Eclipse Web Tools Platform 2.0 New and Noteworthy

Back

WTP 2.0 features the debut of exciting functionality from the new JavaServer Faces component and improvements in supporting JSP 2.0 and Java EE 5. A webinar for the JavaServer Faces Tools project showcasing some of these features was recorded and is available from here .

JSP

Support for Tag Handlers from Tag files

Custom tags declared by JSP 2.0 tag files are now supported for use by the JSP editor as well as validation and debugging.

Content Assist for Tag Library URIs

Content Assist is now available for the uri and tagdir attributes of Tag Library Directives.



Once the URI is specified, it will also offer any values suggested by the library for the prefix.

Tag Library Directive Validation

The JSP Validator will now report if it can not find the library referred to by a Tag Library Directive, as well as any problems it finds regarding the prefix value.

Include directive validation

The JSP Syntax Validator now warns when the JSP segment referred to by an include directive can not be found.

New JSP Content validator

There is now a separate validator for JSP content versus just using the validator of the embedded content type within JSP. For example, users are now able to enable HTML Syntax validation in their HTML files while disabling JSP content validation (i.e. HTML content within a JSP file).

Hyperlinking to custom tag declarations

Activating hyperlinks within custom tag names will open the tag library descriptor or tag file that declares the custom tag.

Java EE Tools

JavaEE 5 projects are now runnable

Support for deploying JavaEE projects on a JavaEE-compliant server now includes JavaEE 5 . This was tested using Servlet 2.5 projects on Apache Tomcat 6 and Geronimo application servers. For JavaEE 5, some servers may still require deployment descriptors, even though they are optional. By default, they are only generated for Dynamic Web projects. Check your server documentation for details.

Easier publishing of dependencies

Entries on the Java Build Path can now be added to the published structure of J2EE module projects through the J2EE Module Dependencies properties page.

First, add the desired library or classpath container to the Java Build Path


Then select the library so it will be published in the module (Web Library dependencies will be published to /WEB-INF/lib, J2EE Module dependencies will be published to the EAR root)



The resolved contributions from entries published to the EAR root will be displayed in the J2EE Module Dependencies page for the EAR project as grayed items.

Adopters may also make use of corresponding new APIs found in the org.eclipse.jst.j2ee.classpathdep package of the org.eclipse.jst.j2ee plug-in.

More flexible validation

The validation framework now supports Content Types, so additional filename added to content types on the Content Type preference page will also be validated by their respective validators.



For adopters, new APIs have been added to the validation framework supporting turning on and off individual validators, translating into increased convenience, utility, and performance.

JavaServer Faces

Support for JSF 1.2

JSF Tools supports JavaServer Faces 1.1 and 1.2 versions.

Web Page Editor

An enhanced Web Page Editor is now available. Building on the existing JSP editing support, it provides simultaneous synchronized visual and source editing of a Faces JSP in a split pane arrangment, a flyout/detachable palette, enhanced property sheets, a Preview page, and more.



The layout of the panes, as well as whether to show both, is configurable.



More planned features and ideas can be found at the editor's wiki page .

Faces Config Editor

The Faces Configuration Editor is a comprehensive multi-page editor to edit the Faces configuration resource file. It includes a graphical editor to visually define the navigational rules.

Improved HTML DataTable tag variable support

EL variables declared using the var attribute on the h:dataTable tag are now recognized by the JSF EL framework. The amount of additional support varies depending on the "value" attribute used to back the variable, the most complete being offered for scalar or array objects with generic Lists.

JSF Libraries are now regular Classpath Containers

JSF Libraries make use of the easier publishing of dependencies feature introduced in this release. References to JSF Libraries in a project are made using the standard Java Build Path property page and set to be published/exported using the J2EE Module Dependencies property page, and will appear as JDT Libraries in the Project and Package Explorer views. An upgrade of the JSF Library Registry will automatically occur when an older workspace is opened. The actual references, however, will require a manual upgrade. Information on this can be found at http://wiki.eclipse.org/index.php/JSF_Library_Migration . JSF Library references are still being created at JSF Facet installation time, but if you need to add, modify, or remove references after project creation, you will now be using the standard Java Build Path and J2EE Module Dependencies property pages.

Creating a JSF Library Reference JSF Libraries as Classpath Containers


Add Library from Java Build Path


Choose JSF Libraries


Select One or More Libraries


JSF Libraries Added as Classpath Containers to Java Build Path

Select JSF Libraries for Publish and Export

Custom JSF Servlet Classname

The JSF servlet classname can now be specified during JSF Facet installation.

EL Validation Severity Configuration

The severity of problems found during EL validation can now be changed by preferences. We have adapted the UI used by JDT to perform similar severity changes on Java problems.