ClassCastException when creating an instance of a class using reflection and ClassLoaders

Question

First of all, this is Java 1.4 (project restrictions). I'm trying to create a application manager. It loads each application's main class using it's own instance of a custom classloader. After that, it creates an instance of the main class using reflection. Each application implements a common interface so after the instance is created, it runs a predefined method of the application.

However, I'm having some trouble at CRASH POINT 1 (see code). The class is not recognized as one implementation of it's interface. If I coment this code chunk, I get ClassCastException at CRASH POINT 2.

I suppose both errors are related to the same issue (of course).

Can anyone help me? The relevant part of the code follows (imports are removed)...

Thanks very much.

Marcus

// AppManager.java

public class AppManager {
    public ThreadGroup threadGroup;
    private Class appClass;
    private AppInstance appInst;
    public AppContextImpl context;

    private AppManager(CustomClassLoader cl, String mainClass) throws ClassNotFoundException {
        final String className = mainClass;
        final CustomClassLoader finalLoader = cl;

        appClass = cl.loadClass(mainClass);

        // DEBUG CODE:
        Class[] k1 = AppInstance.class.getInterfaces();
        System.out.println(k1.length + " interfaces for AppInstance.class:");
        for (int ii = 0; ii < k1.length; ii++) {
            System.out.println("   " + ii + " - " + k1[ii].getName() + " (" + k1[ii].getClassLoader() + ")");
        }

        Class[] k2 = appClass.getInterfaces();
        System.out.println(k2.length + " interfaces for appClass instance:");
        for (int ii = 0; ii < k2.length; ii++) {
            System.out.println("   " + ii + " - " + k2[ii].getName() + " (" + k2[ii].getClassLoader() + ")");
        }

        // CRASH POINT 1
        if (!(AppInstance.class.isAssignableFrom(appClass))) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Attempt to run a non-AppInstance class: " + appClass);
        }

        context = new AppContextImpl(mainClass, this);
        cl.setAppManager(this);
        Constructor m;
        try {
            m = appClass.getConstructor(new Class[0]);
           // CRASH POINT 2
            appInst = (AppInstance) m.newInstance(new Object[0]);
            appInst.init(context);
        } catch (Exception e) {
            System.out.println("Got ClassCastException here!\n");
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        App app1;

        String path1 = "/home/user/workspace/MultiTaskTest/bin/";
        String app1Name = "App1";

        Vector v1 = new Vector();
        try {
            v1.add(new URL(path1));
        } catch (MalformedURLException e1) {
            final File file1 = new File(path1);
            try {
                URL path1aux = (URL) AccessController.doPrivileged(
                    new PrivilegedExceptionAction() {
                        public Object run() throws IOException {
                            if (!file1.exists()) {
                                System.out.println("Warning: \"" + file1.getPath() + "\" not found");
                                return null;
                            }
                        return file1.toURI().toURL();
                        }
                    });

                if (path1aux != null) {
                    v1.add(path1aux);
                }
            } catch (PrivilegedActionException e) {
                e.getException().printStackTrace();
            }
    }

        final URL[] array1 = (URL[]) v1.toArray(new URL[v1.size()]);
        CustomClassLoader cl1 = (CustomClassLoader) AccessController.doPrivileged(
            new PrivilegedAction() { public Object run() {
                return new CustomClassLoader(array1);
            }});
        System.out.println("ClassLoader 1 created: " + cl1);
        try {
            app1 = new App(cl1, app1Name);
        } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
            System.out.println("Cannot find class App1.");
        }
    }
}

// AppInstance.java

public interface AppInstance {
    public void init(ContextImpl context);
}

// App1.java

public class App1 implements AppInstance {
    private AppContextImpl contextObj;

    public void init(AppContextImpl context) {
        this.contextObj = context;
        System.out.println("Running App1...");
    }
}

// AppContextImpl.java

public class AppContextImpl {
    public String mainClass;
    public AppManager app;

    public AppContextImpl(String mainClass, AppManager app) {
        this.mainClass = mainClass;
        this.app = app;
    }
}

// CustomClassLoader.java

public class CustomClassLoader extends URLClassLoader {
    AppManager appInst;

    public CustomClassLoader(URL[] paths) { super(paths, null); }
    public void setAppManager(AppManager app) { this.appInst = app; }
}

The output for the Debug code in the AppManager.java file is:

0 interfaces for AppInstance.class:
1 interfaces for appClass instance:
   0 - AppInstance (CustomClassLoader@480457)

Answer 1

Your AppInstance class is probably loaded separately by each custom classloader. Since class objects depend on the actual class AND on the classloader, they are really different classes. So AppInstance from classloader 1 is not the same as AppInstance from classloader 2.

What you need to do is using the standard classloader hierarchy: use a root classloader for your application, and male sure that AppInstance is loadable by the classloader. Then make your custom classloader children from the root. Whenever they need to access the AppInstance class, they will use what is loaded from the root.

So, instead of this:

public CustomClassLoader(URL[] paths) { super(paths, null); }

You need to give a parent to your CustomClassLoader