The WebObjects Developer's Guide

Introduction
Describes what this book is about, who should read it, and where to go for other information.

Part I: WebObjects Essentials

What Is a WebObjects Application?
Introduces the portions of a WebObjects application that you produce and work with and describes the processes involved in running a WebObjects application.

Dynamic Elements
Introduces server-side dynamic elements and client-side Java components. Describes how the declarations file is used to control how elements display.

Common Methods
Describes the types of methods you typically write: action methods, init, awake, takeValuesfromRequest:inContext:, invokeActionForRequest:inContext:, and appendToResponse:inContext:.

Debugging a WebObjects Application
How to debug a WebObjects application. Provides a list of hard-to-find errors for each programming language: WebScript, Java, and Objective-C.

WebObjects Viewed Through Its Classes
The architecture and mechanics of WebObjects, including a detailed exploration of the request-response loop.

Part II: Special Tasks

Creating Reusable Components
How and why to create reusable components. This chapter discusses important design issues and provides a number of useful examples. If you are designing larger web applications, you will find this information invaluable.

Managing State
How WebObjects stores per-user state, including where state can be stored, how to limit the amount of state an application stores, and ways you can customize the default state-storage facilities.

Creating Client-Side Components
How to create Java components that can communicate with the server without reloading the page.

Deployment and Performance Issues
Finishing touches you might provide after all other development is complete, plus tips on how to improve performance. .

Part III: WebScript

The WebScript Language
The features and syntax of WebScript, the scripting language you use in writing WebObjects applications.

WebScript Programmer's Quick Reference to Foundation Classes
The Foundation classes you use most commonly in WebScript. This chapter describes how to use each of the classes and lists commonly used methods.