Everything you wanted to know about JSP Scripting Elements

Java has emerged as a globally used and recommended web programming language. JSP(Java Server Pages) has been amazingly utilized for building web applications that cater to different types of industries ranging from automotive industry, sports industry and health industry to the consumer goods market. This article is dedicated to all those Java programmers who aren't familiar with the scripting elements used in JSP(Java Server Pages).

JSP Scripting Elements- What are they?

JSP scripting elements are basically the tags that allow you to insert Java code into the servlet that's being generated using the JSP page. The format used for defining these elements is as follows:

“<%....%>”

The dots denote the Java code. All the code written inside the tags is being processed by the JSP engine during the translation of JSP Page. Moreover, all the text or code that's been written in the JSP pages is being treated as the HTML content.

JSP Scripting Elements- What are the types?

There are five types of JSP scripting elements namely:

Now, lets cover each of the above mentioned JSP scripting elements one by one:

1. JSP Directive tag

This is a form of JSP scripting element that's being used for providing special instructions to the web container during the page translation process. The syntax used for defining the JSP directive tag is: <%@ directives %>. Also, the three types of JSP directive tags include: page, include and taglib.

2. Comment tag

JSP Comment tag is used for documenting the code. With this tag, you can note some of the most crucial parts of the JSP page and make them easier to maintain. Below is the detailed code snippet that illustrates the JSP comment used inside a JSP Page:

<%-- This is a JSP comment --%>

3. Expression tag

The Expression scripting element includes a Java expression that returns a particular value which is further written to the HTML Page. This scripting element can include any expression that adheres to the guidelines of the Java Language Specification. The syntax used for the Expression tag is:

<%=
Java expression %>

Java expression is being converted into a string and inserted into the
page. Here's the syntax that's being used by XML authors as an
alternative for JSP expressions:

Java
Expression

4.JSP Scriptlet tag

JSP Scriptlet tag is yet another brilliant JSP Scripting element that
allows you to write the Java code in your JSP page. The syntax used
for including this tag is as shown below:

<% Java code %> 

Here's an example of the JSP Scriptlet tag:

5.Declaration tag

A declaration tag comprises of either methods or variables. For
example, you can choose to include static constants within a
declaration tag. The JSP code that you write using a declaration tag
is converted into a class definition, with all the scriptlets being
placed inside the single method of the defined class.  

Summary

So,that's it for now from my side. Hope you'd have enjoyed reading this
article. I'm sure the details about different JSP scripting elements
would aid you in executing your Java projects in the right way. 

About the Author :

Celin Smith is a web developer as well as technical content writer, who works at Xicom Technologies Ltd., a leading software development company. Serving Xicom, a leading Java Web Development Company , Celin basically writes about web & mobile apps, and technologies including Java, ASP.NET, PHP, etc.

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