As you've seen in previous chapters, a WebObjects application comprises a number of components. Each component is represented in the file system as a directory (for example, MyComponent.wo) that stores the component's template, declarations, and script files (MyComponent.html, MyComponent.wod, and MyComponent.wos, respectively) as well as other resource files. In the simplest applications, each component corresponds to an HTML page, and no two applications share components. However, one of the strengths of the WebObjects' architecture is its support of reusable components: components which once defined, can be used within multiple applications, multiple pages of the same application, or even multiple sections of the same page.
This chapter describes reusable components and shows you how to take advantage of them in your applications. The topics covered include: