testExecute(com.abc.action.PasswordHintActionTest): Failed to load ApplicationContext

Question

I am using Spring test framework for writing unit tests using maven as the build tool. i have put my applicationcontext.xml file in WEB-INF directory as shown below.

i have put the same configuration files in the src/main/resources directory as well ( this is because , maven complain that it can not find these configuration files when it turns these test cases)

following is the error message i get when running maven clean install

this is how i load applicationcontext.xml file for unit tests

could anybody gave help me to find out why it is saying that it can not find these configuration files event when i have put those files.

update :

   <error message="Failed to load ApplicationContext" type="java.lang.IllegalStateException">java.lang.IllegalStateException: Failed to load ApplicationContext
    at org.springframework.test.context.TestContext.getApplicationContext(TestContext.java:308)
    at org.springframework.test.context.support.DependencyInjectionTestExecutionListener.injectDependencies(DependencyInjectionTestExecutionListener.java:109)
    at org.springframework.test.context.support.DependencyInjectionTestExecutionListener.prepareTestInstance(DependencyInjectionTestExecutionListener.java:75)
    at org.springframework.test.context.TestContextManager.prepareTestInstance(TestContextManager.java:321)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.createTest(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:220)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner$1.runReflectiveCall(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:301)
    at org.junit.internal.runners.model.ReflectiveCallable.run(ReflectiveCallable.java:15)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.methodBlock(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:303)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.runChild(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:240)
    at org.junit.runners.BlockJUnit4ClassRunner.runChild(BlockJUnit4ClassRunner.java:46)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.runChildren(ParentRunner.java:180)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.access$000(ParentRunner.java:41)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$1.evaluate(ParentRunner.java:173)
    at org.junit.internal.runners.statements.RunBefores.evaluate(RunBefores.java:28)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.statements.RunBeforeTestClassCallbacks.evaluate(RunBeforeTestClassCallbacks.java:61)
    at org.junit.internal.runners.statements.RunAfters.evaluate(RunAfters.java:31)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.statements.RunAfterTestClassCallbacks.evaluate(RunAfterTestClassCallbacks.java:70)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.run(ParentRunner.java:220)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.run(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:180)
    at org.apache.maven.surefire.junit4.JUnit4TestSet.execute(JUnit4TestSet.java:53)
    at org.apache.maven.surefire.junit4.JUnit4Provider.executeTestSet(JUnit4Provider.java:123)
    at org.apache.maven.surefire.junit4.JUnit4Provider.invoke(JUnit4Provider.java:104)
    at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
    at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:57)
    at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:601)
    at org.apache.maven.surefire.util.ReflectionUtils.invokeMethodWithArray(ReflectionUtils.java:164)
    at org.apache.maven.surefire.booter.ProviderFactory$ProviderProxy.invoke(ProviderFactory.java:110)
    at org.apache.maven.surefire.booter.SurefireStarter.invokeProvider(SurefireStarter.java:175)
    at org.apache.maven.surefire.booter.SurefireStarter.runSuitesInProcessWhenForked(SurefireStarter.java:107)
    at org.apache.maven.surefire.booter.ForkedBooter.main(ForkedBooter.java:68)
Caused by: org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanDefinitionStoreException: Unexpected exception parsing XML document from class path resource [applicationContext-service.xml]; nested exception is java.lang.NoSuchMethodError: org.springframework.beans.MutablePropertyValues.add(Ljava/lang/String;Ljava/lang/Object;)Lorg/springframework/beans/MutablePropertyValues;
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanDefinitionReader.doLoadBeanDefinitions(XmlBeanDefinitionReader.java:420)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanDefinitionReader.loadBeanDefinitions(XmlBeanDefinitionReader.java:342)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanDefinitionReader.loadBeanDefinitions(XmlBeanDefinitionReader.java:310)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanDefinitionReader.loadBeanDefinitions(AbstractBeanDefinitionReader.java:143)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanDefinitionReader.loadBeanDefinitions(AbstractBeanDefinitionReader.java:178)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanDefinitionReader.loadBeanDefinitions(AbstractBeanDefinitionReader.java:149)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanDefinitionReader.loadBeanDefinitions(AbstractBeanDefinitionReader.java:212)
    at org.springframework.test.context.support.AbstractGenericContextLoader.loadContext(AbstractGenericContextLoader.java:81)
    at org.springframework.test.context.support.AbstractGenericContextLoader.loadContext(AbstractGenericContextLoader.java:1)
    at org.springframework.test.context.TestContext.loadApplicationContext(TestContext.java:280)
    at org.springframework.test.context.TestContext.getApplicationContext(TestContext.java:304)
    ... 30 more
Caused by: java.lang.NoSuchMethodError: org.springframework.beans.MutablePropertyValues.add(Ljava/lang/String;Ljava/lang/Object;)Lorg/springframework/beans/MutablePropertyValues;
    at org.springframework.aop.config.AopConfigUtils.registerOrEscalateApcAsRequired(AopConfigUtils.java:123)
    at org.springframework.aop.config.AopConfigUtils.registerAspectJAutoProxyCreatorIfNecessary(AopConfigUtils.java:82)
    at org.springframework.aop.config.AopNamespaceUtils.registerAspectJAutoProxyCreatorIfNecessary(AopNamespaceUtils.java:67)
    at org.springframework.aop.config.ConfigBeanDefinitionParser.configureAutoProxyCreator(ConfigBeanDefinitionParser.java:130)
    at org.springframework.aop.config.ConfigBeanDefinitionParser.parse(ConfigBeanDefinitionParser.java:103)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.NamespaceHandlerSupport.parse(NamespaceHandlerSupport.java:69)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.BeanDefinitionParserDelegate.parseCustomElement(BeanDefinitionParserDelegate.java:1297)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.BeanDefinitionParserDelegate.parseCustomElement(BeanDefinitionParserDelegate.java:1287)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.DefaultBeanDefinitionDocumentReader.parseBeanDefinitions(DefaultBeanDefinitionDocumentReader.java:135)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.DefaultBeanDefinitionDocumentReader.registerBeanDefinitions(DefaultBeanDefinitionDocumentReader.java:92)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanDefinitionReader.registerBeanDefinitions(XmlBeanDefinitionReader.java:507)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanDefinitionReader.doLoadBeanDefinitions(XmlBeanDefinitionReader.java:398)
    ... 40 more
</error>

Answer 1

This is the root cause of your problems:

java.lang.NoSuchMethodError: org.springframework.beans.MutablePropertyValues.add(Ljava/lang/String;Ljava/lang/Object;)Lorg/springframework/beans/MutablePropertyValues;

MutablePropertyValues.add(String, Object) method was added in Spring 3.x. Apparently you (maven) are using pre 3.x spring-beans*.jar. Check out Libraries node in Eclipse to prove that.

If spring-beans is not yet in your pom.xml, add it explicitly:

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-beans</artifactId>
    <version>3.1.2.RELEASE</version>
</dependency>

Moreover, make sure all your Spring JARs have the same version by calling:

$ mvn dependency:tree