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Chapter

avaServer Pages (JSP) technology enables you to mix regular, static

HTML with dynamically generated content from servlets. You simply

J

write the regular HTML in the normal manner, using familiar

Web page building tools. You then enclose the code for the dynamic

parts in special tags, most of which start with 

<%

 and end with 

%>

. For

example, here is a section of a JSP page that results in  Thanks for ordering

Core Web Programming  for a URL of 

http://host/OrderConfirma 

tion.jsp?title=Core+Web+Programming

: 

Thanks for ordering <%= request.getParameter("title") %>

Separating the static HTML from the dynamic content provides a number

of benefits over servlets alone, and the approach used in JavaServer Pages

offers several advantages over competing technologies such as ASP, PHP, or

ColdFusion. Section 1.4 (The Advantages of JSP) gives some details on these

advantages, but they basically boil down to two facts: that JSP is widely sup 

ported and thus doesn't lock you into a particular operating system or Web

server and that JSP gives you full access to servlet and Java technology for the

dynamic part, rather than requiring you to use an unfamiliar and weaker spe 

cial purpose language.

The process of making JavaServer Pages accessible on the Web is much

simpler than that for servlets. Assuming you have a Web server that supports

JSP, you give your file a 

.jsp

 extension and simply install it in any place you

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