Tomcat Automation Script

This PowerShell script automates the process of building, deploying, and managing JSP web applications on Apache Tomcat, opening the browser, and reloading the page with no user interaction.

Deployment Speed Comparison

tom deploy dev (Fast Deployment)

This video demonstrates the dev deployment mode, which directly deploys files from the development folder. This method is significantly faster as it skips the Maven build process.

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tom deploy mvn (Maven Build and Deploy)

This video demonstrates the mvn deployment mode, which builds the project using Maven and deploys the generated WAR file. This method is slower due to the Maven build process.

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Features

Automatically builds projects using Maven

This feature ensures that the project is built using Maven, compiling the source code and generating a deployable WAR file.

$process = Start-Process -FilePath "mvn" -ArgumentList "clean package" -PassThru -Wait -NoNewWindow

if ($process.ExitCode -ne 0) {
    Write-Host "[ERROR] Maven build failed. Exiting." -ForegroundColor Red | Out-Null
    exit 1
}

Explanation: The script starts the Maven process using mvn clean package. If the Maven build fails (i.e., the exit code is non-zero), an error message is displayed, and the script terminates.

Deploys WAR files to the Tomcat `webapps` directory

Once the Maven build completes successfully, the generated WAR file is deployed to the Tomcat webapps directory.

$WAR_FILE = Get-ChildItem -Path "$PROJECT_DIR\target" -Filter "*.war" | Select-Object -First 1 -ExpandProperty FullName
$APP_NAME = [System.IO.Path]::GetFileNameWithoutExtension($WAR_FILE)

if (-not $WAR_FILE) {
    Write-Host "[ERROR] No WAR file found. Closing Tomcat..." -ForegroundColor Red
    exit 1
}

Copy-Item -Path $WAR_FILE -Destination "$TOMCAT_HOME\webapps\"
INFO "New WAR file deployed"

Explanation: The script searches for the WAR file in the project's target directory and deploys it to the Tomcat webapps directory. If no WAR file is found, it terminates with an error message.

Supports two deployment modes: `dev` and `mvn`

The script now supports two deployment modes:

• dev: Directly deploys files from the development folder.
• mvn: Builds the project using Maven and deploys the generated WAR file.

function deploy {
    param (
        [ValidateSet("dev", "mvn")]
        [string]$Type
    )

    cleanOldDeployments
    
    if ($Type -eq "dev") {
        # Deploy from development folder
    } elseif ($Type -eq "mvn") {
        # Build and deploy using Maven
    }
}

Explanation: The deploy function now accepts a Type parameter to specify the deployment mode. This allows for more flexibility in how the application is deployed.

Starts or stops Tomcat based on its running status

The script includes functionality to start or stop Tomcat depending on the given action (start or stop).

function tomcat {
    param (
        [ValidateSet("start", "stop", "reload")]
        [string]$Action
    )

    $javaExecutable = "$env:JAVA_HOME\bin\java.exe"

    Start-Process -FilePath $javaExecutable `
        -ArgumentList "-cp", $classpath, $catalinaOpts, $mainClass, $Action `
        -NoNewWindow `
        -RedirectStandardOutput $logOut `
        -RedirectStandardError $logErr `
        -Wait
}

Explanation: The tomcat function takes an action parameter (start, stop, or reload) and starts, stops, or reloads the Tomcat server accordingly by executing the Java process with the appropriate arguments.

Reloads the application if Tomcat is already running

If Tomcat is already running, the script will reload the application rather than restarting the server.

if ($tomcatRunning) {
    try {
        $creds = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential("admin", (ConvertTo-SecureString "admin" -AsPlainText -Force))
        Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "http://localhost:8080/manager/text/reload?path=/$APP_NAME" -Method Get -Credential $creds | Out-Null
        INFO "Tomcat reloaded"
    } catch {
        Write-Host "[ERROR] Failed to reload Tomcat. Check your credentials and Tomcat manager settings." -ForegroundColor Red
        exit 1
    }
} else {
    Tomcat -Action start
}

Explanation: If Tomcat is running, the script uses the Tomcat manager's API to reload the application without restarting the server. If Tomcat is not running, it starts the server first. Note: The script will crash if the following line is not added to apache-tomcat\conf\tomcat-users.xml:

<user username="admin" password="admin" roles="manager-gui,manager-script"/>

This line grants the necessary permissions to the Tomcat manager for reloading the application.

For Newer PowerShell Versions:

In newer versions of PowerShell, you might need to include the -AllowUnencryptedAuthentication flag when running the script to enable basic authentication for the Tomcat manager API. The rest of the command should remain unchanged.

Example:

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "http://localhost:8080/manager/text/reload?path=/$APP_NAME" -Method Get -Credential $creds -AllowUnencryptedAuthentication

Without this flag, you might encounter errors related to unencrypted communication during authentication.

Opens or refreshes the application in Google Chrome

The script ensures the application is opened or refreshed in Google Chrome after deployment.

$chromeProcesses = Get-Process -Name "chrome" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

if ($chromeProcesses) {
    $chromeOpened = $false
    foreach ($process in $chromeProcesses) {
        $chromeTitle = $process.MainWindowTitle
        if ($chromeTitle -like "*$APP_NAME*") {
            $chromeOpened = $true
            [System.Windows.Forms.SendKeys]::SendWait("^{F5}") # Ctrl+F5 for hard refresh
            INFO "Google Chrome reloaded"
            break
        }
    }

    if (-not $chromeOpened) {
        INFO "Opening Google Chrome"
        Start-Process "chrome" "http://localhost:8080/$APP_NAME"
    }
} else {
    INFO "Opening Google Chrome"
    Start-Process "chrome" "http://localhost:8080/$APP_NAME"
}

Explanation: The script checks if Google Chrome is already open and refreshes the tab with the deployed application. If Chrome is not open, it launches a new instance with the application URL.

Parameter Actions

Action	Description	Subactions (if applicable)
start	Starts the Tomcat server	None
stop	Stops the Tomcat server	None
deploy	Deploys the application to Tomcat	dev: Deploy from development folder mvn: Build and deploy using Maven
clean	Cleans previous deployments	None
help	Displays help message	None

Prerequisites

Before using this script, ensure the following requirements are met:

1. Java Development Kit (JDK): Installed and JAVA_HOME environment variable is correctly set.
2. Apache Tomcat: Installed and CATALINA_HOME environment variable is correctly set.
3. Maven: Installed and added to the system's PATH.
4. Google Chrome: Installed for automatic browser interaction.

This script assumes that the working directory contains the pom.xml file (for Maven builds) or a valid project structure (for dev deployment). If these are missing, the script will not run.

Extendable Code

This script is designed to be extendable. You can add new functionality such as pre-deployment checks, custom notifications, or integrate with other tools.

Add Custom Future Extensions:

• Custom Deployment Notifications: You can modify the script to send email or Slack notifications after deployment.
• Custom Build Scripts: Add new Maven goals or other build scripts as part of the mvn clean package command.

VS Code Automatic Execution

For Visual Studio Code users, the script can be configured to run automatically on file save using the Run on Save extension.

1. Install the extension from this repository: vscode-run-on-save.
2. Add the following configuration to your VS Code settings:

"runOnSave.shell": "PowerShell",
"runOnSave.commands": [
    {
        "match": ".jsp",
        "command": "tom deploy dev",
    }
],
"runOnSave.defaultRunIn": "terminal"

Error Handling

• If JAVA_HOME or CATALINA_HOME is not set correctly, the script will terminate with an appropriate error message.
• Maven build failures will stop further deployment.
• Missing WAR files or invalid project structures will prompt Tomcat shutdown before exit.

License

This script is licensed under the MIT License.