Can i keep a configFile in webapp?

[Hui Ge]

I am trying to create a config file to keep some settings such that my servlet can access it to retrieve some settings (avoid hardcoding values into the servlet).

I want to try to keep it under WEB-INF (so as to disallow public access). But when i do a io
FileInputStream in = new FileInputStream("configFile");
i keep getting error saying it cannot find the file.

Did anyone do something similar before? what should be the path that i should supply?

I know i can use web.xml to keep settings. But i want to keep a setting for example names whose values may consist of Tom, Dick and Harry. My servlet would read this setting and store the values in an ArrayList. If i use web.xml i can only store one name. Maybe someone can help me out with other alternative solutions?

Thanks in advance.

[D Rog]

You can request resource URL for config file and then open it as File.

[Karthik Kannan]

Hi HuiGe,

FileInputStream in = new FileInputStream("configFile");

this will work only if the file is in your current working directory.
i believe the file should be in your WEB-INF/classes folder.

or the other way...
you can specify the real path of the file using..

this.getServletContext().getRealPath("/");

this will return your servlet context path eg.. http://host/contextPath/, where contextPath is the context path of this ServletContext.

then append the file name with the path.. in your case it should be
String fPath = this.getServletContext().getRealPath("/") + "WEB-INF/configFile";

Think experts will come out with more suggestions...

Regards,
Karthik K.

[Jeroen Wenting]

Or just use a propertiesfile which you can simply open with something like

String BUNDLE_NAME = "my.package.propertiesfile"; 
ResourceBundle RESOURCE_BUNDLE = ResourceBundle.getBundle(BUNDLE_NAME);

[Sonny Gill]

Why not use the web.xml file, and store your values as context parameters or servlet initialization parameters?

[Ben Souther]

If you go with the ResourceBundle as Jeroen has suggested, just make sure your properties file is in a place where you webapp can see it.
Either put it in the WEB-INF/classes directory or pack it in a jar under the WEB-INF/lib directory.

Another alternative is to use ServletContext.getResourceAsStream(path).

 
    InputStream in = getServletContext().getResourceAsStream("/myApp/WEB-INF/myconfig.properties"); 
    Properties  props  = new Properties(); 
    props.load(in); 
    in.close();