FAQ

1. Why does the Struts Console software change the formatting of my Struts config file?



2. Is there anyway to have the Pretty Output feature preserve comments in my Struts config file?



3. How do I get the Struts Console to work with config files that don't validate against the XML DTD?



4. What version of Struts does the Struts Console support?



5. What operating systems does the Struts Console software run on?



6. Is the Struts Console software free to use?



7. Is the Struts Console open source software?

1.  Why does the Struts Console software change the formatting of my Struts config file?

The Struts Console software uses an XML parser (JDOM + Xerces) to read in Struts config files. XML parsers seem to "lose" some of an XML file's orginal formatting when parsing XML documents. This results in poor formatting of generated/saved XML files once they have been manipulated. To get around this limitation the Struts Console has options for how output is generated. Please see the help page for more information on this.


2.  Is there anyway to have the Pretty Output feature preserve comments in my Struts config file?

Unfortunately, due to the way XML is structured and how XML parsers work there is no way (at least that I know of) to preserve comments in config files when using the Pretty Output feature. The problem lies in the fact that XML comments can be placed before or after XML tags. So for instance, some people may put comments before a tag starts and some people may put comments after a tag starts or perhaps both. When the Struts Console adds or removes XML tags from files there's no way to know which tag a comment belongs to. Does it belong to the tag above it or below it?


3.  How do I get the Struts Console to work with config files that don't validate against the XML DTD?

The Struts Console, by default, validates config files against their respecitve XML DTDs. If your config file breaks any of the rules defined by the DTD, the Struts Console will complain and not be able to open the file. In order to work with non-validating config files you will need to disable the Struts Console validation. THIS IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AGAINST. The Struts Console has been programmed to work with config files that validate against their respective DTDs, thus turning off validation may result in the Struts Console not working.

For information on how to turn off config file validation see the help section.


4.  What version of Struts does the Struts Console support?

The Struts Console software supports Struts 1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.1, and 1.2.


5.  What operating systems does the Struts Console software run on?

The Struts Console software is Java-based software so it should run on any platform that has a modern (1.2+) Sun compatible Java Runtime Environment (JRE).


6.  Is the Struts Console software free to use?

Yes, the Struts Console software is free to use and abuse however you like. Please see the license files in the "license" directory of the distribution for more details.


7.  Is the Struts Console open source software?

The Struts Console is free software, but it is not open source software.