Init parameter in web.xml throwing an error..?

Question

OK.. this is probably going to sound strange, but here goes:
Here is my entry in the web.xml:
<servlet>
          <servlet-name>ServletTestRunner</servlet-name>
          <servlet-class>
               org.apache.cactus.server.runner.ServletTestRunner
          </servlet-class>
     </servlet>
     <servlet-mapping>
          <servlet-name>ServletTestRunner</servlet-name>
          <url-pattern>/ServletTestRunner</url-pattern>
     </servlet-mapping>Everything works fine - I pull up the servlet with the following URL (http://localhost:7001/CDCAppWeb/ServletTestRunner?suite=com.testcases.decision.service.SendCreditRequestBeanTest)
, and receive the results in XML format. However, if I change the web.xml to have the following:
     <servlet>
          <servlet-name>ServletTestRunner</servlet-name>
          <servlet-class>
               org.apache.cactus.server.runner.ServletTestRunner
          </servlet-class>
          <init-param>
               <param-name>xsl-stylesheet</param-name>
               <param-value>cactus-report.xsl</param-value>
          </init-param>
     </servlet>(notice the cactus-report.xsl init-param entry) - the servlet does not work. Actually, NONE of the other servlets in my application work when I put in this init-param for the ServletTestRunner. I have verified that the xsl is in the classpath (WEB-INF/classes).
What I am missing... any ideas?

Answer 1

I know what the problem is. If you call servlet with the default URL (http://host/app/servlet/package.Servlet) than Servlet DOES NOT read init parameters. I don't know why it was designed this way.
To make servlet read init parameters, you have to assign it a name and then call it with that name, like this:
<servlet>
<servlet-name>ServletName</servlet-name>
<servlet-class>package.ServletClass</servlet-class>
</servlet>
<servlet-mapping>
<servlet-name>ServletName</servlet-name>
<url-pattern>/app/path/ServletName</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>
You can then call servlet using path specified in url-pattern and read init parameters in the normal way.