how to read a file from a lift webapp

Question

I want to read xml file in my lift app:

val data = XML.load(new java.io.InputStreamReader(new java.io.FileInputStream(filename), encoding));

However, I am getting java.io.FileNotFoundException. where should I put the file, and what is the correct path from my scala code?

BTW - I am using embedded jetty for my testing, although I need a solution for dev env and production.

Milesmilesian

Answer 1

There might be better solution for other paths but there is

var LiftRules.getResource : (String) ⇒ Box[URL]

or

def LiftRules.doWithResource(name: String)(f: (InputStream) ⇒ T): Box[T]

which usually point to files in src/main/resources/.

There is also

def LiftRules.loadResourceAsXml(name: String): Box[NodeSeq]

which may be the method you are looking for.

Tifanytiff

When I tried this methods I got MalformedUrlException. I couldn't understand if the file content or the resource path was not formed well. – Milesmilesian

Did you start the string with a slash (/myresource.res)? – Tifanytiff

It work: LiftRules.loadResourceAsXml("/cities_hebrew_utf.xml"); Thanks! – Milesmilesian

Answer 2

To solve this problem in the general case, new File("delme").createNewFile() and see where it ends up.

Alternate

This may change depending on the directory the server was started in. – Tifanytiff

Maybe, but for any particular configuration it will work, and it will work in Lift or Wicket or Play or... – Alternate

It is working for me in my development environment. Hope it will work also when I will deploy it. Thanks! – Milesmilesian

I just say that so everyone is aware of this potential problem. It has caused us a lot of headaches when our database file suddenly disappeared just because the server had been started manually. – Tifanytiff