How to list the bean's properties

Question

I have a bean, is there a way to list bean's all properties without list one by one?

Some beans overide the ToString() method which is handy. Howvere the beans which does not override this method?

Answer 1

You can use BeanInfo via BeanIntrospection as follows:

Object o = new MyBean();
try {
    BeanInfo bi = Introspector.getBeanInfo(MyBean.class);
    PropertyDescriptor[] pds = bi.getPropertyDescriptors();
    for (int i=0; i<pds.length; i++) {
        // Get property name
        String propName = pds[i].getName();

        // Get the value of prop1
        Expression expr = new Expression(o, "getProp1", new Object[0]);
        expr.execute();
        String s = (String)expr.getValue();
    }
    // class, prop1, prop2, PROP3
} catch (java.beans.IntrospectionException e) {
}

Or you can go with reflection method using one of the following approaches:

1. Get all no-parameter getXXX() methods through getDeclaredMethods and traverse them
2. Get all fields using getDeclaredFields() and traverse them (Not compliant with Bean spec, if you care about it)

Answer 2

see apache commons lang - ReflectionToStringBuilder

Answer 3

You can use reflection. Take declared fields from class, it they are private check if they have setters and getters (remember boolean getter is "isProperty")

Code can look like this:

List<String> properties = new ArrayList<String>();
Class<?> cl = MyBean.class;

// check all declared fields
for (Field field : cl.getDeclaredFields()) {

    // if field is private then look for setters/getters
    if (Modifier.isPrivate(field.getModifiers())) {

        // changing 1st letter to upper case
        String name = field.getName();
        String upperCaseName = name.substring(0, 1).toUpperCase()
                + name.substring(1);
        // and have getter and setter
        try {
            String simpleType = field.getType().getSimpleName();
            //for boolean property methods should be isProperty and setProperty(propertyType)
            if (simpleType.equals("Boolean") || simpleType.equals("boolean")) {
                if ((cl.getDeclaredMethod("is" + upperCaseName) != null)
                        && (cl.getDeclaredMethod("set" + upperCaseName,
                                field.getType()) != null)) {
                    properties.add(name);
                }
            } 
            //for not boolean property methods should be getProperty and setProperty(propertyType)
            else {
                if ((cl.getDeclaredMethod("get" + upperCaseName) != null)
                        && (cl.getDeclaredMethod("set" + upperCaseName,
                                field.getType()) != null)) {
                    properties.add(name);
                }
            }
        } catch (NoSuchMethodException | SecurityException e) {
            // if there is no method nothing bad will happen
        }
    }
}
for (String property:properties)
    System.out.println(property);