SyntaxFix

[jsf] How get the base URL via context path in JSF?

URLs are not resolved based on the file structure in the server side. URLs are resolved based on the real public web addresses of the resources in question. It's namely the webbrowser who has got to invoke them, not the webserver.

There are several ways to soften the pain:

JSF EL offers a shorthand to ${pageContext.request} in flavor of #{request}:

<li><a href="#{request.contextPath}/index.xhtml">Home</a></li>
<li><a href="#{request.contextPath}/about_us.xhtml">About us</a></li>

You can if necessary use <c:set> tag to make it yet shorter. Put it somewhere in the master template, it'll be available to all pages:

<c:set var="root" value="#{request.contextPath}/" />
...
<li><a href="#{root}index.xhtml">Home</a></li>
<li><a href="#{root}about_us.xhtml">About us</a></li>

JSF 2.x offers the <h:link> which can take a view ID relative to the context root in outcome and it will append the context path and FacesServlet mapping automatically:

<li><h:link value="Home" outcome="index" /></li>
<li><h:link value="About us" outcome="about_us" /></li>

HTML offers the <base> tag which makes all relative URLs in the document relative to this base. You could make use of it. Put it in the <h:head>.

<base href="#{request.requestURL.substring(0, request.requestURL.length() - request.requestURI.length())}#{request.contextPath}/" />
...
<li><a href="index.xhtml">Home</a></li>
<li><a href="about_us.xhtml">About us</a></li>

(note: this requires EL 2.2, otherwise you'd better use JSTL fn:substring(), see also this answer)

This should end up in the generated HTML something like as

<base href="http://example.com/webname/" />

Note that the <base> tag has a caveat: it makes all jump anchors in the page like <a href="#top"> relative to it as well! See also Is it recommended to use the <base> html tag? In JSF you could solve it like <a href="#{request.requestURI}#top">top</a> or <h:link value="top" fragment="top" />.

Examples related to jsf

• Identifying and solving javax.el.PropertyNotFoundException: Target Unreachable • WELD-001408: Unsatisfied dependencies for type Customer with qualifiers @Default • Understanding PrimeFaces process/update and JSF f:ajax execute/render attributes • Target Unreachable, identifier resolved to null in JSF 2.2 • Execution order of events when pressing PrimeFaces p:commandButton • selectOneMenu ajax events • The entity name must immediately follow the '&' in the entity reference • java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: javax.servlet.jsp.jstl.core.Config • Primefaces valueChangeListener or <p:ajax listener not firing for p:selectOneMenu • How does the 'binding' attribute work in JSF? When and how should it be used?

Examples related to base-url

• Laravel: Get base url • How to get base URL in Web API controller? • How get the base URL via context path in JSF? • Getting the base url of the website and globally passing it to twig in Symfony 2 • How to get domain URL and application name?

Examples related to contextpath

• How is using "<%=request.getContextPath()%>" better than "../" • How get the base URL via context path in JSF? • How to use relative paths without including the context root name? • What are the recommendations for html <base> tag?