Eclipse Maven Weblogic hot code swap - eclipse

I have a basic question about running a Java EE application on Weblogic using maven in eclipse.
I use OEPE (Oracle Enterprise pack for Eclipse) which comes with some plugins such as m2e and wtp. As far as I know this plugins read the pom file and based on them build the jar, war and ear files.
What I do right now is like this:
I check the build automatically option and let these plugins create my EAR file, then right click on the instance of weblogic server in Eclipse and add it to server using add/remove option and finally start the application server. This way when I change code in my classes they will be picked by application server and hot swap works.
Another way to build the EAR file is using the m2e plugin: right click on the parent pom file and choose maven install then start the application server and use the wls:deploy in order to deploy the EAR file. (This time I don't add the ear file to the application server from within the Eclipse and eclipse also is not aware of that EAR file when I right click on the instance of my weblogic inside the IDE).
As far as I've seen I can only add those artifacts to server which are built using the wtp plugin and not the artifacts that are built using maven command of m2e plugin. The problem with wtp and all these plugins (except for m2e which actually just runs mvn -install) is that they don't work flawlessly. Sometimes they don't build the artifacts correctly sometimes the jar files are obsolete and they don't get updated. Moreover when you use the jar file of one project in another maven project they get stuck with the jar file prior to your changes, while using the m2e they are built flawlessly.
Now here is the real question:
Which way is the correct one to have hot deploy?
Am I missing something? Is building the ear file using m2e plugin and deploying using wls:deploy enough? If so how will hot swap happen by itself or should i use wls:redeploy each time? If m2e is enough then I assume that I should abandon wtp plugin (it does not know all the plugins of pom file and I should sometimes mark them as ignored in lifecycle management xml file of eclipse).
I'm sorry that the question is that long but I hope that I made the case clear and get some help!

Let me provide you with my checklist to make my web application hot-deployed on Weblogic. This checklist assumes a weblogic version which implements Servlet 2.5 and assumes your project is a maven one which is configured to run maven-compiler-plugin for JDK 1.6.
In other words your weblogic version is 10.x.x and your POM includes the following snippet:
<groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
<artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
<version>2.3.2</version>
<configuration>
<source>1.6</source>
<target>1.6</target>
</configuration>
To build a war
Use OEPE plugin to create a new Weblogic Web module Weblogic.xml file:
Don’t enable spring extension
In FastSwap: Don’t enable class redefinition
Take note of the value
<wls:context-root>myappcontextroot</wls:context-root>
it will be used later in the hot-deployment
Execute Maven update project from Eclipse context menu of your project
Execute Maven clean install
For hot-deployment setup:
Add local weblogic as a runtime server in Windows->preferences->Server->Runtime. Remember to change its Java home to the Sun JDK instead of JRocket for development mode.
Add local server in Server->add server
Project context menu->properties->Project Facet-> add faceted nature
Make Sure Jave Facet is version 1.6
Check Dynamic web application version 2.5 and make the target runtime be the runtime server declared in the first step + In further configuration give “context root” the value "myappcontextroot" which was noted above and give “Content directory" the value "src\main\webapp”. Don't generate web.xml otherwise your web.xml is overwritten
Push OK to apply all the above facet changes to your project
Again open Project context menu->properties->Deployment Assembly->Add java build path->Maven dependencies
Finally, in the server window Add configured application to the running server
Please follow these steps literally, it is really worth it!

Related

Eclipse-Kepler, Maven and Setup Tomcat 7 debug (hot deploy)

I have maven based project with following structure:
main_project
module_webproject
module_java_proj_1
module_java_proj_2
module_java_proj_3
... ...
Everything compiles and packages fine with command line maven goals execution. I need to setup this project into eclipse environment for developers with tomcat deployment. Anyone know setup instructions?
Also, i am looking into tomcat hot deploy for debugging capabilities.
I have tried mvn eclipse:eclipse, this does only creation of .project and .classpath files. But projects directories are not treated as java or web projects.
Answer from following forum some what helps...
[Running Maven project on Tomcat from Eclipse
There can be a few reasons why you don't see the project in the Add/Remove projects dialog for Tomcat. Verify the following:
You have m2e installed (http://eclipse.org/m2e/download/)
You have m2e-wtp installed (http://www.eclipse.org/m2e-wtp/download/)
Your Maven project imported as a Dynamic Web Application. Look for a Deployment Descriptor entry when you expand the project, it should be somewhere in the first few entries. It is the second one down for me on Eclipse Juno. Not there? It's probably not a web app. Go back and verify 1 & 2, then remove and re-import your project.
Make sure that your web application is not too new for the version of Tomcat that you are using. Right-click the project and go to Properties > Project Facets. Look for Dynamic Web Module and check the version. If this version is too new for your Tomcat version, Eclipse won't let you add it. For instance, your Dynamic Web Module version is 3.0 and you're using Tomcat 6.

How to create a maven project which will work in eclipse and from command line

I have any questions:
How to create maven project which will work in eclipse and from command line.
How Does use maven good developers?
Wow that's a lot of questions at once. I admit that setting up a webapp project with Maven and Eclipse can be tricky, so I'll try to answer them all.
Creating a Web application project with Maven
How do I create a java web project with servlets jsp and other classes with maven? It creates a simple directory structure, src->main->java.
When you are creating a Java web project, the final product should be a WAR or EAR file. WAR and EAR files are JAR files with a specific structure that can be deployed in an application server or servlet container.
As mentioned, the easiest way to set up a Maven project for web applications is to use archetypes:
mvn archetype:generate -DarchetypeArtifactId=maven-archetype-webapp
If we create a project with this archetype then a simple directory structure and pom.xml are generated. This project follows the standard Maven directory layout you mention, with /src/main/java/, /src/test/java, etc. Maven generates the WAR file from this structure with the war:war goal.
Note that this archetype is for a very simple (outdated) web application, but it's the best available starting point. You probably want to discard the web.xml file and create a new one that supports Servlet 3.0.
WEB-INF location
Where and how do I put the web-inf folder?
By default, Maven expects resources that should go in the root of the WAR file -- such as images, html pages and the WEB-INF directory -- to reside in /src/main/webapp/. So the WEB-INF folder should be located at /src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/. If you use the maven-archetype-webapp this directory is automatically created, along with a sample web.xml file.
Eclipse integration
You mentioned Eclipse in the question title, and it is indeed possible to develop Mavenized web applications in Eclipse with the m2eclipse plugin. Eclipse has good support for Web applications through WTP (Web Tools Platform).
Although many guides on the internet (wrongly) recommend it, you should not use the mvn eclipse:eclipse command to create the Eclipse project. This plugin can only generate WTP projects for very old Eclipse versions (WTP 2.0 is the maximum). Instead, use the m2eclipse plugin as described here.
Dependencies
Do I need to add the jdbc-drivers manually to the folder inside the web-inf/lib, or is it ok just to point out the dependency?
There is no need to do this manually, since one of the key strengths of Maven is dependency management. If you add a dependency in the pom.xml with a scope of compile or runtime, the JAR file will be automatically included in the WEB-INF/lib/ directory of the WAR file. For example to add the Postgresql JDBC driver dependency, add this to your pom.xml:
<dependency>
<groupId>postgresql</groupId>
<artifactId>postgresql</artifactId>
<version>9.1-901.jdbc4</version>
</dependency>
Since the scope is unspecified Maven will assume it is in the the default scope compile. The result is that Maven will include WEB-INF/lib/postgresql-9.1-901.jdbc4.jar in the WAR file.
Testing
Is there a way to test the servlets with junit?
This question has been asked (and answered) on Stackoverflow:
Unit testing a Java servlet
Unit testing servlets
References
Hello World with JSF 2.0, Glassfish 3, Maven, SVN and Eclipse.
How Maven Builds a WAR File

Netbeans Maven project to IDEA 12

Short version: I would like to deploy Maven generated WAR to Local Tomcat server and not to build the war with internal IDEA process since the produced WAR file is not the same as the Maven generated one.
Long version: I have been using the Netbeans IDE for my Maven Java project. One of the modules is packaged as a WAR and should be deployed to tomcat server.
In Netbeans when I selected "Run" on the Web Module it asks for application server configuration then it runs the maven 'package' goal and deploys the application(generated WAR) to the Tomcat Server probably via Tomcat manager. So far so good.
We are now in the process of switching to Scala language. Scala classes extend old Java classes and the project is now "Mixed". I have configured Maven to compile the project as a mix of scala and java code. Maven produces a WAR which can then be deployed to Tomcat server without trouble - everything works as it should.
Now I would like to switch to Intellij-idea 12 IDE. But I have a problem: IDEA is refusing to deploy Maven created artifacts and insists of building one by it's own. The war is not the same and can't be used. Is there a way to tell IDEA to use Maven generated WARs and not try to make it's own ?
Just for the record I have already read these articles:
http://riddhimandas.com/blog/111
http://www.jetbrains.com/idea/webhelp/configuring-web-application-deployment.html Manually build WAR by IDEA - Want the maven generated one
IntelliJ IDEA: Maven, project compilation and deployment There is a hint here that IDEA can deploy Maven artifact from the 'target' directory but there is no information on how to do that.
With the help of CrazyCoder I figured it out.
You can make Intellij-Idea to upload your war by selecting External Source
But that's not all, even if you have a context.xml file difining your Context Root inside your WAR file: http://docs.oracle.com/javaee/1.4/tutorial/doc/WebApp3.html
You must specify one for every artifact you deploying (Unless someone will correct me)
The before launch section can be used to tell Idea what to Maven Goal to Run if any

Deployment to tomcat from eclipse via M2eclipse and Maven

I'm using M2E to create Maven archetype projects (in this case a simple web app) with the aim of using Maven to deploy to a remote tomcat server.
I've added the tomcat-maven-plugin to the POM.XML file, and it appears to be correct.
<plugin>
<groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
<artifactId>tomcat-maven-plugin</artifactId>
<configuration>
<server>localServer</server>
</configuration>
</plugin>
and when I type "mvn tomcat:deploy" into terminal it deploys successfully. So I know my settings.xml as well as my tomcat settings are in order.
Is it possible to deploy the application directly from Eclipse without having to go through the terminal. In other words is it possible to pass the command "mvn tomcat:deploy" from eclipse to maven?
Cheers
You can run all maven goal directly from Eclipse Run Configurations
http://mevenide.codehaus.org/mevenide-ui-eclipse/user-guide/run.html
Also you can configure Server View in Eclipse (WTP) and simply deploy (or auto deploy after file change) directly from eclipse (maven is not used in this process, he is only responsible for configure proper nature of your project - ex. war).
Maven Integration for Eclipse WTP (a.k.a m2e-wtp) aims at providing a
tight integration between Maven Integration for Eclipse (a.k.a m2e)
and the Eclipse Web Tools Project (WTP) .
m2e-wtp provides a set of m2e connectors used for the configuration of
Java EE projects in WTP. It features :
Support for war projects : adds the Java and Dynamic Web Facets.
Support war overlays and on-the-fly resource filtering
Read also this: Maven/Tomcat Projects In Eclipse Indigo/3.7

deploying a war file in WTP(Eclipse) tomcat server

I have a maven build Java project.
My war file name is: test-1.0-SNAPSHOT.war
I am using M2E plugin in Eclipse.
I have run target mvn package.
Added server as tomcat version 7 in eclipse indigo 3.7. Server started. But my war file didn't deployed in the server.
I have tried by right clicking tomcat server and Add remove..., it says "there is no resources that can be added or removed from the server".
How can i deploy my war file in the eclipse WTP tomcat server?. Do i need to run any maven target?
Make sure that you have "Maven Integration for WTP" installed in your Eclipse instance.
First check if it's available through
Window->Preferences->Maven->Discovery->Open Catalog
If for whatever reason this does not work, you can get WTP integration from this update site (that's the version I am currently using):
https://repository.sonatype.org/content/repositories/forge-sites/m2eclipse-wtp/0.13.0/S/0.13.0.20110623-0455
This integration does a lifecycle mapping of maven-war-plugin into m2e architecture.
Once you've installed the WTP integration, you must restart eclipse and once it's restarted, right click on your web app project and choose: Maven->Update Project Configuration...
Also, I would advise to run a clean build at this time.
Last, but not least, delete and recreate your Tomcat server configuration (I don't know why, but I had to do it quite a few times when I switched to m2e).
I think eclipse is not recognizing your project as a web app, To confirm this
Open to do open J2ee perspective on your eclipse, If you open the project folder of your app, You should see (Deployment Descriptor)
If you don't see it, your app is not web app as far as eclipse is concerned
I have see this in case if you imported/created a maven command line project
To fix this
Select Project ==> Properties ==> Project Facets ==> make sure Dynamic Web Module check box is checked
If you do that the local tomcat server will add your app when do add remove projects
I think eclipse is not recognizing your project as web app,convert your project into web app by command mvn eclipse:eclipse -Dwtpversion=2.0 and try to deploy in Eclipse configured tomcat,it will work.
If you have Eclipse 3.5 or above you should ensure that you have both the m2eclipse (m2e for 3.7) plugin installed and its WTP add-on. With these you shouldn't need to change your configuration by hand.
Did you try to build your project from the command line and deploy it in Tomcat by hand?
By the way, have you read this wiki post? It's a bit old, but it may still be relevant.
Adding 2 cents to Prasanna wonderful solution.
I realized that building maven war files "mvn package" was just creating .war file but eclipse was not picking up that war but was deploying its some internal version of it's app war.
I found that server > Browse Deployment Location.. in Eclipse server view .. it was taking to some abstract location like "C:\Programs\workspaceSTS.metadata.plugins\org.eclipse.wst.server.core\tmp1\wtpwebapps"
Where I could see my exploded app deployed but it was not having any /classes folder just limited files.
Using Prasanna's method I realized that eclipse now was deploying full exploded .war now.
So this was happening coz changing the facets to Dynamic Web Module has actually populated "R-click project > Properties > Deployment Assembly "
This Web Deployment Assembly window only tells eclipse what to deploy and what not. So even if your project is NOT setup as Dynamic Web Module , and still if you configure "Web Deployment Assembly" values properly , eclipse will deploy the app fine to Tomcat/ Server.