarea theme="ajax" /> 

  <action name="..." method="submit">
    ...
  </action>

...

Detail

• Release Notes (to date)

Pending and open issues

Other resources

• Commit Logs (Struts 1 and Struts 2)
• Source Code Repository (includes change browsing)