Reloading a new JSP/Jar in Tomcat Server

Question

HI,
I face these problems now.
My environment is Oracle Jdev 3.2.3 for JSP development. Tomcat4.0.1 as Application server plugged into IIS webserver and Using oracle 8i as the database
1. Whenever I update my JSP's and Application jar files, I copy from staging area to the deployment Tomcat Server application specific directories. The files are getting copied(overwritten). After that when i try to access my context/application in Tomcat server, my browser simply tries to browse and doesn't bring up the homepage of my application(say index.jsp).
I need to stop the tomcat server and restart again. Then I get it.
Is there anyone who came across this error and possibly help me to solve this?
2. I have a JSP (say emplist) which shows all the employees details with empno, ename, depyno and sal as 4 columns.
I have a up and down arrow images near the column names. Upon clicking it, it will call the same page and sort the column either desc or asc based on the previous display order. The column on which the Arrow button displayed is stored in session variable.
This sorting in JSP perfectly works in JDeveloper and when i run using WebToGo Server. But when i deployed in Tomcat,This sorting doesn't work.
The page simply stands. and when i go back and front browsing my other pages of application, i lose the position of the arrow button and it behaves unexpectedly by showing up in some other columns.
is there any reason for this kind of behaviour?
3. In my JSP files, I log the user actions into a text file in the server. IN WTG, I am able to specify the path of the output directory.
But in Tomcat Server, by default the output files are getting created in C:/Tomcat/bin directory.
I donno how to set an output directory, where the files will be written to and set an input directory from where my custom application properties files will be read from.
Can anyone help me in telling in which file and what attributes, i need to set the input and output directory path in Tomcat Server?
Can someone help me in giving suggestions or solutions for the above problems?
Thanks a lot in advance.
Thanks
Hari

Answer 1

I added a Context Tag in server.xml file in the Host Tag
<Context docBase="struts-blank">
</Context>and so following comes up in the Server Console Window
INFO: Starting service Catalina
Feb 7, 2005 11:06:30 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngine start
INFO: Starting Servlet Engine: Apache Tomcat/5.5.2
Feb 7, 2005 11:06:30 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost start
INFO: XML validation disabled
java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException
        at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
        at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.
java:39)
        at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAcces
sorImpl.java:25)
        at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:585)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.Bootstrap.start(Bootstrap.java:271)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.Bootstrap.main(Bootstrap.java:409)
Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException
        at java.util.Hashtable.put(Hashtable.java:396)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.resourcesStart(StandardConte
xt.java:3707)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.start(StandardContext.java:3
934)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.start(ContainerBase.java:1003)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost.start(StandardHost.java:718)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.start(ContainerBase.java:1003)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngine.start(StandardEngine.java:420
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardService.start(StandardService.java:4
50)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardServer.start(StandardServer.java:196
7)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.Catalina.start(Catalina.java:541)
        ... 6 moreThanks in advance
CSJakharia