Manage substitution variables with the administrative console

In WebSphere Application Server - Express, you can use substitution variables to represent values in configuration files. For example, the variable LOG_ROOT represents the value /QIBM/UserData/WebASE/ASE5/instance/logs, where instance is the name of your instance. To change the location of the log files for your instance, change the value of the LOG_ROOT variable to the new path.

You can define variables for the cell, node, and server scopes. A variable applies to all configuration files in the scope for which it is defined. For example, WebSphere Application Server - Express defines the APP_INSTALL_ROOT variable for the node scope. The value defined for the node applies to all application servers within that node. If variables in multiple scopes have the same name, the variable with the narrowest scope takes precedence.

For instructions on adminstering substitution variables, see these sections:

Create substitution variables

To add a new substitution variable, follow these steps:

  1. Start the WebSphere administrative console.
  2. In the topology tree, expand Environment and click Manage WebSphere Variables.
  3. On the WebSphere Variables page, specify the scope for which you want to define the variable and click Apply.
  4. Click New.
  5. Specify a name and value for the variable.
  6. Click OK.
  7. Save the configuration.

Modify substitution variables

To modify a substitution variable, follow these steps:

  1. Start the WebSphere administrative console.
  2. In the topology tree, expand Environment and click Manage WebSphere Variables.
  3. On the WebSphere Variables page, specify the scope that contains the variable that you want to modify and click Apply.
  4. Click the name of the variable that you want to modify.
  5. Make your changes.
  6. Click OK.
  7. Save the configuration.

Remove substitution variables

To remove a substitution variable, follow these steps:

  1. Start the WebSphere administrative console.
  2. In the topology tree, expand Environment and click Manage WebSphere Variables.
  3. On the WebSphere Variables page, specify the scope that contains the variable that you want to remove and click Apply.
  4. Select the checkbox for the variable that you want to remove.
  5. Click Delete.
  6. Save the configuration.

You can also use wsadmin to manage substitution variables for your appliation server instance. See Use wsadmin to manage substitution variables for information.