Chapter 12. Developing Web Applications

Why the IDE Supports Web Application Development

Most basic IDEs associated with Java programming provide developers with the tools necessary to create, execute, and debug Java programs. These features have met requirements over the years because Java was traditionally associated with .java files and applications were traditionally developed as independent entities with local scope. With the emergence of the Java 2 Enterprise Edition platform, however, the Java language has been transformed, and a myriad of new standards and methodologies have been adopted. These changes have consequently upped the ante for development environments. The plain vanilla “write a Java applet or class file” IDE simply won’t suffice in the modern Java world. Developers need an IDE that provides support for the new and emerging J2EE standards. This typically means supporting Web Application (JSPs and servlets) and Enterprise JavaBean development.

At the time of this writing, the NetBeans IDE has support for developing J2EE Web Applications with the JSP/Servlet module. EJB development is not currently supported in NetBeans. Sun ONE Studio 4, Enterprise Edition for Java (formerly Forte for Java), which is based on NetBeans, provides support for advanced EJB development.

How the IDE Provides Web Application Support

NetBeans provides support for web applications with the JSP/Servlet module. This module can be installed using the IDE’s Auto Update feature, or you can ...

Get NetBeans: The Definitive Guide now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.