Spring Server + Maven + Eclipse notes

I feel I am a bit more experienced than when I've started.
Last time I've mentioned about problems I've faced. Maybe it's high time to elaborate a bit about solutions.

1. Tools:
   
   
   
   • Eclipse 3.4.1 - site
     
   • Spring IDE - update site
     
   • SpringSource - Tool Suite dm Server Tools update site
     
   • Maven Tools - update site
     
   
   
   
2. Dependencies management:
   
   There are two aspect to discus. Firstly that we are usually manage our dependencies using Maven (of course if we are using maven ;D ). Secondly, bundle dependencies management. Using default configuration we need to feed maven repository using maven and spring server repository using Eclipse Server Editor, which in current version seems to be not working, or provisioning mechanisms.
   This bi-declaration effect have also consequences in how it is seen by Eclipse.
   We have two declaration of the same library in build path.
   
   
   
   
   As I am using multi-module project. And have inter-module dependencies it resulted in build path error and compilation failure.
   
   
   
   
   Default configuration has also other consequence. We have to double dependencies definition or we have maven script not usable outside Eclipse tooling. What if we want to share the project? We need to toss the usr bundle catalog round the users, etc.
   
   
   
3. Solutions:
   
   Server configuration
   
   
   Fortunately we can make our server to use maven repository structure to look for bundles. What I am using is slightly modified configuration from documentation. As OSGi enabled bundles from spring are usually
   in com.springsourceXXX packages we can reuse this information:
   
   
       "searchPaths": [
           "repository/bundles/subsystems/{name}/{bundle}.jar",
           "repository/bundles/ext/{bundle}",
           "${user.home}/.m2/repository/**/com.springsource*/**/{bundle}.jar",
           "repository/libraries/ext/{library}",
           "repository/libraries/usr/{library}"
       ]
   
   
   
   
   
   • Repository configuration
     
     
     
     Second observation is:use OSGi enabled libraries. In other case you will need to deal with inner JAR's. Which add to the management complexity IMHO.
     Most common libraries prepared to work in OSGi can be found in SpringSource maven repository:
     

     
     <repositories>
      <repository>
       <id>com.springsource.repository.bundles.release</id>
       <name>SpringSource Enterprise Bundle Repository -
        SpringSource Bundle Releases</name>
       <url>http://repository.springsource.com/maven/bundles/release</url>
       <releases>
        <updatePolicy>daily</updatePolicy>
        <checksumPolicy>ignore</checksumPolicy>
       </releases>
      </repository>
      <repository>
       <id>com.springsource.repository.bundles.external</id>
       <name>SpringSource Enterprise Bundle Repository -
        External Bundle Releases</name>
       <url>http://repository.springsource.com/maven/bundles/external</url>
      </repository>
     </repositories>
     

     
     How to find correct dependency? Easly :) SpringServer editor can lead you to repository browser (Look at the picture).
     
     
     
   • Independ maven build
     
     
     The last step to is to keep all dependencies in maven. Why ? Independent build.
     My solution is maybe naive but it works - Maven profiles.
     
     

     
     <profiles>
      <profile>
       <id>standalone</id>
       <dependencies>
        <dependency>
         <groupId>com.oracle.jdbc</groupId>
         <artifactId>com.springsource.oracle.jdbc</artifactId>
        </dependency>
        <dependency>
         <groupId>org.apache.commons</groupId>
         <artifactId>com.springsource.org.apache.commons.collections</artifactId>
         <version>3.2.0</version>
         <scope>provided</scope>
        </dependency>
        <dependency>
         <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
         <artifactId>org.springframework.web.servlet</artifactId>
         <version>${spring.components.version}</version>
         <scope>provided</scope>
        </dependency>
       </dependencies>
      </profile>
     </profiles>
     

     
     
     To build project outside the only think you need to do is to eneble standalone profile.
     
     
     
     
   
   

Tools integration

Hopefully I've found support for all ideas used in our project.
Eclipse, and it is not surprising for those knowing me, as my IDE.
Maven as a project build tools (at the moment working well only as Eclipse embedded).
Maven tooling for Eclipse. Spring Server. Spring tooling and spring tooling for eclipse. Have I missed sth ? Off course there there are SVN Track and everything eclipse has to support it.
Now let me elaborate on "hopefully". I have no doubts that without Eclipse plug-ins life could be painful.
But:

• why I have cycles in my builds (ok I am using a bit customized scripts)
  
• what is the best way to share such a project (how to share server configs, how to use relative paths)
  
• how to fight with the dual sources of buildpath dependencies (one from maven, second from budle dependencies) - at the moment I am testing use of standalone profile to store dependencies from OSGi configuration.
  

Maybe its time (if this is possible) to build set of good practices for spring + maven + eclipse integration.

Spring Integration Testing for Web

I am building OSGi web based (partially) application. As usual when you touch new area of technology (especially new technology) it tends to be problematic.

Today problem I have faced three weeks ago. How to test web controller.
Maybe its not a problem at all (you can configure everything manually), but I really wanted to use spring support for testing.

If you're preparing a test for IoC managed components you can use this fact (if you need more information refere to spring documentation).

To build your context you can use Spring TestFramework annotations.

package com.example;

@RunWith(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.class)
// ApplicationContext will be loaded from "classpath:/com/example/MyTest-context.xml"
@ContextConfiguration
public class MyTest {
    // class body...
}

You can also specify where to look for context(s) definition(s). And at the moment you're redy to use @Autowired annotation

@RunWith(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.class)
@ContextConfiguration(locations = {"/META-INF/spring/module-context.xml", "/test-context.xml"})
public class ControllerTest {
  @Autowired
  private Controller controller;
}

As you can see I'am using application context and test context (which is used for components normally reached via OSGi). But if we leave it this way It won't work.
The reason is that Controller needs web context and Spring test mechanism provides normal one. But there is a solution. We can provide our context loader which is able to provide required context.
@ContextConfiguration(locations = {"/META-INF/spring/module-context.xml", "/test-context.xml"}, loader = XmlWebApplicationContextLoader.class)

And here is XmlWebApplicationContextLoader:

public class XmlWebApplicationContextLoader extends
  AbstractContextLoader {
...
 public final ConfigurableApplicationContext loadContext(String... locations)
 throws Exception {
 if (logger.isDebugEnabled()) {
  logger
   .debug("Loading ApplicationContext for locations ["
   + StringUtils     .arrayToCommaDelimitedString(locations)
  + "].");
 }
 GenericApplicationContext context = new GenericWebApplicationContext();
 prepareContext(context);
 customizeBeanFactory(context.getDefaultListableBeanFactory());
 createBeanDefinitionReader(context).loadBeanDefinitions(locations);
 AnnotationConfigUtils.registerAnnotationConfigProcessors(context);
 customizeContext(context);
 context.refresh();
 context.registerShutdownHook();
 return context;
}

Now you are ready to test web controller classes. In spring framewor Http request and response mock are off the shelf.

biding jobs ?

when we look at the Poland there are some very important biding systems. Allegro ... ... ... ... well ok there is only one. We have eBay but as they have not very successful start it is like saing we have świstak.
But to my surprise you can bid for work. not literally ;) but look at that. freaky ;)

The minor changes

There must be such a day once a year (at least once). Something has passed away something comes. I am back to Poznan. I want to follow the path of technical blogging. Eclipse, Springframework, Ruby (from scratch) are topic of higher attention this month. And as I am going to blog about eclipse on our enthusiasts' blog the other topics will be commented here.
Hopefully I will find some time and energy to do that.

Does anyone need an Eclipse developer?

GSOC is about to end.
There is a time for change. Maybe not at the moment but in very near future. I have some reasons, personal one to move to Frankfurt for a longer time. The personal one.
If you are looking for Eclipse developer, Java (plain, Struts2, Spring, Hibernate ...), requirements engineer, analyst, designer. If you are looking for such a person in nearby Frankfurt/Main, Mainz, or for remote work. Please let me know.
If you are doing software architecture analysis or think about doing that, or you are looking for young software architect who want to learn, and learns real fast you are my dreamed employer ;)

End of the GSOC 2008

It was nice adventure with the GSOC this year. But my journey with the PDE customization support is not finished. We need to make it as useful as we can.
But I owe all of you some summary. What we have on board:

• Remove features from tree (Views, Commands etc.. - in general all IPluginElements / IPluginExtensions if you are familiar with the PDE Product model)
  
• Changing name of nodes.
  
• Launching product with transformations
  
• Exporting product with transformations
  

To make it work make sure that transformation hook is located in the same place as org.eclipse.osgi. It can be issue during the launch (when you exporting all plug-ins ends in the same location).

Code is in the same place it was before - so in code.google.com repo. If you want to make it run you will probably need also ant.ui from the Eclipse HEAD, as I also try to sync the pde.core and pde.ui with the HEAD (cause next step is to make Product Customizations part of Eclipse 3.5 Mx).

If you want to watch presentation please use this link (I've resigned from youtube hosting cause I cannot place there high quality movies) or the uncompressed version with annotations.