Accessing relative files in Tomcat

Question

I am using a third party library in my WebApp on tomcat.

The problem is that a class of that third party library requires initialization with an XML file

LibraryClass lb = new LibraryClass("file path.xml");

So where should I put files in tomcat directories in order to be able to access them from inside the webapp??

(Note that the class requires a String for the absolute path, not a FileStream for example)

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 06 '12 at 05:18

If you don't want the file to be downloadable, make it a resource by placing it somewhere in your Java source directory and let it be copied into WEB-INF/classes. Then use ServletRequest.getRealPath("/WEB-INF/classes/...") to turn the relative path into an absolute path.

score 1 · Answer 2 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:28

1

You can keep them under WEB-INF/classes folder.You can see complete discussion about this here: Where to place configuration properties files in a JSP/Servlet web application?

edited May 23 '17 at 12:28

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answered Jun 06 '12 at 05:20

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score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Jun 06 '12 at 05:24

Like the other answers, I agree that the best place for these files is inside your war bundle. Unlike the other answers, I would not recommend putting the file in WEB-INF/classes as that directory is for class files, not XML files.

If path.xml is located in the war's root, then you can get access to it with something like this:

String servletDirectoryPath = this.getServletConfig().getServletContext().getRealPath("");
String xmlConfigurationFileName = "path.xml";
File xmlConfigurationFile = new File(servletDirectoryPath, xmlConfigurationFileName);
initializeThirdPartyLibrary(xmlConfigurationFile);

It is for classes *and resources.* Putting it in the root as you suggest means it can be downloaded directly, which is not desirable. — user207421, Jun 06 '12 at 05:37

Accessing relative files in Tomcat

3 Answers3