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Components

To write a WebObjects application, you create components and connect them together. A component is a page or portion of a page that has both HTML content and behavior. Each component is located in its own directory named Component.wo and generally contains these files:

An HTML template (Component.html) that specifies how the page looks.
A script file (Component.wos) that defines the component's attributes (variables) and implements its behavior in WebScript.
A declarations file (Component.wod) that binds the dynamic elements of the template to the script's variables and actions.
If necessary, any images or other resources the component uses.

Figure 1. The Contents of a Component Directory

The script file is only included in scripted components. You may also write compiled components, which use Java or Objective-C instead of a script file. For more information, see "Creating a Compiled Application" in the book Getting Started With WebObjects.

The first page of a WebObjects application is usually named Main.wo. When users start a session with a WebObjects application, they can specify the name of the first page, but such a practice is uncommon. If no page is specified, WebObjects applications look for the Main.wo component.

Note: Not all components represent an entire page. You can nest small, reusable components inside a component representing a whole page. For more information, see the "Creating Reusable Components" chapter.

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