How do I automatically export a WAR after Java build in Eclipse?

Question

I have a J2EE project in Eclipse 3.2 and at the end of every build I want to automatically create and deploy a WAR file. At the moment I have to do this by hand which is 5 or 6 mouse-cliks and it would be nice to automate it.

I know I can do this with a custom build script using ANT but I am hoping for an Eclipse native solution.

I have the J2EE standard tools (JST) and Web Standard Tools (WST) plug-ins installed in my Eclipse environment.

Answer 1

There are only two options:

• Or you right click on project: Run -> Run on server. (Your project needs to be a web project.)
• Or you write that ant script and use eclipse to store you ant run configuration and reuse that config.

Answer 2

If you can implement it as an Ant script, then you can have Eclipse invoke that Ant script on each build automatically (and inside the Eclipse environment). Use Project->Properties->Builders->Add->Ant Builder. Give that builder you custom Ant script and it will automatically be executed after the "normal" builders of your project.

Answer 3

Right click on your project: Export -> Web -> WAR File Do what you want to do.

Answer 4

Consider using netbeans, full ear and war deployment is possible without the need to write ant yourself for most of the major servers, ie tomcat, was, weblogic, glassfish and jboss.

I highly recommend it, even over the IBM rational suite.

Karl

Answer 5

Using the latest eclipse jee release you could define Servers and attach project to those servers.

This will automatically deploy your project to the server when the project changes.