Cocoon 2 Programming: Web Publishing with XML and Java^TM

by Bill Brogden; Conrad D'Cruz; Mark Gaither

• ISBN13: 9780782141313
• ISBN10: 0782141315
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-11-01
• Publisher: Sybex

Summary

Thanks to the tireless efforts of open-source developers, Cocoon has quickly gained visibility as the preeminent XML-based Web publishing framework. Unfortunately, its documentation remains a significant shortcoming. If you're new to Cocoon, gaining a sense of exactly what you can do with it can be difficult, and actually getting started can be even harder. Cocoon 2 Programming: Web Publishing with XML and Java clearly explains the value of Cocoon and helps you build on your familiarity with XML and Java Servlets as you design, build, and implement a range of Cocoon applications. You'll begin by learning to control presentation for various platforms, both wired and wireless. Then you'll move on to Cocoon's capabilities for logic control and content management, using both sitemaps and XSP to create a site dynamically generated from a variety of data sources and types. As you'll see, Cocoon also supports powerful organizing techniques known as design patterns, and you'll master their use in both presentation and content generation. These are essential tools for the planning of your site; for after it's implemented, you'll command powerful techniques for site management and optimization. The Web's dependence on XML is growing rapidly--and with it the list of companies that have adopted Cocoon. Is Cocoon for you? Cocoon 2 Programming will guide you through your decision and far beyond, providing all the assistance you need to build a dynamic, XML-based site--and keep moving into the future.

Author Biography

Bill Brogden is a longtime computer programmer and wrote the best-selling Java 2 Exam Cram from Coriolis. He has also written for Sun's Advanced Technology Guides and the XML.com website. He is the author of Sybex's SOAP Programming with Java. Conrad D'Cruz has 14 years' experience with programming, including Java and XML, and is also an instructor in Web technolgoies. Mark Gaither is a 10-year computer industry veteran who has built sophisticated web systems for the Texas Department of Commerce, TManage, Inc., Activerse, High End Systems, Instant Sports, and HTMLScript.

Table of Contents

Introduction	xv
The Cocoon 2 Architecture	1	(20)
The Challenges of Web Publishing	2	(2)
Dynamic Presentation and Browser Wars	3	(1)
Enterprise Applications and Dynamic Data	3	(1)
The Challenges of Web Content Management	4	(2)
Integrating and Formatting Data from Multiple Sources	4	(1)
Change Management and Content Management	5	(1)
Taming the Web Beast	5	(1)
Content Management Systems to the Rescue	6	(3)
Separation of Concerns	6	(1)
Web-Publishing Frameworks and CMSs	7	(1)
Defining CMS	7	(1)
Web Server Versus CMS	8	(1)
A Brief Review of Open-Source CMS Offerings	8	(1)
The Original Cocoon Project	9	(2)
Cocoon 1---a Simple Solution	9	(1)
The Cocoon 1 Architecture: Strengths and Drawbacks	10	(1)
Architecture of the Cocoon 2 Framework	11	(8)
An XML-Publishing Framework	11	(1)
Flexible Content Aggregation	11	(1)
Pipelines and Components	12	(2)
Introducing the Cocoon Sitemap	14	(1)
Matching the URI to a Pipeline	15	(1)
Processing the Requested URI	16	(2)
Integrating Business Services	18	(1)
Separation of Presentation, Content, and Logic	18	(1)
Summary	19	(2)
Uses of Cocoon	21	(34)
Setting Up Cocoon for Application Development	22	(4)
Two Simple Applications	26	(6)
Hello Cocoon	26	(3)
Business Card	29	(3)
Interfacing with a Database	32	(6)
Setting Up the JDBC Connection to the Database	32	(1)
Accessing the Databases	33	(5)
Site Serving Mobile Devices	38	(4)
A Menu-Driven Site	42	(6)
Rendering Scalable Vector Graphics	48	(4)
A Simple Example	48	(2)
Rendering Complex Graphics	50	(2)
Summary	52	(3)
A Review of the Essential Technologies	55	(36)
Developing Content	57	(14)
The Avalon Project	57	(7)
The Document Object Model (DOM)	64	(3)
Simple API for XML (SAX)	67	(4)
Additional Resources for Content Technologies	71	(1)
Developing Logic	71	(4)
XSL Transformations (XSLT)	71	(4)
Extensible Server Pages (XSP)	75	(1)
Additional Resources for Logic Technologies	75	(1)
Developing Presentation	75	(12)
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)	76	(3)
Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL)	79	(5)
Extensible HTML (XHTML)	84	(3)
Additional Resources for Presentation Technologies	87	(1)
Summary	87	(4)
The Cocoon Serializers	91	(20)
Simple Serializers	92	(6)
The HTML Serializer	94	(1)
Example Formatting for WML	95	(3)
More-Complex Serializers	98	(5)
Creating a PDF Page Using FOP	98	(5)
Output of MS Office Formats	103	(2)
How to Build a Serializer	105	(3)
The Avalon Project	106	(1)
The SAX Interface Hierarchy	107	(1)
The org.apache.cocoon.xml Package	107	(1)
The org.apache.cocoon.serialization Package	108	(1)
Looking at Serializer Examples	108	(1)
Internationalization	109	(1)
Language Encoding in Java	109	(1)
Defining Serializer Encoding	109	(1)
Language Resource Support	110	(1)
Summary	110	(1)
Logic Control: The Sitemap	111	(28)
Sitemap Design Principles	112	(1)
The Contents of a Sitemap	113	(2)
Sitemap Variables	114	(1)
Subsitemap Operation	114	(1)
Compiled Versus Interpreted Sitemaps	115	(1)
The Components in Detail	115	(17)
Component Management	116	(1)
Actions	117	(1)
Generators	118	(3)
Readers	121	(1)
Serializers	122	(1)
Transformers	123	(4)
Matchers	127	(2)
Selectors	129	(3)
The Resources Element	132	(1)
The Views Element	133	(1)
The Action-Sets Element	133	(1)
Pipelines	134	(4)
Pipeline Error Handlers	135	(1)
Pipeline Elements	135	(3)
Pipeline Control	138	(1)
Summary	138	(1)
Introducing XSP Usage	139	(28)
A Minimal XSP Page	141	(1)
How XSP Works	142	(1)
Creating Dynamic Pages	143	(4)
Mixed Content and Logic	143	(4)
Managing User Sessions	147	(11)
User Session Management Example	148	(10)
A SQL Example	158	(7)
Setting Up the SQL Example	158	(1)
How the Example Works	159	(6)
Summary	165	(2)
XSP Logicsheets	167	(38)
How a Logicsheet Works	169	(1)
Built-In XSP Logicsheets	170	(24)
Action Logicsheet	170	(2)
Capture Logicsheets	172	(1)
Cookie Logicsheet	173	(3)
ESQL Logicsheet	176	(4)
Formval	180	(2)
Log Logicsheet	182	(1)
Request Logicsheet	183	(4)
Response Logicsheet	187	(1)
Sel Logicsheet	188	(1)
Session Logicsheet	189	(2)
SOAP Logicsheet	191	(1)
Until Logicsheet	192	(1)
XScript Logicsheet	193	(1)
Building a Custom Logicsheet	194	(8)
myUtil Logicsheet	195	(4)
Deploying the myUtil Logicsheet	199	(3)
Summary	202	(3)
Content Generators	205	(36)
Generators As Cocoon Components	206	(21)
The Standard Generators	206	(2)
The Generator for Error Handling	208	(1)
Using Scripting Languages with BSF	209	(8)
The JSPGenerator	217	(1)
The Velocity Generator	217	(1)
The Directory Generator Group	217	(3)
The FileGenerator	220	(2)
Utility Generators	222	(2)
Debugging and Performance Tuning	224	(3)
Creating a Custom Generator	227	(12)
Sitemap Entries for the SurveyGenerator	228	(1)
Requirements for a Generator	229	(2)
The SurveyGenerator Code	231	(7)
The XSLT Transformation for Surveys	238	(1)
Summary	239	(2)
Configuration for Debugging and Optimization	241	(28)
Tips for Debugging	242	(16)
Logging in Cocoon	243	(1)
Formatting the Output of a LogTarget	244	(6)
Using the Logs to Debug a Problem	250	(1)
Spying on the Pipeline	251	(5)
Cleaning Out the Cache	256	(2)
Optimizing the Cocoon 2 System	258	(9)
Modifying the Tomcat Configuration File	259	(1)
Modifying the cocoon.xconf File	260	(1)
Modifying the sitemap.xmap File	260	(1)
Modifying the logkit.xconf File	261	(3)
Deciding What Gets Served from Cache	264	(1)
Optimizing and Compiling XSPs	265	(1)
General Recommendations for Application Design	265	(2)
Summary	267	(2)
Patterns of Presentation	269	(20)
Patterns in Web Programming	270	(1)
Moving Simple Sites to Cocoon	271	(4)
Separating Presentation from Content	271	(1)
Conforming to Standards	272	(1)
Usability Standards	273	(2)
The Portal Pattern	275	(6)
Portal Standardization	280	(1)
The Forms Problem	281	(4)
XForms: XML-Based Forms	283	(2)
Cocoon's XmlForms Project	285	(1)
The Wiki and Blog Phenomena	285	(2)
A Blog in Cocoon	286	(1)
A Wiki in Cocoon	286	(1)
Client Capability	287	(1)
Summary	288	(1)
Patterns of Content Generation	289	(20)
Cocoon and J2EE	290	(3)
Cocoon and the Model-View-Controller Pattern	291	(1)
JBoss---the Open-Source J2EE Server	292	(1)
Cocoon and Loosely Coupled Systems	293	(3)
Java Message Service	293	(1)
JavaSpaces	294	(2)
Web Services and SOAP	296	(3)
Getting a SOAP Stock Quote	297	(1)
Support for SOAP Programming	298	(1)
Data Sources	299	(7)
Relational Databases and JDBC	299	(1)
Data from Stored Objects	299	(7)
Business Logic	306	(2)
The UML Design Tool	306	(2)
Summary	308	(1)
Appendix A Resources	309	(6)
Standards	310	(2)
XML Standards at W3C	310	(1)
Related XML Standards	311	(1)
Java Standards from Sun	311	(1)
Java Standards from JCP	312	(1)
Apache Projects	312	(1)
Tutorials, FAQs, and Other Goodies	313	(2)
Appendix B Sitemap Tag References	315	(6)
Glossary	321	(18)
Index	339