How To Create a Tag Library Descriptor in Eclipse

If you are working in java technology and stuck to creating a tag library descriptor in eclipse then this post is only for you. Before coming to know what are the steps to create a TLD file in a java project you must know what is this and why you need to create a TLD file.

What is TLD File?

If you are a java backend developer then you must use servlet and JSP. There are inbuild tags which used for java logic in JSP pages similar to HTML tags. All tags have their own meaning. In the same way, as per your business requirements time, developers need to create their own custom tags which have their meaning or logic. So, Tag Library Descriptors is nothing but an XML file that has information about the custom library and tags made by developers. However, TLD’s files are used by web containers to validate the custom tags which you use in JSP Pages.

How to create tag library descriptor (TLD) in Eclipse

To create a tag library descriptor (TLD) in Eclipse, follow these steps:

1. Create a new Java project in Eclipse.
2. Right-click on the project and select “New” -> “Other.”
3. In the “New” dialog box, select “XML” -> “XML File” and click “Next.”
4. In the “New XML File” dialog box, enter a name for the TLD file and select the project in which you want to create the TLD.
5. Click “Finish.”
6. Once the TLD file is created, you can edit it to define your custom tags and their attributes. You can also include information about the tag library such as the library’s name, URI, and version.
7. Once you have finished editing the TLD, you will need to include it in your web application’s deployment descriptor (web.xml) so that the web container knows to make the tag library available to your application.
8. To do this, you will need to add a “taglib” element to the web.xml file, specifying the location of the TLD file and the URI that should be used to reference the tag library in your JSPs.