AutowireUtils requires ObjectFactory to be Serializable [SPR-7264]

[spring-projects-issues]

Kenny MacLeod opened SPR-7264 and commented

Since Spring 3.0, AutowireUtils.resolveAutowiringValue() has required that all ObjectFactory-implementing classes also implement Serializable. This means that when passing an ObjectFactory to ConfigurableListableBeanFactory.registerResolvableDependency(), this must be Serializable.

This was not the case in 2.5.6, however, and so code written to use this facility will not work in 3.0.x unless Serializable is introduced. This is invasive to the client code, and in many cases is highly inappropriate.

I'm not sure why this check is being made. AutowireUtils is constructing a ObjectFactoryDelegatingInvocationHandler which also implements Serializable, but there doesn't seem to be a reason for this.

Can this check be removed?

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Affects: 3.0 GA, 3.0.1, 3.0.2

Referenced from: commits cc23820

[spring-projects-issues]

Kenny MacLeod commented

In addition, in cases where Objectfactory is used, AutowireUtils requires that the requiredType is an interface. If it is not, it silently fails.

This effectively adds two very right constraints on the resolvable dependencies, constraints not specified in the javadoc for ConfigurableListableBeanFactory.registerResolvableDependency(), and which were not present at all prior to 3.0.x. At the very least, the javadoc should be changed to reflect the constraints, but it would be much preferable to refactor the code to not require them at all.

[spring-projects-issues]

Juergen Hoeller commented

Good catch! We do want special handling of serializable factory objects there but forgot to handle the non-serializable factory case properly: We simply need to call objectFactory.getObject() directly in that case.

Fixed for 3.0.3. Will be available in tonight's 3.0.3 snapshot - feel free to give it an early try...

Juergen