java - Tomcat & Spring Web - Class Not Found Exception org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener

Question

I get the following exception when I try to start Tomcat through Eclipse (via right click on Project, Run As -> Run on Server).

SEVERE: Error configuring application listener of class org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener
java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener
    at org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader.loadClass(WebappClassLoader.java:1676)
    at org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader.loadClass(WebappClassLoader.java:1521)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.DefaultInstanceManager.loadClass(DefaultInstanceManager.java:415)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.DefaultInstanceManager.loadClassMaybePrivileged(DefaultInstanceManager.java:397)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.DefaultInstanceManager.newInstance(DefaultInstanceManager.java:118)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.listenerStart(StandardContext.java:4660)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext$1.call(StandardContext.java:5226)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext$1.call(StandardContext.java:5221)
    at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask$Sync.innerRun(FutureTask.java:303)
    at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:138)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.runTask(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:886)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:908)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:662)
Jun 12, 2011 8:46:11 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext listenerStart

I am building my project using Maven (m2eclipse). I have added the necessary dependencies to Spring libraries, and I can see the spring-web.jar file in the lib directory of the final artifact (which contains the class). When I deploy the application outside of IDE, it works fine.

Any pointers as to why this happens would be highly appreciated.

Answer 1

I faced the same problem few days ago with m2eclipse (without WTP integration add on available via m2eclipse-extras) on Eclipse Indigo. I created a Maven Web Module and manually added the Dynamic Web Module facet to it. When I deployed it on Eclipse WST Tomcat Server, it appeared that my Maven dependencies are not getting pushed to the server when the project is published to it.

The solution was simple. Right Click on your web project in Project Explorer -> select 'Properties'. Under project properties, select 'Deployment Assembly'.

The Deployment Assembly property page shows the content that will be published as a assembled artifact by Eclipse to the server. You need to tell Eclipse that you want all your Maven dependencies to be published too.

To do that, click 'Add' button, then select 'Java Build Path Entries'. Click Next and select Maven Dependencies. This will publish the Maven dependency JAR files to the lib folder when Eclipse publishes your project to WST server.

This approach worked for me.