TOMCAT_OPTS, environment variable and System.getEnv()

Question

I use tomcat and I want to get an environment variable in my java code.

To set an environment variable, I use this bash command :

export TOMCAT_OPTS=-Dmy.var=foo

After it I start tomcat

./startup.sh (in bin folder of tomcat)

In my java code, I try to get this variable :

System.getEnv("my.var")

But it returns NULL.

How can I do that ?

I precise that if I use maven to launch tomcat and use eclipse environment tab, the variable is found ! But I need to launch tomcat like above in production mode.

EDIT: when using export MY_VAR directly it runs in local but not on my server...

Answer 1

System.getEnv returns environment variables like PATH or, in your example, TOMCAT_OPTS).

When you invoke Java with -Dfoo=bar, you don't set an environment variable : you pass a system property. Use System.getProperty to get the value of foo.