Index: shale-validator/src/main/java/org/apache/shale/validator/faces/ValidatorScript.java
===================================================================
--- shale-validator/src/main/java/org/apache/shale/validator/faces/ValidatorScript.java	(revision 453789)
+++ shale-validator/src/main/java/org/apache/shale/validator/faces/ValidatorScript.java	(working copy)
@@ -570,7 +570,7 @@
              }
          } else {
             if (value != null && value instanceof String
-                && UIComponentTag.isValueReference((String) e.getValue())) {
+                && isValueReference((String) e.getValue())) {
 
                 value = tagUtils.eval((String) e.getValue());
             }
@@ -652,4 +652,22 @@
       writeValidationFunctions(writer, context);
       writeScriptEnd(writer);
    }
+
+    /**
+     * Return true if the specified string contains an EL expression.
+     * <p>
+     * This is taken almost verbatim from {@link javax.faces.webapp.UIComponentTag}
+     * in order to remove JSP dependencies from the renderers.
+     */
+    private static boolean isValueReference(String value)
+    {
+        if (value == null) return false;
+
+        int start = value.indexOf("#{");
+        if (start < 0) return false;
+
+        int end = value.lastIndexOf('}');
+        return (end >=0 && start < end);
+    }
+
 }
Index: shale-validator/src/main/java/org/apache/shale/validator/faces/ValidatorInputRenderer.java
===================================================================
--- shale-validator/src/main/java/org/apache/shale/validator/faces/ValidatorInputRenderer.java	(revision 453789)
+++ shale-validator/src/main/java/org/apache/shale/validator/faces/ValidatorInputRenderer.java	(working copy)
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@
                           Map.Entry e = (Map.Entry) vi.next();
                           // only override if the var contains a value binding expression
                           if (e.getValue() != null && e.getValue() instanceof String
-                              && UIComponentTag.isValueReference((String) e.getValue())) {
+                              && isValueReference((String) e.getValue())) {
 
                              localVars.put(e.getKey(), tagUtils.eval((String) e.getValue()));
 
@@ -179,5 +179,20 @@
         return defaultRenderer.getRendersChildren();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Return true if the specified string contains an EL expression.
+     * <p>
+     * This is taken almost verbatim from {@link javax.faces.webapp.UIComponentTag}
+     * in order to remove JSP dependencies from the renderers.
+     */
+    private static boolean isValueReference(String value)
+    {
+        if (value == null) return false;
 
+        int start = value.indexOf("#{");
+        if (start < 0) return false;
+
+        int end = value.lastIndexOf('}');
+        return (end >=0 && start < end);
+    } 
 }
Index: shale-core/src/main/java/org/apache/shale/util/Tags.java
===================================================================
--- shale-core/src/main/java/org/apache/shale/util/Tags.java	(revision 453789)
+++ shale-core/src/main/java/org/apache/shale/util/Tags.java	(working copy)
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@
         if (attributeValue == null) {
             return;
         }
-        if (UIComponentTag.isValueReference(attributeValue)) {
+        if (isValueReference(attributeValue)) {
             setValueBinding(component, attributeName, attributeValue);
         } else {
             component.getAttributes().put(attributeName, attributeValue);
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@
         if (attributeValue == null) {
             return;
         }
-        if (UIComponentTag.isValueReference(attributeValue)) {
+        if (isValueReference(attributeValue)) {
             setValueBinding(component, attributeName, attributeValue);
         } else {
             component.getAttributes().put(attributeName,
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@
         if (attributeValue == null) {
             return;
         }
-        if (UIComponentTag.isValueReference(attributeValue)) {
+        if (isValueReference(attributeValue)) {
             setValueBinding(component, attributeName, attributeValue);
         } else {
             component.getAttributes().put(attributeName,
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@
         if (attributeValue == null) {
             return;
         }
-        if (UIComponentTag.isValueReference(attributeValue)) {
+        if (isValueReference(attributeValue)) {
             setValueBinding(component, attributeName, attributeValue);
         } else {
             component.getAttributes().put(attributeName,
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@
         if (attributeValue == null) {
             return;
         }
-        if (UIComponentTag.isValueReference(attributeValue)) {
+        if (isValueReference(attributeValue)) {
             setMethodBinding(component, "action", attributeValue,
                     new Class[] {});
         } else {
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@
         if (attributeValue == null) {
             return;
         }
-        if (UIComponentTag.isValueReference(attributeValue)) {
+        if (isValueReference(attributeValue)) {
             FacesContext context = FacesContext.getCurrentInstance();
             Application app = context.getApplication();
             MethodBinding mb = app.createMethodBinding(attributeValue, paramTypes);
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@
         if (expression == null) {
             return null;
         }
-        if (UIComponentTag.isValueReference(expression)) {
+        if (isValueReference(expression)) {
             FacesContext context = FacesContext.getCurrentInstance();
             Application app = context.getApplication();
             return app.createValueBinding(expression).getValue(context);
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@
         if (expression == null) {
             return null;
         }
-        if (UIComponentTag.isValueReference(expression)) {
+        if (isValueReference(expression)) {
             FacesContext context = FacesContext.getCurrentInstance();
             Application app = context.getApplication();
             return "" + app.createValueBinding(expression).getValue(context);
@@ -320,7 +320,7 @@
         if (expression == null) {
             return null;
         }
-        if (UIComponentTag.isValueReference(expression)) {
+        if (isValueReference(expression)) {
             FacesContext context = FacesContext.getCurrentInstance();
             Application app = context.getApplication();
             Object r = app.createValueBinding(expression).getValue(context);
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@
         if (expression == null) {
             return null;
         }
-        if (UIComponentTag.isValueReference(expression)) {
+        if (isValueReference(expression)) {
             FacesContext context = FacesContext.getCurrentInstance();
             Application app = context.getApplication();
             Object r = app.createValueBinding(expression).getValue(context);
@@ -372,7 +372,7 @@
         if (expression == null) {
             return null;
         }
-        if (UIComponentTag.isValueReference(expression)) {
+        if (isValueReference(expression)) {
             FacesContext context = FacesContext.getCurrentInstance();
             Application app = context.getApplication();
             Object r = app.createValueBinding(expression).getValue(context);
@@ -405,4 +405,20 @@
         public Class getType(FacesContext context) { return String.class; }
     }
 
-}
+    /**
+     * Return true if the specified string contains an EL expression.
+     * <p>
+     * This is taken almost verbatim from {@link javax.faces.webapp.UIComponentTag}
+     * in order to remove JSP dependencies from the renderers.
+     */
+    private static boolean isValueReference(String value)
+    {
+        if (value == null) return false;
+
+        int start = value.indexOf("#{");
+        if (start < 0) return false;
+
+        int end = value.lastIndexOf('}');
+        return (end >=0 && start < end);
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file