Spring + Hibernate + Maven NullPointerException

Question

I thought it was a good idea to add some testing to my project, but during the process I somehow managed to get the real deal broken.

I am using Spring MVC with JPA (Hibernate). The entityManager cannot be loaded properly anymore:

INFO - Pre-instantiating singletons in org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultListableBeanFactory@3aa1e2da: defining beans [dataSource,org.springframework.context.support.PropertySourcesPlaceholderConfigurer#0,signatureBlobService,org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.RequestMappingHandlerMapping#0,org.springframework.format.support.FormattingConversionServiceFactoryBean#0,org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.RequestMappingHandlerAdapter#0,org.springframework.web.servlet.handler.MappedInterceptor#0,org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.ExceptionHandlerExceptionResolver#0,org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.annotation.ResponseStatusExceptionResolver#0,org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.support.DefaultHandlerExceptionResolver#0,org.springframework.web.servlet.handler.BeanNameUrlHandlerMapping,org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.HttpRequestHandlerAdapter,org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.SimpleControllerHandlerAdapter,validator,emf,org.springframework.security.filterChains,org.springframework.security.filterChainProxy,org.springframework.security.web.PortMapperImpl#0,org.springframework.security.config.authentication.AuthenticationManagerFactoryBean#0,org.springframework.security.authentication.ProviderManager#0,org.springframework.security.web.context.HttpSessionSecurityContextRepository#0,org.springframework.security.web.authentication.session.SessionFixationProtectionStrategy#0,org.springframework.security.web.savedrequest.HttpSessionRequestCache#0,org.springframework.security.web.access.expression.DefaultWebSecurityExpressionHandler#0,org.springframework.security.access.vote.AffirmativeBased#0,org.springframework.security.web.access.intercept.FilterSecurityInterceptor#0,org.springframework.security.web.access.DefaultWebInvocationPrivilegeEvaluator#0,org.springframework.security.authentication.AnonymousAuthenticationProvider#0,org.springframework.security.web.authentication.www.BasicAuthenticationEntryPoint#0,org.springframework.security.web.authentication.UsernamePasswordAuthenticationFilter#0,org.springframework.security.userDetailsServiceFactory,org.springframework.security.web.DefaultSecurityFilterChain#0,org.springframework.security.provisioning.InMemoryUserDetailsManager#0,org.springframework.security.authentication.dao.DaoAuthenticationProvider#0,org.springframework.security.authentication.DefaultAuthenticationEventPublisher#0,org.springframework.security.authenticationManager]; root of factory hierarchy
INFO - Hibernate Validator 4.2.0.Final
INFO - Building JPA container EntityManagerFactory for persistence unit 'default'
INFO - HCANN000001: Hibernate Commons Annotations {4.0.1.Final}
INFO - HHH000412: Hibernate Core {4.1.4.Final}
INFO - HHH000206: hibernate.properties not found
INFO - HHH000021: Bytecode provider name : javassist
INFO - HHH000204: Processing PersistenceUnitInfo [
    name: default
    ...]
INFO - Destroying singletons in org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultListableBeanFactory@3aa1e2da: defining beans [dataSource,org.springframework.context.support.PropertySourcesPlaceholderConfigurer#0,signatureBlobService,org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.RequestMappingHandlerMapping#0,org.springframework.format.support.FormattingConversionServiceFactoryBean#0,org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.RequestMappingHandlerAdapter#0,org.springframework.web.servlet.handler.MappedInterceptor#0,org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.ExceptionHandlerExceptionResolver#0,org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.annotation.ResponseStatusExceptionResolver#0,org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.support.DefaultHandlerExceptionResolver#0,org.springframework.web.servlet.handler.BeanNameUrlHandlerMapping,org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.HttpRequestHandlerAdapter,org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.SimpleControllerHandlerAdapter,validator,emf,org.springframework.security.filterChains,org.springframework.security.filterChainProxy,org.springframework.security.web.PortMapperImpl#0,org.springframework.security.config.authentication.AuthenticationManagerFactoryBean#0,org.springframework.security.authentication.ProviderManager#0,org.springframework.security.web.context.HttpSessionSecurityContextRepository#0,org.springframework.security.web.authentication.session.SessionFixationProtectionStrategy#0,org.springframework.security.web.savedrequest.HttpSessionRequestCache#0,org.springframework.security.web.access.expression.DefaultWebSecurityExpressionHandler#0,org.springframework.security.access.vote.AffirmativeBased#0,org.springframework.security.web.access.intercept.FilterSecurityInterceptor#0,org.springframework.security.web.access.DefaultWebInvocationPrivilegeEvaluator#0,org.springframework.security.authentication.AnonymousAuthenticationProvider#0,org.springframework.security.web.authentication.www.BasicAuthenticationEntryPoint#0,org.springframework.security.web.authentication.UsernamePasswordAuthenticationFilter#0,org.springframework.security.userDetailsServiceFactory,org.springframework.security.web.DefaultSecurityFilterChain#0,org.springframework.security.provisioning.InMemoryUserDetailsManager#0,org.springframework.security.authentication.dao.DaoAuthenticationProvider#0,org.springframework.security.authentication.DefaultAuthenticationEventPublisher#0,org.springframework.security.authenticationManager]; root of factory hierarchy
ERROR - Context initialization failed
org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanCreationException: Error creating bean with name 'emf' defined in ServletContext resource [/WEB-INF/spring/root-context.xml]: Invocation of init method failed; nested exception is java.lang.RuntimeException: error trying to scan <jar-file>: file:/Users/XXX/Documents/Coding/Webapps/.metadata/.plugins/org.eclipse.wst.server.core/tmp2/wtpwebapps/XXX/WEB-INF/classes/
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.initializeBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1455)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.doCreateBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:519)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.createBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:456)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory$1.getObject(AbstractBeanFactory.java:294)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.getSingleton(DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.java:225)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.doGetBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:291)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.getBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:193)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultListableBeanFactory.preInstantiateSingletons(DefaultListableBeanFactory.java:567)
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.finishBeanFactoryInitialization(AbstractApplicationContext.java:913)
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.refresh(AbstractApplicationContext.java:464)
    at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoader.configureAndRefreshWebApplicationContext(ContextLoader.java:385)
    at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoader.initWebApplicationContext(ContextLoader.java:284)
    at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener.contextInitialized(ContextLoaderListener.java:111)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.listenerStart(StandardContext.java:4779)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.startInternal(StandardContext.java:5273)
    at org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleBase.start(LifecycleBase.java:150)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase$StartChild.call(ContainerBase.java:1566)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase$StartChild.call(ContainerBase.java:1556)
    at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask$Sync.innerRun(FutureTask.java:303)
    at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:138)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.runTask(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:886)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:908)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:680)
Caused by: java.lang.RuntimeException: error trying to scan <jar-file>: file:/Users/david/Documents/Coding/Webapps/.metadata/.plugins/org.eclipse.wst.server.core/tmp2/wtpwebapps/payworkssign/WEB-INF/classes/
    at org.hibernate.ejb.Ejb3Configuration.scanForClasses(Ejb3Configuration.java:855)
    at org.hibernate.ejb.Ejb3Configuration.configure(Ejb3Configuration.java:597)
    at org.hibernate.ejb.HibernatePersistence.createContainerEntityManagerFactory(HibernatePersistence.java:73)
    at org.springframework.orm.jpa.LocalContainerEntityManagerFactoryBean.createNativeEntityManagerFactory(LocalContainerEntityManagerFactoryBean.java:268)
    at org.springframework.orm.jpa.AbstractEntityManagerFactoryBean.afterPropertiesSet(AbstractEntityManagerFactoryBean.java:310)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.invokeInitMethods(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1514)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.initializeBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1452)
    ... 22 more
Caused by: java.lang.RuntimeException: java.lang.NullPointerException
    at javassist.bytecode.AnnotationsAttribute.getAnnotations(AnnotationsAttribute.java:230)
    at javassist.bytecode.AnnotationsAttribute.getAnnotation(AnnotationsAttribute.java:184)
    at org.hibernate.ejb.packaging.AbstractJarVisitor.checkAnnotationMatching(AbstractJarVisitor.java:256)
    at org.hibernate.ejb.packaging.AbstractJarVisitor.executeJavaElementFilter(AbstractJarVisitor.java:212)
    at org.hibernate.ejb.packaging.AbstractJarVisitor.addElement(AbstractJarVisitor.java:173)
    at org.hibernate.ejb.packaging.ExplodedJarVisitor.getClassNamesInTree(ExplodedJarVisitor.java:126)
    at org.hibernate.ejb.packaging.ExplodedJarVisitor.getClassNamesInTree(ExplodedJarVisitor.java:134)
    at org.hibernate.ejb.packaging.ExplodedJarVisitor.getClassNamesInTree(ExplodedJarVisitor.java:134)
    at org.hibernate.ejb.packaging.ExplodedJarVisitor.getClassNamesInTree(ExplodedJarVisitor.java:134)
    at org.hibernate.ejb.packaging.ExplodedJarVisitor.getClassNamesInTree(ExplodedJarVisitor.java:134)
    at org.hibernate.ejb.packaging.ExplodedJarVisitor.doProcessElements(ExplodedJarVisitor.java:92)
    at org.hibernate.ejb.packaging.AbstractJarVisitor.getMatchingEntries(AbstractJarVisitor.java:149)
    at org.hibernate.ejb.packaging.NativeScanner.getFilesInJar(NativeScanner.java:192)
    at org.hibernate.ejb.Ejb3Configuration.addScannedEntries(Ejb3Configuration.java:504)
    at org.hibernate.ejb.Ejb3Configuration.scanForClasses(Ejb3Configuration.java:852)
    ... 28 more
Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException
    at javassist.bytecode.ConstPool.getUtf8Info(ConstPool.java:616)
    at javassist.bytecode.annotation.Annotation.addMemberValue(Annotation.java:205)
    at javassist.bytecode.annotation.Annotation.addMemberValue(Annotation.java:185)
    at javassist.bytecode.AnnotationsAttribute$Parser.memberValuePair(AnnotationsAttribute.java:625)
    at javassist.bytecode.AnnotationsAttribute$Walker.memberValuePair(AnnotationsAttribute.java:355)
    at javassist.bytecode.AnnotationsAttribute$Walker.annotation(AnnotationsAttribute.java:348)
    at javassist.bytecode.AnnotationsAttribute$Parser.annotation(AnnotationsAttribute.java:620)
    at javassist.bytecode.AnnotationsAttribute$Walker.annotation(AnnotationsAttribute.java:343)
    at javassist.bytecode.AnnotationsAttribute$Parser.annotationArray(AnnotationsAttribute.java:610)
    at javassist.bytecode.AnnotationsAttribute$Walker.annotationArray(AnnotationsAttribute.java:330)
    at javassist.bytecode.AnnotationsAttribute$Walker.annotationArray(AnnotationsAttribute.java:325)
    at javassist.bytecode.AnnotationsAttribute$Parser.parseAnnotations(AnnotationsAttribute.java:588)
    at javassist.bytecode.AnnotationsAttribute.getAnnotations(AnnotationsAttribute.java:227)
    ... 42 more

When running

mvn test

Everything runs through. There I use an embedded H2 database Removing the test related things (dependencies etc.) did not solve the problem.

Javassist is responsible for annotations in this case, if I understood correctly. My problem is I have no idea where to continue looking. Is it really a UTF8 issue? And why is it trying to scan the /classes directory while thinking it is a jar file?

A list of what else could be somehow related to the problem:

1. I played around a bit with the project configuration in eclipse (added for maven, wst). I did remove this configuration again to try if it makes a difference. I also used mvn package war:war to deploy the application on a local tomcat. The same error occurs here. Again mvn test works fine

2. I updated hibernate-validator and hibernate-entitymanager to the newest version. However, downgrading again left the issue present.

Some other infos that might be necessary to locate the problem:

The relevant part of my root-context.xml

<!-- Enable JPA Support -->
<!-- Enable Annotation driven declaration -->
<tx:annotation-driven transaction-manager="transactionManager"/>
<!-- Define transaction Manager -->
<bean id="transactionManager" class="org.springframework.orm.jpa.JpaTransactionManager">
    <property name="entityManagerFactory" ref="emf"/>
</bean>
<bean id="emf" class="org.springframework.orm.jpa.LocalContainerEntityManagerFactoryBean">
    <property name="dataSource" ref="dataSource"/>
    <property name="jpaVendorAdapter">
        <bean class="org.springframework.orm.jpa.vendor.HibernateJpaVendorAdapter" />
    </property>
    <property name="packagesToScan" value="com.payworksmobile.dev.jpa"/>
    <property name="jpaProperties">
        <props>
            <prop key="hibernate.dialect">
                org.hibernate.dialect.MySQLDialect
            </prop>
            <prop key="hibernate.max_fetch_depth">3</prop>
            <prop key="hibernate.jdbc.fetch_size">50</prop>
            <prop key="hibernate.jdbc.batch_size">10</prop>
            <prop key="hibernate.show_sql">true</prop>
        </props>
    </property>
</bean>

Answer 1

After trying many things before posting this question, I actually just stumbled upon the solution:

I found two classes from my test cases in my WEB-INF/classes folder. These to classes where actually the configuration classes for my tests. After deleting them everything runs like a charm. I found those classes in there after extracting my war file and looking for leftovers from my tests.

Why did this happen? (This is me just guessing) When creating a new test folder in eclipse, it took me some time to modify my pom.xml to treat this folder as a <testSourceDirectory>. Eclipse built the project in between, copying the class files from my test configuration classes to WEB-INF/classes. This somehow messed with Spring and Hibernate. My learning: Check that only the relevant classes get copied into the war file and WEB-INF/classes does not contain any leftovers.

Answer 2

I cannot even guess what could be the problem.

In a situation like this, when you don't have a clue what's wrong, here's what you can do (I hope you have your source code in a repository (svn/git, etc)).

You just checkout/clone the project to a new place and build it and see if it is OK or not. There is a chance you did not committed the change that broke it.

If the problem still exists, then you just go back to an older revision, and so forth, until you reach the last working revision. Then you compare the last working revision with the next (what is broken), and tada!, you'll see what had caused the problem in the first place.