I have a java desktop app and the issue of config files is vexing me.
What I want is for my distributable application folder to look like this:
MyApp/Application.jar
MyApp/SpringConfig.xml
MyApp/OtherConfig.xml
MyApp/lib
But at the moment SpringConfig.xml is inside Application.jar and I can't even find OtherConfig.xml programmatically.
I don't care how I set up the various files in my compilation path, so long as they end up looking like the above.
So..
where do i put the files in my dev setup?
and how do i access them programmatically?
thanks
the spring config file is related to the code and wiring of your application, hence it'd better be inside the jar, and should be subject to change by the users
(new File(".")).getAbsolutePath(); returns the absolute path of your jar - then you can load the OtherConfig.xml by a simple FileInputStream
if the SpringConfig.xml contains configuration data like database credentials, put them in an external application.properties and use a custom PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer to load the external file.
Answering the question "where do I put the files in my dev setup" is not possible because we don't know your environment.
Actually, if you want to be able to edit the config yourself (and not necessarily end-users), you can open the jar with any zip software (WinRAR for instance) and edit the config file from within the jar.
Update: as it seems you can't make the config files to be places out of the jar. Well, for a start, you can do it manually - whenever the .jar is complete, just remove the config file from inside and place it outside.
I typically create a structure where I have a src/ directory and then other directories exist at the same level. Some of those directories include:
lib/ - External Libraries
config/ - Configuration Files
resources/ - Various resources I use (images, etc)
At that same level, I then create an Ant script to perform my build so that the appropriate config files, resources, lib, etc are copied into my JAR file upon build. It has worked great for me up to this point and is a fairly easy to understand organizational structure.
Update: Accessing my config files is done, typically, by knowing their location and opening them up and reading them in the code. Because I use Ant to build, I make sure that my config files are in a location that I expect. So, for example, in a recent application I created, when I compile, my JAR file is in the top level directory (relative to the application release structure). Then, there is a "main" config file at that same level. And there is a "theme" config file that is in a themes folder.
To read the various files, I just open them up as I would any other file and read them in and go from there. It's nothing particularly fancy but it works well and it makes it easy to manually change configurations if I need to do so.
In dev mode, put them in source dir and they will be copied to your classes folder, you can then access them using classloader.
Example:
URL url = ClassLoader.getSystemResource("test.properties");
Properties p = new Properties();
p.load(new FileInputStream(new File(url.getFile())));
In Prod mode, you can make them part of your jar.
Related
In my web application I have to send email to set of predefined users like finance#xyz.example, so I wish to add that to a .properties file and access it when required. Is this a correct procedure, if so then where should I place this file? I am using Netbeans IDE which is having two separate folders for source and JSP files.
It's your choice. There are basically three ways in a Java web application archive (WAR):
1. Put it in classpath
So that you can load it by ClassLoader#getResourceAsStream() with a classpath-relative path:
ClassLoader classLoader = Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();
InputStream input = classLoader.getResourceAsStream("foo.properties");
// ...
Properties properties = new Properties();
properties.load(input);
Here foo.properties is supposed to be placed in one of the roots which are covered by the default classpath of a webapp, e.g. webapp's /WEB-INF/lib and /WEB-INF/classes, server's /lib, or JDK/JRE's /lib. If the propertiesfile is webapp-specific, best is to place it in /WEB-INF/classes. If you're developing a standard WAR project in an IDE, drop it in src folder (the project's source folder). If you're using a Maven project, drop it in /main/resources folder.
You can alternatively also put it somewhere outside the default classpath and add its path to the classpath of the appserver. In for example Tomcat you can configure it as shared.loader property of Tomcat/conf/catalina.properties.
If you have placed the foo.properties it in a Java package structure like com.example, then you need to load it as below
ClassLoader classLoader = Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();
InputStream input = classLoader.getResourceAsStream("com/example/foo.properties");
// ...
Note that this path of a context class loader should not start with a /. Only when you're using a "relative" class loader such as SomeClass.class.getClassLoader(), then you indeed need to start it with a /.
ClassLoader classLoader = getClass().getClassLoader();
InputStream input = classLoader.getResourceAsStream("/com/example/foo.properties");
// ...
However, the visibility of the properties file depends then on the class loader in question. It's only visible to the same class loader as the one which loaded the class. So, if the class is loaded by e.g. server common classloader instead of webapp classloader, and the properties file is inside webapp itself, then it's invisible. The context class loader is your safest bet so you can place the properties file "everywhere" in the classpath and/or you intend to be able to override a server-provided one from the webapp on.
2. Put it in webcontent
So that you can load it by ServletContext#getResourceAsStream() with a webcontent-relative path:
InputStream input = getServletContext().getResourceAsStream("/WEB-INF/foo.properties");
// ...
Note that I have demonstrated to place the file in /WEB-INF folder, otherwise it would have been public accessible by any webbrowser. Also note that the ServletContext is in any HttpServlet class just accessible by the inherited GenericServlet#getServletContext() and in Filter by FilterConfig#getServletContext(). In case you're not in a servlet class, it's usually just injectable via #Inject.
3. Put it in local disk file system
So that you can load it the usual java.io way with an absolute local disk file system path:
InputStream input = new FileInputStream("/absolute/path/to/foo.properties");
// ...
Note the importance of using an absolute path. Relative local disk file system paths are an absolute no-go in a Java EE web application. See also the first "See also" link below.
Which to choose?
Just weigh the advantages/disadvantages in your own opinion of maintainability.
If the properties files are "static" and never needs to change during runtime, then you could keep them in the WAR.
If you prefer being able to edit properties files from outside the web application without the need to rebuild and redeploy the WAR every time, then put it in the classpath outside the project (if necessary add the directory to the classpath).
If you prefer being able to edit properties files programmatically from inside the web application using Properties#store() method, put it outside the web application. As the Properties#store() requires a Writer, you can't go around using a disk file system path. That path can in turn be passed to the web application as a VM argument or system property. As a precaution, never use getRealPath(). All changes in deploy folder will get lost on a redeploy for the simple reason that the changes are not reflected back in original WAR file.
See also:
getResourceAsStream() vs FileInputStream
Adding a directory to tomcat classpath
Accessing properties file in a JSF application programmatically
Word of warning: if you put config files in your WEB-INF/classes folder, and your IDE, say Eclipse, does a clean/rebuild, it will nuke your conf files unless they were in the Java source directory. BalusC's great answer alludes to that in option 1 but I wanted to add emphasis.
I learned the hard way that if you "copy" a web project in Eclipse, it does a clean/rebuild from any source folders. In my case I had added a "linked source dir" from our POJO java library, it would compile to the WEB-INF/classes folder. Doing a clean/rebuild in that project (not the web app project) caused the same problem.
I thought about putting my confs in the POJO src folder, but these confs are all for 3rd party libs (like Quartz or URLRewrite) that are in the WEB-INF/lib folder, so that didn't make sense. I plan to test putting it in the web projects "src" folder when i get around to it, but that folder is currently empty and having conf files in it seems inelegant.
So I vote for putting conf files in WEB-INF/commonConfFolder/filename.properties, next to the classes folder, which is Balus option 2.
Ex: In web.xml file the tag
<context-param>
<param-name>chatpropertyfile</param-name>
<!-- Name of the chat properties file. It contains the name and description of rooms.-->
<param-value>chat.properties</param-value>
</context-param>
And chat.properties you can declare your properties like this
For Ex :
Jsp = Discussion about JSP can be made here.
Java = Talk about java and related technologies like J2EE.
ASP = Discuss about Active Server Pages related technologies like VBScript and JScript etc.
Web_Designing = Any discussion related to HTML, JavaScript, DHTML etc.
StartUp = Startup chat room. Chatter is added to this after he logs in.
It just needs to be in the classpath (aka make sure it ends up under /WEB-INF/classes in the .war as part of the build).
You can you with your source folder so whenever you build, those files are automatically copied to the classes directory.
Instead of using properties file, use XML file.
If the data is too small, you can even use web.xml for accessing the properties.
Please note that any of these approach will require app server restart for changes to be reflected.
Assume your code is looking for the file say app.properties. Copy this file to any dir and add this dir to classpath, by creating a setenv.sh in the bin dir of tomcat.
In your setenv.sh of tomcat( if this file is not existing, create one , tomcat will load this setenv.sh file.
#!/bin/sh
CLASSPATH="$CLASSPATH:/home/user/config_my_prod/"
You should not have your properties files in ./webapps//WEB-INF/classes/app.properties
Tomcat class loader will override the with the one from WEB-INF/classes/
A good read:
https://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-8.0-doc/class-loader-howto.html
In my web application I have to send email to set of predefined users like finance#xyz.example, so I wish to add that to a .properties file and access it when required. Is this a correct procedure, if so then where should I place this file? I am using Netbeans IDE which is having two separate folders for source and JSP files.
It's your choice. There are basically three ways in a Java web application archive (WAR):
1. Put it in classpath
So that you can load it by ClassLoader#getResourceAsStream() with a classpath-relative path:
ClassLoader classLoader = Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();
InputStream input = classLoader.getResourceAsStream("foo.properties");
// ...
Properties properties = new Properties();
properties.load(input);
Here foo.properties is supposed to be placed in one of the roots which are covered by the default classpath of a webapp, e.g. webapp's /WEB-INF/lib and /WEB-INF/classes, server's /lib, or JDK/JRE's /lib. If the propertiesfile is webapp-specific, best is to place it in /WEB-INF/classes. If you're developing a standard WAR project in an IDE, drop it in src folder (the project's source folder). If you're using a Maven project, drop it in /main/resources folder.
You can alternatively also put it somewhere outside the default classpath and add its path to the classpath of the appserver. In for example Tomcat you can configure it as shared.loader property of Tomcat/conf/catalina.properties.
If you have placed the foo.properties it in a Java package structure like com.example, then you need to load it as below
ClassLoader classLoader = Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();
InputStream input = classLoader.getResourceAsStream("com/example/foo.properties");
// ...
Note that this path of a context class loader should not start with a /. Only when you're using a "relative" class loader such as SomeClass.class.getClassLoader(), then you indeed need to start it with a /.
ClassLoader classLoader = getClass().getClassLoader();
InputStream input = classLoader.getResourceAsStream("/com/example/foo.properties");
// ...
However, the visibility of the properties file depends then on the class loader in question. It's only visible to the same class loader as the one which loaded the class. So, if the class is loaded by e.g. server common classloader instead of webapp classloader, and the properties file is inside webapp itself, then it's invisible. The context class loader is your safest bet so you can place the properties file "everywhere" in the classpath and/or you intend to be able to override a server-provided one from the webapp on.
2. Put it in webcontent
So that you can load it by ServletContext#getResourceAsStream() with a webcontent-relative path:
InputStream input = getServletContext().getResourceAsStream("/WEB-INF/foo.properties");
// ...
Note that I have demonstrated to place the file in /WEB-INF folder, otherwise it would have been public accessible by any webbrowser. Also note that the ServletContext is in any HttpServlet class just accessible by the inherited GenericServlet#getServletContext() and in Filter by FilterConfig#getServletContext(). In case you're not in a servlet class, it's usually just injectable via #Inject.
3. Put it in local disk file system
So that you can load it the usual java.io way with an absolute local disk file system path:
InputStream input = new FileInputStream("/absolute/path/to/foo.properties");
// ...
Note the importance of using an absolute path. Relative local disk file system paths are an absolute no-go in a Java EE web application. See also the first "See also" link below.
Which to choose?
Just weigh the advantages/disadvantages in your own opinion of maintainability.
If the properties files are "static" and never needs to change during runtime, then you could keep them in the WAR.
If you prefer being able to edit properties files from outside the web application without the need to rebuild and redeploy the WAR every time, then put it in the classpath outside the project (if necessary add the directory to the classpath).
If you prefer being able to edit properties files programmatically from inside the web application using Properties#store() method, put it outside the web application. As the Properties#store() requires a Writer, you can't go around using a disk file system path. That path can in turn be passed to the web application as a VM argument or system property. As a precaution, never use getRealPath(). All changes in deploy folder will get lost on a redeploy for the simple reason that the changes are not reflected back in original WAR file.
See also:
getResourceAsStream() vs FileInputStream
Adding a directory to tomcat classpath
Accessing properties file in a JSF application programmatically
Word of warning: if you put config files in your WEB-INF/classes folder, and your IDE, say Eclipse, does a clean/rebuild, it will nuke your conf files unless they were in the Java source directory. BalusC's great answer alludes to that in option 1 but I wanted to add emphasis.
I learned the hard way that if you "copy" a web project in Eclipse, it does a clean/rebuild from any source folders. In my case I had added a "linked source dir" from our POJO java library, it would compile to the WEB-INF/classes folder. Doing a clean/rebuild in that project (not the web app project) caused the same problem.
I thought about putting my confs in the POJO src folder, but these confs are all for 3rd party libs (like Quartz or URLRewrite) that are in the WEB-INF/lib folder, so that didn't make sense. I plan to test putting it in the web projects "src" folder when i get around to it, but that folder is currently empty and having conf files in it seems inelegant.
So I vote for putting conf files in WEB-INF/commonConfFolder/filename.properties, next to the classes folder, which is Balus option 2.
Ex: In web.xml file the tag
<context-param>
<param-name>chatpropertyfile</param-name>
<!-- Name of the chat properties file. It contains the name and description of rooms.-->
<param-value>chat.properties</param-value>
</context-param>
And chat.properties you can declare your properties like this
For Ex :
Jsp = Discussion about JSP can be made here.
Java = Talk about java and related technologies like J2EE.
ASP = Discuss about Active Server Pages related technologies like VBScript and JScript etc.
Web_Designing = Any discussion related to HTML, JavaScript, DHTML etc.
StartUp = Startup chat room. Chatter is added to this after he logs in.
It just needs to be in the classpath (aka make sure it ends up under /WEB-INF/classes in the .war as part of the build).
You can you with your source folder so whenever you build, those files are automatically copied to the classes directory.
Instead of using properties file, use XML file.
If the data is too small, you can even use web.xml for accessing the properties.
Please note that any of these approach will require app server restart for changes to be reflected.
Assume your code is looking for the file say app.properties. Copy this file to any dir and add this dir to classpath, by creating a setenv.sh in the bin dir of tomcat.
In your setenv.sh of tomcat( if this file is not existing, create one , tomcat will load this setenv.sh file.
#!/bin/sh
CLASSPATH="$CLASSPATH:/home/user/config_my_prod/"
You should not have your properties files in ./webapps//WEB-INF/classes/app.properties
Tomcat class loader will override the with the one from WEB-INF/classes/
A good read:
https://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-8.0-doc/class-loader-howto.html
In my web application I have to send email to set of predefined users like finance#xyz.example, so I wish to add that to a .properties file and access it when required. Is this a correct procedure, if so then where should I place this file? I am using Netbeans IDE which is having two separate folders for source and JSP files.
It's your choice. There are basically three ways in a Java web application archive (WAR):
1. Put it in classpath
So that you can load it by ClassLoader#getResourceAsStream() with a classpath-relative path:
ClassLoader classLoader = Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();
InputStream input = classLoader.getResourceAsStream("foo.properties");
// ...
Properties properties = new Properties();
properties.load(input);
Here foo.properties is supposed to be placed in one of the roots which are covered by the default classpath of a webapp, e.g. webapp's /WEB-INF/lib and /WEB-INF/classes, server's /lib, or JDK/JRE's /lib. If the propertiesfile is webapp-specific, best is to place it in /WEB-INF/classes. If you're developing a standard WAR project in an IDE, drop it in src folder (the project's source folder). If you're using a Maven project, drop it in /main/resources folder.
You can alternatively also put it somewhere outside the default classpath and add its path to the classpath of the appserver. In for example Tomcat you can configure it as shared.loader property of Tomcat/conf/catalina.properties.
If you have placed the foo.properties it in a Java package structure like com.example, then you need to load it as below
ClassLoader classLoader = Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();
InputStream input = classLoader.getResourceAsStream("com/example/foo.properties");
// ...
Note that this path of a context class loader should not start with a /. Only when you're using a "relative" class loader such as SomeClass.class.getClassLoader(), then you indeed need to start it with a /.
ClassLoader classLoader = getClass().getClassLoader();
InputStream input = classLoader.getResourceAsStream("/com/example/foo.properties");
// ...
However, the visibility of the properties file depends then on the class loader in question. It's only visible to the same class loader as the one which loaded the class. So, if the class is loaded by e.g. server common classloader instead of webapp classloader, and the properties file is inside webapp itself, then it's invisible. The context class loader is your safest bet so you can place the properties file "everywhere" in the classpath and/or you intend to be able to override a server-provided one from the webapp on.
2. Put it in webcontent
So that you can load it by ServletContext#getResourceAsStream() with a webcontent-relative path:
InputStream input = getServletContext().getResourceAsStream("/WEB-INF/foo.properties");
// ...
Note that I have demonstrated to place the file in /WEB-INF folder, otherwise it would have been public accessible by any webbrowser. Also note that the ServletContext is in any HttpServlet class just accessible by the inherited GenericServlet#getServletContext() and in Filter by FilterConfig#getServletContext(). In case you're not in a servlet class, it's usually just injectable via #Inject.
3. Put it in local disk file system
So that you can load it the usual java.io way with an absolute local disk file system path:
InputStream input = new FileInputStream("/absolute/path/to/foo.properties");
// ...
Note the importance of using an absolute path. Relative local disk file system paths are an absolute no-go in a Java EE web application. See also the first "See also" link below.
Which to choose?
Just weigh the advantages/disadvantages in your own opinion of maintainability.
If the properties files are "static" and never needs to change during runtime, then you could keep them in the WAR.
If you prefer being able to edit properties files from outside the web application without the need to rebuild and redeploy the WAR every time, then put it in the classpath outside the project (if necessary add the directory to the classpath).
If you prefer being able to edit properties files programmatically from inside the web application using Properties#store() method, put it outside the web application. As the Properties#store() requires a Writer, you can't go around using a disk file system path. That path can in turn be passed to the web application as a VM argument or system property. As a precaution, never use getRealPath(). All changes in deploy folder will get lost on a redeploy for the simple reason that the changes are not reflected back in original WAR file.
See also:
getResourceAsStream() vs FileInputStream
Adding a directory to tomcat classpath
Accessing properties file in a JSF application programmatically
Word of warning: if you put config files in your WEB-INF/classes folder, and your IDE, say Eclipse, does a clean/rebuild, it will nuke your conf files unless they were in the Java source directory. BalusC's great answer alludes to that in option 1 but I wanted to add emphasis.
I learned the hard way that if you "copy" a web project in Eclipse, it does a clean/rebuild from any source folders. In my case I had added a "linked source dir" from our POJO java library, it would compile to the WEB-INF/classes folder. Doing a clean/rebuild in that project (not the web app project) caused the same problem.
I thought about putting my confs in the POJO src folder, but these confs are all for 3rd party libs (like Quartz or URLRewrite) that are in the WEB-INF/lib folder, so that didn't make sense. I plan to test putting it in the web projects "src" folder when i get around to it, but that folder is currently empty and having conf files in it seems inelegant.
So I vote for putting conf files in WEB-INF/commonConfFolder/filename.properties, next to the classes folder, which is Balus option 2.
Ex: In web.xml file the tag
<context-param>
<param-name>chatpropertyfile</param-name>
<!-- Name of the chat properties file. It contains the name and description of rooms.-->
<param-value>chat.properties</param-value>
</context-param>
And chat.properties you can declare your properties like this
For Ex :
Jsp = Discussion about JSP can be made here.
Java = Talk about java and related technologies like J2EE.
ASP = Discuss about Active Server Pages related technologies like VBScript and JScript etc.
Web_Designing = Any discussion related to HTML, JavaScript, DHTML etc.
StartUp = Startup chat room. Chatter is added to this after he logs in.
It just needs to be in the classpath (aka make sure it ends up under /WEB-INF/classes in the .war as part of the build).
You can you with your source folder so whenever you build, those files are automatically copied to the classes directory.
Instead of using properties file, use XML file.
If the data is too small, you can even use web.xml for accessing the properties.
Please note that any of these approach will require app server restart for changes to be reflected.
Assume your code is looking for the file say app.properties. Copy this file to any dir and add this dir to classpath, by creating a setenv.sh in the bin dir of tomcat.
In your setenv.sh of tomcat( if this file is not existing, create one , tomcat will load this setenv.sh file.
#!/bin/sh
CLASSPATH="$CLASSPATH:/home/user/config_my_prod/"
You should not have your properties files in ./webapps//WEB-INF/classes/app.properties
Tomcat class loader will override the with the one from WEB-INF/classes/
A good read:
https://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-8.0-doc/class-loader-howto.html
In my web application I have to send email to set of predefined users like finance#xyz.example, so I wish to add that to a .properties file and access it when required. Is this a correct procedure, if so then where should I place this file? I am using Netbeans IDE which is having two separate folders for source and JSP files.
It's your choice. There are basically three ways in a Java web application archive (WAR):
1. Put it in classpath
So that you can load it by ClassLoader#getResourceAsStream() with a classpath-relative path:
ClassLoader classLoader = Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();
InputStream input = classLoader.getResourceAsStream("foo.properties");
// ...
Properties properties = new Properties();
properties.load(input);
Here foo.properties is supposed to be placed in one of the roots which are covered by the default classpath of a webapp, e.g. webapp's /WEB-INF/lib and /WEB-INF/classes, server's /lib, or JDK/JRE's /lib. If the propertiesfile is webapp-specific, best is to place it in /WEB-INF/classes. If you're developing a standard WAR project in an IDE, drop it in src folder (the project's source folder). If you're using a Maven project, drop it in /main/resources folder.
You can alternatively also put it somewhere outside the default classpath and add its path to the classpath of the appserver. In for example Tomcat you can configure it as shared.loader property of Tomcat/conf/catalina.properties.
If you have placed the foo.properties it in a Java package structure like com.example, then you need to load it as below
ClassLoader classLoader = Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();
InputStream input = classLoader.getResourceAsStream("com/example/foo.properties");
// ...
Note that this path of a context class loader should not start with a /. Only when you're using a "relative" class loader such as SomeClass.class.getClassLoader(), then you indeed need to start it with a /.
ClassLoader classLoader = getClass().getClassLoader();
InputStream input = classLoader.getResourceAsStream("/com/example/foo.properties");
// ...
However, the visibility of the properties file depends then on the class loader in question. It's only visible to the same class loader as the one which loaded the class. So, if the class is loaded by e.g. server common classloader instead of webapp classloader, and the properties file is inside webapp itself, then it's invisible. The context class loader is your safest bet so you can place the properties file "everywhere" in the classpath and/or you intend to be able to override a server-provided one from the webapp on.
2. Put it in webcontent
So that you can load it by ServletContext#getResourceAsStream() with a webcontent-relative path:
InputStream input = getServletContext().getResourceAsStream("/WEB-INF/foo.properties");
// ...
Note that I have demonstrated to place the file in /WEB-INF folder, otherwise it would have been public accessible by any webbrowser. Also note that the ServletContext is in any HttpServlet class just accessible by the inherited GenericServlet#getServletContext() and in Filter by FilterConfig#getServletContext(). In case you're not in a servlet class, it's usually just injectable via #Inject.
3. Put it in local disk file system
So that you can load it the usual java.io way with an absolute local disk file system path:
InputStream input = new FileInputStream("/absolute/path/to/foo.properties");
// ...
Note the importance of using an absolute path. Relative local disk file system paths are an absolute no-go in a Java EE web application. See also the first "See also" link below.
Which to choose?
Just weigh the advantages/disadvantages in your own opinion of maintainability.
If the properties files are "static" and never needs to change during runtime, then you could keep them in the WAR.
If you prefer being able to edit properties files from outside the web application without the need to rebuild and redeploy the WAR every time, then put it in the classpath outside the project (if necessary add the directory to the classpath).
If you prefer being able to edit properties files programmatically from inside the web application using Properties#store() method, put it outside the web application. As the Properties#store() requires a Writer, you can't go around using a disk file system path. That path can in turn be passed to the web application as a VM argument or system property. As a precaution, never use getRealPath(). All changes in deploy folder will get lost on a redeploy for the simple reason that the changes are not reflected back in original WAR file.
See also:
getResourceAsStream() vs FileInputStream
Adding a directory to tomcat classpath
Accessing properties file in a JSF application programmatically
Word of warning: if you put config files in your WEB-INF/classes folder, and your IDE, say Eclipse, does a clean/rebuild, it will nuke your conf files unless they were in the Java source directory. BalusC's great answer alludes to that in option 1 but I wanted to add emphasis.
I learned the hard way that if you "copy" a web project in Eclipse, it does a clean/rebuild from any source folders. In my case I had added a "linked source dir" from our POJO java library, it would compile to the WEB-INF/classes folder. Doing a clean/rebuild in that project (not the web app project) caused the same problem.
I thought about putting my confs in the POJO src folder, but these confs are all for 3rd party libs (like Quartz or URLRewrite) that are in the WEB-INF/lib folder, so that didn't make sense. I plan to test putting it in the web projects "src" folder when i get around to it, but that folder is currently empty and having conf files in it seems inelegant.
So I vote for putting conf files in WEB-INF/commonConfFolder/filename.properties, next to the classes folder, which is Balus option 2.
Ex: In web.xml file the tag
<context-param>
<param-name>chatpropertyfile</param-name>
<!-- Name of the chat properties file. It contains the name and description of rooms.-->
<param-value>chat.properties</param-value>
</context-param>
And chat.properties you can declare your properties like this
For Ex :
Jsp = Discussion about JSP can be made here.
Java = Talk about java and related technologies like J2EE.
ASP = Discuss about Active Server Pages related technologies like VBScript and JScript etc.
Web_Designing = Any discussion related to HTML, JavaScript, DHTML etc.
StartUp = Startup chat room. Chatter is added to this after he logs in.
It just needs to be in the classpath (aka make sure it ends up under /WEB-INF/classes in the .war as part of the build).
You can you with your source folder so whenever you build, those files are automatically copied to the classes directory.
Instead of using properties file, use XML file.
If the data is too small, you can even use web.xml for accessing the properties.
Please note that any of these approach will require app server restart for changes to be reflected.
Assume your code is looking for the file say app.properties. Copy this file to any dir and add this dir to classpath, by creating a setenv.sh in the bin dir of tomcat.
In your setenv.sh of tomcat( if this file is not existing, create one , tomcat will load this setenv.sh file.
#!/bin/sh
CLASSPATH="$CLASSPATH:/home/user/config_my_prod/"
You should not have your properties files in ./webapps//WEB-INF/classes/app.properties
Tomcat class loader will override the with the one from WEB-INF/classes/
A good read:
https://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-8.0-doc/class-loader-howto.html
Im developing desktop java application using maven.
I got a *.properties file that I need to retrive during execution (src/resources/application.properties).
The only thing comes to my mind is to use:
private Properties applicationProperties;
applicationProperties.load(new BufferedInputStream(new FileInputStream("src/resources/application.properties")));
This would work if I run my application directly from IDE.
I want to to keep outpout hierarchy clear, so I set maven to copy resources folder dircetly to target folder (which is a basedir for the output application). This way application.properties file won't load (since I have target/resources/application.properties but not target/src/resources/application.properties).
What is the best way to manage resources so they work both when I debug from IDE and run builded jar file directly?
Don't expect files to be in the src folder - it doesn't exist at runtime. The properties files go to /bin. But don't rely on that either. Because FileInputStream takes absolute paths only.
When you need a classpath-relative path, use:
InputStream is = YourClass.class.getResourceAsStream("/a.properties")`
(maven sends files from /src/main/resources to the root of the classpath)
You should load the property file from the classpath rather than from an explicit file system location:
applicationProperties.load(new BufferedInputStream(this.getClass().getResourceAsStream( "/application.properties" );
As long as your IDE is configured to include the resources directory on your classpath (this should be the default with Maven), then this will work whether you're running within the IDE or not since maven will copy the resources to the right place when packaging your archive.