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FreeMarker: Separating the Model and Presentation Layers
by Benoy Jose
FreeMarker is an open source content generation tool, which touts as a
cleaner alternative to JSP and Velocity. FreeMarker has been gaining traction in
the industry recently as developers and architects see the significant
advantages FreeMarker offers over the traditional content enablers like JSP.
Evidence of the above is clear in the inclusion of FreeMarker in popular tools
like Spring, WebWorks, and Struts.
Unlike JSP, FreeMarker adheres to the Model View Controller (MVC) pattern in much
cleaner manner. Though MVC was designed to separate the model and the view layers of
an application, rendering languages like JSP have had difficulty clearly separating
these layers. As applications get more complicated, model elements eventually creep into
the view layer, creating a maintenance nightmare.
The architecture of FreeMarker makes it easier for Java programmers and user
interface designers to work independently of one another. This minimal overlap
helps to quickly build applications and still maintain the look and feel of the
application.
Features
- Clear separation of responsibilities.
- Tailored for the MVC paradigm.
- Support for abstract objects like JavaBeans, XML documents, ResultSets, etc.
- Comprehensive template language.
- Supports multiple outputs formats like XML, HTML, and plain text.
- A simple and lightweight API.
- Easily integrates with external applications.
- Easy to install and use.
- Internationalization support.
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