EhCacheCacheManager throws assertion error for ehcache configuration with only default cache configured [SPR-7955]

[spring-projects-issues]

Stevo Slavić opened SPR-7955 and commented

Using new spring 3.1 @Cacheable support, and EhCacheCacheManager I get an exception for a valid ehcache configuration - one with only default cache configured:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ehcache xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="http://ehcache.org/ehcache.xsd">
    <defaultCache maxElementsInMemory="100" overflowToDisk="false" eternal="true"/>
</ehcache>

Assertion error is thrown from AbstractCacheManager.afterPropertiesSet method at line 46: "Assert.notEmpty(cacheSet);"

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Affects: 3.1 M1

Backported to: 3.1.4

1 votes, 4 watchers

[spring-projects-issues]

Costin Leau commented

The defaultCache declaration acts as a template not as an actual cache definition. That is, new caches added programatically will use its settings. Your definition basically declares a template and no caches and thus the error message if valid.

[spring-projects-issues]

Stevo Slavić commented

Costin, doesn't your comment contradict issue resolution? When cache manager is instantiated, and configured using ehcache configuration file with just default cache template, why should it fail if there are no caches defined - as you stated in comment they can be added and also removed programmatically afterwards. So IMO there's no point in validating on initialization that there are caches defined.

[spring-projects-issues]

Costin Leau commented

The fact that caches can be added programmatically doesn't invalidate the validation. When the cache infrastructure is set up, a cache needs to be present (no matter how it was defined) - for sanity reasons. Yes, you could remove the cache afterwards but then you should be able to cope with the consequences.
Hopefully this clarifies the resolution.

[spring-projects-issues]

Marcel Stör commented

I disagree. The <defaultCache> is more than just a template for Ehcache. Two hints:

• if you use Ehcache as 2nd-level cache for Hibernate you get a warning if you only define <defaultCache> and have cachable entities but the warning also tells you that the default cache will be used
• additionally to the <defaultCache> add a cache declaration like so <cache name="default" /> and you get an exception telling you that "The Default Cache has already been configured"

[spring-projects-issues]

Juergen Hoeller commented

Fixed for both 3.2.1 and 3.1.4, simply removing the assertion.

Juergen