How to create spring bean with collection data decoupled from parent bean?

Question

Spring has ability to initialisate values of core java collection types.

I have a complex collection type Map<String, Set<String>> map and it inital value defined in spring config:

<bean id="dao" class="ru.mypkg.dao.DaoImpl">
    <property name="dataSource" ref="dataSource"/>
    <property name="map">
        <map>
            <entry key="TABLE">
                <set>
                    <value>COMMENT</value>
                    <value>INDEX</value>
                </set>
            </entry>
            <entry key="VIEW">
                <set>
                    <value>COMMENT</value>
                </set>
            </entry>
        </map>
    </property>
</bean>

I want rewrite my config in next manner: Split it on 2 beans for more readability

<bean id="dao" class="ru.mypkg.dao.DaoImpl">
    <property name="dataSource" ref="dataSource"/>
    <property name="map" ref-id="myMap"/>        
</bean>

<bean id="myMap" ..????..>
        <entry key="TABLE">
                <set>
                    <value>COMMENT</value>
                    <value>INDEX</value>
                </set>
            </entry>
            <entry key="VIEW">
                <set>
                    <value>COMMENT</value>
                </set>

            </entry>
</bean>

Can I achieve that with no creating additional classes?

Answer 1

Certainly, using the <util:map> namespace. See the Spring documentation C.2.2.5.

Another way to create complex configuration is using the @Configuration approach, or alternatively the FactoryBean interface.