Configuring the Application

Configuring a JavaServer Faces application involves various configuration tasks which include adding managed-bean declarations, navigation rules and resources bundle declarations in the application configuration resource files such as faces-config.xml, and mapping the Faces Servlet in the web deployment descriptor file such as a web.xml file. Application configuration is an advanced topic covered in Java EE 6 Tutorial, Volume II: Advanced Topics.

If you are using an IDE such as NetBeans IDE, a web deployment descriptor is automatically created for you. In such IDE created web.xml files, change the default greeting page which is index.xhtml, to greeting.xhtml. Here is an example web.xml file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<web-app version="3.0" xmlns="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee" 
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" 
xsi:schemaLocation="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee 
http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee/web-app_3_0.xsd">
    <context-param>
        <param-name>javax.faces.PROJECT_STAGE</param-name>
        <param-value>Development</param-value>
    </context-param>
    <servlet>
        <servlet-name>Faces Servlet</servlet-name>
        <servlet-class>javax.faces.webapp.FacesServlet</servlet-class>
        <load-on-startup>1</load-on-startup>
    </servlet>
    <servlet-mapping>
        <servlet-name>Faces Servlet</servlet-name>
        <url-pattern>/faces/*</url-pattern>
    </servlet-mapping>
    <session-config>
        <session-timeout>
            30
        </session-timeout>
    </session-config>
    <welcome-file-list>
        <welcome-file>faces/greeting.xhtml</welcome-file>
    </welcome-file-list>
</web-app>

Note the use of parameter PROJECT_STAGE. ProjectStage is a context parameter identifying the status of a JavaServer Faces application in the software lifecycle.

The stage of an application can affect the behavior of the application. For example, if the project stage is defined as Development, debugging information is automatically generated for the user. If not defined by the user, the default project stage is considered as Production. Project Stage is covered in more detail in Java EE 6 Tutorial, Volume II: Advanced Topics.