Question

I am a web designer. As a team member of a web application project, I some times need to work on the jsp pages to modify html, css. I feel uncomfortable seeing the jsp tags which I don’t understand. Did any member of this site gone through this kind of experience? If so how you manage to edit? Do you use a particular tool which highlights only html and css? Thanks for your tips in advance.

Answer 1

1. The base template must always
   come from you first. This includes
   the HTML layout, CSS and JS, even if
   they’re just empty files ‘cos you’re
   not done with ’em. With some
   experience, you should know how to
   layout the basic elements which
   should not change significantly over
   the period of the project. IDs and
   class attributes should be liberally
   applied to wherever you see fit.
2. The developers will take your HTML
   template and incorporate it into
   whatever templating system they’re
   using. Your HTML template sample
   will be thereafter used as just a
   reference from then on.
3. However, your CSS and JS files
   should then be committed into your
   source control repo where both you
   and developers should be accessing
   the same files. Your committed
   changes must be accessible by them
   at all times.
4. Enforce a rule where Java developers
   must never put in any inline JS
   or CSS declarations. If you catch
   anyone using <font> tags, talk to
   your manager to fire the guy, he’s
   hopeless 😉
5. In order to minimize you asking the
   developers to build and rebuild all
   the time while you’re
   troubleshooting some layout issue,
   consider using a continuous
   integration tool such as
   Hudson. Whenever you need to
   deploy to test something, just go to
   the Hudson control panel and click
   on Build to get the latest build
   deployed with minimal effort.
6. If you really need to change the
   template (i.e. FUBAR change coming
   from inconsiderate end users), ready
   the new template first and then talk
   to the developers on how to
   incorporate it in. Most of the time,
   your base elements are still
   applicable, it’s just how they’re
   laid out that’s changed.

None of these are really fool-proof. It just makes life suck a little less. I definitely encourage you to learn a bit of JSP tag libs just so you have a higher comfort level during the project.