JBoss 7.1.1 web.xml context-param and env-entry override at deployment time

[dach]

I have an application that makes use of several context params and env entries defined inside the web.xml descriptor.

At deployment time I'd like to override the default values with those required by the environment I'm deploying to (i.e. development, test, production).

Given that I do not like having to produce a different EAR or WAR package for each environment, what is the right way to do this?

So far I've been able to set only the env entries through the following CLI command:

/subsystem=naming/binding=java\:jboss\/myVariable:add(value="myVariableValue",binding-type=simple)

However this solution has the following drawbacks:

- The JNDI names are visible to every web application deployed on the same server, instead I'd rather be scoped only within the single web application to which they belong.

- I've been forced to completely remove the default env entries definitions from the web.xml

- I'd like to keep my application compatibility to different application server platforms, so a standard naming syntax (supported even by java 1.4/servlet 2.3) would be ideal. The following code snippet is the way I was using to lookup my env entries:

        Context ic = new InitialContext();

        String myVariable = (String) ic.lookup("java:comp/env/myVariable");

[nickarls]

Would there be any help in https://issues.jboss.org/browse/AS7-4479 (variable expansion for web.xml in 7.1.2+)?

[dach]

Unfortunately it doesn't help much, because sometimes I need to deploy multiple application versions on the same server setting different values for the variables.

Moreover, it breaks the compatibility with other application server platforms.

A good solution would be to be able to specify a "patching" web.xml descriptor for each web application.

[ctomc]

There are some options for this in 7.2

read more about it:

https://issues.jboss.org/browse/AS7-4296

--

tomaz

[dach]

Thanks for the replies, I'll wait for the 7.2 to come out.