Error: No URL for ServletContext resource when running Spring integrated test

Question

I am running an integrated test for my Spring controller. Test includes a configuration file(view-configuration.xml) that has tilesConfigurer bean for which I am getting the error No URL for ServletContext resource. Below is Error Trace, Configuration, Test & Project Structure:

java.lang.IllegalStateException: Failed to load ApplicationContext
at org.springframework.test.context.CacheAwareContextLoaderDelegate.loadContext(CacheAwareContextLoaderDelegate.java:99)
at org.springframework.test.context.DefaultTestContext.getApplicationContext(DefaultTestContext.java:101)
at org.springframework.test.context.web.ServletTestExecutionListener.setUpRequestContextIfNecessary(ServletTestExecutionListener.java:161)
at org.springframework.test.context.web.ServletTestExecutionListener.prepareTestInstance(ServletTestExecutionListener.java:101)
at org.springframework.test.context.TestContextManager.prepareTestInstance(TestContextManager.java:331)
at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.createTest(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:213)
at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner$1.runReflectiveCall(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:290)
at org.junit.internal.runners.model.ReflectiveCallable.run(ReflectiveCallable.java:12)
at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.methodBlock(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:292)
at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.runChild(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:233)
at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.runChild(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:87)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$3.run(ParentRunner.java:238)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$1.schedule(ParentRunner.java:63)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.runChildren(ParentRunner.java:236)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.access$000(ParentRunner.java:53)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$2.evaluate(ParentRunner.java:229)
at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.statements.RunBeforeTestClassCallbacks.evaluate(RunBeforeTestClassCallbacks.java:61)
at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.statements.RunAfterTestClassCallbacks.evaluate(RunAfterTestClassCallbacks.java:71)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.run(ParentRunner.java:309)
at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.run(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:176)
at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit4.runner.JUnit4TestReference.run(JUnit4TestReference.java:86)
at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.TestExecution.run(TestExecution.java:38)
at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.RemoteTestRunner.runTests(RemoteTestRunner.java:459)
at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.RemoteTestRunner.runTests(RemoteTestRunner.java:675)
at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.RemoteTestRunner.run(RemoteTestRunner.java:382)
at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.RemoteTestRunner.main(RemoteTestRunner.java:192)
Caused by: org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanCreationException: Error creating bean with name 'tilesConfigurer' defined in class path resource [com/zerosolutions/configuration/view-configuration.xml]: Invocation of init method failed; nested exception is java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: No URL for ServletContext resource [/WEB-INF/layout/default.xml]
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.initializeBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1578)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.doCreateBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:545)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.createBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:482)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory$1.getObject(AbstractBeanFactory.java:305)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.getSingleton(DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.java:230)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.doGetBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:301)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.getBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:196)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultListableBeanFactory.preInstantiateSingletons(DefaultListableBeanFactory.java:772)
at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.finishBeanFactoryInitialization(AbstractApplicationContext.java:834)
at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.refresh(AbstractApplicationContext.java:537)
at org.springframework.test.context.web.AbstractGenericWebContextLoader.loadContext(AbstractGenericWebContextLoader.java:132)
at org.springframework.test.context.web.AbstractGenericWebContextLoader.loadContext(AbstractGenericWebContextLoader.java:59)
at org.springframework.test.context.support.AbstractDelegatingSmartContextLoader.delegateLoading(AbstractDelegatingSmartContextLoader.java:100)
at org.springframework.test.context.support.AbstractDelegatingSmartContextLoader.loadContext(AbstractDelegatingSmartContextLoader.java:250)
at org.springframework.test.context.CacheAwareContextLoaderDelegate.loadContextInternal(CacheAwareContextLoaderDelegate.java:64)
at org.springframework.test.context.CacheAwareContextLoaderDelegate.loadContext(CacheAwareContextLoaderDelegate.java:91)
... 25 more
Caused by: java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: No URL for ServletContext resource [/WEB-INF/layout/default.xml]
at org.springframework.web.servlet.view.tiles3.SpringWildcardServletTilesApplicationContext.getResources(SpringWildcardServletTilesApplicationContext.java:96)
at org.springframework.web.servlet.view.tiles3.TilesConfigurer$SpringTilesContainerFactory.getSources(TilesConfigurer.java:306)
at org.apache.tiles.factory.BasicTilesContainerFactory.createLocaleDefinitionDao(BasicTilesContainerFactory.java:182)
at org.apache.tiles.factory.BasicTilesContainerFactory.createDefinitionsFactory(BasicTilesContainerFactory.java:137)
at org.springframework.web.servlet.view.tiles3.TilesConfigurer$SpringTilesContainerFactory.createDefinitionsFactory(TilesConfigurer.java:354)
at org.apache.tiles.factory.BasicTilesContainerFactory.createContainer(BasicTilesContainerFactory.java:86)
at org.springframework.web.servlet.view.tiles3.TilesConfigurer$SpringTilesContainerFactory.createContainer(TilesConfigurer.java:297)
at org.apache.tiles.startup.AbstractTilesInitializer.createContainer(AbstractTilesInitializer.java:114)
at org.apache.tiles.startup.AbstractTilesInitializer.initialize(AbstractTilesInitializer.java:64)
at org.springframework.web.servlet.view.tiles3.TilesConfigurer.afterPropertiesSet(TilesConfigurer.java:271)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.invokeInitMethods(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1637)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.initializeBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1574)
... 40 more
 Caused by: java.io.FileNotFoundException: ServletContext resource [/WEB-INF/layout/default.xml] cannot be resolved to URL because it does not exist
at org.springframework.web.context.support.ServletContextResource.getURL(ServletContextResource.java:156)
at org.springframework.web.servlet.view.tiles3.SpringWildcardServletTilesApplicationContext.getResources(SpringWildcardServletTilesApplicationContext.java:91)
... 51 more

view-configuration.xml:

<mvc:resources location="/resource/" mapping="/static/**"></mvc:resources>

<bean id="tilesViewResolver"
    class="org.springframework.web.servlet.view.tiles3.TilesViewResolver">
</bean>
<bean id="tilesConfigurer"
    class="org.springframework.web.servlet.view.tiles3.TilesConfigurer">
    <property name="definitions">
        <list>
            <value>/WEB-INF/layout/default.xml</value>
        </list>
    </property>
</bean>

Test

@RunWith(value=SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.class)
@WebAppConfiguration
@ContextConfiguration(locations = { "file:WebContent/WEB-INF/dispatcher-servlet.xml",
    "classpath:com/zerosolutions/configuration/service-configuration.xml",
    "classpath:com/zerosolutions/configuration/security-configuration.xml",
    "classpath:com/zerosolutions/test/datasource_test.xml",
    "classpath:com/zerosolutions/configuration/view-configuration.xml"})
public class TestingFrontController {

@Autowired
private WebApplicationContext wac;

private MockMvc mockMvc;

@Before
public void setUp(){
    this.mockMvc = MockMvcBuilders.webAppContextSetup(this.wac).build();
}

@Test
public void getLoginSignupPage() throws Exception{
    mockMvc.perform(get("/login"))
    .andExpect(status().isOk())
    .andExpect(forwardedUrl("login"));
}

}

Project Structure:

Why it is not able to find the resource?

Answer 1

This happens when you have not got the working directory set for a desired Run Configuration.

If you are using IntelliJ, you can specify $MODULE_WORKING_DIR$ as the "Working directory:" and that should resolve your problem.

Answer 2

When the Spring TestContext Framework loads an ApplicationContext for a test annotated with @WebAppConfiguration, it actually loads a WebApplicationContext which requires a ServletContext. In integration tests, Spring creates a MockServletContext for you with the resourceBasePath set to the value of the value attribute in the @WebAppConfiguration annotation.

If you had read the Javadoc for @WebAppConfiguration, you would have noticed that the default path is src/main/webapp.

Thus, the answer is that you don't follow Maven conventions for a WAR project. In other words, src/main/webapp is not the root of your web content. Rather, in your project it's WebContent.

Changing your declaration of @WebAppConfiguration as follows should fix your issue.

@WebAppConfiguration("WebContent")

Regards,

Sam (author of the Spring TestContext Framework)