While deployment descriptors
are not required in Java™ EE
as they were in J2EE, you can include deployment descriptors in your
enterprise applications, and change to your module dependencies using
the deployment descriptor editor.
The application deployment descriptor
editor includes scrollable pages and collapsible sections that represent
the various properties and settings in the deployment descriptor (application.xml)
and other metadata written to bindings and extensions files. The editor
is dynamic, and sections and pages are created based on the application
deployment descriptor version and the workbench capabilities that
are enabled. To open the editor, right click the deployment descriptor
for your project and select .
Deployment descriptors are not automatically generated when you
create your enterprise project, unless you select Generate
Deployment Descriptor in the project creation wizard.
For more information on creating deployment descriptors, see Generating deployment descriptors
The deployment descriptor editor contains two pages, the Design
page and the Source page. The Design page contains a number of sections,
including Overview, General Information and Icons. Collapsing a section
hides the content, but leaves the heading information. This is useful
in filtering through the data and properties. The editor remembers
the sections that you collapse when you close and reopen the editor.
The Source page contains the source for your application, the application.xml.
Design page
The
Design page in the application editor provides a quick summary of
the contents in the application deployment descriptor. It includes
the following sections: General Information, Modules, Security Roles,
Icons, and WebSphere® Extensions.
- Overview section
- The Overview section displays the names of the modules that are
defined for the application, and provides a quick link to the Module
page of the editor. You can use this section to add, edit, browse,
and remove EJB, Web, and Application Client modules from the enterprise
application. When you select a module in the list, its attributes
are displayed on the fields on the right side of the pane. The list
of fields changes dynamically to match the type of module selected.
- General Information section
- Use the General Information section to view the display name and
description for the enterprise application, as stored in the application.xml file.
- Icons section
- Use the Icons section to choose icons that represent your enterprise
application. These icons are used for identification on the server.
In order to use an icon, you must first import the graphic file into
the enterprise application project (basically, it must be contained
inside the EAR file in order for it to be found at deploy time). Once
the file has been imported into the project, you are able to select
it within the icon dialog on the application deployment descriptor
editor. If you do not import the file into the project, you do not
see any icons within the dialogs.
- Actions section
- The Actions section provides links for you to perform the following
actions:
- Manage Utility Jars: Use this link to add a Java project as a utility JAR file that can
be used by modules in the enterprise application. For each Java project, a utility JAR is created
when the EAR file is exported.
- WebSphere Deployment Descriptors
- The Actions section provides links for you to perform the following
actions:
- Open WebSphere Programming Model Extensions Descriptor :
(For applications that target WebSphere Application
Server) The WebSphere bindings
section provides a place to add WebSphere Programming Model Extensions.
- Open WebSphere Bindings:
(For applications that target WebSphere Application
Server) The WebSphere bindings
section provides a place to add users and groups to the security roles.
- Open WebSphere Extensions:
(For applications that target WebSphere Application
Server) The WebSphere Extensions
section provides a place to add WebSphere Extensions.
If you do not have WebSphere bindings
or extensions files created for your project, when you click the action
link, a message appears stating that you do not have these files.
For information about how to create WebSphere Extensions and Bindings deployment
descriptors, see Generating WebSphere extensions and bindings deployment descriptors
Source page
Use the
Source page to view and modify the
application.xml file
directly. The XML on the source page changes dynamically when the
deployment descriptor is edited, and the other pages of the application
deployment descriptor editor reflect changes that you make on the
Source page. Editing the XML source is not the best was to edit the
deployment descriptor; use the Design page of the editor to make your
changes.