DispatcherServlet / tomcat welcome-file / index file issue

[shan]

not really a direct question, but if you have an answer, please feel to respond
I apologize if this has already been discussed

I'm using tomcat 5.5 and have disabled directory listings
I wish that when the user visits the site (no htm file specified, just the root URL) that a controller handles it via the DispatcherServlet
I am also using acegi-security for authentication

initially I had no files in the context dir of my webapp, aside from the login.jsp required by my acegi-security setup

but in my MVC config, I did map the "index.htm" URL to a "home" controller

I am relying on the default "welcome-file" list specified in the server-wide web.xml
<welcome-file-list>
<welcome-file>index.htm</welcome-file>
<welcome-file>index.html</welcome-file>
<welcome-file>index.jsp</welcome-file>
</welcome-file-list>

when everything is up and running, and my brower hits the default URL (e.g. http://appadmin/), I am redirected through acegi-security for a login, and when I am logged in successfully I am sent back to the original URL and get a 404 page (I guess this is the result of the disabled directory listing)

what I thought would happen was that the DispatcherServlet would have picked up the flow and sent the request to my "home" controller

next what I did was actually stick an "index.htm" in the context root of my webapp, a simple file with just a static "hello" message, no dynamic stuff

same series of events (after both a brower & tomcat restart); instead of the 404, and instead of the contents of the static file I just created, I get the result of my "home" controller

I gutted the index.htm file (now it's completely empty), and the above scenario still works

this is the effect I desire for my application, but my question is: is this the right way to go about achieving this functionality, or am I just abusing a loop hole?

[erikgu]

Not sure if i got your question right..

But to my knowlege u can't use welcome-file-list elements to map to a "virtual" address. (only in the directory not through a DispatcherServlet)

U could however add a jsp that redirects it all..

index.htm

<jsp:forward page="index.htm" />

Not sure if i did answer anything... hope so.

-Erik