Head First Servlets and JSP, 2nd Edition

Using the PageContext API for tag handlers

This page is just a review from what you saw in the Script-free JSPs chapter, but it comes up again here because it’s crucial for a tag handler. A tag handler class, remember, is not a servlet or a JSP, so it doesn’t have automatic access to a bunch of implicit objects. But it does get a reference to a PageContext, and with it, it can get to all kinds of things it might need.

Remember that while Simple tags get a reference to a JspContext and Classic tags get a reference to a PageContext, the Simple tag’s JspContext is usually a PageContext instance. So if your Simple tag handler needs access to PageContext-specific methods or fields, you’ll have to cast it from a JspContext to the PageContext it really is on the heap.

Note

The one-arg getAttribute(String) is for page scope ONLY!

There are TWO overloaded getAttribute() methods you can call on pageContext: a one-arg that takes a String, and a two-arg that takes a String and an int. The one-arg version works just like all the others—it’s for attributes bound TO the pageContext object. But the two-arg version can be used to get an attribute from ANY of the four scopes.

Note

findAttribute() looks in EACH scope starting with PAGE_SCOPE.

You can expect to be tested on this!! The difference between getAttribute(String) and findAttribute(String) can be dramatic—the getAttribute(String) method looks ONLY ...