Create an “Application Client” with Maven in Java EE

Question

I am trying to create a maven based Enterprise Application with an Application Client which runs in the Application Client Container from GlassFish. It should fit togheter as the Project template from Netbeans "Enterprise Application" + "Enterprise Application Client" but with maven and not ant.

Until now I have following projects

• Assembly Maven Project
• EAR-Module
• EJB-Module
• WEB-Module (works well with inside the ear)
• Swing Client Module

The Assembly pom.xml looks like:

    <project xml...
      <modules>
        <module>shop-ear</module>
        <module>shop-web</module>
        <module>shop-ejb</module>
        <module>shop-client</module>
      </modules>
    </project>

The ear pom.xml contain

<project ...>
  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
  <parent>
    <artifactId>shop</artifactId>
    <groupId>my.package.name</groupId>
    <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
  </parent>
  <groupId>ch.hslu.edu.enapp</groupId>
  <artifactId>shop-ear</artifactId>
  <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
  <packaging>ear</packaging>
  <!-- ... -->
  <dependencies>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>my.package.name</groupId>
        <artifactId>shop-ejb</artifactId>
        <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
        <type>ejb</type>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>my.package.name</groupId>
        <artifactId>shop-web</artifactId>
        <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
        <type>war</type>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>my.package.name</groupId>
        <artifactId>shop-client</artifactId>
        <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
        <type>jar</type>
    </dependency>
</dependencies>

And the Swing Client pom.xml contains

<project xmlns=....>
    <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
    <parent>
        <artifactId>shop</artifactId>
        <groupId>my.package.name</groupId>
        <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
    </parent>

    <groupId>my.package.name</groupId>
    <artifactId>shop-client</artifactId>
    <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
    <packaging>jar</packaging>
    <name>shop-client</name>
    <build>
        <plugins>
            <plugin>
                <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
                <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
                <version>2.3.2</version>
                <configuration>
                    <source>1.6</source>
                    <target>1.6</target>
                </configuration>
            </plugin>
            <plugin>
                <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
                <artifactId>maven-jar-plugin</artifactId>
                <version>2.3.1</version>
                <configuration>
                    <archive>
                        <manifest>
                            <mainClass>my.package.name.Main</mainClass>
                        </manifest>
                    </archive>
                </configuration>
            </plugin>
        </plugins>
    </build>
    <repositories>
        <repository>
            <url>http://download.java.net/maven/2/</url>
            <id>java.net</id>
            <layout>default</layout>
            <name>java.net</name>
        </repository>
    </repositories>
    <properties>
        <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
    </properties>

    <dependencies>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>junit</groupId>
            <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
            <version>3.8.1</version>
            <scope>test</scope>
        </dependency>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.jdesktop</groupId>
            <artifactId>beansbinding</artifactId>
            <version>1.2.1</version>
            <type>jar</type>
            <scope>compile</scope>
        </dependency>
    </dependencies>
</project>

Currently I have no dependencies between the Swing Client and the EJB Module. I just want to get a simple Swing form up and running out of the ACC form GlassFish (v 3.1.1).

But this doesn't work. The Swing-Client is packed into the lib folder inside the ear-file and I can not start it.

Do you know a tutorial or example which fulfill this task?

Answer 1

Your ear pom needs to configure the ear plugin like (maybe you just left it out when you put it into your question?):

<plugins>
        <plugin>
            <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
            <artifactId>maven-ear-plugin</artifactId>
            <version>2.3.2</version>
            <configuration>
                <version>6</version>
                <generateApplicationXml>true</generateApplicationXml>
                <defaultLibBundleDir>lib</defaultLibBundleDir>
                <modules>
                    <webModule>
                        <groupId>com.foo</groupId>
                        <artifactId>shop-web</artifactId>
                        <contextRoot>webstuff</contextRoot>
                    </webModule>
                    <ejbModule>
                        <groupId>com.foo</groupId>
                        <artifactId>shop-ejb</artifactId>
                        <classifier>single</classifier>
                        <bundleFileName>shop-ejb.jar</bundleFileName>
                    </ejbModule>
                    <jarModule>
                        <groupId>com.foo</groupId>
                        <artifactId>shop-client</artifactId>
                        <bundleDir>/</bundleDir>
                        <bundleFileName>shop-client.jar</bundleFileName>
                        <includeInApplicationXml>true</includeInApplicationXml> <!-- i don't remember if this was absolutely necessary -->
                    </jarModule>
                </modules>
          </configuration>
        </plugin>

That will package your application client jar outside the lib folder, and will help you define the context roots for your war modules (there isn't another way that I could find). The bundleFileName was important to get the URL to launch the client to make more sense.

I don't know of a single tutorial that puts this all together, but some resources are:

• http://blogs.steeplesoft.com/2011/02/java-ees-buried-treasure-the-application-client-container/
• http://java.sun.com/developer/technicalArticles/J2EE/jws-glassfish/part3.html
• http://blogs.oracle.com/quinn/entry/customizing_generated_java_web_start

Answer 2

Now, there is official maven support for app clients

http://maven.apache.org/plugins/maven-acr-plugin/ http://maven.apache.org/plugins/maven-ear-plugin/examples/using-app-client.html

http://web.anahata-it.com/2011/09/09/java-jee-desktop-maven-enterprise-application-client/

NetBeans 7.1 will add support for maven app clients too.