org.springframework.web.servlet
Interface HandlerMapping

All Known Implementing Classes:

AbstractControllerUrlHandlerMapping, AbstractDetectingUrlHandlerMapping, AbstractHandlerMapping, AbstractHandlerMethodMapping, AbstractUrlHandlerMapping, BeanNameUrlHandlerMapping, ControllerBeanNameHandlerMapping, ControllerClassNameHandlerMapping, DefaultAnnotationHandlerMapping, RequestMappingHandlerMapping, RequestMappingInfoHandlerMapping, SimpleUrlHandlerMapping, WebMvcConfigurationSupport.EmptyHandlerMapping

public interface HandlerMapping

Interface to be implemented by objects that define a mapping between requests and handler objects.

This class can be implemented by application developers, although this is not necessary, as BeanNameUrlHandlerMapping and SimpleUrlHandlerMapping are included in the framework. The former is the default if no HandlerMapping bean is registered in the application context.

HandlerMapping implementations can support mapped interceptors but do not have to. A handler will always be wrapped in a HandlerExecutionChain instance, optionally accompanied by some HandlerInterceptor instances. The DispatcherServlet will first call each HandlerInterceptor's preHandle method in the given order, finally invoking the handler itself if all preHandle methods have returned true.

The ability to parameterize this mapping is a powerful and unusual capability of this MVC framework. For example, it is possible to write a custom mapping based on session state, cookie state or many other variables. No other MVC framework seems to be equally flexible.

Note: Implementations can implement the Ordered interface to be able to specify a sorting order and thus a priority for getting applied by DispatcherServlet. Non-Ordered instances get treated as lowest priority.

Author:

Rod Johnson, Juergen Hoeller

See Also:

Ordered, AbstractHandlerMapping, BeanNameUrlHandlerMapping, SimpleUrlHandlerMapping

Field Summary

static java.lang.String	BEST_MATCHING_PATTERN_ATTRIBUTE Name of the HttpServletRequest attribute that contains the best matching pattern within the handler mapping.
static java.lang.String	INTROSPECT_TYPE_LEVEL_MAPPING Name of the boolean HttpServletRequest attribute that indicates whether type-level mappings should be inspected.
static java.lang.String	PATH_WITHIN_HANDLER_MAPPING_ATTRIBUTE Name of the HttpServletRequest attribute that contains the path within the handler mapping, in case of a pattern match, or the full relevant URI (typically within the DispatcherServlet's mapping) else.
static java.lang.String	PRODUCIBLE_MEDIA_TYPES_ATTRIBUTE Name of the HttpServletRequest attribute that contains the set of producible MediaTypes applicable to the mapped handler.
static java.lang.String	URI_TEMPLATE_VARIABLES_ATTRIBUTE Name of the HttpServletRequest attribute that contains the URI templates map, mapping variable names to values.

Method Summary

HandlerExecutionChain

getHandler(HttpServletRequest request) Return a handler and any interceptors for this request.

Field Detail

PATH_WITHIN_HANDLER_MAPPING_ATTRIBUTE

static final java.lang.String PATH_WITHIN_HANDLER_MAPPING_ATTRIBUTE

Name of the HttpServletRequest attribute that contains the path within the handler mapping, in case of a pattern match, or the full relevant URI (typically within the DispatcherServlet's mapping) else.

Note: This attribute is not required to be supported by all HandlerMapping implementations. URL-based HandlerMappings will typically support it, but handlers should not necessarily expect this request attribute to be present in all scenarios.

BEST_MATCHING_PATTERN_ATTRIBUTE

static final java.lang.String BEST_MATCHING_PATTERN_ATTRIBUTE

Name of the HttpServletRequest attribute that contains the best matching pattern within the handler mapping.

Note: This attribute is not required to be supported by all HandlerMapping implementations. URL-based HandlerMappings will typically support it, but handlers should not necessarily expect this request attribute to be present in all scenarios.

INTROSPECT_TYPE_LEVEL_MAPPING

static final java.lang.String INTROSPECT_TYPE_LEVEL_MAPPING

Name of the boolean HttpServletRequest attribute that indicates whether type-level mappings should be inspected.

Note: This attribute is not required to be supported by all HandlerMapping implementations.

URI_TEMPLATE_VARIABLES_ATTRIBUTE

static final java.lang.String URI_TEMPLATE_VARIABLES_ATTRIBUTE

Name of the HttpServletRequest attribute that contains the URI templates map, mapping variable names to values.

Note: This attribute is not required to be supported by all HandlerMapping implementations. URL-based HandlerMappings will typically support it, but handlers should not necessarily expect this request attribute to be present in all scenarios.

PRODUCIBLE_MEDIA_TYPES_ATTRIBUTE

static final java.lang.String PRODUCIBLE_MEDIA_TYPES_ATTRIBUTE

Name of the HttpServletRequest attribute that contains the set of producible MediaTypes applicable to the mapped handler.

Note: This attribute is not required to be supported by all HandlerMapping implementations. Handlers should not necessarily expect this request attribute to be present in all scenarios.

Method Detail

getHandler

HandlerExecutionChain getHandler(HttpServletRequest request)
                                 throws java.lang.Exception

Return a handler and any interceptors for this request. The choice may be made on request URL, session state, or any factor the implementing class chooses.

The returned HandlerExecutionChain contains a handler Object, rather than even a tag interface, so that handlers are not constrained in any way. For example, a HandlerAdapter could be written to allow another framework's handler objects to be used.

Returns null if no match was found. This is not an error. The DispatcherServlet will query all registered HandlerMapping beans to find a match, and only decide there is an error if none can find a handler.

Parameters:

request - current HTTP request

Returns:

a HandlerExecutionChain instance containing handler object and any interceptors, or null if no mapping found

Throws:

java.lang.Exception - if there is an internal error