Ant: How to place resource files into bottom of package level structure?

[James Dekker]

Title: Ant: How to place resource files into bottom of package level structure?

Hello,

Have the following sample project structure:

mysite (Project Name)
|
|-- src (Top level source folder)
|   |
|   -- example (top level source folder and package name)
|      |
|      HelloWorld.java
|
|-- resources 
    |
    --- english.properties

Wrote an Ant build script which does this:

(1) Creates a build directory

(2) Compiles the Java code into the build directory

(3) Packages the compiled code into a war file

(4) Moves the war file into $TOMCAT_HOME/webapps

Ant build script:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<project name="mysite" default="deploy" basedir=".">
   
    <property file="build.properties"/>
	<property file="admin.properties"/>
	
	<taskdef file="tomcatTasks.properties">
        <classpath>
            <pathelement path="${tomcat.home}/lib/catalina-ant.jar"/>
        </classpath>
	</taskdef>

	<target name="prepare">
	    <mkdir dir="${webapp.build.dir}" />
	    <mkdir dir="${webapp.build.dir}/WEB-INF" />
	    <mkdir dir="${webapp.build.dir}/WEB-INF/lib" />
	    <mkdir dir="${webapp.build.dir}/WEB-INF/classes" />
	</target>
	
    <target name="static" depends="prepare">
	    <!-- Copy web files -->
	    <copy todir="${webapp.build.dir}/">
	        <fileset dir="web" />
	    </copy>
	    <!-- Copy webapp configuration files -->
	    <copy todir="${webapp.build.dir}/WEB-INF/">
	        <fileset dir="etc" />
	    </copy>
    	<!-- Copy properties files -->
    	<copy todir="${webapp.build.dir}/WEB-INF/classes">
    		<fileset dir="props" />
    	</copy>
	    <!-- Copy jar files -->
	    <copy todir="${webapp.build.dir}/WEB-INF/lib/">
	       <fileset dir="lib" />
	    </copy>
	</target>
    
	<target name="compile" depends="static">
	    <javac srcdir="src"
	           destdir="${webapp.build.dir}/WEB-INF/classes/"
	           deprecation="off" debug="on" optimize="off">
	      	<classpath>
	        	<!-- Include all JAR files in my local library -->
	        	<fileset dir="lib">
	        		<include name="*.jar"/>
	        	</fileset>
	        	<!-- Include all common libraries in Tomcat -->
	        	<fileset dir="${tomcat.home}/lib">
	        		<include name="*.jar"/>
	        	</fileset>
	      	</classpath>
	    </javac>
    </target>

	<target name="deploy" depends="compile">
	    <jar jarfile="${build.dir}/${webapp.name}.war" basedir="${webapp.build.dir}" />
	    <!-- Copy the newly built WAR file into the deployment directory -->
    	<copy file="${build.dir}/${webapp.name}.war" todir="${tomcat.deployment.dir}" />
	</target>
    
    <target name="clean" 
            description="Clears all generated files, including build directories, distributables, and documentation.">
        <delete dir="${build.dir}"/>
    </target>
	
	<target name="package">
		<jar jarfile="${build.dir}/${webapp.name}.war" basedir="${webapp.build.dir}" />
	</target>
	
	<target name="install" description="Install application in Tomcat" depends="package">
	    <deploy url="${tomcat.manager.url}"
	            username="${tomcat.username}"
	            password="${tomcat.password}"
	            path="/${webapp.name}"
	            war="file:${tomcat.deployment.dir}/${webapp.name}.war"/>
	</target>

    <target name="undeploy" depends="clean" description="Remove application in Tomcat">
        <undeploy url="${tomcat.manager.url}"
            	  username="${tomcat.username}"
                  password="${tomcat.password}"
                  path="/${webapp.name}"/>
    </target>
</project>

When I run this build script, it places the mysite.war file under $TOMCAT_HOME/webapps,
which, in turn, unpacks itself like this:

$TOMCAT_HOME/webapps/mysite/WEB-INF/classes/example/HelloWorld.class

What I need is the english.properties (located inside the resources folder) to be parallel with HelloWorld.class.

Am manually doing this by explicitly putting in the directory name inside my compile target:

<target name="compile" depends="static">
    <javac srcdir="src"
           destdir="${webapp.build.dir}/WEB-INF/classes/"
           deprecation="off" debug="on" optimize="off">
      	    <classpath>
        	    <!-- Include all JAR files in my local library -->
        		<fileset dir="lib">
        			<include name="*.jar"/>
        		</fileset>
        		<!-- Include all common libraries in Tomcat -->
        		<fileset dir="${tomcat.home}/lib">
        			<include name="*.jar"/>
        		</fileset>
      	</classpath>
    </javac>
    <!--- Copy resources -->
	<copy todir="${webapp.build.dir}/WEB-INF/classes/example"
	      ><fileset dir="resources"/>
	</copy>
</target>

As you can see this will introduce problems because I am setting the directory structure manually.

What would happen if my package changed to com.mycompany?

I would need the english.properties files to be placed like this:

$TOMCAT_HOME/webapps/mysite/WEB-INF/classes/com/mycompany/english.properties

I have already tried using an asterisk wildcard:

<!--- Copy resources -->
<copy todir="${webapp.build.dir}/WEB-INF/classes/*"
      ><fileset dir="resources"/>
</copy>

But, that broke the build (causing errors while running Ant)!

Would appreciate it if someone can help me with this issue.

Happy programming...

[Misha Ver]

James Dekker wrote:Title: Ant: How to place resource files into bottom of package level structure?

...

As you can see this will introduce problems because I am setting the directory structure manually.

What would happen if my package changed to com.mycompany?

I would need the english.properties files to be placed like this:

$TOMCAT_HOME/webapps/mysite/WEB-INF/classes/com/mycompany/english.properties

Any good reasons that you do not want to put the resource file like WEB-INF/english.properties or even better WEB-INF/config/english.properties?

[James Dekker]

Per your suggestion, I did change my build script to make a WEB-INF/config directory and move the properties files into that directory.

The same thing happens! They are not loaded by the JSP...

Excerpts from build.xml:

<target name="prepare">
	<mkdir dir="${webapp.build.dir}" />
	<mkdir dir="${webapp.build.dir}/WEB-INF" />
	<mkdir dir="${webapp.build.dir}/WEB-INF/lib" />
	<mkdir dir="${webapp.build.dir}/WEB-INF/classes" />
	<mkdir dir="${webapp.build.dir}/WEB-INF/config"/>
</target>
	
<target name="static" depends="prepare">
	<!-- Copy web files -->
	<copy todir="${webapp.build.dir}/">
		<fileset dir="web" />
	</copy>
	    
	<!-- Copy webapp configuration files -->
	<copy todir="${webapp.build.dir}/WEB-INF/">
		<fileset dir="etc" />
	</copy>
    
	<!-- Copy properties files -->
    <copy todir="${webapp.build.dir}/WEB-INF/classes">
    	<fileset dir="props" />
    </copy>
	<!-- Copy jar files -->
	<copy todir="${webapp.build.dir}/WEB-INF/lib/">
		<fileset dir="lib" />
	</copy>
    	
	<!-- Copy resources files -->
    <copy todir="${webapp.build.dir}/WEB-INF/config">
    	<fileset dir="resources"/>
    </copy>
</target>

My HelloWorld.jsp (located under webapps/mysite/example/):

<%@ page contentType="text/html; charset=UTF-8" %>
<%@ taglib prefix="s" uri="/struts-tags" %>
<html>
<head>
    <title><s:text name="HelloWorld.message"/></title>
</head>

<body>
<h2><s:property value="message"/></h2>

<h3>Languages</h3>
<ul>
    <li>
        <s:url id="url" action="HelloWorld">
            <s:param name="request_locale">en</s:param>
        </s:url>
        <s:a href="%{url}">English</s:a>
    </li>
    <li>
        <s:url id="url" action="HelloWorld">
            <s:param name="request_locale">es</s:param>
        </s:url>
        <s:a href="%{url}">Espanol</s:a>
    </li>
</ul>

</body>
</html>

Properties files which reside under resources dir and are moved into WEB-INF/config:

package_es.properties:

HelloWorld.message= ¡Struts está bien! ...
requiredstring = ${getText(fieldName)} se requiere.
password = Contraseña
username = Nombre de Usuario
Missing.message =   ¡en obras! ¡seguir intentando

package.properties:

HelloWorld.message= Struts is up and running ...
requiredstring = ${getText(fieldName)} is required.
password = Password
username = User Name
Missing.message =  This feature is under construction. Please try again in the next interation.

(1) How can I just make them go to the most bottom level folder under $TOMCAT_HOME/webapps/mysite/classes/example/ ?

What would happen if I refactored this package to something else:

com.mycompany.hello

(2) How could the Ant build script know to place them inside:

$TOMCAT_HOME/webapps/mysite/classes/com/mycompany/hello

(3) Otherwise, how would I use your suggestion (make the web page look under WEB-INF/config)?

Happy programming.