Deploy to two different application servers in real-time using Build.xml

Working on a JEE application, I had a situation where I was using NetBeans as my Java IDE and GlassFish Server as the application server.  Testing in GlassFish was easy but I needed to also test the same application in a WebLogic Server instance at the same time in real time.  Real-time here meaning that as soon as I made a change to a file in my NetBeans IDE that it would be reflected in my development app server connected already to Netbeans, GlassFish, and then updating a deployed Web Application in WebLogic Server.

This is where ANT comes in.  ANT of course is like Make but written for Java.

Anyway, in NetBeans you can simply update the build.xml file which ultimately can add or override existing target settings for the ANT build process.  The script below perfectly takes the compiled build directory files I required for this scenario from the application’s build directory and copies them to the WebLogic Server deployed application reference directory.   By right-clicking the NetBeans project and selecting the “Build” option, the build immediately hits these overridding target nodes in the ANT build.xml file and copies compiled application files where I need them.  This completely eliminates any manual copy and pasting. Sweet!

<target name="-post-compile">
<copy todir="C:\oracle\WLS\DeployedAppDir\">
<fileset dir="${build.web.dir}"/>
</copy>
</target>

<target name="-post-dist">
<copy todir="C:\oracle\WLS\DeployedAppDir_WAR\">
<fileset dir="${dist.jar.dir}"/>;
</copy>
</target>

Resources:
http://blogs.oracle.com/roumen/entry/netbeans_quick_tip_4_extending