JSP - UseBean action tag

The <jsp:useBean> action tag in JSP is used to create or access JavaBean objects within a JSP page. It helps separate business logic from presentation by using Java classes to store data. This makes JSP pages cleaner, modular, and easier to maintain.

• Used to create or access JavaBean objects in JSP
• Works with <jsp:setProperty> and <jsp:getProperty>
• Helps in separating logic (Java) from presentation (JSP)

Syntax

<jsp:useBean id="beanName" class="fully.qualified.ClassName" scope="scope" />

Attributes:

• id -> Name used to reference the bean
• class -> Fully qualified JavaBean class name
• scope -> Lifecycle of bean (page, request, session, application)

Note: The <jsp:useBean> tag is used to create or retrieve an existing JavaBean instance in a JSP page. Once created, you can set or get its properties using the <jsp:setProperty> and <jsp:getProperty> tags.

Step-by-Step Implementation of <jsp:useBean> Tag

Step 1: Create the JavaBean Class

Create a simple Java class that represents a data model.

• The class EmployeeBean follows the JavaBean convention.
• It has private fields, public getter/setter methods, and a no-argument constructor (implicit here).

EmployeeBean.java:

Step 2: Create the JSP Page

Now create a JSP file to use and display the bean properties.

index.jsp

Step 3: Deploy and Run the Project

• Compile the EmployeeBean.java file and place it under your web application’s WEB-INF/classes/example directory.
• Place index.jsp in the web root folder (webapp or WebContent).
• Run the JSP application on a servlet container such as Apache Tomcat.
• Open your browser and visit:

http://localhost:8080/JSPUseBeanExample/index.jsp

Output:

Below we can see the output in browser.

👁 Output Screen

Explanation:

• The <jsp:useBean> tag creates an instance of the EmployeeBean class with the ID employee.
• The scope is set to session, meaning the bean remains available throughout the user session.
• The <jsp:setProperty> tags assign values to the name and salary properties.
• The <jsp:getProperty> tags fetch and display those property values on the page.

Scopes in <jsp:useBean>

• page: Bean is available only within the current JSP page (default).
• request: Bean is accessible during a single HTTP request across multiple pages using forward or include.
• session: Bean persists across multiple requests within the same user session.
• application: Bean is shared across the entire application for all users.