Implicit Mappings

If the container has an internal JSP container, the *.jsp extension is mapped to it, allowing JSP pages to be executed on demand. This mapping is termed an implicit mapping. If a *.jsp mapping is defined by the Web application, its mapping takes precedence over the implicit mapping.

Example Mapping Set

A servlet container is allowed to make other implicit mappings as long as explicit mappings take precedence. For example, an implicit mapping of *.shtml could be mapped to include functionality on the server.

Consider the following set of mappings:
Path Pattern Servlet
/foo/bar/* servlet1
/bar/* servlet2
/catalog servlet3
*.bop servlet4

The following behavior would result:

Incoming Path Servlet Handling Request

/foo/bar/index.html

servlet1

/foo/bar/index.bop

servlet1

/bar/index.bop

servlet2

/catalog

servlet3

/catalog/index.html

"default" servlet

/catalog/racecar.bop

servlet4

/index.bop

servlet4
Note: In the case of /catalog/index.html and /catalog/racecar.bop, the servlet mapped to "/catalog" is not used because the match is not exact.