S05L01 – SpringMVC minimal project

Building a Spring MVC Application Using Spring Framework: A Step-by-Step Guide

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction – Page 1
  2. Setting Up the Maven Project – Page 2
  3. Configuring Spring Framework – Page 5
  4. Developing the MVC Components – Page 9
  5. Running the Application – Page 13
  6. Conclusion – Page 15

Introduction

Welcome to this comprehensive guide on building a Spring MVC-based application using the Spring Framework. While Spring Boot has become increasingly popular in the industry for its ease of setup and configuration, understanding the underlying Spring Framework provides a solid foundation for advanced configurations and customizations.

Importance and Purpose

This guide aims to equip beginners and developers with basic knowledge to create a robust MVC (Model-View-Controller) web application using the Spring Framework. By the end of this guide, you will understand how to set up a Maven project, configure Spring dependencies, develop MVC components, and run your application successfully.

Pros and Cons of Using Spring Framework

Pros Cons
Comprehensive feature set Steeper learning curve compared to Spring Boot
Flexibility and control over configuration More boilerplate code
Extensive community and documentation Manual dependency management
Suitable for large-scale enterprise applications Slower setup process

When and Where to Use Spring Framework

Opt for the Spring Framework when you require fine-grained control over your application’s configuration, especially in large-scale enterprise environments where customization is paramount.

Setting Up the Maven Project

Creating a New Maven Web Application

To begin, initiate a new Maven-based web application. Maven streamlines project management by handling dependencies and build configurations.

  1. Start a New Maven Project:
    • Open your IDE and create a new Maven project.
    • Select the apache.maven archetype.
    • Choose to create a Web Application since we are developing an MVC-based web application.
  2. Project Naming Conventions:
    • Group ID: org.studyeasy
    • Artifact ID: S05L01-SpringMinimalSetup

    This naming convention helps in organizing and managing your project efficiently.

  3. Finalize Project Setup:
    • Click Finish to generate the project structure.
    • Maven will build the project based on the specified configurations.

Configuring pom.xml

The pom.xml file is crucial as it manages project dependencies and build configurations.

  1. Navigate to pom.xml:
    • Locate the pom.xml file in your project directory.
  2. Add Necessary Dependencies:

    Ensure the following dependencies are included for Spring MVC:

    
<dependencies>
    <!-- Spring Core -->
    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
        <artifactId>spring-core</artifactId>
        <version>5.3.20</version>
    </dependency>
    
    <!-- Spring Context -->
    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
        <artifactId>spring-context</artifactId>
        <version>5.3.20</version>
    </dependency>
    
    <!-- Spring Web MVC -->
    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
        <artifactId>spring-webmvc</artifactId>
        <version>5.3.20</version>
    </dependency>
    
    <!-- Jakarta Servlet -->
    <dependency>
        <groupId>jakarta.servlet</groupId>
        <artifactId>jakarta.servlet-api</artifactId>
        <version>5.0.0</version>
        <scope>provided</scope>
    </dependency>
    
    <!-- JSP Support -->
    <dependency>
        <groupId>javax.servlet</groupId>
        <artifactId>jstl</artifactId>
        <version>1.2</version>
    </dependency>
    
    <!-- JUnit for Testing (Optional) -->
    <dependency>
        <groupId>junit</groupId>
        <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
        <version>4.13.2</version>
        <scope>test</scope>
    </dependency>
</dependencies>
  3. Update Maven Project:
    • Right-click on the project and select Maven > Update Project.
    • Check Force Update of Snapshots/Releases and click OK.
    • Maven will download and integrate the specified dependencies.

Configuring Spring Framework

Updating Java Version

Ensure your project uses an appropriate Java version for compatibility and performance.

  1. Set Java Version to 17:

    Open pom.xml and update the Java version:

    
<properties>
    <maven.compiler.source>17</maven.compiler.source>
    <maven.compiler.target>17</maven.compiler.target>
</properties>
  2. Reload Maven Project:

    After updating, refresh the Maven project to apply changes.

Setting Up web.xml

The web.xml file configures the deployment settings for your web application.

  1. Locate web.xml:
    • Navigate to src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/web.xml.
  2. Basic Configuration: 
    
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<web-app xmlns="http://jakarta.ee/xml/ns/jakartaee"
         xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
         xsi:schemaLocation="http://jakarta.ee/xml/ns/jakartaee
                             http://jakarta.ee/xml/ns/jakartaee/web-app_5_0.xsd"
         version="5.0">
     
    <display-name>SpringMinimalSetup</display-name>
     
    <!-- Dispatcher Servlet Configuration -->
    <servlet>
        <servlet-name>SpringSample</servlet-name>
        <servlet-class>org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet</servlet-class>
        <init-param>
            <param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
            <param-value>/WEB-INF/SpringSample-servlet.xml</param-value>
        </init-param>
        <load-on-startup>1</load-on-startup>
    </servlet>
     
    <servlet-mapping>
        <servlet-name>SpringSample</servlet-name>
        <url-pattern>/</url-pattern>
    </servlet-mapping>
     
</web-app>
  3. Explanation:
    • DispatcherServlet: Central component that handles incoming requests.
    • contextConfigLocation: Specifies the Spring configuration file.
    • Servlet Mapping: Directs all requests (/) to DispatcherServlet.

Creating Spring Configuration

Define Spring-specific configurations to manage beans and MVC settings.

  1. Create SpringSample-servlet.xml:
    • Navigate to src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/ and create SpringSample-servlet.xml.
  2. Add Configuration Details: 
    
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
       xmlns:context="http://www.springframework.org/schema/context"
       xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
       xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans 
                           http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans.xsd
                           http://www.springframework.org/schema/context 
                           http://www.springframework.org/schema/context/spring-context.xsd">
     
    <!-- Component Scanning -->
    <context:component-scan base-package="org.studyeasy"/>
     
    <!-- View Resolver -->
    <bean class="org.springframework.web.servlet.view.InternalResourceViewResolver">
        <property name="prefix" value="/WEB-INF/views/"/>
        <property name="suffix" value=".jsp"/>
    </bean>
     
</beans>
  3. Explanation:
    • Component Scanning: Enables Spring to detect and manage beans within the specified package.
    • View Resolver: Configures the path and file extension for view templates (JSP).

Developing the MVC Components

Creating the Controller

The controller manages incoming requests, processes them, and returns appropriate views.

  1. Create MainController.java:
    • Navigate to src/main/java/org/studyeasy/ and create MainController.java.
  2. Controller Code with Comments: 
    
package org.studyeasy;

import org.springframework.stereotype.Controller;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestMapping;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestMethod;

@Controller
public class MainController {

    @RequestMapping(value = "/", method = RequestMethod.GET)
    public String home() {
        // Returns the name of the view to render
        return "home";
    }
}
  3. Explanation:
    • @Controller: Indicates that this class serves as a Spring MVC controller.
    • @RequestMapping: Maps HTTP requests to handler methods.
    • home Method: Handles GET requests to the root URL (/) and returns the home view.

Designing the View

The view defines the user interface presented to the user.

  1. Create home.jsp:
    • Navigate to src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/views/ and create home.jsp.
  2. View Code: 
    
<%@ page language="java" contentType="text/html; charset=UTF-8"
    pageEncoding="UTF-8"%>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>Home Page</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h3>Welcome to the World of Spring MVC</h3>
</body>
</html>
  3. Explanation:
    • HTML Structure: Basic HTML to display a welcome message.
    • JSP File: Serves as the view rendered by the controller.

Running the Application

After setting up all configurations and developing MVC components, it’s time to run and test the application.

  1. Build the Project:
    • Right-click on the project and select Run As > Maven build…
    • Enter package in the Goals field and click Run.
  2. Deploy to Server:
    • Ensure you have Apache Tomcat configured as your server.
    • Right-click the project and select Run As > Run on Server.
    • Choose Apache Tomcat (preferably version 9) and proceed.
  3. Access the Application:
    • Open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost:8080/S05L01-SpringMinimalSetup/.
    • You should see the Home Page with the message “Welcome to the World of Spring MVC”.
  4. Troubleshooting:
    • Common Issues:
      • Dependency Errors: Ensure all Maven dependencies are correctly specified and downloaded.
      • Servlet Errors: Verify the web.xml and SpringSample-servlet.xml configurations.
      • Version Compatibility: Ensure Java version compatibility between your project and server.

Conclusion

In this guide, we’ve walked through building a Spring MVC-based web application using the Spring Framework. Starting from setting up a Maven project, configuring necessary dependencies, developing MVC components, to running the application, each step has been meticulously detailed to ensure a smooth development experience.

Key Takeaways

  • Maven Integration: Efficiently manages project dependencies and build configurations.
  • Spring Configuration: Proper setup of web.xml and Spring configuration files ensures seamless request handling.
  • MVC Components: Clear separation of concerns through Models, Views, and Controllers enhances maintainability.
  • Deployment: Understanding server configurations and deployment procedures is crucial for application accessibility.

Further Learning

To solidify your understanding, consider exploring the following topics:

  • Advanced Spring MVC Features: Form handling, validation, and exception handling.
  • Spring Boot Integration: Streamlining Spring applications with auto-configuration.
  • RESTful API Development: Building APIs using Spring MVC for modern web applications.
  • Testing with JUnit: Incorporating testing frameworks to ensure code reliability.

SEO Keywords: Spring MVC tutorial, Spring Framework guide, Maven Spring project, Spring MVC controller setup, Spring web application, Spring configuration steps, Java Spring MVC, Spring MVC beginner, build Spring MVC application, Spring MVC deployment.

This article is AI generated.





Share your love