How to Build and Deploy our Web Application¶

Build¶

The project has a build.xml file, that is the task configuration file for Ant and that we use to build the application.

1. Make sure you edit the file build.properties and change the property tomcat.home to match the tomcat in your system.

2. Add the Ant View window to Eclipse going to the menu Window -> Show View -> Ant.

3. From the Ant View click the first button/icon Add Buildfiles and choose the build.xml inside your project

   

4. Depending from the option ‘Hide Internal Targets’ you will see several tasks. What we need are: build-js and web.

   If build.properties is correct after you click the web task, Ant will start copying all the compiled java classes with all the rest of the files inside a new folder named ‘build’ under your project.

When Ant has finished the task execution, you will see a new folder build/web, this folder contains the final web application that should be deployed to the server.

Deploy¶

1. Always stop the Web Application Server (Tomcat) First!

2. To deploy the application use WinSCP and not other tools like Filezilla or any other ftp tools just W I N S C P.

3. Open WinSCP go to Options -> Preferences -> Transfer, select Default as preset and click on Edit and again Edit.

   In the exclude files section add the following lines:

   */system_config_ko.properties
   */system_config_local.properties
   */struts.properties
   */log4j.properties
   

   In the exclude directories add the following lines:

   */WEB-INF/python/cachedir
   */data/edms
   */old
   */pmis_html
   */.svn
   */cachedir
   */ckeditor-dev
   */src
   */.git
   

   

4. As a final touch uncheck Calculate total size from Common options in the Transfer settings window, we don’t need it and takes too long. Click OK and we finished setting the mask for synchonize our project.

   

5. IMPORTANT before deploying the web folder always check that the Transfer Settings at the top of the application says Default as the selected mask.

6. On the left select the build/web folder on your computer

7. On the right select the project web folder on the server

8. Click the button Synchronize

9. Choose Remote as Target Directory

10. Choose Mirror Files as Mode

11. Choose Modification time as Comparison criteria.

12. Choose Preview changes under Synchronize options.

13. And finally check the box Use same options next time so you don’t have to go through 7~10 again next time.

    

14. Click OK and a new window Synchronization checklist show up, check what files are going to be updated, deleted.

15. Click on Check all and then OK, the application will do his job and its done.

16. You can start again the Web Application Server (Tomcat).

What is build-js task?¶

We have lots of javascript files! And the users can not load 30 files every times he change menu! Moreover our servers can not handle 30 requests per user every time he change page.

So what build-js task does is compressing lots of javascript files into one file pmis_build.js, reducing requests per user so we should have more happy users and more happy servers.

If you execute this task you will find the final file inside the folder build/js.

Now take in consideration that if you execute the web task you do NOT need to execute build-js, because the web task will execute the build-js task anyway.

But if for some situation you just want to compress our javascript libraries then feel free to run the build-js task only, and make sure you copy this file inside the folder ext/script inside the web folder of the application on the server machine.