Core Spring 3.0 Framework Training

Core Spring 3.0 Framework is a three-day hands-on Spring training course geared for experienced Java developers who need to understand what the Spring Framework is in terms of today's systems and architectures, and how to use Spring in conjunction with other technologies and frameworks. It includes complete coverage of all new features in Spring 3.0.

The Spring framework is an application framework that provides a lightweight container that supports the creation of simple-to-complex components in a non-invasive fashion. Spring's flexibility and transparency is congruent and supportive of incremental development and testing. The framework's structure supports the layering of functionality such as persistence, transactions, view-oriented frameworks, and enterprise systems and capabilities.

Spring makes JEE development easier. Spring simplifies common tasks and encourages good design based on programming to interfaces. Spring makes your application easier to configure and reduces the need for many JEE design patterns. Spring puts the OO design back into your JEE application, and it integrates nicely with JSF.

This course provides a solid understanding of what Spring brings to the table and how to use Spring in the context of other technologies and frameworks.

Students are taken on an in-depth tour of the basic Spring framework, initially examining concepts such as Inversion of Control and Dependency Injection, and then working with the container and basic components. The improved Spring 3.0 configuration management options centered on the Spring Expression Language (SPEL) is covered. The course then moves into the areas of persistence and transactions, looking at various options including both JDBC and Hibernate. Students will then look at options for handling the view portion of an MVC web architecture. Working in a dynamic, lab-intensive hands-on coding environment students will learn to:

• Explain the issues associated with complex frameworks such as JEE and how Spring addresses those issues
• Understand the relationships between Spring and JEE, AOP, IOC, JDBC, Hibernate, JSF, Struts, JMS, and EJBs.
• Discuss the challenges to adopting Spring
• Write applications that take advantage of the Spring container and the declarative nature of assembling simple components into applications.
• Understand what the Spring Expression Language brings to the table and how to use it.
• Understand and work with various options for integrating persistence into a Spring application including the recently incorporated Object XML Mapping (OXM) functionality.
• Work with Spring's support for transactions
• Understand and work with various options for integrating view-oriented frameworks for web applications into Spring. Frameworks that are examined include Spring MVC, JSF, and Struts.

The course provides a solid foundation in basic terminology and concepts, extended and built upon throughout the engagement. Processes and best practices are discussed and illustrated through both discussions and group activities.

Attending students will be led through a series of advanced topics comprised of integrated lectures, extensive hands-on lab exercises, group discussions and comprehensive demonstrations. Please see below for additional information about the hands-on lab work.

Session: Introduction to the Spring 3.0 Framework

• Understanding the value of Spring
• Inversion of Control
• Dependency Injection
• Spring Overview
• Spring Application Architectures
• Spring Container
• Managing the Container
• Access to Services and Resources
• Application Contexts
• Beans as Components
• Beans and Factories
• XML Bean Configuration
• Annotation and SPEL-based configuration
• Bean Definition and Dependencies
• Bean Lifecycle
• Customization Options
• Post-Processors
• Property Editors
• Data Handling
• Validation using the Spring Validator
• Type Conversion using Converters
• Formatting using Formatters
• Spring Expression Language (SPEL)
• Using SPEL
• Evaluating Expressions
• Language Constructs
• Operators and Assignment
• Variables and Functions

Session: Data Access

• Data Access Pattern
• Overview of Persistence Layer and Transactions
• Transaction Overview
• Spring Transactions
• Defining Spring Transactions
• Working with Demarcation
• Managing Spring Transactions
• Spring JDBC (optional)
• Spring JDBC Architecture
• Working with JDBC Template
• Database Operations
• Handling JDBC Exceptions
• Hibernate (optional)
• Spring - Hibernate Architecture
• ORM Mapping Overview
• DAO Implementation
• Working with Hibernate DAOs in Spring
• Hibernate Template
• XML Interoperability
• Object XML Mapping in Spring
• Marshalling and UnMarshalling
• Implementation Options
• Working with the JAXB Marshaller

Session: Spring Views

• Spring/Web Framework Architecture
• Spring MVC (optional)
• Spring MVC Architecture
• Spring MVC Components
• Spring MVC Flow
• Dispatcher and Controllers
• Handlers and Mapping
• Interceptors
• Spring and Struts (optional)
• Spring/Struts Architecture
• Integrating Struts into Spring
• Spring and JSF (optional)
• Spring/JSF Architecture
• Integrating JSF into Spring

Upcoming Dates & Locations