InfoCenter Home >
4: Developing applications >
4.2: Building Web applications >
4.2.2: Developing JSP files >
4.2.2.3: Overview of JSP file content >
4.2.2.3.1: JSP syntax: JSP directives

4.2.2.3.1: JSP syntax: JSP directives

Use JSP directives (enclosed within <%@ and %>) to specify:

  • Scripting language being used
  • Interfaces a servlet implements
  • Classes a servlet extends
  • Packages a servlet imports
  • MIME type of the generated response

For more information on the JSP 1.1 technologies, view the Tomcat documentation at the SunTM site.

The general syntax of the JSP directive is:

<%@ directive_name ="value" %>
where the valid directive names are:
  • language

    The scripting language used in the file. At this time, the only valid value and the default value is java (the Java programming language). The scope of this directive is the JSP file. When used more than once, only the first occurrence of the directive is significant. An example:

    <%@ language ="java" %>
    
  • method

    The name of the method generated by the embedded Java code (scriptlet). The generated code becomes the body of the specified method name. The default method is service. When used more than once, only the first occurrence of the directive is significant. An example:

    <%@ method ="doPost" %>
    
  • import

    A comma-separated list of Java language package names or class names that the servlet imports. This directive can be specified multiple times within a JSP file to import different packages. An example:

    <%@ import ="java.io.*,java.util.Hashtable" %>
    
  • content_type

    The MIME type of the generated response. The default value is text/html. This information is used to generate the response header. When used more than once, only the first occurrence of this directive is significant. This directive can be used to specify the character set in which the page is to be encoded. An example:

    <%@ content_type ="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" %>
    
  • implements

    A comma-separated list of Java language interfaces that the generated servlet implements. You can use this directive more than once within a JSP file to implement different interfaces. An example:

    <%@ implements ="javax.servlet.http.HttpSessionContext" %>
  • extends

    The name of the Java language class that the servlet extends. The class must be a valid class and does not have to be a servlet class. The scope of this directive is the JSP file. When used more than once, only the first occurrence of the directive is significant. An example:

    <%@ extends ="javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet" %>
    

Go to previous article: Overview of JSP file content Go to next article: JSP  syntax: Class-wide variables and methods

 

 
Go to previous article: Overview of JSP file content Go to next article: JSP  syntax: Class-wide variables and methods