Tomcat in Eclipse File Write Permissions

[Joshua Elkino]

In my servlet I have an image upload using FormFile. When writing to the directory in the tomcat\webapps\project\images .... i am getting an access denied error.

    
File f = new File(baseLocation + "images" + File.separator + "userpics" + File.separator + image1.getFileName());
f.mkdirs();
f.createNewFile();
out = new FileOutputStream(f);
out.write(fileData1);

it is erroring at f.mkdirs.. and if i comment that out i get the same error at the f.createNewFile. How can i grant tomcat to write to its own directory?

Thanks!
[ August 14, 2008: Message edited by: Bear Bibeault ]

[Bear Bibeault]

You want to write the files into the web app? What happens if you need to redeploy?

[Joshua Elkino]

Since i'm in development, i this is sufficient. I haven't tried it but i assume this will give me issues writing to another location.
Am i correct to assume this?

[Bear Bibeault]

Originally posted by Ilya Elkind:
Since i'm in development, i this is sufficient.

I have no idea what you mean by this.

It doesn't really have much to do with your code, but with file permissions and users on your server. (Which is why I moved it here from Servlets.)

[Joshua Elkino]

first off thanks for your prompt responces.
What i wrote had typos (sorry i should proof-read b4 posting).

I was mentioning that i know if i redeploy i will loose everything but it isn't important right now since i'm in development rather than production. I will start clean anyway so anything i'm uploading is garbage.

Currently i'm logged in as local admin and running tomcat through an eclipse plugin. I would assume that tomcat would take on the permissions as the user running it.

[Bear Bibeault]

I have no idea how Eclipse manages permissions. Hang onto your hat... I'll move this again to the IDEs forum where the Eclipse-savvy can comment.

[Jaikiran Pai]

Post the entire exception stacktrace. And what happens when you start tomcat outside Eclipse and run your program? Does it work?

[Joshua Elkino]

java.io.IOException: Access is denied
at java.io.WinNTFileSystem.createFileExclusively(Native Method)
at java.io.File.createNewFile(Unknown Source)
at com.m2m.actions.AddUserPicturesAction.execute(AddUserPicturesAction.java:95)
at org.apache.struts.chain.commands.servlet.ExecuteAction.execute(ExecuteAction.java:58)
at org.apache.struts.chain.commands.AbstractExecuteAction.execute(AbstractExecuteAction.java:67)
at org.apache.struts.chain.commands.ActionCommandBase.execute(ActionCommandBase.java:51)
at org.apache.commons.chain.impl.ChainBase.execute(ChainBase.java:190)
at org.apache.commons.chain.generic.LookupCommand.execute(LookupCommand.java:304)
at org.apache.commons.chain.impl.ChainBase.execute(ChainBase.java:190)
at org.apache.struts.chain.ComposableRequestProcessor.process(ComposableRequestProcessor.java:283)
at org.apache.struts.action.ActionServlet.process(ActionServlet.java:1913)
at org.apache.struts.action.ActionServlet.doPost(ActionServlet.java:462)
at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:710)
at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:803)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:290)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:206)
at com.m2m.filters.HibernateSessionReqFilter.doFilter(HibernateSessionReqFilter.java:41)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:235)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:206)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:230)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:175)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:128)
at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorReportValve.invoke(ErrorReportValve.java:104)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngineValve.java:109)
at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:261)
at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Processor.process(Http11Processor.java:844)
at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Protocol$Http11ConnectionHandler.process(Http11Protocol.java:581)
at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.JIoEndpoint$Worker.run(JIoEndpoint.java:447)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)

This is at f.createNewFile();

I haven't tried to deploy it on an external tomcat.

[Joshua Elkino]

when running it on an external tomcat5 (eclipse plugin is v6).. the same error occurs.
I wasn't running this as a service or anything..just a standard launch.

[Joshua Elkino]

well i just uncommented out the f.mkdirs() and it seemed to work.. odd.

Thanks everyone..

[Tim Holloway]

If you want the long explanation, I think you can search this forum and find one. Ever so often I go on a long-winded rant about why you should never try and write into any part of a web application. Short answer: because it doesn't always work. Treat the app as something read-only that isn't necessarily a real directory with real files in it.

Eclipse isn't a web server, so if your webapp is attempting to write to itself, Eclipse doesn't get involved - all it's doing is running a copy of Tomcat in embedded mode. Technically, Tomcat's not doing it either. You're doing it to yourself in your webapp code.

But as I said, you'll have a happier life if you don't do it at all.