Taglib Directive

Defines a tag library and prefix for the custom tags used in the JSP page.

JSP Syntax

<%@ taglib uri="URIForLibrary" prefix="tagPrefix" %>

XML Syntax

None. However, see <jsp:root>.

Examples

<%@ taglib uri="http://www.jspcentral.com/tags" prefix="public" %>	
	
<public:loop>	
   ...	
</public:loop>

Description

The taglib directive declares that the JSP page uses custom tags, names the tag library that defines them, and specifies their tag prefix.

You must use a taglib directive before you use the custom tag in a JSP page. You can use more than one taglib directive in a JSP page, but the prefix defined in each must be unique.

Tutorials on creating custom tags are available at http://java.sun.com/products/jsp/taglibraries.html#tutorials.

Attributes

• uri="URIForLibrary"

  The Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) that uniquely locates the TLD that describes the set of custom tags associated with the named tag prefix. A URI can be any of the following:

  • A Uniform Resource Locator (URL), as defined in RFC 2396, available at http://www.hut.fi/u/jkorpela/rfc/2396/full.html
  • A Uniform Resource Name (URN), as defined in RFC 2396
  • An absolute or relative pathname

  If the URI is a URL or URN, then the TLD is located by consulting the mapping indicated in web.xml extended using the implicit maps in the packaged tag libraries. If URI is pathname, it is interpreted relative to the root of the web application and should resolve to a TLD file directly, or to a JAR file that has a TLD file at location META-INF/taglib.tld.

• prefix="tagPrefix"

  The prefix that precedes the custom tag name, for example, public in <public:loop>. Empty prefixes are illegal. If you are developing or using custom tags, you cannot use the tag prefixes jsp, jspx, java, javax, servlet, sun, and sunw, as they are reserved by Sun Microsystems.

See Also

• <jsp:root>