The Toolkit isn't necessary to use the Domino Tags, so you can still follow along with these lessons even if you don't install the Toolkit.

Since I already knew how to access Domino objects from within servlets and Domino Java agents when I began this course, my interest was primarily on using the Domino Tag Library. I definitely felt like I could immediately use the Domino Tags after completing this module.

I was also intrigued by the Domino custom tags for form validation, which are much easier to use than creating custom JavaScript code. I did feel that the lessons that focused on the Domino Tags relied a bit too much on the help documentation for content. Several of the tags have numerous attributes that I would like to know more about.

What I would like to see is a TLCC course that focuses just on the Domino Tags. The activities in this module were very similar to the demos in the lessons, so you should be able to complete them fairly easily.

Module 8: Additional Exam Topics
This module reviews several topics that are covered on test 286, but aren't strictly necessary for you to develop Java Web applications. The items reviewed here include: using CVS, JUnit testing, adding Struts support to a Web application and performing remote debugging, however there are no activities for these topics.

Of the four topics, I would have appreciated an activity for JUnit testing and remote debugging. I would also recommend that TLCC develop a course for Struts programming. For Domino developers who would like to develop J2EE applications but don't know where to start, Struts provides an excellent framework for the servlets, JSPs and JavaBeans you need to create.

Conclusion
If you're comfortable with distance-learning courses, the TLCC's Servlet and JSP Programming with WebSphere 5 for Domino Developers course is an ideal way for you to take your Java Web development skills to the next level. While the topics presented are complex, the fluid writing style and the graphical way the content is presented make learning the material easy. After I'd completed the course, I was surprised at how much I'd learned. I highly recommend this course as a first step in your journey to becoming a professional J2EE developer and give the course 4 out of 5.

OUR RATING: 4 of 5

David Gewirtz is the author of How To Save Jobs and Where Have All The Emails Gone? For more than 20 years, he has analyzed current, historical, and emerging issues relating to technology, competitiveness, and policy. David is the Editor-in-Chief of the ZATZ magazines, is the Cyberterrorism Advisor for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, and is a member of the instructional faculty at the University of California, Berkeley extension. He can be reached at david@zatz.com and you can follow him at http://www.twitter.com/DavidGewirtz.