javax.el.PropertyNotFoundException: Target Unreachable, 'null' returned null on foreign key reference [duplicate]

Question

I know there is something wrong with the managedBean but i cant figure out what it is

When I try departmentManagedBean.department.faculty.facultyName from the jsf page it gives a null pointer like this:

javax.el.PropertyNotFoundException: /administrator/department/DepartmentRegistration.xhtml @30,260 value="#{departmentRequestBean.department.faculty.facultyName}": Target Unreachable, 'null' returned null

javax.el.PropertyNotFoundException: /administrator/department/DepartmentRegistration.xhtml @30,260 value="#{departmentRequestBean.department.faculty.facultyName}": Target Unreachable, 'null' returned null
at com.sun.faces.facelets.el.TagValueExpression.getType(TagValueExpression.java:100)
at org.richfaces.component.util.InputUtils.findConverter(InputUtils.java:123)
at org.richfaces.component.util.InputUtils$1.getConverterByProperty(InputUtils.java:56)
at org.richfaces.component.util.InputUtils.getConvertedValue(InputUtils.java:148)
at org.richfaces.component.util.InputUtils.getConvertedValue(InputUtils.java:137)
at org.richfaces.renderkit.InputRendererBase.getConvertedValue(InputRendererBase.java:50)
at javax.faces.component.UIInput.getConvertedValue(UIInput.java:1030)
at javax.faces.component.UIInput.validate(UIInput.java:960)
at javax.faces.component.UIInput.executeValidate(UIInput.java:1233)
at javax.faces.component.UIInput.processValidators(UIInput.java:698)
at javax.faces.component.UIComponentBase.processValidators(UIComponentBase.java:1214)
at javax.faces.component.UIComponentBase.processValidators(UIComponentBase.java:1214)
at javax.faces.component.UIForm.processValidators(UIForm.java:253)
at javax.faces.component.UIComponentBase.processValidators(UIComponentBase.java:1214)
at javax.faces.component.UIComponentBase.processValidators(UIComponentBase.java:1214)
at javax.faces.component.UIViewRoot.processValidators(UIViewRoot.java:1172)
at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.ProcessValidationsPhase.execute(ProcessValidationsPhase.java:76)
at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.Phase.doPhase(Phase.java:101)
at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.LifecycleImpl.execute(LifecycleImpl.java:118)
at javax.faces.webapp.FacesServlet.service(FacesServlet.java:593)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapper.service(StandardWrapper.java:1542)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:281)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:175)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.doInvoke(StandardPipeline.java:655)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.invoke(StandardPipeline.java:595)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:161)
at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.doService(CoyoteAdapter.java:331)
at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:231)
at com.sun.enterprise.v3.services.impl.ContainerMapper$AdapterCallable.call(ContainerMapper.java:317)
at com.sun.enterprise.v3.services.impl.ContainerMapper.service(ContainerMapper.java:195)
at com.sun.grizzly.http.ProcessorTask.invokeAdapter(ProcessorTask.java:849)
at com.sun.grizzly.http.ProcessorTask.doProcess(ProcessorTask.java:746)
at com.sun.grizzly.http.ProcessorTask.process(ProcessorTask.java:1045)
at com.sun.grizzly.http.DefaultProtocolFilter.execute(DefaultProtocolFilter.java:228)
at com.sun.grizzly.DefaultProtocolChain.executeProtocolFilter(DefaultProtocolChain.java:137)
at com.sun.grizzly.DefaultProtocolChain.execute(DefaultProtocolChain.java:104)
at com.sun.grizzly.DefaultProtocolChain.execute(DefaultProtocolChain.java:90)
at com.sun.grizzly.http.HttpProtocolChain.execute(HttpProtocolChain.java:79)
at com.sun.grizzly.ProtocolChainContextTask.doCall(ProtocolChainContextTask.java:54)
at com.sun.grizzly.SelectionKeyContextTask.call(SelectionKeyContextTask.java:59)
at com.sun.grizzly.ContextTask.run(ContextTask.java:71)
at com.sun.grizzly.util.AbstractThreadPool$Worker.doWork(AbstractThreadPool.java:532)
at com.sun.grizzly.util.AbstractThreadPool$Worker.run(AbstractThreadPool.java:513)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:636)

---

public class Department implements Serializable {
    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
    @Id
    @Basic(optional = false)
    @NotNull
    @Column(name = "DepartmentID")
    private Integer departmentID;
    @Basic(optional = false)
    @NotNull
    @Size(min = 1, max = 255)
    @Column(name = "DepartmentName")
    private String departmentName;
    @JoinColumn(name = "FacultyName", referencedColumnName = "FacultyName")
    @ManyToOne(optional = false, fetch = FetchType.EAGER)
    public Faculty faculty;

    public Faculty getFaculty() {
        return faculty;
    }

    public void setFaculty(Faculty faculty) {
        this.faculty = faculty;
    }
    public Department() {

    }

    public Department(Integer departmentID) {
        this.departmentID = departmentID;
    }

    public Department(Integer departmentID, String departmentName) {
        this.departmentID = departmentID;
        this.departmentName = departmentName;
    }

    public Integer getDepartmentID() {
        return departmentID;
    }

    public void setDepartmentID(Integer departmentID) {
        this.departmentID = departmentID;
    }

    public String getDepartmentName() {
        return departmentName;
    }

    public void setDepartmentName(String departmentName) {
        this.departmentName = departmentName;
    }
}

---

public class DepartmentSessionBean {
    @PersistenceContext(unitName = "ApplicationPU")
    private EntityManager em;

    public void persist(Department department) {     
        em.persist(department);
    }
}

---

public class Faculty implements Serializable {
    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
    @Id
    @Basic(optional = false)
    @NotNull
    @Column(name = "FacultyID")
    private Integer facultyID;
    @Basic(optional = false)
    @NotNull
    @Size(min = 1, max = 255)
    @Column(name = "FacultyName")
    private String facultyName;
    @OneToMany(cascade = CascadeType.ALL, mappedBy = "faculty", fetch = FetchType.EAGER)
    private List<Department> departmentList;

    public Faculty() {
    }

    public Faculty(Integer facultyID) {
        this.facultyID = facultyID;
    }

    public Faculty(Integer facultyID, String facultyName) {
        this.facultyID = facultyID;
        this.facultyName = facultyName;
    }

    public Integer getFacultyID() {
        return facultyID;
    }

    public void setFacultyID(Integer facultyID) {
        this.facultyID = facultyID;
    }

    public String getFacultyName() {
        return facultyName;
    }

    public void setFacultyName(String facultyName) {
        this.facultyName = facultyName;
    }

    public List<Department> getDepartmentList() {
        return departmentList;
    }

    public void setDepartmentList(List<Department> departmentList) {
        this.departmentList = departmentList;
    }
}

This is the ManagedBean that I need a solution with please:

@ViewScoped public class DepartmentRequestBean {
@EJB
private DepartmentSessionBean departmentSessionBean;
private Department department = new Department();
public Department getDepartment() {
    return department;
}

public void setDepartment(Department department) {
    this.department = department;
}


public void save(){


        departmentSessionBean.persist(department);

}

public DepartmentRequestBean() {
    this.faculty = new Faculty();
}}

Answer 1

value="#{departmentRequestBean.department.faculty.facultyName}": Target Unreachable, 'null' returned null

This basically means that one of the following values

• #{departmentRequestBean.department}
• #{departmentRequestBean.department.faculty}

returned null during processing of the form submit. As you've explicitly created the Department yourself, then it can only mean that Faculty is still null.

To fix it properly, replace in DepartmentRequestBean

private Department department = new Department();

by

private Department department;

@PostConstruct
public void init() {
    department = new Department();
    department.setFaculty(new Faculty());
}