How To:

Deploy Apps to a Local Server

In order to deploy applications to a server from within the IDE, you must configure the IDE with information about the server. For a local server this information includes the following:

a server runtime environment with details about the server location, runtime JRE, and configuration files
a server adapter with management settings for the server runtime environment, including access parameters, launch arguments, and publishing options

JBoss Server Tools enables you to efficiently configure a local server ready for use with the IDE using Runtime Detection. As demonstrated here, this feature is useful for quickly configuring a server for deploying and testing an application.

Instructions are provided here for completing the following tasks:

Configure the IDE for a Local Runtime Server
Deploy an Application
Change and Republish the Application

1. Configure the IDE for a Local Runtime Server

Runtime Detection searches a given local system path to locate certain types of runtime servers. For any servers found, Runtime Detection automatically generates both a default server runtime environment and a default server adapter. These items can be used as they are for immediate application deployment or customized to meet your requirements.

To configure the IDE for a local runtime server, complete the following steps:

Click Window Preferences JBoss Tools JBoss Runtime Detection.
Click Add.
Locate the directory containing the runtime server and click OK.
In the table of located runtimes, ensure the runtime is selected and click OK.
Click Apply and click OK to close the Preferences window.

A default runtime environment and server adapter are generated for the server, with the server adapter listed in the Servers view.

2. Deploy an Application

When you have configured the IDE for the server, you can deploy applications to the server from the IDE using the server adapter. The server adapter enables runtime communication between the server and IDE for easy deployment of applications and server management.

To deploy an application to the server, complete the following steps:

In the Project Explorer view, right-click {project name} and click Run As Run on Server.
Ensure Choose an existing server is selected.
From the table of servers, expand localhost, select the server on which to deploy the application and click Finish.

The Console view shows output from the server starting and deploying the application. When deployment is complete, an IDE default web browser opens and shows the deployed web application.

3. Change and Republish the Application

By default, the server adapter configures the server for automatic publishing when changed resources are saved. This automatic publishing action applies to application resources that can be interchanged in the dedicated deployment location of the server without requiring the application to stop and restart, such as .html files. For other changed resources, such as .java files, you need to republish the application such that it forces a rebuild of the application.

To republish the application to the server after changes that cannot be automatically published, complete the following steps:

In the Servers view, expand the server adapter to list the applications allocated to the server.
Right-click {application name} and click Full Publish.

The Console view shows output from the server replacing the deploying application. Unless LiveReload is enabled in the web browser, you must manually reload the web browser to see the changed application.

Did You Know?

You can also configure servers by right-clicking the Servers view and selecting New Server or by clicking Manually define a new server in the Run on Server wizard.
Paths previously searched by Runtime Detection can be automatically searched on every workspace start. Click Window Preferences JBoss Tools JBoss Runtime Detection and from the Paths table select the check boxes of the appropriate paths. Click Apply and click OK to close the Preferences window.
You can customize the server adapter and server runtime environment with the Server Editor. In the Servers view, double-click the server adapter to open the Server Editor.
You can initiate download and installation of runtime servers from the IDE. Click Window Preferences JBoss Tools JBoss Runtime Detection. Click Download and from the table of runtime servers select the one to install and click Next. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the download and installation process.