Tools for Web development

The following tools are the primary means for developing Web applications in the workbench.

Wizards

The wizards are the easiest way to add static or dynamic content to your Web pages. The basic wizards allow you to create and specify settings for Web projects, HTML files, and JSP files, and use the examples provided with the product. The advanced wizards help you retrieve information from common databases, use Java bean APIs to query or update databases, and generate output forms and servlets. With these features, you can do everything from a simple table lookup to more complex interactive applications.

The wizards provide detailed graphical user interfaces to guide you through the process of creating SQL queries, choosing Java methods and properties, and integrating them into the Web pages you are creating. You do not have to be an expert at SQL syntax or Java programming, because the wizards walk you through the process step-by-step, and then generate sophisticated JSP and servlet code to run your Web applications.

Web Site Designer

Web Site Designer is a high-level editor that allows you to quickly build complex Web sites. The navigation support enables you to begin your site by designing its organization, and then populating it with the appropriate Web pages. Web Site Designer also enables easy reorganization if you decide to restructure your Web site through a drag and drop site map.

You can toggle between two modes to design your site's navigation. Web Site Designer has a Navigation view and a Details view to help you plan, organize, and create your overall Web site.

Page Designer

Page Designer is an advanced-function HTML and JSP editor that allows you to quickly build complex Web pages, both visually and textually. The dynamic element support enables you to include form elements, Java applets, embedded scripts, and JavaServer Pages (JSP) tags.

You can toggle among three modes to visually design pages, work with HTML, JavaScript or JSP content, and preview your pages. Content assist, which provides guided editing as you insert new tags, is available in the Source (text) page (by pressing Ctrl+Spacebar). To help you create the visual impact you want on your Web sites, the editor includes its own library of reusable graphics and two graphic programs for creating, editing, and animating image files.

You can toggle between two modes to visually design pages or work with HTML, JavaScript or JSP content. Content assist, which provides guided editing as you insert new tags, is available in the Source (text) page (by pressing Ctrl+Spacebar).. To help you create the visual impact you want on your Web sites, the editor includes its own library of reusable graphics and a graphic program for creating, editing, and animating image files.

Web deployment descriptor editor

The Web deployment descriptor editor helps you to define any of the deployment information that can exist in the Web application deployment descriptor included in a WAR file. Pages in this graphical editor provide controls to set numerous Web application parameters associated with servlets, filters, life-cycle listeners, mime mappings, parameters, references, security, and other general deployment settings.

In addition, the Web deployment descriptor editor provides the capability to configure WebSphere Application Server-specific bindings and extensions, as appropriate. When a new Web project is created, the generated web.xml file contains an appropriate DOCTYPE declaration. The Sun Microsystems Java Servlet 2.3 Specification includes the DTD for the web.xml file, along with examples.

Content assist

Content assist is a Rational Developer source editing feature that prompts you with a list of valid alternatives for completing the current line of code or inserting a macro. Content assist is sensitive to the context of the cursor position. It recognizes whether you are in an HTML area, a JavaScript area, or a JSP area. For HTML, content assist provides an appropriate list of proposals (tags, attributes, and attribute values) based on the context. Content assist can be invoked at anytime by pressing Ctrl+Spacebar or selecting a menu item. You can also set a preference that automatically invokes content assist when special characters, such as ".", "<", or "=" are typed.

Content assist is available within the Page Designer Source page for adding HTML, WML, JSP, and JavaScript tagging. JavaScript content assist is available within a JSP and HTML files, and Java content assist is available within those JSP tags that support Java code, such as JSP scriptlet tags. Variations of content assist are also available within Java and XML source editing areas. See content assist documentation for specific source editors to understand the capabilities and limitations for specific code types.

 

Related concepts

Web application overview
The Web perspective
Workbench integration with Web editors
Web resources - overview
Web Site Designer
Page Designer

 

Related tasks

Creating and editing Web pages - overview
Working in the Design page
Working in the Source page