What is a good IDE to build J2EE applications that can also integrate with struts easily with out having to mess around with the struts-config.xml all day.

Thanks.

If you're looking for a kewl IDE for just struts stuff, check out Struts Studio from exadel.com. Visually shows you how everything is connected and automatically updates your config files. They have a community edition (FREE) that does everything I need. If you just have trouble with the Struts Config file check out the struts console (forget the guy that wrote it) - it helps make things easier.

If you want to do other stuff besides just struts, go with Eclipse - there are several plug-ins available that take care of struts related stuff. In fact, I think exadel was making a plug-in for Eclipse (not sure though)

Good Luck

JR

Hi

Eclipse is quiet a good IDE for J2EE Development. It is open source, free and can be enhaced as there are plugin's available.

Regards

Yashraj Chauhan
Java\J2EE Specialist
Wiley Support Team

 I can say it for sure. Exadel is going to release Struts Studio as a plugin for Eclipse in the beginning of October, 2003

 Definitely, Eclipse is one of the most powerful Java IDE today. However, the applications based of modern frameworks, like Struts, consists of bunch number of artifacts that have non-java specific (such as configuration, validation, tiles definitions, resources files and so on). Those artifacts becomes play a significant role in terms of time developer has to spend to adjust them to work together.
If you have a typo in class name, Eclipse notifies you immediately. If you have a problem with variable initialization you can walk thru the java code with debugger. However, what about typo in form name inside validation.xml file. Some guys spend hours to find such damn problem. Any modern java IDE becomes weakness in face of such problem, just because it is not about java itself.
So, modern application requires a little bit more specific tools than Java IDE, tools that will solve such problem I spoke above. Actually, it was a main reason we start to develop Struts Studio

Regards,
Sergey Smirnov
Exadel Struts Studio Architect
http://www.StrutsStudio.com