jsf - Load images from outside of webapps / webcontext / deploy folder using <h:graphicImage> or <img> tag -

i need display images reside outside of deploy folder in web application using jsf <h:graphicimage> tag or html <img> tag. how can achieve that?

to point, has accessible public url. thus, <img src> must refer http:// uri, not file:// uri or so. ultimately, html source executed @ enduser's machine , images downloaded individually webbrowser during parsing html source. when webbrowser encounters file:// uri such c:\path\to\image.png, in enduser's own local disk file system image instead of webserver's one. not going work if webbrowser runs @ physically different machine webserver.

there several ways achieve this:

1. if have full control on images folder, drop folder images, e.g. /images directly in servletcontainer's deploy folder, such /webapps folder in case of tomcat , /domains/domain1/applications folder in case of glassfish. no further configuration necessary.

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2. or, add new webapp context server points absolute disk file system location of folder images. how depends on container used. below examples assume images located in /path/to/images , you'd access them via http://.../images.

   in case of tomcat, add following new entry tomcat's /conf/server.xml inside <host>:

   <context docbase="/path/to/images" path="/images" /> 

   in case of glassfish, add following entry /web-inf/glassfish-web.xml:

   <property name="alternatedocroot_1" value="from=/images/* dir=/path/to" /> 

   in case of wildfly, add following entry inside <host name="default-host"> of /standalone/configuration/standalone.xml ...

   <location name="/images" handler="images-content" /> 

   ... , further down in <handlers> entry of same <subsystem> above <location>:

   <file name="images-content" path="/path/to/images" /> 

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3. or, create servlet streams image disk response:

   @webservlet("/images/*") public class imageservlet extends httpservlet {      protected void doget(httpservletrequest request, httpservletresponse response) throws servletexception, ioexception {         string filename = request.getpathinfo().substring(1);         file file = new file("/path/to/images", filename);         response.setheader("content-type", getservletcontext().getmimetype(filename));         response.setheader("content-length", string.valueof(file.length()));         response.setheader("content-disposition", "inline; filename=\"" + filename + "\"");         files.copy(file.topath(), response.getoutputstream());     }  } 

   if happen use omnifaces, fileservlet may useful takes account head, caching , range requests.

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4. or, use omnifaces <o:graphicimage> supports bean property returning byte[] or inputstream:

   public inputstream getimage(string filename) {     return new fileinputstream(new file("/path/to/images", filename)); } 

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5. or, use primefaces <p:graphicimage> supports bean method returning primefaces-specific streamedcontent.

   public streamedcontent getimage() throws ioexception {     facescontext context = facescontext.getcurrentinstance();      if (context.getcurrentphaseid() == phaseid.render_response) {         // so, we're rendering view. return stub streamedcontent generate right url.         return new defaultstreamedcontent();     }     else {         // so, browser requesting image. return real streamedcontent image bytes.         string filename = context.getexternalcontext().getrequestparametermap().get("filename");         return new defaultstreamedcontent(new fileinputstream(new file("/path/to/images", filename)));     } } 

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for first way , tomcat , wildfly approaches in second way, images available http://example.com/images/filename.ext , referencable in plain html follows

<img src="/images/filename.ext" /> 

for glassfish approach in second way , third way, images available http://example.com/context/images/filename.ext , referencable in plain html follows

<img src="#{request.contextpath}/images/filename.ext" /> 

or in jsf follows (context path automatically prepended)

<h:graphicimage value="/images/filename.ext" /> 

for omnifaces approach in fourth way, reference follows

<o:graphicimage value="#{bean.getimage('filename.ext')}" /> 

for primefaces approach in fifth way, reference follows:

<p:graphicimage value="#{bean.image}">     <f:param name="filename" value="filename.ext" /> </p:graphicimage> 

see also:

• recommended way save uploaded files in servlet application
• simplest way serve static data outside application server in java web application
• abstract template static resource servlet (supporting http caching)
• show image byte[] database graphic image in jsf page
• display dynamic image database p:graphicimage , streamedcontent