Code Excursion

Liferay Configure Auto Deploy Directory

The Liferay auto deploy directory can be configured using the portal-ext.properties property “auto.deploy.deploy.dir” and it can be configured in the PortalPreferences table. You can find the appropriate record by running the following query.

PortalPreferences query

select * from PortalPreferences where ownerId=0

Once you find the correct record you will wan to edit the preferences column. Below is an excerpt of content of the column showing the configuration of the auto deploy directory.

Excerpt of preference column content

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<portlet-preferences>
  ...
  <preference>
	<name>auto.deploy.deploy.dir</name>
	<value>/the/deploy/directory</value>
  </preference>
  ...
</portlet-preferences>

The database overrides the portal-ext.properties file. A situation I found myself in is that I changed the name of the Liferay root folder. This resulted in the auto deploy directory not being found. I was unable to start Liferay because I was in the middle of an upgrade. I set the property in the portal-ext.properties file but it was still pointed to the old directory. Thus the need to update the record in the database to point to the new location.