JDBC in JSP

Question

Hello,
I am new to java, jsp, and jdbc. My programming expirence is in vb, and asp. When I would connect to a database using asp, I would create a file with my database connection string and then included it into every asp page that needed a database connnection. That way I could switch my databases much easier.
Now I am designing jsp's with jdbc connection. I have been making a connection to my database on every page. Could I use a similar approach in my jsp to connect to my database? Can I include a jsp file with my data connection on every file? Should I use a java bean? Are there any good examples out there?
Thanks,
Brad

Answer 1

I was in exactly the same situation about 3 years ago and I made a lot of mistakes trying to mimic the VB/ASP way of producing websites. My first suggestion is to forget the way you used to do it with includes.
It's one of those things that will come with experience, but I would suggest that you start by writing all of your data access code in Classes. Then write business logic Classes that use the data access Classes to get the data. Then think about how to present the information the business logic returns to you.
But don't, I can't say this enough, don't, get into the habit of using includes for dynamic content. You will regret it further down the line when you have to maintain your website.
Spend the time now understanding the idea behind the 3 tier architecture and you will thank yourself for it later.