Java how to determine application directory when creating simple installer - java

I need to create a log file in application directory. Currently I'm using hard-coded absolute path, like
public class Transformer
{
static String LOG_DIR = "ABSOLUTE_PATH_TO_THE_APPLICATION_DIRECTORY";
File log = new File(log_DIR, "log");
}
If someone else have my code, he will has to go the source code, change the LOG_DIR and then recompile. I just know a little about GNU make. My question is, how can I create a "installer" that works like:
./config
make install
and what's the standard/better way of achieving this?
Currently I have:
String path = Transformer.class.getProtectionDomain().getCodeSource().getLocation().getPath()
Best way to load application settings
With 2, I think I can use a shell script to generate a .properties file.
update
Sorry about the confusing "log file", but I actually mean a regular file, it just happen to containing some sort of log information.

You could define the "app.logs.dir" property on application start and refer to it in the log4j configuration:
main(String[] args) {
...
final String appRootDir = /* Detect app location. */;
System.setProperty("app.logs.dir", appRootDir);
// Now we can use the logger.
...
}
And in "log4j.properties":
log4j.appender.filelog.file=${app.logs.dir}/myapp.log
UPDATE
Option #1, the getProtectionDomain() one, might not work depending on the JVM's SecurityManager settings so the best way probably is option #2 - your installer script should store the application installation location in the application configuration file.
And to keep the number of component references low you can read the configuration file into System properties just like I showed above.
File log = new File(System.getProperty("app.logs.dir"), "log");

Related

Java how to read parameters from both file and cli?

I'm writing a tool in java and I need to provide some parameters that user can set.
I thought it is good to have ability to save all parameters in a file (and just run the .jar) and to alter saved parameters through command line.
So, I need to somehow handle parameters from two sources (priority, validity, etc.). Currently I use Apache.commons.cli to read cli-provided parameters and java.util.Properties for file-provided properties. And then I combine these properties together (and add some defaults if needed). But I don't like the result, it seems over-complicated to me.
So the code is something like this:
Properties fromFile = new Properties();
fromFile.load(new FileInputStream("settings.properties"));
cli.Options cliOptions = new cli.Options();
cliOptions.addOption(longName, shortName, hasArg, description);
//add more options
Parser parser = new DefaultParser();
CommandLine fromCli = parser.parse(cliOptions, args);
//at this point I have two different objects with properties I need,
//and I need to get every property from fromCli, check it's not empty,
// if it is, get it from fromFile, etc
So the question is: is there any library to handle properties from different sources (cli, file, defaults)? I tried googling, but did not succeed. Sorry if my googling skills are just not enough.
I'd like the code to be something like this:
import org.supertools.allPropsLib;
allPropsLib.PropsHandler handler = new allPropsLib.PropsHandler();
handler.addOptions(name, shortName, hasArg, description, defaultsTo);
handler.addSource(allPropsLib.Sources.CLI);
handler.addSource(allPropsLib.Sources.FILE);
handler.addSource(allPropsLib.Sources.DEFAULTS);
handler.setFileSource("filename");
allPropsLib.PropsContainer properties = handler.readAllProps();
// and at this point container should contain properties combined
// maybe there should be some handler function to tell the priorities,
// but I don't need to decide from where each properties should be taken
After you define the properties, load them into a java.util.Properties container regardless of the source. Then call the logic and pass it the container as a parameter.

Java Create Undeletable File

Is there any method to create a file in java that cannot be deleted.
I have googled it and found processes involving the cmd.
However, I require a pure "java" way that can be done on any platform.
Thanks in advance.
Thank you for your help.
I finally got it right.
I used the following code to deny access to user
public static void main() throws IOException
{
Path file = Paths.get("c:/b.txt");
AclFileAttributeView aclAttr = Files.getFileAttributeView(file, AclFileAttributeView.class);
//System.out.println();
UserPrincipalLookupService upls = file.getFileSystem().getUserPrincipalLookupService();
UserPrincipal user = upls.lookupPrincipalByName(System.getProperty("user.name"));
AclEntry.Builder builder = AclEntry.newBuilder();
builder.setPermissions(EnumSet.of(AclEntryPermission.APPEND_DATA, AclEntryPermission.DELETE, AclEntryPermission.DELETE_CHILD, AclEntryPermission.EXECUTE, AclEntryPermission.READ_ACL, AclEntryPermission.READ_ATTRIBUTES, AclEntryPermission.READ_DATA, AclEntryPermission.READ_NAMED_ATTRS, AclEntryPermission.SYNCHRONIZE, AclEntryPermission.WRITE_ACL, AclEntryPermission.WRITE_ATTRIBUTES, AclEntryPermission.WRITE_DATA, AclEntryPermission.WRITE_NAMED_ATTRS, AclEntryPermission.WRITE_OWNER));
builder.setPrincipal(user);
builder.setType(AclEntryType.DENY);
aclAttr.setAcl(Collections.singletonList(builder.build()));
}
Try the method setPosixFilePermissions() and set the permissions to read only for all the classes of users. Refer this - http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/java/nio/file/Files.html#setPosixFilePermissions%28java.nio.file.Path,%20java.util.Set%29
If you want to create a file that can't be accidentally overwritten, then look at the various answers to this: How do i programmatically change file permissions?
If you want to create a file that the current program cannot delete at all (but a privileged one could), it might be possible by setting permissions appropriately on the parent directory, or possibly using SELinux Mandatory Access Control cleverness.
If you want to create a truly undeleteable file, then you are out of luck. I am not aware of any operating system that supports creation of files that can never be deleted. It would be an "anti-feature".
I would also agree with #Teifi's comment. Create a file that cannot ever be deleted on the user's machine is not acceptable ... unless done by, or with the authorization of the system's administrators. I would call any software that did that "malicious" too.

How to set system variables from Java?

I need to set certain system variables from within the program. My Google fu is failing me in finding any way to do it. How do I do it? (I am okay with hacky approaches. I need to be able to run this app on Windows, Linux, and Mac.)
Edit:
Adding here my comment from below the post, as it isn't readily visible there:
The best link I could found was this, and it sets the variables only in memory. They do not persist after the program exit.
Edit:
I am writing an installer and need to somehow record at system level that installation happened (along with paths to some directories). The next time user runs the setup, the installer will check if the variables already exist in the system, in which case a user will be given an appropriate warning.
If twiddling with environment variables is not a good idea, what will be the best approach to achieve the above?
Use
following methods of system class
// Get a system property
String dir = System.getProperty("user.dir");
// Set a system property
String previousValue = System.setProperty("application.property", "newValue");
for more details reffer
http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CF8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.oracle.com%2Fjavase%2Ftutorial%2Fessential%2Fenvironment%2Fsysprop.html&ei=oHLgT6agKcborAf_3L3-DA&usg=AFQjCNGWSWRjk3ityPQqreuwx_O7Bp7kdg&sig2=Y1tfYzdXAmNX-hpB8Z64kw
If you want your environment variables to persist after your program ends, I would suggest you use the Properties class. It can be persisted to a file very easily, and vice versa.
First of all, Properties is a java class that is used to hold properties that maybe needed for your program. The basic properties that you are talking about are provided by the operating system. Not all of these can be changed. If you try, you will get a SecutrityException (You can't change the os.name for instance). The basic properties are read from the memory of the computer (basically) you can add additional variables to this by setting environment variables in the operating system you are using. Such as in Win95 you can add to the autoexec.bat the line:
set BARTENDER_NAME=Carl
This line can go in any batch file and BARTENDER_NAME will equal Carl until you reset it.
In your java program If you add the line
System.out.println(System.getProperty("BARTEDER_NAME"));
You'll get Carl as the output.
In the bash shell on Linux or Unix you'd use
BARTENDER_NAME=Carl
export BARTENDER_NAME
You can create your own set of properties for your java program and store them in a file and load them using the Properties load() method.
Hope this helps
from
http://www.coderanch.com/t/387634/java/java/Permanently-setting-System-property
Ok this is off the top of my head so it's extremely hacky and stuff.
Get hold of a process and run the command line command that will set the system variables. This isn't portable but it should suffice for short term till you find a better solution.
Because there is not a standard solution for this, I would recommend you to use a Factory Pattern for this. It means something like:
envManager = null
if system is Windows
`envManager = WindowsEnvManager`
else if system is Linux
`envManager = LinuxEnvManager`
else if system is Mac
`envManager = macEnvManager`
persistEnvironment(envManager);
and the persistEnvironment method would call the specific functions on EnvManager.
How about using Java Preferences API. That way you would store this kind of data in the Registry if you run on Windows. Simple tutorial here.
You can store the preferences per system or per user and the preferences are persistent as well as you desire.
Edit
Example:
package com.stackoverflow.Q11100967;
import java.util.prefs.Preferences;
/**
* #author maba, 2012-06-20
*/
public class App {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Preferences preferences = Preferences.systemNodeForPackage(App.class);
if (!preferences.getBoolean("installed", false)) {
// Install the stuff...
preferences.putBoolean("installed", true);
preferences.put("version", "1.2.3");
}
}
}
On Windows the preferences will be stored at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/JavaSoft/Prefs/com/stackoverflow/Q11100967.
In order for this to work you have to run your process with admin privileges or a similar approach.
Edit2
On Linux the preferences would be stored at /etc/.java/.systemPrefs/com/stackoverflow/Q11100967/ in a file called prefs.xml with the following content:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<!DOCTYPE map SYSTEM "http://java.sun.com/dtd/preferences.dtd">
<map MAP_XML_VERSION="1.0">
<entry key="installed" value="true"/>
<entry key="version" value="1.2.3"/>
</map>

Is it possible to supply a new PropertiesConfiguration file at runtime?

Background:
I have a requirement that messages displayed to the user must vary both by language and by company division. Thus, I can't use out of the box resource bundles, so I'm essentially writing my own version of resource bundles using PropertiesConfiguration files.
In addition, I have a requirement that messages must be modifiable dynamically in production w/o doing restarts.
I'm loading up three different iterations of property files:
-basename_division.properties
-basename_2CharLanguageCode.properties
-basename.properties
These files exist in the classpath. This code is going into a tag library to be used by multiple portlets in a Portal.
I construct the possible .properties files, and then try to load each of them via the following:
PropertiesConfiguration configurationProperties;
try {
configurationProperties = new PropertiesConfiguration(propertyFileName);
configurationProperties.setReloadingStrategy(new FileChangedReloadingStrategy());
} catch (ConfigurationException e) {
/* This is ok -- it just means that the specific configuration file doesn't
exist right now, which will often be true. */
return(null);
}
If it did successfully locate a file, it saves the created PropertiesConfiguration into a hashmap for reuse, and then tries to find the key. (Unlike regular resource bundles, if it doesn't find the key, it then tries to find the more general file to see if the key exists in that file -- so that only override exceptions need to be put into language/division specific property files.)
The Problem:
If a file did not exist the first time it was checked, it throws the expected exception. However, if at a later time a file is then later dropped into the classpath and this code is then re-run, the exception is still thrown. Restarting the portal obviously clears the problem, but that's not useful to me -- I need to be able to allow them to drop new messages in place for language/companyDivision overrides w/o a restart. And I'm not that interested in creating blank files for all possible divisions, since there are quite a few divisions.
I'm assuming this is a classLoader issue, in that it determines that the file did not exist in the classpath the first time, and caches that result when trying to reload the same file. I'm not interested in doing anything too fancy w/ the classLoader. (I'd be the only one who would be able to understand/maintain that code.) The specific environment is WebSphere Portal.
Any ways around this or am I stuck?
My guess is that I am not sure if Apache's FileChangedReloadingStrategy also reports the events of ENTRY_CREATE on a file system directory.
If you're using Java 7, I propose to try the following. Simply, implement a new ReloadingStrategy using Java 7 WatchService. In this way, every time either a file is changed in your target directories or a new property file is placed there, you poll for the event and able to add the properties to your application.
If not on Java 7, maybe using a library such as JNotify would be a better solution to get the event of a new entry in a directory. But again, you need to implement the ReloadingStrategy.
UPDATE for Java 6:
PropertiesConfiguration configurationProperties;
try {
configurationProperties = new PropertiesConfiguration(propertyFileName);
configurationProperties.setReloadingStrategy(new FileChangedReloadingStrategy());
} catch (ConfigurationException e) {
JNotify.addWatch(propertyFileDirectory, JNotify.FILE_CREATED, false, new FileCreatedListener());
}
where
class FileCreatedListener implements JNotifyListener {
// other methods
public void fileCreated(int watchId, String rootPath, String fileName) {
configurationProperties = new PropertiesConfiguration(rootPath + "/" + fileName);
configurationProperties.setReloadingStrategy(new FileChangedReloadingStrategy());
// or any other business with configurationProperties
}
}

Strategy to consolidate Java webapp configuration files for multiple deployments

I apologize if this is a duplicate, I couldn't find anything describing exactly what I wanted. I'm building a webapp that has a number of different properties that need to change depending on the environment in addition to a number of .properties configuration files that need to change as well. Right now I have a global enum (DEVELOPMENT, STAGING, and PRODUCTION) that is used to determine which string constants are used in the application and then I utilize a bunch of comments in the configuration files to switch between database servers, etc. There has got to be a better way to do this...I'd ideally like to be able to make one change in one file (A large block comment would be fine...) to adjust these configurations. I saw this post where the answer is to utilize JNDI which I really like, but it would seem as though I would need to call that from a servlet that starts up or a bean that gets initialized on start in order to use it for my log4j or JDBC configuration files.
Does anybody have any strategies for dealing with this?
Thanks!
I'm not sure if this strategy will apply to your situation, but in the past I've successfully used our build tool (ant in that case) to build different war files depending on the profile. So you would have multiple log4j configuration files in your source tree, and then delete the ones you don't want from the final build depending on the profile that was used to build it.
Traceability becomes slightly hard (i.e. difficult sometimes to figure out which one was used to build it), but it's a very clean solution, from your code perspective, since it's all done in your build script.
We store all our default configuration values in a single XML file. During deployment we apply an XML patch (RFC-5261) with values specific to the environment.
https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc5261
http://xmlpatch.sourceforge.net/
I am going to assume that your properties files are made up of 95% name=value pairs that are identical across all your deployment environments and 5% of name=value pairs that change from one deployment environment to another.
If this assumption is correct, then you could try something like the following pseudocode.
void generateRuntimeConfigFiles(int deploymentMode)
{
String[] searchAndReplacePairs;
if (deploymentMode == Constants.PRODUCTION) {
searchAndReplacePairs = ...
} else if (deploymentMode == Constants.STAGING) {
searchAndReplacePairs = ...
} else { // Constants.DEVELOPMENT
searchAndReplacePairs = ...
}
String[] filePairs = new String[] {
"log4j-template.properties", "log4j.properties",
"jdbc-template.properties", "jdbc.properties",
"foo-template.xml", "foo.xml",
...
};
for (int i = 0; i < filePairs.length; i += 2) {
String inFile = filePairs[i + 0];
String ouFile = filePairs[i + 1];
searchAndReplaceInFile(inFile, outFile,
searchAndReplacePairs);
}
}
Your application calls generateRuntimeConfigFiles() before initialising anything else that might rely on properties/XML files.
Now the only problem you have to deal with is how to store and retrieve different settings for searchAndReplacePairs. Perhaps you could obtain them from files with names such as production.properties, staging.properties and development.properties.
If the above approach is appealing to you, then email me for the source code of searchAndReplaceInFile() to save you having to re-invent the wheel. You can find my email address from the "info" box in my Stackoverflow profile.
I suggest using Apache Commons Configuration. It provides all the plumbing for dealing with different configurations depending on your environment.
http://commons.apache.org/configuration

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