Bean Definition Issue - Using XML Files

[lstanden]

Ran into an issue today when trying to convert a working Spring 4 application across to use Spring Boot.

For several reasons, we've gone with XML configuration, and I was looking to use Spring Boot to produce an executable WAR artifact for deployment. We currently use hand rolled POM to do this. We might convert to JavaConfig at a later date, but we're stuck with XML for now.

I have a multi-module maven project, and each project has it's own XML file with a specific context:component-scan entry. In the startup logs, I can see these files being processed without error, however the component-scan doesn't seem to run, or it runs too late. I get bean not defined errors.

If I put a single @componentscan in the Starter class (i.e. in JavaConfig), then the application loads fine.

Is there a workaround for this, or is it a limitation that context:component-scan directives in XML are not processed?

[dsyer]

It sounds like the workaround is to add a @ComponentScan. Is that really difficult?

Can you provide a simple project or test case that shows the problem?

[lstanden]

Yes, that works around the issue for now, however the point of having these in separate XML files is because each XML file represented a module in the application which had it's own @componentscan directive.

I'll work on an example to show the issue.

[lstanden]

Uploaded example to https://github.com/lstanden/springboot710

This is probably more complicated than it needed to be for the issue, but it shows the specific use case that I've got, and why there's separate component-scan directives.

If you deploy the resulting .war to a Jetty server, it runs just fine. Starting the same application through Spring Boot and using the @ImportResource annotation causes a NoSuchBeanDefinitionException.

[dsyer]

I don't think this is anything to do with Boot; probably a facet of this: https://jira.spring.io/browse/SPR-11430, https://jira.spring.io/browse/SPR-11723. Irritating, I agree, but we probably need to chase it in the Spring JIRA to get it to behave the way you expect.

[lstanden]

Thanks Dave, much appreciated... I'll follow the progress in the Spring JIRA.