Spring Framework Tutorial

Software Setup and Configuration (STS/Eclipse/IntelliJ)

Core Spring

Spring Annotations

Spring Data

Spring JDBC

Spring Security

How to Create a Dynamic Web Project in Eclipse/Spring Tool Suite?

Creating a dynamic web project in Eclipse (or in the Spring Tool Suite, which is an Eclipse-based IDE for Spring development) is straightforward. Follow the steps below to set up a new Dynamic Web Project:

  1. Open Eclipse/STS: Launch the Eclipse or Spring Tool Suite IDE.

  2. Go to the Workspace: If you're opening it for the first time, you will be prompted to select a workspace. The workspace is the directory where your projects will be stored.

  3. Create a New Dynamic Web Project:

    • Click on the File menu.
    • Select New -> Dynamic Web Project.
  4. Project Details: In the New Dynamic Web Project window:

    • Enter the Project Name.
    • Choose a Target runtime. If none are available, you might need to configure a server runtime environment. For example, if you want to use Apache Tomcat, you'll need to configure Tomcat as the server runtime.
    • Select the Dynamic web module version (e.g., 3.1, 4.0, etc.). This will determine the Servlet and JSP versions your project will support.
    • Configure additional settings if needed (like adding facets).
    • Click Next.
  5. Configure Further Settings (Optional):

    • Depending on the facets and configurations you've selected, you might have additional configuration screens. Follow the prompts to set your desired configurations.
    • Click Next until you get to the last screen.
  6. Web Module Settings: In the final screen:

    • Choose the context root for your application. This is the base URL path for your app.
    • Choose the content directory (usually "WebContent" by default). This is where your web resources like JSPs, HTMLs, and the WEB-INF folder will reside.
    • Click Finish.
  7. Project Structure: Once the project is created, you'll see it in the Project Explorer. You'll notice a standard web project structure, with folders like Java Resources, WebContent, etc.

  8. Integrate Spring (Optional): If you want to create a Spring-based web project:

    • You would typically add the necessary Spring libraries to the WEB-INF/lib directory.
    • Configure the Spring application context XML files inside the WEB-INF directory.
    • Set up the web.xml file inside the WEB-INF directory to integrate with the Spring ContextLoaderListener and DispatcherServlet.

Using STS simplifies the Spring setup with ready-to-use templates and integrations, so if you're planning to use Spring, it might be a good idea to start directly with STS.

Lastly, to run your project, you would right-click on the project in the Project Explorer, go to Run As, and then choose Run on Server. You'll need a server runtime (like Tomcat) configured in Eclipse/STS to deploy and run your web project.