Head First Servlets and JSP, 2nd Edition

Where the Container looks for Tag Files

The Container searches for tag files in four locations. A tag file MUST have a TLD if it’s deployed in a JAR, but if it’s put directly into the web app (in “WEB-INF/tags” or a sub-directory), it does not need a TLD.

1. Directly inside WEB-INF/tags

2. Inside a sub-directory of WEB-INF/tags

3. Inside the META-INF/tags directory inside a JAR file that’s inside WEB-INF/lib

4. Inside a sub-directory of META-INF/tags inside a JAR file that’s inside WEB-INF/lib

5. IF the tag file is deployed in a JAR, there MUST be a TLD for the tag file.

There are no Dumb Questions

Q:	Q: Does the Tag File have access to the request and response implicit objects?
A:	A: Yes! Remember, even though it’s a .tag file, it’s gonna end up as part of a JSP. You can use the implicit request and response objects (if you do scripting... the normal EL implicit objects are always there as well), and you have access to a JspContext as well. You don’t have a ServletContext, though—a Tag File uses a JspContext instead of a ServletContext.
Q:	Q: I thought on the opposite page you just said we could not do scripting in a Tag File!
A:	A: No, that’s not exactly what we said. You can do scripting in a Tag File, but you can’t do scripting inside the body of the tag used to invoke the Tag File.
Q:	Q: Can you combine Tag Files and TLDs for custom tags in the same directory?
A:	A: Yes. In fact, if you make a TLD that references ...