Maven Integration for Eclipse

Unable to deploy EAR project cause application.xml is not found.

Details

  • Type: Bug Bug
  • Status: Open Open
  • Priority: Blocker Blocker
  • Resolution: Unresolved
  • Affects Version/s: None
  • Fix Version/s: None
  • Component/s: WTP integration
  • Labels:
    None
  • Testcase included:
    yes
  • Number of attachments :
    1

Description

I have an EAR project whose application.xml gets dynamically generated by the maven-ear-plugin and which I can package correctly by calling "mvn package" - "package correctly" as in it gets correctly packaged & is deployable on a server.

But if I try to deploy that project using WTP's Run on Server feature it fails and I get a "application.xml not found" message during server startup because the whole "META-INF" directory is missing.

What I would expect is that m2eclipse somehow kicks Maven to generate the application.xml and then puts it in the correct place so it is found by the server / WTP upon deploying (same holds true for jboss-app.xml and everything else that is dynamically generated by the maven-ear-plugin).

See the attached archive for a testcase for an example. How to reproduce:

1. extract archive
2. import project A, B and C into Eclipse
3. verify that project C has project A & B listed as referenced projects in Eclipse's project settings.
4. now run "Run on Server" for project C. Server startup will fail with "application.xml not found".
5. Package project "C" manually with "mvn package" to verify that the META-INF/application.xml does gets correctly generated.

This doesn't work with 0.9.6 as well as with what is currently available via the development update site (0.9.7.200811301806).

Please fix that for the next release since it is the last bit that is missing for a nice WTP integration.

Further note that somehow my WARs lib directory got duplicated so that I had WEB-INF/lib/...*.jar in the root of my EAR which isn't reproducible with that testcase (sorry, but I'm currently lacking the time). Therefore please have a look at this as well.

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Fred Bricon added a comment -

Oops, looks like I skipped that ticket, I'll look into it.

What app server are you using exactly (jboss-app.xml hints to JBoss AS)?

Regarding m2eclipse behavior, since I'm the culprit for the current EAR support implementation, I'll try to explain the choices made.
Calling maven-ear-plugin API would have been the ideal solution, I didn"t do it for a few reasons :

  • it mimics the war plugin support, i.e. doesn't call the plugin's api directly but reads the configuration from the pom.xml (sort of). That was my way to start both eclipse and m2eclipse development.
  • I didn't find an easy way to call the API directly
  • one of my primary concerns was to use WTP's API. Thing is, adding references to an EAR project triggers lots of things. Among them, the modification of application.xml. I feared it'd be a mess to replace it with the application.xml generated by maven (which lacks modules id used by WTP in pre JavaEE apps)

If you have any ideas to help enhance the current implementation, please open a new enhancement ticket, I'd be pleased to do it the "proper" way.

The duplicated web libs is a due to a WTP bug (https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=247090). Apparently it seems harmless.

regards,

Fred Bricon

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Fred Bricon added a comment - Oops, looks like I skipped that ticket, I'll look into it. What app server are you using exactly (jboss-app.xml hints to JBoss AS)? Regarding m2eclipse behavior, since I'm the culprit for the current EAR support implementation, I'll try to explain the choices made. Calling maven-ear-plugin API would have been the ideal solution, I didn"t do it for a few reasons : it mimics the war plugin support, i.e. doesn't call the plugin's api directly but reads the configuration from the pom.xml (sort of). That was my way to start both eclipse and m2eclipse development. I didn't find an easy way to call the API directly one of my primary concerns was to use WTP's API. Thing is, adding references to an EAR project triggers lots of things. Among them, the modification of application.xml. I feared it'd be a mess to replace it with the application.xml generated by maven (which lacks modules id used by WTP in pre JavaEE apps) If you have any ideas to help enhance the current implementation, please open a new enhancement ticket, I'd be pleased to do it the "proper" way. The duplicated web libs is a due to a WTP bug ( https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=247090 ). Apparently it seems harmless. regards, Fred Bricon
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Fred Bricon added a comment - - edited

Stephan

Since JEE 5, application.xml is optional. Unfortunately, JBoss 4.2.2 (maybe 4.2.3) can't cope with JEE 5 ears without one. Hence "application.xml not found"
You can right click on the ear project, Java EE Tools > Generate Deployment Descriptor Stub. It'll generate META-INF/application.xml.

regards

Fred Bricon

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Fred Bricon added a comment - - edited Stephan Since JEE 5, application.xml is optional. Unfortunately, JBoss 4.2.2 (maybe 4.2.3) can't cope with JEE 5 ears without one. Hence "application.xml not found" You can right click on the ear project, Java EE Tools > Generate Deployment Descriptor Stub. It'll generate META-INF/application.xml. regards Fred Bricon
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murray waters added a comment -

I am experiencing this same problem, I'm using RAD 7.5 and deploying to WAS 6.1.

So is the workaround to create an application.xml within eclipse that is basically identical to that which is generated when doing a "proper" maven build using mvn package? When WTP does its deployment, which application.xml will ultimately be used?

There are unfortunately obvious limitations to this because you won't be able to use maven variables etc, eg I have a variable called $

{buildVersion}

that is used throughout and the ear modules would need to have that version in them defined in the application.xml, but since it is a maven variable and a vanilla application.xml you can't do that.

Show
murray waters added a comment - I am experiencing this same problem, I'm using RAD 7.5 and deploying to WAS 6.1. So is the workaround to create an application.xml within eclipse that is basically identical to that which is generated when doing a "proper" maven build using mvn package? When WTP does its deployment, which application.xml will ultimately be used? There are unfortunately obvious limitations to this because you won't be able to use maven variables etc, eg I have a variable called $ {buildVersion} that is used throughout and the ear modules would need to have that version in them defined in the application.xml, but since it is a maven variable and a vanilla application.xml you can't do that.

People

  • Assignee:
    Fred Bricon
    Reporter:
    Stephan Kleine
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Dates

  • Created:
    Updated: