Got error when create the web.xml file in a running Liberty (dev mode)

[gkwan-ibm]

Describe the bug
For Win, start dev mode, create src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/web.xml file by an editor, before paste the content, OL throws an error. Then, paste the content and save the file, OL does not pick up the content and the application not work.

[INFO] javax.xml.stream.XMLStreamException: ParseError at [row,col]:[1,1]
[INFO] Message: Premature end of file.
[INFO]  at java.xml/com.sun.org.apache.xerces.internal.impl.XMLStreamReaderImpl.next(XMLStreamReaderImpl.java:652)
[INFO]  at com.ibm.ws.javaee.ddmodel.DDParser.parseToRootElement(DDParser.java:984)
[INFO]  at [internal classes]
[INFO]  at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1136)
[INFO]  at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:635)
[INFO]  at java.base/java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:857)
[INFO] [ERROR   ] CWWKZ0004E: An exception occurred while starting the application guide-jakarta-faces. The exception message was: java.lang.IllegalStateException: com.ibm.wsspi.adaptable.module.UnableToAdaptException: com.ibm.ws.javaee.ddmodel.DDParser$ParseException: CWWKC2272E: An error occurred while parsing the webapp : WEB-INF/web.xml deployment descriptor on line 1. The error message was: ParseError at [row,col]:[1,1]
[INFO] Message: Premature end of file.

FFDC:

------Start of DE processing------ = [11/7/24, 8:51:59:813 EST]
Exception = java.lang.IllegalStateException
Source = com.ibm.ws.app.manager.internal.statemachine.StartAction
probeid = 205
Stack Dump = java.lang.IllegalStateException: com.ibm.wsspi.adaptable.module.UnableToAdaptException: com.ibm.ws.javaee.ddmodel.DDParser$ParseException: CWWKC2272E: An error occurred while parsing the webapp : WEB-INF/web.xml deployment descriptor on line 1. The error message was: ParseError at [row,col]:[1,1]
Message: Premature end of file.
	at com.ibm.ws.app.manager.war.internal.WARApplicationHandlerImpl.setUpApplicationMonitoring(WARApplicationHandlerImpl.java:54)
	at com.ibm.ws.app.manager.internal.statemachine.StartAction.execute(StartAction.java:194)
	at com.ibm.ws.app.manager.internal.statemachine.ApplicationStateMachineImpl.enterState(ApplicationStateMachineImpl.java:1369)
	at com.ibm.ws.app.manager.internal.statemachine.ApplicationStateMachineImpl.performAction(ApplicationStateMachineImpl.java:1233)
	at com.ibm.ws.app.manager.internal.statemachine.ApplicationStateMachineImpl.run(ApplicationStateMachineImpl.java:920)
	at com.ibm.ws.threading.internal.ExecutorServiceImpl$RunnableWrapper.run(ExecutorServiceImpl.java:298)
	at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1136)
	at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:635)
	at java.base/java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:857)
Caused by: com.ibm.wsspi.adaptable.module.UnableToAdaptException: com.ibm.ws.javaee.ddmodel.DDParser$ParseException: CWWKC2272E: An error occurred while parsing the webapp : WEB-INF/web.xml deployment descriptor on line 1. The error message was: ParseError at [row,col]:[1,1]

Steps to Reproduce

• git clone https://github.com/OpenLiberty/draft-guide-jakarta-faces.git
• cd draft-guide-jakarta-faces\start
• mvn liberty:dev
• create the file src\main\webapp\WEB-INF\web.xml

Expected behavior
If the file is empty, can OL skip to parse the file and not throw exception, so the developers can update the file content later?

Diagnostic information:

• OpenLiberty Version: any
• Affected feature(s): kernel filemonitor or web/faces feature
• Java Version: any

Additional context

• Potential it happens in Windows only
• used Notepad
  • notepad src\main\webapp\WEB-INF\web.xml
• or VS Code > New Files... > create the file
• workaround: new file without path, paste the content, then save the file to the right path

[gkwan-ibm]

Mac has this issue too if touch the file

• git clone https://github.com/OpenLiberty/draft-guide-jakarta-faces.git
• cd draft-guide-jakarta-faces/start
• mvn liberty:dev
• touch src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/web.xml