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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:

Figure 9. URL to Start a WebObjects Application

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.