JSP™ and XML Integrating XML and Web Services in Your JSP™ Application

What Is a Tag Library?

A tag library is a set of custom actions that can be invoked on a JSP page using a custom tag. A custom action is a reusable module of code used to perform repeating tasks.

Prior to the widespread use of tag libraries, JavaBean components were used in conjunction with scriptlets for performing what is now tag library processing. The disadvantage, which was stressed previously, is that the lack of separation of business logic and presentation logic made JSP pages difficult to maintain due to their complexity.

According to the JSP 1.2 specification, “A tag library abstracts functionality used by a JSP page by defining a specialized sub language that enables the more natural use of that functionality within JSP pages.”^{[1] ...}