Develop Reference

Java web project, property file not updated properly and missed some position in the loop [duplicate]

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

Read XML file in server from servlet [duplicate]

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

Load config file from a war

I have a Maven project that I'm trying to package as both a war and a jar. As part of my application / servlet initialisation (depending on whether I'm running the jar or the war), I need to read a file called server.ini. I've put the file in src/main/resources/server.ini and am trying to load it like so:
System.class.getResourceAsStream("server.ini");
However, this always results in null. What am I doing wrong?

The server.ini file should be in the root of a resources directory.
By placing it in the webapp you're making the file available via http, but you need it accessible on the classpath, which means that you should place it in the resources directory.

There's a good chance web.xml or context.xml is better suited to what you're trying to do, but...
Try putting server.ini in WEB-INF/classes, or do something like this.

The issue was that I was using the System classloader with an unqualified path, so it was expecting to find my server.ini in the java.lang package.
Since my file is in src/main/resources, I should just use the classloader of my current class, with an absolute path:
getClass().getResourceAsStream("/server.ini")
This works in both the war and the jar.
The "Preferred way of loading resources in Java" question has a great explanation of resource loading.

How to read a directory in webapp folder of Maven web application

I'm working in maven web application. I need to read a directory(For ex: Files) in my webapp folder as follows,
Java.io.File file = new Java.io.File("path");
But I don't know how to specify the path of the directory here.

You shouldn't give local path addresses. Path should be a relative address, e.g. /files/images under your web archive (.war) folder.
To use relative paths properly, I suggest you to add your target folder to the resources definiton of POM.xml, check out these pages
http://www.mkyong.com/maven/how-to-change-maven-resources-folder-location/
http://maven.apache.org/guides/introduction/introduction-to-the-standard-directory-layout.html
You can refer to resources folder easily with something like this:
this.class.getResource("Mydirectory/SubDirectory");

When in doubt how relatives paths work, it's always best to do something like that:
System.out.println(new File("/my/desired/directory").getAbsolutePath());
This will print out the path in which classpath will look for the files.
Assuming:
servlet container webapps dir is located in: /var/lib/tomcat6/webapps
your webapp is called my-webapp.war
You should see the following output: /var/lib/tomcat6/webapps/my-webapp/my/desired/directory
Another pointer: you have mentioned that you are looking for webapp directory. I hope you know that this directory will not end up in *.war - it's contents will.

War files are not always expanded when they are deployed to an app server, so it's possible that a relative path won't exist in a filesystem at all.
Best bets are to use getResource from the class loader, which will return things in the class path (the WEB-INF/lib directory, etc), or to use the getResource() method of ServletContext to find things in the web application itself.

How to change location of static file in WAR archive?

By default static files are located in WEB-INF directory (accessible as /images/logo.png):
foo.war
WEB-INF
web.xml
images
logo.png
I want to change the structure and use this one instead (still accessible as /images/logo.png):
foo.war
WEB-INF
web.xml
static
images
logo.png
How can I do this with web.xml?

The container will repsond with a 404 NOT FOUND error if you directly access the files under WEB-INF using HTTP GET .
But now , you said you can access WEB-INF/images/logo.png by /images/logo.png , so I think your web application most probably achieve this result by some URLRewriteFilter mechainsim or by some Java code in the servlet level (eg a filter) , or by your web application 's framework . I suggest you to check your web application to see what mechanism causes this behvaior now and configurate to your desired result accordingly.

According to http://java.sun.com/j2ee/tutorial/1_3-fcs/doc/WCC3.html,:
A WAR has a specific directory
structure. The top-level directory of
a WAR is the document root of the
application. The document root is
where JSP pages, client-side classes
and archives, and static Web resources
are stored.
The document root contains a
subdirectory called WEB-INF, which
contains the following files and
directories:
web.xml: The Web application
deployment descriptor Tag library
descriptor files (see Tag Library
Descriptors) classes: A directory
that contains server-side classes:
servlets, utility classes, and
JavaBeans components lib: A
directory that contains JAR archives
of libraries (tag libraries and any
utility libraries called by
server-side classes).
You can also create
application-specific subdirectories
(that is, package directories) in
either the document root or the
WEB-INF/classes directory.
So the default behavior is what you're looking for. Is your document root set incorrectly to serve content from WEB-INF?

You may use a filter or URLRewriteFilter to point /images/* to /static/images/*.
If you just want your folder structure to be /static/images for development time organization purposes, but the deployment URL to be /images -- you may need to alter your build script to copy /static/** to /.
I personally would not bother whether my static files are referred as /static/images or /images -- because they would be referred in my code (only), which I have control over.
If you are using these files in CSS and that's why you wanted the path to stay the same... better keep the images under /static/css/images and have the images that are referred in the CSS here. In this way, no matter where you move your CSS folder, you would not bother spoiling your CSS.