Interface SmartContextLoader

All Superinterfaces:

ContextLoader

All Known Subinterfaces:

AotContextLoader

All Known Implementing Classes:

AbstractContextLoader, AbstractDelegatingSmartContextLoader, AbstractGenericContextLoader, AbstractGenericWebContextLoader, AnnotationConfigContextLoader, AnnotationConfigWebContextLoader, DelegatingSmartContextLoader, GenericGroovyXmlContextLoader, GenericGroovyXmlWebContextLoader, GenericXmlContextLoader, GenericXmlWebContextLoader, WebDelegatingSmartContextLoader

public interface SmartContextLoader
extends ContextLoader

Strategy interface for loading an ApplicationContext for an integration test managed by the Spring TestContext Framework.

The SmartContextLoader SPI supersedes the ContextLoader SPI introduced in Spring 2.5: a SmartContextLoader can choose to process resource locations, component classes, or a combination of both. Furthermore, a SmartContextLoader can configure the context that it loads based on any properties available in the provided MergedContextConfiguration. For example, active bean definition profiles can be configured for the context based on MergedContextConfiguration.getActiveProfiles().

See the Javadoc for @ContextConfiguration for a definition of component classes.

Clients of a SmartContextLoader should call processContextConfiguration() prior to calling loadContext(). This gives a SmartContextLoader the opportunity to provide custom support for modifying resource locations or detecting default resource locations or default configuration classes. The results of processContextConfiguration() should be merged for all classes in the hierarchy of the root test class and then supplied to loadContext().

NOTE: As of Spring Framework 6.0, SmartContextLoader no longer supports methods defined in the ContextLoader SPI.

Concrete implementations must provide a public no-args constructor.

Spring provides the following SmartContextLoader implementations.

• DelegatingSmartContextLoader
• AnnotationConfigContextLoader
• GenericXmlContextLoader
• GenericGroovyXmlContextLoader
• WebDelegatingSmartContextLoader
• AnnotationConfigWebContextLoader
• GenericXmlWebContextLoader
• GenericGroovyXmlWebContextLoader

Since:

3.1

Author:

Sam Brannen

See Also:

• ContextConfiguration
• ActiveProfiles
• TestPropertySource
• ContextConfigurationAttributes
• MergedContextConfiguration

Method Summary

Modifier and Type	Method	Description
default ApplicationContext	loadContext(String... locations)	SmartContextLoader does not support deprecated ContextLoader methods.
ApplicationContext	loadContext(MergedContextConfiguration mergedConfig)	Load a new ApplicationContext based on the supplied MergedContextConfiguration, configure the context, and return the context in a fully refreshed state.
void	processContextConfiguration(ContextConfigurationAttributes configAttributes)	Process the ContextConfigurationAttributes for a given test class.
default String[]	processLocations(Class<?> clazz, String... locations)	SmartContextLoader does not support deprecated ContextLoader methods.

Method Details

processContextConfiguration

void processContextConfiguration(ContextConfigurationAttributes configAttributes)

Process the ContextConfigurationAttributes for a given test class.

Concrete implementations may choose to modify the locations or classes in the supplied ContextConfigurationAttributes, generate default configuration locations, or detect default configuration classes if the supplied values are null or empty.

Note: a SmartContextLoader must preemptively verify that a generated or detected default actually exists before setting the corresponding locations or classes property in the supplied ContextConfigurationAttributes. Consequently, leaving the locations or classes property empty signals that this SmartContextLoader was not able to generate or detect defaults.

Parameters:

configAttributes - the context configuration attributes to process

loadContext

ApplicationContext loadContext(MergedContextConfiguration mergedConfig)
                        throws Exception

Load a new ApplicationContext based on the supplied MergedContextConfiguration, configure the context, and return the context in a fully refreshed state.

Concrete implementations should register annotation configuration processors with bean factories of application contexts loaded by this SmartContextLoader. Beans will therefore automatically be candidates for annotation-based dependency injection using @Autowired, @Resource, and @Inject. In addition, concrete implementations should perform the following actions.

• Set the parent ApplicationContext if appropriate (see MergedContextConfiguration.getParent()).
• Set the active bean definition profiles in the context's Environment (see MergedContextConfiguration.getActiveProfiles()).
• Add test PropertySources to the Environment (see MergedContextConfiguration.getPropertySourceLocations(), MergedContextConfiguration.getPropertySourceProperties(), and TestPropertySourceUtils).
• Invoke ApplicationContextInitializers (see MergedContextConfiguration.getContextInitializerClasses()).
• Invoke ContextCustomizers (see MergedContextConfiguration.getContextCustomizers()).
• Register a JVM shutdown hook for the ApplicationContext. Unless the context gets closed early, all context instances will be automatically closed on JVM shutdown. This allows for freeing of external resources held by beans within the context — for example, temporary files.

As of Spring Framework 6.0, any exception thrown while attempting to load an ApplicationContext should be wrapped in a ContextLoadException. Concrete implementations should therefore contain a try-catch block similar to the following.

ApplicationContext context = // create context
try {
    // configure and refresh context
}
catch (Exception ex) {
    throw new ContextLoadException(context, ex);
}

Parameters:

mergedConfig - the merged context configuration to use to load the application context

Returns:

a new application context

Throws:

ContextLoadException - if context loading failed

Exception

See Also:

• processContextConfiguration(ContextConfigurationAttributes)
• AnnotationConfigUtils.registerAnnotationConfigProcessors(org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionRegistry)
• ConfigurableApplicationContext.getEnvironment()

processLocations

default String[] processLocations(Class<?> clazz,
 String... locations)

SmartContextLoader does not support deprecated ContextLoader methods. Call processContextConfiguration(ContextConfigurationAttributes) instead.

Specified by:

processLocations in interface ContextLoader

Parameters:

clazz - the class with which the locations are associated: used to determine how to process the supplied locations

locations - the unmodified locations to use for loading the application context (can be null or empty)

Returns:

an array of application context resource locations

Throws:

UnsupportedOperationException - in this implementation

Since:

6.0

loadContext

default ApplicationContext loadContext(String... locations)
                                throws Exception

SmartContextLoader does not support deprecated ContextLoader methods.

Call loadContext(MergedContextConfiguration) instead.

Specified by:

loadContext in interface ContextLoader

Parameters:

locations - the resource locations to use to load the application context

Returns:

a new application context

Throws:

UnsupportedOperationException - in this implementation

Exception - if context loading failed

Since:

6.0