Reading properties file inside /WEB-INF

[Tien Shan]

I am trying to read a properties file ("my.properties"), which I put right under /WEB-INF when I created an eclipse project.

I told Spring where the file is like this:
<bean id="propertyPlaceholderConfigurer" class="xx..
<property name="locations">
<list>
<value>/WEB-INF/my.properties</value>
</list>
</property>
</bean>

I created a war file, and deployed under /webapps.

Inside some class, which is an ordinary java class (not a servlet), I wanted to read that "my.properties" file like this:

InputStream inputStream = this.getClass().getClassLoader().getResourceAsStream("WEB-INF/my.properties"); 

When I "System.out" inputStream, it is null.

another log file (cas.log) has this error:

org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanInitializationException: Could not load properties; nested exception is java.io.FileNotFoundException: Could not open ServletContext resource [/my.properties]

I spent a day googling, but could not make it work-- that's why I am here.

What's happening? Can someone give me some pointers?

Thanks!

[Bear Bibeault]

The classloader will look in the classpath, not the web root.

If you want to load a resource from the web root, use the servlet context, not the class loader.

[Tien Shan]

Thanks Bear Bibeault.
I moved the my.properties file inside /WEB-INF/classes, and that did help to get rid of the cas.log error.

Now, how do I get rid of the catalina.out error? It still says inputstream is null.

PS: My spring config now looks like:
<value>/WEB-INF/classes/my.properties< /value>

PPS: My java file is simple java file, does not extend or implement any ServletXX stuff.

[Tien Shan]

Latest construction:
InputStream inputStream = this.getClass().getClassLoader().getResourceAsStream("classes/my.properties");

is giving me null.

[Paul Clapham]

Your my.properties file is in the WEB-INF/classes folder? Then:

InputStream inputStream = this.getClass().getClassLoader().getResourceAsStream("/my.properties"); 

[Tien Shan]

Paul, it works.
Cannot thank you enough!

Cheers.

[Tim Holloway]

Actually, an even better way is to use the ServletContext getResourceAsStream method. The path you supply to that method is "/WEB-INF/my.properties".

Using the classloader mechanism not only is more general-java and less J(2)EE, but it also doesn't work for non-classpath resources.