Step 2: Design your application

When you begin to develop actual applications, use the steps below to take advantage of the strengths of each Java component in your applications.

1. Design object-oriented applications to reuse and maintain code.
   • Break different types of logic into separate Java classes. Some logical types are:
     • Business processes
     • Data structures and modeling
     • Application flow
     • Database access
     • Web page presentation
   • When possible, design complex logical or data structures as collections of simpler Java objects.
   • When several processes or data structures share "common denominator" variables or functionality, do the following:
     1. Group common variables and functions into a base class.
     2. Extend the base class to create more specialized classes.
2. Design your code to take advantage of the strengths of the Java components.
   • Use servlets to perform application logic, call other Java components, and work with Extensible Markup Language (XML).
   • Use JavaServer Pages (JSP) files to create dynamic Web pages.

Use these resources for more information on designing web applications:

• Designing Enterprise Applications with the J2EE Platform, Second Edition
  This article provides architectural hints and best practices for designing J2EE applications. Note that this article contains information pertaining to enterprise beans, which are not supported by WebSphere Application Server - Express.

• WebSphere Application Server - Express V5.0 Handbook
  Chapter 2: Application design of this IBM Redbook provides modeling and design consideration for WebSphere Application Server - Express.