Run/Debug Configuration: GlassFish Server
Use the GlassFish Server run/debug configuration to deploy and debug your applications on Eclipse GlassFish. For more information, refer to Application server run configurations.
Use a Local configuration to run a local instance of the application server and deploy the artifacts to it.
Use a Remote configuration to deploy artifacts to a running application server instance.
Enable the GlassFish plugin
This functionality relies on the GlassFish plugin, which is bundled and enabled in IntelliJ IDEA by default. If the relevant features aren't available, make sure that you didn't disable the plugin.
Press Control+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and then select
.Open the Installed tab, find the GlassFish plugin, and select the checkbox next to the plugin name.
Server tab for a local configuration
Item | Description |
---|---|
Application server | Select the server configuration to be used. Click Configure to create a new server configuration or edit an existing one. (The Application Servers dialog will open.) |
After launch | Select this checkbox to start a web browser after starting the server and deploying the artifacts. Select the browser from the list. Click Shift+Enter to configure your web browsers. |
With JavaScript debugger | If this checkbox is selected, the web browser is started with the JavaScript debugger enabled. Note that JavaScript debugging is available only for Firefox and Google Chrome. When you debug your JavaScript in Firefox for the first time, the JetBrains Firefox extension is installed. |
The field underneath After launch | Specify the URL the browser should go to when started. In most typical cases, this URL corresponds to the root of your Web application or its starting page. |
VM options | Specify the options to be passed to the Java virtual machine when launching the application, for example, When specifying JVM options, follow these rules:
-Xmx1024m -Dspaces="some arg" -Dmy.prop=\"quoted_value\" -Dfoo=${MY_ENV_VAR} Use code completion in this field: start typing the name of a flag, and the IDE suggests a list of available command line options. This works for The |
On 'Update' action | Select the necessary option for the Update application function ( or Command F10 in the Run or Debug tool window). The update options are different for exploded and packed artifacts. For exploded artifacts, the available options are:
For packed artifacts, the available options are:
|
Show dialog | Select this checkbox if you want to see the Update dialog every time you use the Update application function. The Update dialog is used to select the Update option prior to actually updating the application. |
On frame deactivation | Specify what IntelliJ IDEA should do when you switch from the IDE to a different application (for example, a web browser). (Frame deactivation means switching to a different application.) The options other than Do nothing have the same meanings as in the case of the Update action. |
JRE | By default, the project JDK is used to run the application. If you want to specify an alternative JDK or JRE here, select it from the drop-down list. |
Server Domain | Select the server domain to be used (to deploy and run your application). |
Username | Specify the name of the user on whose behalf IntelliJ IDEA will connect to the server. |
Password | The password of the user specified in the Username field. |
Preserve Sessions Across Redeployment | For GlassFish Server 3 or later versions: select this checkbox to preserve active HTTP sessions when redeploying your application artifacts. |
Server tab for a remote configuration
Item | Description |
---|---|
Application server | Select the server configuration to be used. Note that this is a local server configuration. (When working with a remote server, the same server version must be available locally.) Click Configure to create a new server configuration or edit an existing one. (The Application Servers dialog will open.) |
After launch | Select this checkbox to start a web browser after connecting to the server and deploying the artifacts. Select the browser from the list. Click Shift+Enter to configure your web browsers. |
With JavaScript debugger | If this checkbox is selected, the web browser is started with the JavaScript debugger enabled. Note that JavaScript debugging is available only for Firefox and Google Chrome. When you debug your JavaScript in Firefox for the first time, the JetBrains Firefox extension is installed. |
The field underneath After launch | Specify the URL the browser should go to when started. In most typical cases, this URL corresponds to the root of your Web application or its starting page. |
On 'Update' action | Select the necessary option for the Update application function ( or Command F10 in the Run or Debug tool window). The options are:
|
Show dialog | Select this checkbox if you want to see the Update dialog every time you use the Update application function. The Update dialog is used to select the Update option prior to actually updating the application. |
On frame deactivation | Specify what IntelliJ IDEA should do when you switch from the IDE to a different application (for example, a web browser). (Frame deactivation means switching to a different application.) The options other than Do nothing have the same meanings as in the case of the Update action. |
Domain Admin Server Port | GlassFish domain administration server port. |
Username | Specify the name of the user on whose behalf IntelliJ IDEA will connect to the server. |
Password | The password of the user specified in the Username field. |
Deploy Target | Specify the following information for the target server:
|
Use SSL connection | Select this checkbox to connect to the server using SSL. |
Preserve Sessions Across Redeployment | For GlassFish Server 3 or later versions: select this checkbox to preserve active HTTP sessions when redeploying your application artifacts. |
Upload with GlassFish | Select this checkbox to deploy the application artifacts using the GlassFish Admin Console. Note that in this case you won't be able to deploy exploded artifacts to a remote server (if the server is actually on a different computer). If you use this option, you don't need to specify the remote staging settings. |
Remote staging | This section contains the settings related to staging. |
Type | Select the way the staging environment or host is accessed for transferring the application artifact or artifacts from your local computer. (In the user interface of IntelliJ IDEA this setting is also referred to as the connection type.) The available options are:
If the list is empty, you have to enable the FTP/SFTP Connectivity plugin which supports the corresponding functionality. |
Host | If Same file system is selected for Type, the only available option for Host is also Same file system. In all other cases, the list contains the existing configurations of the selected type. So each configuration corresponds to an individual (S)FTP connection, or a local or mounted folder. Select an existing configuration or create a new one. To create a new configuration:
|
Staging | When deploying to the remote host, the application artifact or artifacts are placed into a staging folder which should be accessible to GlassFish Server. The settings in this section define the location of this staging folder. Note that if Same file system is selected for Type and Host, no settings in this section need to be specified. |
Path from root | The path to the staging folder relative to the local or mounted folder, or the root of the (S)FTP host. You can use to select the folder in the Choose target path dialog. |
Mapped as | The absolute path to the staging folder in the local file system of the remote host. |
Remote connection settings | The settings for accessing deployed applications. |
Host | The fully qualified domain name or the IP address of the GlassFish Server host. When the target server operates in the cluster mode, this is the host of the GlassFish Server instance which the debugger should connect to. |
Port | The server HTTP port, or, for a cluster, the HTTP port of the corresponding GlassFish Server instance. |
Example: remote staging for a mounted folder
Assuming that:
C:\shared is a shared folder on the remote host, which is mounted to the local computer as the drive X:.
The folder that you are going to use for staging is C:\shared\staging.
Here are the corresponding remote staging settings:
Type: Local or mounted folder.
Host: The configuration should be selected in which the value in the Folder field is X:\ (the Upload/download project files section on the Connection tab of the Deployment dialog).
Staging/Path from root: staging
Staging/Mapped as: C:\shared\staging
Deployment tab
Specify which artifacts or external resources to deploy. An external resource is a deployable web component, such as a .war file, which is not represented by a project artifact. Usually, such components are stored outside of the project scope.
Item | Description |
---|---|
or Alt+Insert | Add an artifact or an external resource to the list. |
or Alt+Delete | Remove the selected artifacts and external resources from the list. |
or F4 | Configure the selected artifact. The Artifacts page of the Project Structure dialog will open. |
Use custom context root | If you want to assign a particular context root to an artifact or external resource, select the artifact or the resource, select the checkbox, and specify the desired context root in the field below the checkbox. |
Logs tab
Use this tab to specify which log files generated while running or debugging should be displayed in the console, that is, on the dedicated tabs of the Run or Debug tool window.
Item | Description |
---|---|
Is Active | Select checkboxes in this column to have the log entries displayed in the corresponding tabs in the Run tool window or Debug tool window. |
Log File Entry | The read-only fields in this column list the log files to show. The list can contain:
|
Skip Content | Select this checkbox to have the previous content of the selected log skipped. |
Save console output to file | Select this checkbox to save the console output to the specified location. Type the path manually, or click the browse button and point to the desired location in the dialog that opens. |
Show console when a message is printed to standard output stream | Select this checkbox to activate the output console and bring it forward if an associated process writes to Standard.out. |
Show console when a message is printed to standard error stream | Select this checkbox to activate the output console and bring it forward if an associated process writes to Standard.err. |
Click this button to open the Edit Log Files Aliases dialog where you can select a new log entry and specify an alias for it. | |
Click this button to edit the properties of the selected log file entry in the Edit Log Files Aliases dialog. | |
Click this button to remove the selected log entry from the list. |
Code Coverage tab
Use this tab to configure code coverage monitoring options.
Note that this tab is not available for remote servers.
Item | Description |
---|---|
Choose code coverage runner | Select the desired code coverage runner. |
Sampling | Select this option to measure code coverage with minimal slow-down. |
Tracing | Select this option to collect accurate branch coverage. This mode is available for the IntelliJ IDEA code coverage runner only. |
Track per test coverage | Select this checkbox to detect lines covered by one test and all tests covering line. |
Packages and classes to record code coverage data | If necessary, specify the classes and packages to be measured. Use or to add classes or packages to the list. To remove the classes or packages from the list, select the corresponding list items and click . |
Enable coverage in test folders. | Select this checkbox to include the test source folders in code coverage analysis. |
Startup/Connection tab for a local configuration
Item | Description |
---|---|
Run / Debug / Coverage | Use to switch between the settings for the run, debug and code coverage modes. |
Startup script | Specify the script to be used to start the server. Use default:
|
Shutdown script | Specify the script to be used to stop the server. Use default:
|
Pass environment variables | The way GlassFish Server is started cannot be changed by using environment variables. The server configuration file domain.xml should be changed instead. So, whatever you specify in this section, doesn't matter. To make the necessary changes to the configuration file, IntelliJ IDEA provides quick fixes. When you see a warning in the lower part of the dialog that certain settings are incorrect, you should click Fix. As a result, the necessary changes are made to domain.xml. Example When you select Debug in the upper part of the tab, you see that there is a variable
As stated before, the corresponding setting cannot be passed to the GlassFish Server JVM by means of In the configuration file <domain_name>/config/domain.xml, by default, the corresponding value (the
So, in the lower part of the dialog, you see the warning Debug settings are invalid.... Now, if you click Fix, the value in domain.xml changes to
|
Port | Use this field to change the debugger port. When the warning Debug settings are invalid... is shown, click Fix. This changes the port number in the GlassFish Server configuration file domain.xml. See also, Run/Debug Configuration: GlassFish Server. |
Debugger Settings | Click this button to edit the debugger options on the Debugger page of the Settings dialog. |
Startup/Connection tab for a remote configuration
This tab shows command-line options for starting the server JVM in the run and debug modes.
Item | Description |
---|---|
Run / Debug | Use to switch between the settings for the run and debug modes. The settings are shown in the area under To run/debug... |
To run/debug remote server JVM... | The command-line options for starting the server JVM. These should be specified in the GlassFish Server configuration file domain.xml. |
Transport (and all that follows) | The GUI for generating the remote debug command-line options shown in the area under To run/debug... |
Common settings
When you edit a run configuration (but not a run configuration template), you can specify the following options:
Item | Description |
---|---|
Name | Specify a name for the run configuration to quickly identify it among others when editing or running. |
Allow multiple instances | Allow running multiple instances of this run configuration in parallel. By default, it is disabled, and when you start this configuration while another instance is still running, IntelliJ IDEA suggests stopping the running instance and starting another one. This is helpful when a run configuration consumes a lot of resources and there is no good reason to run multiple instances. |
Store as project file | Save the file with the run configuration settings to share it with other team members. The default location is .idea/runConfigurations. However, if you do not want to share the .idea directory, you can save the configuration to any other directory within the project. By default, it is disabled, and IntelliJ IDEA stores run configuration settings in .idea/workspace.xml. |
Toolbar
The tree view of run/debug configurations has a toolbar that helps you manage configurations available in your project as well as adjust default configurations templates.
Item | Shortcut | Description |
---|---|---|
Alt+Insert | Create a run/debug configuration. | |
Alt+Delete | Delete the selected run/debug configuration. Note that you cannot delete default configurations. | |
Control+D | Create a copy of the selected run/debug configuration. Note that you create copies of default configurations. | |
The button is displayed only when you select a temporary configuration. Click this button to save a temporary configuration as permanent. | ||
Move into new folder / Create new folder. You can group run/debug configurations by placing them into folders. To create a folder, select the configurations within a category, click , and specify the folder name. If only a category is in focus, an empty folder is created. Then, to move a configuration into a folder, between the folders or out of a folder, use drag or and buttons. To remove grouping, select a folder and click . | ||
Click this button to sort configurations in the alphabetical order. |
Before launch
In this area, you can specify tasks to be performed before starting the selected run/debug configuration. The tasks are performed in the order they appear in the list.
Item | Shortcut | Description |
---|---|---|
Alt+Insert | Click this icon to add one of the following available tasks:
| |
Alt+Delete | Click this icon to remove the selected task from the list. | |
Enter | Click this icon to edit the selected task. Make the necessary changes in the dialog that opens. | |
Alt+ArrowUp Alt+ArrowDown | Click these icons to move the selected task one line up or down in the list. The tasks are performed in the order that they appear in the list. | |
Show this page | Select this checkbox to show the run/debug configuration settings prior to actually starting the run/debug configuration. | |
Activate tool window | By default this checkbox is selected and the Run or the Debug tool window opens when you start the run/debug configuration. Otherwise, if the checkbox is cleared, the tool window is hidden. However, when the configuration is running, you can open the corresponding tool window for it yourself by pressing Alt+4 or Alt+5. |