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Connecting to the database through JSP

There are two distinct methods for connecting to the database using JSP. The JSP will be compiled into a servlet, and that happens automatically each time you change the code. The first method makes database connections in the .jsp page itself, while the second one sets up the database connection in a separate class (called a bean in Java server programming).

Connecting within JSP page

Here is an example for connecting to the Oracle database through JSP. This approach mixes the presentation and logic. Using a bean allows separating those.

This is very similar to accessing the database through a java application, except that it is not run by the user who writes the code. As a result, the classpath settings are different. As long as you use the directory structure discussed below, you should not have problems with the class path.

This method is not recommended as it may expose your username and password if you are using a shared environment such as the department lab. This is because the public_html directory cannot be read protected and still serve its purpose. Using a bean eliminates this problem and is much more commonly used in real-world/business situations.

<html>
<head>
</head>
<body>

<%@ page import="java.sql.*" %>
<%@ page import="java.io.*" %>

<%
        //
        Class.forName("oracle.jdbc.driver.OracleDriver");

        // Initialize connection to database
        //      Remember to change username and password
        Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:oracle:thin:@db1.chpc.ndsu.nodak.edu:1521:cs", "username", "password");

        // Create a statement and a query, execute the query
        Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();

        String query = ""; //Remember to change this to match your database

        ResultSet rset = stmt.executeQuery(query);

        // Iterate through all result rows
        while(rset.next())
        {
                // Print the first item of the result
                out.println(rset.getString(1));

                // Print a line break
                out.println("<br/>");
        }

        // Clean up
        stmt.close();
        rset.close();
        conn.close();

%>

</body>
</html>

Connecting using a Bean

If you want to split presentation and database access to make a 3-tier application (presentation, logic, database), you will need two pieces:

A class (called a 'bean') to handle all of the database access
A JSP page to call functions of the class and display query results

The logic layer (database queries and other logic) will be implemented in a class, the presentation layer (your JSP/HTML) will call functions of the class, and the class will do the work of getting data from the database.

The Class (Bean)

You will need a class for your logic layer. This class needs to be part of a package otherwise the server won't be able to access it.

Here is an example class:

package beans;


import java.io.*;
import java.sql.*;
import java.util.*;

public class DBCon
{
        public DBCon()
        {
                // empty constructor
        }

        public ArrayList getRecords()
        throws SQLException, ClassNotFoundException
        {
                ArrayList records = new ArrayList();
                // Load Oracle driver
                Class.forName("oracle.jdbc.driver.OracleDriver");

                // Initialize connection to database
                //      Remember to change username and password
                Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:oracle:thin:@db1.chpc.ndsu.nodak.edu:1521:cs", "username", "password");

                // Create a statement and a query, execute the query
                Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();

                String query = ""; //Remember to change this to match your database

                ResultSet rset = stmt.executeQuery(query);

                // Iterate through all result rows
                while(rset.next())
                {
                        records.add(rset.getString(1));
                }

                // Clean up
                stmt.close();
                rset.close();
                conn.close();

                return records;
        }
}

This class is part of the package 'beans'. There is a single function that returns the first item of each query result. You will want to add functions or change this function to match your database and project. These functions can be called by the JSP page.

Once compiled, this class needs to be placed in the folder: /home/username/public_html/WEB-INF/classes/<packagename>/ where '<packagename>' is the name of the package your class belongs to. In this case the package name is 'beans'.

NDSU CS Department Wiki

Table of Contents

Connecting to the database through JSP

Connecting within JSP page

Connecting using a Bean

The Class (Bean)