Web applications are Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE)
applications that can be deployed onto an application server. Web applications
are projects comprised of one or more related servlets, JavaServer Pages technology
(JSP files), and Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) files that you can manage
as a unit. Web applications are called WAR files because enterprise
application projects are stored in Web application archive (WAR) files.
Before you begin
This topic assumes that you have created and unit tested
Servlets,
JavaServer
Pages (JSP) files and other Web components that you want to assemble
in an
enterprise application and
deploy onto an application server.
About this task
In the Application Server Toolkit (AST), Rational Application Developer
(RAD) and Rational Web Developer
assembly
tools, you create and maintain resources for Web applications in Web
projects. There are two types of Web projects, dynamic and static. Dynamic
web projects can contain dynamic J2EE resources such as servlets, JSP files,
filters, and associated metadata, in addition to static resources such as
images and HTML files. Static Web projects only contain static resources.
Dynamic
Web projects are always embedded in enterprise application projects. Creating
a Web project in an assembly tool requires that an enterprise application
(EAR) project exist, or the assembly tool creates one for you. Creating a
Web project updates the application.xml deployment descriptor of
the specified enterprise application project to define the Web project as
a module element. If you are importing a WAR file rather than creating a Web
project anew, the WAR Import wizard requires that you specify a Web project,
which already requires an EAR project.
This topic describes how to create
a dynamic Web project using an assembly tool. For instructions on how to create
a static Web project, see the AST, RAD or Rational Web Developer online help,
or the Application Server Toolkit information center that accompanies
this information center.
Procedure
- Start an assembly tool.
- If you have not done so already, configure the assembly tool for work on J2EE modules.
Ensure that J2EE and Web capabilities are enabled.
- Click File > New > Project > Web > Dynamic Web Project > Next.
Or, if you have created a Web project before, click File > New > Dynamic
Web Project.
- On the Dynamic Web Project page:
- Specify a Web project (WAR file) name.
- Specify a location for the WAR file. To change the default WAR
file location, click Browse and specify a new location.
- Click Show Advanced to display hidden settings.
- Specify whether you want a WAR file that supports 2.2, 2.3 or
2.4 servlet version. Select the appropriate Sun Microsystems Servlet
and JSP specification level for the dynamic elements you plan to include in
your Web project. Any new servlets and JSP files that you expect to create
should adhere to the latest specification level available; previous specification
levels are offered to accommodate any legacy dynamic elements that you expect
to import into the project.
- Select a target server. Select the WebSphere
Application Server v6.0 target server to use Version 6 WebSphere Application
Server capabilities.
- If you want to add Web components to an enterprise application
(EAR file), select Add module to an EAR project.
- If you selected Add module to an EAR project, customize
the Web project:
- Specify a new or existing enterprise application (EAR) project to be associated
with your new Web project for purposes of deployment.
Note: If you want to
add a Web project as a module to another enterprise application project in
the future, open the application.xml editor for the enterprise application
project and select Add on the General page.
- Provide a Context Root value. The context root is the Web application
root, the top-level directory of your application when it is deployed to a
Web server. The default value is the name of your Web project.
Note: You can
change the context root after you create a project using the project Properties
dialog, which you access from the project context menu.
- Specify whether you want to add support for annotated Java classes to
the Web application.
- Optional: If you are creating a new Web project
or if you have no module dependencies to specify, skip this step. Otherwise,
click Next to specify module and file dependencies.
- Click Finish.
Results
A new Web project is created, reflecting the J2EE folder structure
that specifies the location of Web content files, class files, class paths,
the deployment descriptor, and supporting metadata. Files for the Web project
are shown in the Project Explorer view under Enterprise Applications and Dynamic
Web Modules.
What to do next
You can now begin creating or
importing
content for your Web project using the New File wizards or the Import
wizards available from the
File menu or from the popup menu for the
Web module. For example, right-click the Web module, click
Import > WAR
file and specify the WAR file to import.