getServletContext().getRealPath(".") Error????

actually reading again, should be:  ...getRealPath("\WEB-INF\classes");

as your xml is in the class directory a better approache may be to access it using class loader

URL index = getClass().getResource("/resources/myIndex.xml");

I've aleady tried with classLoader but still, it doesn't give the path. I just get the path: C:\Eclipse.

the classloader doesn't give you a path (you don't need one). It gives a URL which you can then use to open the resource

I do not get what you mean. Can you explain a bit more detail?
I tried it, but I still got the same error: java.io.FileNotFoundException: C:\Eclipse\resources\myIndex.xml (The system cannot find the path specified) .

I tried it with so many ways and all it tried to file th efile in C:\Eclipse\..

post the code you tried.

I 've tried all these ways:

URL index = getClass().getResource("/resources/myIndex.xml");
File indexfile = new File(index + "myIndex.xml");
 
-------------------------------------------
InputStream indexfile = getClass().getResourceAsStream("/resources/myIndex.xml");
 
--------------------------------------------
ClassLoader loader = this.getClass().getClassLoader();
InputStream indexfile  = loader.getResourceAsStream("resources/myIndex.xml");
 
-------------------------------------------
//the one using HttpServlet
File resources = new File(MyServlet.realPath, "resources");
File indexfile = new File(resources, "myIndex.xml");
                                              

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> InputStream indexfile = getClass().getResourceAsStream("/resources/myIndex.xml");
Yes, I got this error : java.lang.NullPointerException

> File resources = new File(MyServlet.realPath, "resources");
Please check the code snippet. I think it is what u said. But it returns: C:\Eclipse\.. not the real path.

I use Tomcat.

public class MyServlet extends HttpServlet {
 
          public static String realPath;
 
          public void init(ServletConfig config) throws ServletException {
            super.init(config);
            realPath = this.getServletContext().getRealPath(".");
            System.out.println("Initialization of AppContextServlet");
          }
        }
                                              

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>             realPath = this.getServletContext().getRealPath(".");

should be:

            realPath = this.getServletContext().getRealPath("/WEB-INF/classes");

>   realPath = this.getServletContext().getRealPath("/WEB-INF/classes");
I got NullPointerException, also in this case.

NPE where exactly? Can't see how that line would cause a NPE

When I execute the following code to get that 'realPath'.

File resources = new File(MyServlet.realPath, "resources");
File indexfile = new File(resources, "myIndex.xml");

                                              

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When I tried to print that realPath in that servlet, it printed this:

C:\Documents and Settings\User\workspace\.metadata\.plugins\org.eclipse.wst.server.core\tmp0\wtpwebapps\myApplication\WEB-INF\classes

instead of:
C:\Documents and Settings\User\workspace\myApplication\WebContent\WEB-INF\classes

thats correct, its returning the location of the running application.
Its not going to return the location of your project directory, thats not what you want.

Then, how should I do to get my project directory so that I can load my data files without giving the absolute path in my java program.

you don't :) Getting your project directory location is pointless, eclipse has deployed a copy of your web application and is running that.
Besides once you deploy your application the project directory won't even exist

Then, how can I get the local file without giving it the real path.
If my application is standalone, I can use: System.getProperty("user.dir")
I can't belive that there's no way to do the same thing in web application.

Thanks anyway!!

you're not trying to access a local file, you are trying to access a file in your webapps classes directory.
you need to access the files in your webapp, *not* your project.

Accessing the project does not make sense, its not even going to exist when you deploy the application.

>>URL index = getClass().getResource("/resources/myIndex.xml");

should be fine. Just make sure that you have directory 'resources' under WEB-INF/classes, containing the xml file wherever it's running. I suspect you have not had that exact set of conditions

Yeah, sure there is directory 'resources' under WEB-INF/classes folder since I can call it using  this: File indexfile = new File ("C:\\Documents and Settings\\User\\workspace\\myApplication\\WebContent\\WEB-INF\\classes\\resources\\myIndex.xml");

And what you mean 'the exact set of conditions' ?

Thanks!!

>>And what you mean 'the exact set of conditions' ?

I just mean its being present all the time in all deployments

>>Yeah, sure there is directory 'resources' under WEB-INF/classes folder since I can call it using  this

You should be able to get a url using the code i quoted normally. What happens? Please post result of

out.println(index);

And if you do use that directory then you application will break as soon as you deploy it.
If the options I suggested are not working then the likely reason is that the xml file is not getting included in your application, for example because it is not in a source folder.

@ CEHJ: I got NullPointerException.

@ Object: So, is there noway to load an external files in web applications?

>>@ CEHJ: I got NullPointerException.

I suspect the 'conditions' are not right. i.e. the xml file is not present in your running webapp

Hmmmm.... I get really confused!!

So, where exactly is the running webapp. Where can I put those xml files to be seen and loaded using relative path from my web application?

> @ Object: So, is there noway to load an external files in web applications?

yes, but what you're trying to do is load a file internal to the webapp

> So, where exactly is the running webapp

In the directory I already posted earlier

> Where can I put those xml files to be seen and loaded using relative path from my web application?

put the resources folder in a source folder in your project