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Manipulating Advised Objects

However you create AOP proxies, you can manipulate them BY using the org.springframework.aop.framework.Advised interface. Any AOP proxy can be cast to this interface, no matter which other interfaces it implements. This interface includes the following methods:

  • Java

  • Kotlin

Advisor[] getAdvisors();

void addAdvice(Advice advice) throws AopConfigException;

void addAdvice(int pos, Advice advice) throws AopConfigException;

void addAdvisor(Advisor advisor) throws AopConfigException;

void addAdvisor(int pos, Advisor advisor) throws AopConfigException;

int indexOf(Advisor advisor);

boolean removeAdvisor(Advisor advisor) throws AopConfigException;

void removeAdvisor(int index) throws AopConfigException;

boolean replaceAdvisor(Advisor a, Advisor b) throws AopConfigException;

boolean isFrozen();
fun getAdvisors(): Array<Advisor>

@Throws(AopConfigException::class)
fun addAdvice(advice: Advice)

@Throws(AopConfigException::class)
fun addAdvice(pos: Int, advice: Advice)

@Throws(AopConfigException::class)
fun addAdvisor(advisor: Advisor)

@Throws(AopConfigException::class)
fun addAdvisor(pos: Int, advisor: Advisor)

fun indexOf(advisor: Advisor): Int

@Throws(AopConfigException::class)
fun removeAdvisor(advisor: Advisor): Boolean

@Throws(AopConfigException::class)
fun removeAdvisor(index: Int)

@Throws(AopConfigException::class)
fun replaceAdvisor(a: Advisor, b: Advisor): Boolean

fun isFrozen(): Boolean

The getAdvisors() method returns an Advisor for every advisor, interceptor, or other advice type that has been added to the factory. If you added an Advisor, the returned advisor at this index is the object that you added. If you added an interceptor or other advice type, Spring wrapped this in an advisor with a pointcut that always returns true. Thus, if you added a MethodInterceptor, the advisor returned for this index is a DefaultPointcutAdvisor that returns your MethodInterceptor and a pointcut that matches all classes and methods.

The addAdvisor() methods can be used to add any Advisor. Usually, the advisor holding pointcut and advice is the generic DefaultPointcutAdvisor, which you can use with any advice or pointcut (but not for introductions).

By default, it is possible to add or remove advisors or interceptors even once a proxy has been created. The only restriction is that it is impossible to add or remove an introduction advisor, as existing proxies from the factory do not show the interface change. (You can obtain a new proxy from the factory to avoid this problem.)

The following example shows casting an AOP proxy to the Advised interface and examining and manipulating its advice:

  • Java

  • Kotlin

Advised advised = (Advised) myObject;
Advisor[] advisors = advised.getAdvisors();
int oldAdvisorCount = advisors.length;
System.out.println(oldAdvisorCount + " advisors");

// Add an advice like an interceptor without a pointcut
// Will match all proxied methods
// Can use for interceptors, before, after returning or throws advice
advised.addAdvice(new DebugInterceptor());

// Add selective advice using a pointcut
advised.addAdvisor(new DefaultPointcutAdvisor(mySpecialPointcut, myAdvice));

assertEquals("Added two advisors", oldAdvisorCount + 2, advised.getAdvisors().length);
val advised = myObject as Advised
val advisors = advised.advisors
val oldAdvisorCount = advisors.size
println("$oldAdvisorCount advisors")

// Add an advice like an interceptor without a pointcut
// Will match all proxied methods
// Can use for interceptors, before, after returning or throws advice
advised.addAdvice(DebugInterceptor())

// Add selective advice using a pointcut
advised.addAdvisor(DefaultPointcutAdvisor(mySpecialPointcut, myAdvice))

assertEquals("Added two advisors", oldAdvisorCount + 2, advised.advisors.size)
It is questionable whether it is advisable (no pun intended) to modify advice on a business object in production, although there are, no doubt, legitimate usage cases. However, it can be very useful in development (for example, in tests). We have sometimes found it very useful to be able to add test code in the form of an interceptor or other advice, getting inside a method invocation that we want to test. (For example, the advice can get inside a transaction created for that method, perhaps to run SQL to check that a database was correctly updated, before marking the transaction for roll back.)

Depending on how you created the proxy, you can usually set a frozen flag. In that case, the Advised isFrozen() method returns true, and any attempts to modify advice through addition or removal results in an AopConfigException. The ability to freeze the state of an advised object is useful in some cases (for example, to prevent calling code removing a security interceptor).