Struts 2 + HTMX + XSLT Demo

A modern demonstration of building interactive Java web applications using Struts 2.7+, HTMX, and XSLT (Custom XSLT). This project showcases how to achieve partial page updates and server-side XML transformation without the complexity of heavy JavaScript frameworks.

🚀 Tech Stack

• Java 17 (Required)
• Struts 7.0.3 (Jakarta EE 10 compatible)
• HTMX 1.9 (Partial page updates via AJAX)
• XSLT (Server-side XML transformation via JRE XSLT engine)
• Jetty 12 (Lightweight embedded server)
• Maven (Build and dependency management)

🛠 Prerequisites

• JDK 17 or higher.
• Maven 3.8+ installed and configured in your PATH.

🏃 How to Run the Project

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <your-repo-url>
   cd struts-htmx-xslt-project

2. Clean and Compile:

   mvn clean compile

3. Start the Jetty Server:

   mvn jetty:run

   or

   mvn org.eclipse.jetty.ee10:jetty-ee10-maven-plugin:run

4. Access the Demos: Once the server starts, open your browser and navigate to:

   • Home Gateway: http://localhost:8080/indexAction
   • HTMX Demo: http://localhost:8080/productsAction
   • XSLT Demo: http://localhost:8080/xsltProductsAction

💡 Key Features

Flow A: HTMX + Struts

Uses HTMX to send AJAX requests to Struts Actions. The server returns JSP Fragments (partial HTML) which HTMX swaps into the DOM, providing a "Single Page App" feel for search, add, and delete operations.

Flow B: XSLT Rendering

Demonstrates true separation of data and presentation. The Struts Action builds a W3C DOM Document (XML) which is then transformed into HTML using XSLT stylesheets on the server before being sent to the browser.

📁 Project Structure

• src/main/java: Java Actions and Model classes.
• src/main/resources: struts.xml configuration.
• src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/xslt: XSLT templates for rendering XML.
• src/main/webapp/fragments: JSP snippets for HTMX swaps.
• src/main/webapp/css: Modern UI styling.