JSTL Import tag is being used in JSP to include the content of other resource in the current JSP. The <c:import> tag provides all of the functionality of the <include> action but also allows for inclusion of absolute URLs.
For example, using the import tag allows for inclusion of content from a different Web site or an FTP server.
Attribute:
The <c:import> tag has following attributes:
| Attribute | Description | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| url | URL to retrieve and import into the page | Yes | None |
| context | / followed by the name of a local web application | No | Current application |
| charEncoding | Character set to use for imported data | No | ISO-8859-1 |
| var | Name of the variable to store imported text | No | Print to page |
| scope | Scope of the variable used to store imported text | No | Page |
| varReader | Name of an alternate variable to expose java.io.Reader | No | None |
JSTL Import Tag Example:
<%@ taglib uri="http://java.sun.com/jsp/jstl/core" prefix="c" %>
<html>
<head>
<title><c:import> Tag Example</title>
</head>
<body>
<c:import var="data" url="https://www.dineshonjava.com"/>
<c:out value="${data}"/>
</body>
</html>
As you can see above, <c:import> tag imports the content of another resource specified in url attribute to the current JSP. It store the content to variable tutorial and prints it using <c:out> tag in the next line.
The <c:import> tag is similar to import action in JSP. However, <c:import> can import resources from other applications also by providing absolute path to it.
