Question

I need to do a periodic operation (call a java method) in my web app (jsp on tomcat).
How can i do this ? Java daemon or others solutions ?

Answer 1

You could use a ScheduledExecutorService for periodic execution of a task. However, if you require more complex cron-like scheduling then take a look at Quartz. In particular I’d recommend using Quartz in conjunction with Spring if you go down this route, as it provides a nicer API and allows you to control your job firing in configuration.

ScheduledExecutorService Example (taken from Javadoc)

 import static java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit.*;
 class BeeperControl {
    private final ScheduledExecutorService scheduler =
       Executors.newScheduledThreadPool(1);

    public void beepForAnHour() {
        final Runnable beeper = new Runnable() {
                public void run() { System.out.println("beep"); }
            };
        final ScheduledFuture<?> beeperHandle =
            scheduler.scheduleAtFixedRate(beeper, 10, 10, SECONDS);
        scheduler.schedule(new Runnable() {
                public void run() { beeperHandle.cancel(true); }
            }, 60 * 60, SECONDS);
    }
 }