Can JDBC connection files contain computed properties?

Question

In the book "XPages Extension Library", Chapter 12, page 409 there is an example of JDBC connection file:

<jdbc>
    <driver>org.apache.derby.jdbc.EmbeddedDriver</driver>
    <url>jdbc:derby:${rcp.data}\derby\XPagesJDBC;create=true</url>
    <user>phil</user>
    <password>phil</password>
</jdbc>

It is also mentioned in the text that "notice in previous example the use of the configuration property rcp.data in the computed expression ${rcp.data}. The connection files can take advantage of computed properties in their definitions."

My question is: what exactly are these "computed properties" and how are they used? I would like to store the username and password somewhere else and reference them using something like this:

<user>${SettingsBean.SQLUserName}</user>
<password>${SettingsBean.SQLPassword}</password>

However, I cannot get this to work. Here is what I have tried so far:

Managed beans
VariableResolver
Resource bundle
writing the connection file directly and through java.util.Properties

1 through 3 work when referenced in an XPage, but not in this file. Number 4 would work, if the connection file were of the "key=value" type. However, java.util.Properties cannot be used with XML files that do not conform to a certain DTD (like this file). And writing the whole file is not supported (under WEB-INF).

EDIT:

Some additional information:

The bit above is from the XPagesJDBC.nsf (from OpenNTF) and not from the image in page 409. The text on that page seems to refer to this code.
XPagesJDBC.nsf does not contain the word "rcp.data" elsewhere, at least it does not show up in search.
The JDBC connection works flawlessly if username is hardcoded.
The SQL error messages look something like this: Unknown user: "${SettingsBean.SQLUserName}" which seems to imply that this connection file is used "as-is".

I think I blogged about it some months ago. I am also missing the feature to dynamically set user and pass for the connection for e.g. a configuration document. http://oliverbusse.notesx.net/hp.nsf/tags.xsp?query=jdbc — Oliver Busse, Sep 07 '15 at 17:33

score 1 · Accepted Answer · edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:12

1

I am guessing the "rcp" is a reference to the Rich Client Platform environment object variable, and perhaps .data is the property that points to the WEB-INF directory.

The documentation definitely is taunting us in places with unexplained remarks like this. I see some similar looking stuffs ( like ${rcp.*} )in the Lotus Expeditor documents http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/ledoc/v6r2/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.rcp.tools.doc.admin/updatingclientconfigurationsusingmanualupdates.html - check that out. I found this little gem there:

the Lotus Expeditor platform uses the System property rcp.data to identify the location >of the workspace.

File f = new File( System.getProperty( "rcp.data" ) );

As far as I can tell, these variable strings have access to operating system environment variables, and to expeditor property variables. How this stuff got grafted into the domino/XPages system is not yet documented, but many folks in the Expeditor team are now on the XSP team. Here's the clues I could find in the Expeditor docuemntation:

The placeholder ${env.”system environmental variable”} is used to specify the use of a >system environmental variable.

The placeholder ${prop.”rcplauncher_property”} is used to specify the use of a property >from rcplauncher.properties.

So perhaps you could put credentials in rcplauncher.properties and refer to them via ${prop.*} variables.

edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:12

Community

1
1

answered Aug 06 '13 at 17:38

charles ross

570
4
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Very interesting! Unfortunately the rcplauncher.properties file appears to be client-side only. Sysenv values would be server-side, but not NSF-specific. Clearly some research is needed. – Lauri Laanti Aug 07 '13 at 23:16
1

On the Domino server, XSP and DOTs each have such a file, eg: under Domino\data\domino\workspace\.config and Domino\data\domino\workspace-dots\.config – charles ross Aug 08 '13 at 02:28
I found only rcpinstall.properties there. (R8.5 and R9 standard install, no DOTS). Even then, it would be server-wide, so no help in this case. – Lauri Laanti Aug 08 '13 at 13:11
Typical apps using a jdbc connection would use just a single admin credential to do lookups. You mean you want to make your own additional user directory on the server, sort of simulating a single sign-on? That's a whole additional topic. – charles ross Aug 09 '13 at 13:32
It's a financial application, so strict rules apply. Each customer (and their customers, it's a two-tiered design) has their own MySQL database. Using same credentials (and storing them in a shared NTF) would perhaps constitute a security risk. So, current approach is storing the MySQL credentials in a NotesDocument protected be ACL and/or a reader field. - btw, really appreciate your insightful comments. – Lauri Laanti Aug 09 '13 at 20:11

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 07 '15 at 14:03

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There is a core XPages runtime fix required to remedy this. By core I mean something that cannot be fixed purely in the XPages Extension Library. Thus the fix will only be available in the next full Domino release.

answered Sep 07 '15 at 14:03

Brian Gleeson - IBM

2,565
15
21

Can JDBC connection files contain computed properties?

EDIT:

2 Answers2

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