Android Data Binding build error: [data binding plugin]: failed to setup data binding

Question

I'm playing around with the Android Data Binding library from Google, which I had working at one point. Now, it seems that "something" has changed and it is causing a problem for the Data Binding library. I'm stumped by a very generic error that is proving difficult to debug, a [data binding plugin]: failed to setup data binding.

AFAIK, this error is thrown when there the Data Binding library has a problem with one of your layout file (say a typo in a binding). The question is, how can one find out which layout file is causing the problem? Does anybody have any tips/suggestions on how to find out what the problem is? Short of commenting out XML layout code and Java code file at a time, I'm kind of at a loss as to how to troubleshoot these types of problems effectively.

The only clue I get is this rather non-descriptive stack trace in the Gradle console:

[data binding plugin]: failed to setup data binding
java.lang.NoSuchMethodError: android.databinding.tool.LayoutXmlProcessor.<init>(Ljava/lang/String;Ljava/util/List;Landroid/databinding/tool/writer/JavaFileWriter;IZ)V
    at android.databinding.tool.DataBinderPlugin.attachXmlProcessor(DataBinderPlugin.java:274)
    at android.databinding.tool.DataBinderPlugin.createXmlProcessorForApp(DataBinderPlugin.java:231)
    at android.databinding.tool.DataBinderPlugin.createXmlProcessor(DataBinderPlugin.java:200)
    at android.databinding.tool.DataBinderPlugin.access$200(DataBinderPlugin.java:65)
    at android.databinding.tool.DataBinderPlugin$1.execute(DataBinderPlugin.java:156)
    at android.databinding.tool.DataBinderPlugin$1.execute(DataBinderPlugin.java:152)
    at org.gradle.internal.event.BroadcastDispatch$ActionInvocationHandler.dispatch(BroadcastDispatch.java:93)
    at org.gradle.internal.event.BroadcastDispatch$ActionInvocationHandler.dispatch(BroadcastDispatch.java:82)
    at org.gradle.internal.event.AbstractBroadcastDispatch.dispatch(AbstractBroadcastDispatch.java:44)
    at org.gradle.internal.event.BroadcastDispatch.dispatch(BroadcastDispatch.java:79)
    at org.gradle.internal.event.BroadcastDispatch.dispatch(BroadcastDispatch.java:30)
    at org.gradle.messaging.dispatch.ProxyDispatchAdapter$DispatchingInvocationHandler.invoke(ProxyDispatchAdapter.java:93)
    at com.sun.proxy.$Proxy10.afterEvaluate(Unknown Source)
    at org.gradle.configuration.project.LifecycleProjectEvaluator.notifyAfterEvaluate(LifecycleProjectEvaluator.java:67)
    at org.gradle.configuration.project.LifecycleProjectEvaluator.evaluate(LifecycleProjectEvaluator.java:61)
    at org.gradle.api.internal.project.AbstractProject.evaluate(AbstractProject.java:499)
    at org.gradle.api.internal.project.AbstractProject.evaluate(AbstractProject.java:86)
    at org.gradle.execution.TaskPathProjectEvaluator.configure(TaskPathProjectEvaluator.java:35)
    at org.gradle.execution.TaskSelector.getSelection(TaskSelector.java:82)
    at org.gradle.execution.TaskSelector.getSelection(TaskSelector.java:75)
    at org.gradle.execution.commandline.CommandLineTaskParser.parseTasks(CommandLineTaskParser.java:42)
    at org.gradle.execution.TaskNameResolvingBuildConfigurationAction.configure(TaskNameResolvingBuildConfigurationAction.java:44)
    at org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildConfigurationActionExecuter.configure(DefaultBuildConfigurationActionExecuter.java:48)
    at org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildConfigurationActionExecuter.access$000(DefaultBuildConfigurationActionExecuter.java:25)
    at org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildConfigurationActionExecuter$1.proceed(DefaultBuildConfigurationActionExecuter.java:54)
    at org.gradle.execution.DefaultTasksBuildExecutionAction.configure(DefaultTasksBuildExecutionAction.java:44)
    at org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildConfigurationActionExecuter.configure(DefaultBuildConfigurationActionExecuter.java:48)
    at org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildConfigurationActionExecuter.access$000(DefaultBuildConfigurationActionExecuter.java:25)
    at org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildConfigurationActionExecuter$1.proceed(DefaultBuildConfigurationActionExecuter.java:54)
    at org.gradle.execution.ExcludedTaskFilteringBuildConfigurationAction.configure(ExcludedTaskFilteringBuildConfigurationAction.java:47)
    at org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildConfigurationActionExecuter.configure(DefaultBuildConfigurationActionExecuter.java:48)
    at org.gradle.execution.DefaultBuildConfigurationActionExecuter.select(DefaultBuildConfigurationActionExecuter.java:36)
    at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher$3.run(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:143)
    at org.gradle.internal.Factories$1.create(Factories.java:22)
    at org.gradle.internal.progress.DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.run(DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.java:90)
    at org.gradle.internal.progress.DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.run(DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.java:52)
    at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.doBuildStages(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:140)
    at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.access$200(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:32)
    at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher$1.create(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:99)
    at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher$1.create(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:93)
    at org.gradle.internal.progress.DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.run(DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.java:90)
    at org.gradle.internal.progress.DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.run(DefaultBuildOperationExecutor.java:62)
    at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.doBuild(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:93)
    at org.gradle.initialization.DefaultGradleLauncher.run(DefaultGradleLauncher.java:82)
    at org.gradle.launcher.exec.InProcessBuildActionExecuter$DefaultBuildController.run(InProcessBuildActionExecuter.java:94)
    at org.gradle.tooling.internal.provider.runner.BuildModelActionRunner.run(BuildModelActionRunner.java:46)
    at org.gradle.launcher.exec.ChainingBuildActionRunner.run(ChainingBuildActionRunner.java:35)
    at org.gradle.tooling.internal.provider.runner.SubscribableBuildActionRunner.run(SubscribableBuildActionRunner.java:58)
    at org.gradle.launcher.exec.ChainingBuildActionRunner.run(ChainingBuildActionRunner.java:35)
    at org.gradle.launcher.exec.InProcessBuildActionExecuter.execute(InProcessBuildActionExecuter.java:43)
    at org.gradle.launcher.exec.InProcessBuildActionExecuter.execute(InProcessBuildActionExecuter.java:28)
    at org.gradle.launcher.exec.ContinuousBuildActionExecuter.execute(ContinuousBuildActionExecuter.java:77)
    at org.gradle.launcher.exec.ContinuousBuildActionExecuter.execute(ContinuousBuildActionExecuter.java:47)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ExecuteBuild.doBuild(ExecuteBuild.java:52)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.BuildCommandOnly.execute(BuildCommandOnly.java:36)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.WatchForDisconnection.execute(WatchForDisconnection.java:37)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ResetDeprecationLogger.execute(ResetDeprecationLogger.java:26)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.RequestStopIfSingleUsedDaemon.execute(RequestStopIfSingleUsedDaemon.java:34)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ForwardClientInput$2.call(ForwardClientInput.java:74)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ForwardClientInput$2.call(ForwardClientInput.java:72)
    at org.gradle.util.Swapper.swap(Swapper.java:38)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.ForwardClientInput.execute(ForwardClientInput.java:72)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.health.DaemonHealthTracker.execute(DaemonHealthTracker.java:47)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.LogToClient.doBuild(LogToClient.java:66)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.BuildCommandOnly.execute(BuildCommandOnly.java:36)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.EstablishBuildEnvironment.doBuild(EstablishBuildEnvironment.java:71)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.BuildCommandOnly.execute(BuildCommandOnly.java:36)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.health.HintGCAfterBuild.execute(HintGCAfterBuild.java:41)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.api.DaemonCommandExecution.proceed(DaemonCommandExecution.java:120)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.exec.StartBuildOrRespondWithBusy$1.run(StartBuildOrRespondWithBusy.java:50)
    at org.gradle.launcher.daemon.server.DaemonStateCoordinator$1.run(DaemonStateCoordinator.java:246)
    at org.gradle.internal.concurrent.ExecutorPolicy$CatchAndRecordFailures.onExecute(ExecutorPolicy.java:54)
    at org.gradle.internal.concurrent.StoppableExecutorImpl$1.run(StoppableExecutorImpl.java:40)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1142)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:617)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)

Answer 1

With the new gradle 2.0.0 and Android Studio 2.0 I have only changed my app's gradle file by adding this -

android {
    ...

    dataBinding{
        enabled = true
    }
}

and it works like a charm. There's no need to add classpath'com.android.databinding:dataBinder:1.+' in project's gradle file and no need to add apply plugin: 'com.android.databinding' in app's gradle file.