@ModelAttribute
The @ModelAttribute
method parameter annotation binds request parameters onto a model
object. For example:
-
Java
-
Kotlin
@PostMapping("/owners/{ownerId}/pets/{petId}/edit")
public String processSubmit(@ModelAttribute Pet pet) { (1)
// method logic...
}
1 | Bind to an instance of Pet . |
@PostMapping("/owners/{ownerId}/pets/{petId}/edit")
fun processSubmit(@ModelAttribute pet: Pet): String { (1)
// method logic...
}
1 | Bind to an instance of Pet . |
The Pet
instance may be:
-
Accessed from the model where it could have been added by a @ModelAttribute method.
-
Accessed from the HTTP session if the model attribute was listed in the class-level
@SessionAttributes
annotation. -
Obtained through a
Converter
if the model attribute name matches the name of a request value such as a path variable or a request parameter (example follows). -
Instantiated through a default constructor.
-
Instantiated through a “primary constructor” with arguments that match to Servlet request parameters. Argument names are determined through runtime-retained parameter names in the bytecode.
As mentioned above, a Converter<String, T>
may be used to obtain the model object if
the model attribute name matches to the name of a request value such as a path variable or a
request parameter, and there is a compatible Converter<String, T>
. In the below example,
the model attribute name account
matches URI path variable account
, and there is a
registered Converter<String, Account>
that perhaps retrieves it from a persistence store:
-
Java
-
Kotlin
@PutMapping("/accounts/{account}")
public String save(@ModelAttribute("account") Account account) { (1)
// ...
}
@PutMapping("/accounts/{account}")
fun save(@ModelAttribute("account") account: Account): String { (1)
// ...
}
By default, both constructor and property data binding are applied. However, model object design requires careful consideration, and for security reasons it is recommended either to use an object tailored specifically for web binding, or to apply constructor binding only. If property binding must still be used, then allowedFields patterns should be set to limit which properties can be set. For further details on this and example configuration, see model design.
When using constructor binding, you can customize request parameter names through an
@BindParam
annotation. For example:
-
Java
-
Kotlin
class Account {
private final String firstName;
public Account(@BindParam("first-name") String firstName) {
this.firstName = firstName;
}
}
class Account(@BindParam("first-name") val firstName: String)
The @BindParam may also be placed on the fields that correspond to constructor
parameters. While @BindParam is supported out of the box, you can also use a
different annotation by setting a DataBinder.NameResolver on DataBinder
|
In some cases, you may want access to a model attribute without data binding. For such
cases, you can inject the Model
into the controller and access it directly or,
alternatively, set @ModelAttribute(binding=false)
, as the following example shows:
-
Java
-
Kotlin
@ModelAttribute
public AccountForm setUpForm() {
return new AccountForm();
}
@ModelAttribute
public Account findAccount(@PathVariable String accountId) {
return accountRepository.findOne(accountId);
}
@PostMapping("update")
public String update(AccountForm form, BindingResult result,
@ModelAttribute(binding=false) Account account) { (1)
// ...
}
1 | Setting @ModelAttribute(binding=false) . |
@ModelAttribute
fun setUpForm(): AccountForm {
return AccountForm()
}
@ModelAttribute
fun findAccount(@PathVariable accountId: String): Account {
return accountRepository.findOne(accountId)
}
@PostMapping("update")
fun update(form: AccountForm, result: BindingResult,
@ModelAttribute(binding = false) account: Account): String { (1)
// ...
}
1 | Setting @ModelAt\tribute(binding=false) . |
If data binding results in errors, by default a MethodArgumentNotValidException
is raised,
but you can also add a BindingResult
argument immediately next to the @ModelAttribute
in order to handle such errors in the controller method. For example:
-
Java
-
Kotlin
@PostMapping("/owners/{ownerId}/pets/{petId}/edit")
public String processSubmit(@ModelAttribute("pet") Pet pet, BindingResult result) { (1)
if (result.hasErrors()) {
return "petForm";
}
// ...
}
1 | Adding a BindingResult next to the @ModelAttribute . |
@PostMapping("/owners/{ownerId}/pets/{petId}/edit")
fun processSubmit(@ModelAttribute("pet") pet: Pet, result: BindingResult): String { (1)
if (result.hasErrors()) {
return "petForm"
}
// ...
}
1 | Adding a BindingResult next to the @ModelAttribute . |
You can automatically apply validation after data binding by adding the
jakarta.validation.Valid
annotation or Spring’s @Validated
annotation.
See Bean Validation and
Spring validation. For example:
-
Java
-
Kotlin
@PostMapping("/owners/{ownerId}/pets/{petId}/edit")
public String processSubmit(@Valid @ModelAttribute("pet") Pet pet, BindingResult result) { (1)
if (result.hasErrors()) {
return "petForm";
}
// ...
}
1 | Validate the Pet instance. |
@PostMapping("/owners/{ownerId}/pets/{petId}/edit")
fun processSubmit(@Valid @ModelAttribute("pet") pet: Pet, result: BindingResult): String { (1)
if (result.hasErrors()) {
return "petForm"
}
// ...
}
1 | Validate the Pet instance. |
If there is no BindingResult
parameter after the @ModelAttribute
, then
MethodArgumentNotValueException
is raised with the validation errors. However, if method
validation applies because other parameters have @jakarta.validation.Constraint
annotations,
then HandlerMethodValidationException
is raised instead. For more details, see the section
Validation.
Using @ModelAttribute is optional. By default, any parameter that is not a simple
value type as determined by
BeanUtils#isSimpleProperty
AND that is not resolved by any other argument resolver is treated as an implicit @ModelAttribute .
|
When compiling to a native image with GraalVM, the implicit @ModelAttribute
support described above does not allow proper ahead-of-time inference of related data
binding reflection hints. As a consequence, it is recommended to explicitly annotate
method parameters with @ModelAttribute for use in a GraalVM native image.
|