Perform code on startup of a web application

[henryf]

Hi there!

I would like to perform some code when a web application is starting.

I want to create database entries if they are not present in the database. So the user can set hibernate.show_sql to create and after the tables were created a process should writes some entries in a table to make the application runnable. Do someone have a tip for me?

Thanks!

[Steve O]

By 'starting', I assume you mean when you deploy a war. One way to do what you are looking for, is, in a bean config ( applicationContext.xml or xxx-servlet.xml) define an 'init-method'.

<bean id="appStarter" class="my.project.web.FireUpTheDatabase" init-method="init"/>

In your FireUpTheDatabase.java class:

public class FireUpTheDatabase {
...
  public void init () {
    // do whatever you want to do here
  }
...
}

Good luck - Steve O

[Sreeram Ediga]

Hi Henry,

If this is what you want to do at the starting of your web application -->
a) tables not existing to get created
b) populate some rows in tables

If you are using JSP/Servlets, you can think of the following steps -->
a) Have a <load-on-startup> entry for a servlet.
b) In its init() method, invoke a method of some DAO class.
c) This class should have a static block that builds Hibernate's SessionFactory. If you keep "update" for "hibernate.hbm2ddl.auto" property, which ever classes that are mapped in your hbm files but don't have corresponding tables existing in DB, Hibernate will create tables for them automatically.
d) The rest of the method can continue with save() method calls to insert rows in required tables.

If you are using Struts --->
a) Have a Plug-In class ready for Hibernate in which build Hibernate's sessionfactory. "update" value will do the needful there also.

Hope this is useful.

Thanks,
Sreeram