use of JSP?

1. What is JSP?
5. What are JSP stands for Java Server Pages. This technology is used to create dynamic web pages in the form of HyperText
some of the Markup Language (HTML). They have embedded Java code pieces in them. They are an extension to the Servlet
advantages Technology and generate Servlet from a page. It is common to use both servlets and JSP pages in the same web
of using JSP? apps.

6. What is Java
Server
Template
Engines?

7. What are
Servlets?

8. Explain the
Life Cycle of 2. How does JSP work?
a servlet.
The JSP container has a special servlet called the page compiler. All HTTP requests with URLs that match the .jsp
9. What are the file extension are forwarded to this page compiler by the configuration of the servlet container. The servlet
types of container is turned into a JSP container with this page compiler. When a .jsp page is first called, the page compiler
elements parses and compiles the .jsp page into a servlet class. The JSP servlet class is loaded into memory on the
with Java successful compilation. For the subsequent calls, the servlet class for that .jsp page is already in memory. Hence,
Server Pages the page compiler servlet will always compare the timestamp of the JSP servlet with the JSP page. If the .jsp page
(JSP)? is more current, recompilation is necessary. With this process, once deployed, JSP pages only go through the
time-consuming compilation process once.
10. What is the
difference 3. How does JSP Initialization take place?
between
When a container loads a JSP, it invokes the jspInit() method before servicing any requests.
JSP and
Javascript?
public void jspInit(){

// Initialization code...

11. What is JSP }

Expression
Language
(EL)?
You can download a PDF version of Jsp Interview Questions. Download PDF
12. What are
JSP
Operators?

13. Explain the

4. What is the use of JSP?
JSP for Earlier, Common Gateway Interface (CGI) was the only tool for developing dynamic web content and was not very
loop. efficient. The web server has to create a new operating system process, load an interpreter and a script, execute
the script, and then tear it all down again, for every request that comes in. This is taxing for the server and doesn’t
14. Explain the scale well when the number of traffic increases.
JSP while
loop. Alternatives such as ISAPI from Microsoft, and Java Servlets from Sun Microsystems, offer better performance
and scalability. However, they generate web pages by embedding HTML directly in programming language code.
JavaServer Pages (JSP) changes all of that.

5. What are some of the advantages of using JSP?

Better performance and quality as JSP is a specification and not a product.
JSP pages can be used in combination with servlets.
JSP is an integral part of J2EE, a complete platform for Enterprise-class applications.
JSP supports both scripting and element-based dynamic content.

6. What is Java Server Template Engines?

A Java servlet template engine is a technology for separating presentation from processing. Template engines
have been developed as open-source products to help get HTML out of the servlets. These template engines are
intended to be used together with pure code components (servlets) and use only web pages with scripting code
for the presentation part.

Two popular template engines are WebMacro (http://www.webmacro.org) and FreeMarker

(http://freemarker.sourceforge.net).

7. What are Servlets?

JSP pages are often combined with servlets in the same application. The JSP specification is based on the Java
servlet specification. Simply put, a servlet is a piece of code that adds new functionality to a web server, just like
CGI and proprietary server extensions such as NSAPI and ISAPI. Compared to other technologies, servlets have a
number of advantages: 

Platform and vendor independence

Integration
Efficiency
Scalability
Robustness and security

8. Explain the Life Cycle of a servlet.

A Java class that uses the Servlet Application Programming Interface (API) is a Servlet. The Servlet API consists of
many classes and interfaces that define some methods. These methods make it possible to process HTTP requests
in a web server-independent manner.

A servlet is loaded when a web server receives a request that should be handled by it. Once a servlet has been
loaded, the same servlet instance (object) is called to process succeeding requests. Eventually, the webserver
needs to shut down the servlet, typically when the web server itself is shut down. 

The 3 life cycle methods are:

public void init(ServletConfig config)

public void service(ServletRequest req, ServletResponse res)
public void destroy( )
These methods define the interactions between the web server and the servlet.

9. What are the types of elements with Java Server Pages (JSP)?
The three types of elements with Java Server Pages (JSP) are directive, action, and scripting elements.

Following are the Directive Elements:

Element Description

<%@ page ... Defines page-dependent attributes, such as scripting language, error page,
%> and buffering requirements.

<%@
include ... Includes a file during the translation phase.
%>

<%@ taglib
Declares a tag library, containing custom actions, used on the page.
... %>

The Action elements are:

Element Description

<jsp:useBean> This is for making the JavaBeans component available on a page.

This is used to get a property value from a JavaBeans component and to

<jsp:getProperty>
add it to the response.

<jsp:setProperty> This is used to set a value for the JavaBeans property.

This includes the response from a servlet or JSP page during the request
<jsp:include>
processing phase.

This is used to forward the processing of a request to a JSP page or

<jsp:forward>
servlet.

This is used for adding a parameter value to a request given to another

<jsp:param>
servlet or JSP page by using <jsp:include> or <jsp:forward>
 Element Description

This is used to generate HTML that contains the proper client browser-
<jsp:plugin> dependent elements which are used to execute an Applet with Java
Plugin software.

And lastly, the Scripting elements are:

Element Description

<% ...
Scriptlet used to embed scripting code.
%>

<%= ... Expression, used to embed Java expressions when the result shall be added to the
%> response. Also used as runtime action attribute values.

<%! ... Declaration used to declare instance variables and methods in the JSP page
%> implementation class.

10. What is the difference between JSP and Javascript?

JSP is a server-side scripting language as it runs on the server. Whereas, JavaScript runs on the client. Commonly,
JSP is more used to change the content of a webpage, and JavaScript for the presentation. Both are quite
commonly used on the same page.

11. What is JSP Expression Language (EL)?

Expression Language (EL) was introduced in JSP 2.0. It is a mechanism that simplifies the accessibility of the data
stored in Javabean components and other objects like request, session, and application, etc. There are many
operators in JSP that are used in EL like arithmetic and logical operators to perform an expression.

12. What are JSP Operators?

JSP Operators support most of the arithmetic and logical operators that are supported by java within expression
language (EL) tags.

Following are the frequently used jsp operators:

. Access a bean property or Map entry.

[] Access an array or List element.

() Group a subexpression to change the evaluation order.

+ Addition

- Subtraction or negation of a value

* Multiplication

/ or div Division

% or mod Modulo (remainder)

== or eq Test for equality

!= or ne Test for inequality

< or lt Test for less than

> or gt Test for greater than

<= or le Test for less than or equal

>= or ge Test for greater than or equal

&& or and Test for logical AND

|| or or Test for logical OR

! or not Unary Boolean complement

Empty Test for empty variable values

13. Explain the JSP for loop.
The JSP For loop is used for iterating the elements for a certain condition, and it has the following three
parameters:

The variable counter is initialized

Condition till the loop has to be executed
The counter has to be incremented
The for loop syntax is as follows:

for(inti=0;i<n;i++)

//block of statements

14. Explain the JSP while loop.

The JSP While loop is used to iterate the elements where it has one parameter of the condition.

Syntax of While loop:

While(i<n)

//Block of statements
}

JSP Interview Questions for Experienced

15. What are Implicit JSP Objects?

Variable Name Java Type Description

The request object is used to

request information like a
request javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest parameter, header
information, server name,
etc.

The response is an instance

of a class that represents the
response javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse
response that can be given to
the client

This is used to get, set, and

pageContext javax.servlet.jsp.PageContext remove the attributes from a
particular scope.

This is used to get, set, and

remove attributes to session
session javax.servlet.http.HttpSession
scope and also used to get
session information.

This is used to get the

application javax.servlet.ServletContext context information and
attributes in JSP.

This is an implicit object, used

to write the data to the
out javax.servlet.jsp.JspWriter
buffer and send output to
the client in response.

Config is used to get the

config javax.servlet.ServletConfig initialization parameter in
web.xml

This implicit variable holds

the currently executed
page java.lang.Object
servlet object for the
corresponding JSP.
 Variable Name Java Type Description

Exception which is the

implicit object of the
exception java.lang.Throwable
throwable class is used for
exception handling in JSP.

16. What do you mean by JavaBeans?

JavaBeans component is a Java class that complies with certain coding conventions. JSP elements often work
with JavaBeans. For information that describes application entities, JavaBeans are typically used as containers.

17. What is J2EE?

J2EE is basically a compilation of different Java APIs that have previously been offered as separate packages.
J2EE Blueprints describe how they can all be combined. J2EE vendors can use a test suite to test their products
for compatibility. J2EE comprises the following enterprise-specific APIs:

JavaServer Pages ( JSP)

Java Servlets
Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB)
Java Database Connection ( JDBC)
Java Transaction API ( JTA) and Java Transaction Service ( JTS)
Java Naming and Directory Interface ( JNDI)
Java Message Service ( JMS)
Java IDL and Remote Method Invocation (RMI)
Java XML

18. What is JSTL?

JSTL stands for Java server pages standard tag library. It is a collection of custom JSP tag libraries that provide
common functionality for web development.

Following are some of the properties of JSTL:

Code is Neat and Clean.

Being a Standard Tag, it provides a rich layer of the portable functionality of JSP pages.
It has Automatic Javabeans Introspection Support. The JSTL Expression language handles JavaBean code
very easily. We don't need to downcast the objects, which have been retrieved as scoped attributes.
Easier for humans to read and easier for computers to understand.

19. What are JSTL Core tags used for?

The JSTL Core tags are used for the following purposes:

Iteration
Conditional logic
Catch exception
URL forward
Redirect, etc.
Following is the syntax to include a tag library:

<%@ taglib prefix="c" uri=http://java.sun.com/jsp/jstl/core%>

20. Which methods are used for reading form data using JSP?
JSP is used to handle the form data parsing automatically. It dies so by using the following methods depending on
the situation:

getParameter() − To get the value of a form parameter, call the request.getParameter() method.
getParameterValues() − If a parameter appears more than once and it returns multiple values, call this
method.
getParameterNames() − This method is used if, in the current request, you want a complete list of all
parameters.
getInputStream() − This method is used for reading binary data streams from the client.
21. What is an Exception Object?
The exception object is an instance of a subclass of Throwable (e.g., java.lang. NullPointerException). It is only
available on the error pages. The following table lists out the important methods available in the Throwable
class: 

1 public String getMessage()

Returns a detailed message about the exception that has occurred. This message is
initialized in the Throwable constructor.

2 public Throwable getCause()

Returns the cause of the exception as represented by a Throwable object.

3 public String toString()

Returns the name of the class concatenated with the result of getMessage().

4 public void printStackTrace()

Prints the result of toString() along with the stack trace to System.err, the error output
stream.

5 public StackTraceElement [] getStackTrace()

Returns an array containing each element on the stack trace. The element at index 0
represents the top of the call stack, and the last element in the array represents the
method at the bottom of the call stack.

6 public Throwable fillInStackTrace()

Fills the stack trace of this Throwable object with the current stack trace, adding to any
previous information in the stack trace.

22. How does JSP processing take place?

The JSP page is turned into a servlet for all the JSP elements to be processed by the server. Then the servlet is
executed. The servlet container and the JSP container—are often combined into one package under the name
“web container”.

In the translation phase, the JSP container is responsible for converting the JSP page into a servlet and compiling
the servlet. This is used to automatically initiate the translation phase for a page when the first request for the
page is received.

In the “request processing” phase, the JSP container is also responsible for invoking the JSP page implementation
class to process each request and generate the response.

23. Explain the anatomy of a JSP page?

Different JSP elements are used for generating the parts of the page that differ for each request. A JSP page is a
regular web page with different JSP elements. The three types of elements with JavaServer Pages are directive,
action, and scripting elements. JSP elements are often used to work with JavaBeans.

The elements of the page that are not JSP elements are simply called the “template text”. The template text is
commonly HTML, but it could also be any other text.

When a page request of JSP is processed, the template text and the dynamic content generated by the JSP
elements are merged, and the result is sent as the response to the browser.

24. What are the various action tags used in JSP?

Various action tags used in JSP are as follows:

jsp:forward: This action tag forwards the request and response to another resource.
jsp:include: This action tag is used to include another resource.
jsp:useBean: This action tag is used to create and locates bean objects.
jsp:setProperty: This action tag is used to set the value of the property of the bean.
jsp:getProperty: This action tag is used to print the value of the property of the bean.
jsp:plugin: This action tag is used to embed another component such as the applet.
jsp:param: This action tag is used to set the parameter value. It is used in forward and includes mostly.
 jsp:fallback: This action tag can be used to print the message if the plugin is working.

25. What is the JSP Scriptlet?

The JSP Scriptlet tag allows you to write Java code into a JSP file. The JSP container moves statements in the
_jspservice() method while generating servlets from JSP.

For each request of the client, the service method of the JSP gets invoked hence the code inside the Scriptlet
executes for every request.

In Scriptlet, a java code is executed every time the JSP is invoked.

Syntax of Scriptlet tag:

<% java code %>

Here <%%> tags are scriptlet tags and within it, we can place the java code.

26. What is MVC in JSP?

In MVC,

M stands for Model

V stands for View
C stands for the controller.
It is an architecture that separates business logic, presentation, and data. In this, the flow starts from the view
layer, where the request is raised and processed in the controller layer. This is then sent to the model layer to
insert data and get back the success or failure message.

27. What is a JSP Declaration?

The tags used in declaring variables are called JSP Declaration tags. These are used in declaring functions and
variables. They are enclosed in <%!%> tag. Following is the syntax for JSP Declaration:

<%@page contentType=”text/html” %>

<html>

<body>

<%!

int a=0;

private int getCount(){

a++;

return a;

%>

<p>Values of a are:</p>

<p><%=getCount()%></p>

</body>

</html>

Conclusion
28. Conclusion
The Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) takes the task of building an Internet presence and transforms it to the point
where developers can use Java to efficiently create multi-tier, server-side applications. In late 1999, Sun
Microsystems added a new element to the collection of Enterprise Java tools, called the JavaServer Pages (JSP).
The JSP, built on top of Java servlets, is designed to increase the efficiency in which programmers, and even
nonprogrammers, can create web content.

JavaServer Pages helps in developing web pages that include dynamic content. A JSP page can change its content
based on any number of variable items. A JSP page not only contains standard markup language elements like a
regular web page but also contains special JSP elements that allow the server to insert dynamic content in the
page. This combination of standard elements and custom elements allows for the creation of powerful web apps. 

References:

JavaServer Pages, 3rd Edition, O'Reilly.

Web Development with JavaServer Pages, by Duane and Mark.
JSP vs Servlet
JSP MCQ
1. Using which tag can you pass information from JSP to included JSP?

Using <%jsp:page> tag

Using <%jsp:import> tag

Using <%jsp:useBean> tag

Using <%jsp:param> tag

2. Which of the scripting of JSP not putting content into the service method of the converted servlet?

Scriptlets

Declarations

Expressions

None of the above

3. How many JSP implicit objects are there that are created by the web container and are available to all the JSP
pages?

10

4. In JSP Action tags, which of the following tags are used for bean development?

jsp:useBean

jsp:setProperty

jsp:getProperty

All of the above

5. Which of the following JSP Life-Cycle methods can be overridden?

jspInit()

jspDestroy()

Both (a) and (b)

None of the above

6. Which of the following is the difference between JavaBeans and taglib directives?

Custom tags are used to implement actions and

JavaBeans are used to present information

Taglibs are for generating presentation elements

while JavaBeans are good for storing information and
state

Both of the above

 None of the above

7. Which of the following is mandatory in the <jsp:useBean /> tag?

The language attribute indicates the programming

language used in scripting the JSP page

The language attribute indicates the programming

language used in scripting the servlet

The language attribute indicates the programming

language used in scripting the html page

None of the above

8. J2EE includes which of the following enterprise-specific APIs?

Java Message Service ( JMS)

Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB)

JavaServer Pages ( JSP)

All of the above

9. In a JSP-based application, the types of beans that are primarily used are?

Value beans

Utility beans

Both (a) and (b)

None of the above

10. Which of the following is the difference between Servlets and JSP?

Syntax

Compilation

Translation

None of the above

11. The dynamic interception of requests and responses to transform the information is done by which of the
following?

Servlet filter

Servlet config

Servlet context

Servlet container

12. Which of the following is the correct order of phases in the JSP life cycle?

Compilation, Initialization, Execution, Cleanup

Cleanup, Compilation, Initialization, Execution

Initialization, Cleanup, Compilation, Execution

 Initialization, Compilation, Cleanup, Execution

13. Which one of the following is correct for a directive in JSP?

<%!directive%>

<%directive%>

<%=directive%>

<%@directive%>

14. Which of the following is true about the JSP Switch?

It evaluates the expression then executes all the

statements following the matching case

The switch statements contain more than one cases

and one default case

The switch case is used to check the number of

possible execution paths

All of the above

15. Which of the following packages does a JSP API consist of?

javax.servlet.jsp.tagext

javax.servlet.jsp

java.servlet

Both (a) and (b)

16. JDBC is used to invoke SQL commands directly, which means it is a _____.

higher level

middle level

low level

user

17. Which of the following is not a directive?

useBean

export

import

include

18. Which of the following tags is used to execute java source code in JSP?

Declaration Tag

Scriptlet tag

Expression tag

None of the above