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Summary
What's in a WebObjects Application?
A typical WebObjects application contains the following ingredients:
- Components that specify the content, presentation, and behavior of the application's pages
- An optional application script that creates and manages application-wide resources
- An optional session script that creates and manages session-wide resources
- Optional compiled code that implements custom data and logic
- WebObjects classes that provide an infrastructure for the web application
What Parts Do I Write?
You write the following parts of a WebObjects application:
- Components consisting of HTML templates, script files, and declarations files
- An optional application script
- An optional session script
- Optional compiled code
How Do I Run a WebObjects Application?
To run a WebObjects application, you open an URL with the following form:
How Do I Connect a WebObjects Application to the Web?
To connect a WebObjects application to the Web, you need the following:
- An HTTP server. You can use any HTTP server that uses the Common Gateway Interface (CGI), the Netscape Server API (NSAPI), or the Internet Server API (ISAPI).
- A WebObjects adaptor. A WebObjects adaptor connects WebObjects applications to the Web by acting as an intermediary between web applications and HTTP servers.
- A WebObjects application executable. An application executable receives incoming requests and responds to them, usually by returning a dynamically generated HTML page.
What Happens Behind the Scenes?
Behind the scenes of a running WebObjects application, the application enters a request-response loop each time it receives a request. In the request-response loop, a WebObjects application uses the page-to-script file mappings defined in declarations files to:
- Take values from the request.
- Invoke an action.
- Generate a response page.