Apache Struts to release Struts 1.3.0 as the "Action Framework"

The Apache Struts flagship product, the leading web application framework for Java, is now known as the "Struts Action Framework".

To make the framework easier to maintain, Apache Struts subdivided the original monolithic distribution into several subprojects. Each subproject has its own website, documentation, and release cycle, and may be downloaded separately. For consistency, the original core framework component also has its own name now: "Struts Action Framework". The JARs and external dependencies for the extensions to Struts Action Framework are being bundled into a convenient distribution known as the "Struts Action Framework Library".

The Struts Action Framework 1.3.0 release will include several exciting new features, including:

* Composable Request Processor
* ActionDynaForm interfaces
* Arbitrary configuration properties
* Catalog and Command Elements
* Enhanced Global Exception Handlers
* Extends attribute for XML configurations
* "isCommitted" Exception Handling
* Postback Actions
* Wildcard ActionConfig properties

The key change in this release is the "composable request processor". The request processor is the framework's "kernal". The request processor methods are now command objects in a flexible chain of commands. Rather than subclassing a monolithic object, developers can now just replace commands with their own implementations. Commands can also be inserted or removed, if needed, to extend or streamline the request processing gauntlet, to better meet the needs of different kinds of applications.

The Struts Action Framework 1.3.0 release, and other milestones on the Apache Struts roadmap, were discussed at ApacheCon on Tuesday, December 13, 2005, in a talk, entitled "Struts 2006: An Embarrassment of Riches". Slides from the talk are available online