NullPointerException deploying Spring/MyFaces Applicationon Tomcat 8.0.0 RC5

Question

I developed a new application and it runs perfectly on Tomcat 7! But I am trying to deploy the same WAR on Tomcat 8 and I am getting a NullPointerException. To develop this application, I am used the following frameworks and libs:

• Maven 3;
• JPA 2 / Hibernate 4.2.6.Final;
• Spring 3.2;
• Spring Security 3.2.RC;
• MyFaces 2.1.12;
• Primefaces 4.0;

No error occurs when I deploy on Tomcat 7.0.42. Runs fine. But, when I deploy the same WAR on Tomcat 8.0.0 RC5, I am getting this exception:

30-Oct-2013 16:00:27.659 INFO [http-nio-8080-exec-2] org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationContext.log No state saving method defined, assuming default server state saving
30-Oct-2013 16:00:29.499 SEVERE [http-nio-8080-exec-3] org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke Servlet.service() for servlet [Faces Servlet] in context with path [/contacel] threw exception [null] with root cause
 java.lang.NullPointerException
    at org.apache.myfaces.view.facelets.tag.TagAttributeImpl.getBoolean(TagAttributeImpl.java:143)
    at org.apache.myfaces.view.facelets.tag.jstl.core.IfHandler.apply(IfHandler.java:105)
    at javax.faces.view.facelets.CompositeFaceletHandler.apply(CompositeFaceletHandler.java:49)
    at javax.faces.view.facelets.DelegatingMetaTagHandler.applyNextHandler(DelegatingMetaTagHandler.java:58)
    at org.apache.myfaces.view.facelets.tag.jsf.ComponentTagHandlerDelegate.apply(ComponentTagHandlerDelegate.java:310)
    at javax.faces.view.facelets.DelegatingMetaTagHandler.apply(DelegatingMetaTagHandler.java:53)
    at javax.faces.view.facelets.CompositeFaceletHandler.apply(CompositeFaceletHandler.java:49)
    at org.apache.myfaces.view.facelets.compiler.NamespaceHandler.apply(NamespaceHandler.java:57)
    at javax.faces.view.facelets.CompositeFaceletHandler.apply(CompositeFaceletHandler.java:49)
    at org.apache.myfaces.view.facelets.compiler.EncodingHandler.apply(EncodingHandler.java:48)
    at org.apache.myfaces.view.facelets.impl.DefaultFacelet.apply(DefaultFacelet.java:180)
    at org.apache.myfaces.view.facelets.FaceletViewDeclarationLanguage.buildView(FaceletViewDeclarationLanguage.java:452)
    at org.apache.myfaces.lifecycle.RenderResponseExecutor.execute(RenderResponseExecutor.java:78)
    at org.apache.myfaces.lifecycle.LifecycleImpl.render(LifecycleImpl.java:241)
    at javax.faces.webapp.FacesServlet.service(FacesServlet.java:199)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:303)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:208)
    at org.primefaces.webapp.filter.FileUploadFilter.doFilter(FileUploadFilter.java:98)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:241)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:208)
    at org.apache.tomcat.websocket.server.WsFilter.doFilter(WsFilter.java:51)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:241)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:208)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:330)
    at org.springframework.security.web.access.intercept.FilterSecurityInterceptor.invoke(FilterSecurityInterceptor.java:118)
    at org.springframework.security.web.access.intercept.FilterSecurityInterceptor.doFilter(FilterSecurityInterceptor.java:84)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.access.ExceptionTranslationFilter.doFilter(ExceptionTranslationFilter.java:113)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.session.SessionManagementFilter.doFilter(SessionManagementFilter.java:103)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.authentication.AnonymousAuthenticationFilter.doFilter(AnonymousAuthenticationFilter.java:113)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.servletapi.SecurityContextHolderAwareRequestFilter.doFilter(SecurityContextHolderAwareRequestFilter.java:150)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.savedrequest.RequestCacheAwareFilter.doFilter(RequestCacheAwareFilter.java:45)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.authentication.www.BasicAuthenticationFilter.doFilter(BasicAuthenticationFilter.java:150)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.authentication.AbstractAuthenticationProcessingFilter.doFilter(AbstractAuthenticationProcessingFilter.java:199)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.authentication.logout.LogoutFilter.doFilter(LogoutFilter.java:110)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.context.request.async.WebAsyncManagerIntegrationFilter.doFilterInternal(WebAsyncManagerIntegrationFilter.java:50)
    at org.springframework.web.filter.OncePerRequestFilter.doFilter(OncePerRequestFilter.java:107)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.session.ConcurrentSessionFilter.doFilter(ConcurrentSessionFilter.java:125)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.context.SecurityContextPersistenceFilter.doFilter(SecurityContextPersistenceFilter.java:87)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy.doFilterInternal(FilterChainProxy.java:192)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:160)
    at org.springframework.web.filter.DelegatingFilterProxy.invokeDelegate(DelegatingFilterProxy.java:343)
    at org.springframework.web.filter.DelegatingFilterProxy.doFilter(DelegatingFilterProxy.java:260)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:241)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:208)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:221)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:107)
    at org.apache.catalina.authenticator.AuthenticatorBase.invoke(AuthenticatorBase.java:504)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:155)
    at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorReportValve.invoke(ErrorReportValve.java:76)
    at org.apache.catalina.valves.AccessLogValve.invoke(AccessLogValve.java:934)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngineValve.java:90)
    at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:515)
    at org.apache.coyote.http11.AbstractHttp11Processor.process(AbstractHttp11Processor.java:1012)
    at org.apache.coyote.AbstractProtocol$AbstractConnectionHandler.process(AbstractProtocol.java:642)
    at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11NioProtocol$Http11ConnectionHandler.process(Http11NioProtocol.java:223)
    at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.NioEndpoint$SocketProcessor.doRun(NioEndpoint.java:1597)
    at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.NioEndpoint$SocketProcessor.run(NioEndpoint.java:1555)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1145)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:615)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:724)

My web.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE web-app
    PUBLIC "-//Sun Microsystems, Inc.//DTD Web Application 2.3//EN"
    "http://java.sun.com/dtd/web-app_2_3.dtd">

<web-app>

  <context-param>
    <param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
    <param-value>classpath:spring-context*.xml</param-value>
  </context-param>

  <context-param>
    <param-name>javax.faces.PROJECT_STAGE</param-name>
    <param-value>Production</param-value>
  </context-param>

  <context-param>
    <param-name>primefaces.THEME</param-name>
    <param-value>aristo</param-value>
  </context-param>

  <context-param>
    <param-name>org.jboss.jbossfaces.WAR_BUNDLES_JSF_IMPL</param-name>
    <param-value>true</param-value>
  </context-param>

  <listener>
    <listener-class>org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener</listener-class>
  </listener>

  <listener>
    <listener-class>org.springframework.web.context.request.RequestContextListener</listener-class>
  </listener>

  <filter>
    <filter-name>springSecurityFilterChain</filter-name>
    <filter-class>org.springframework.web.filter.DelegatingFilterProxy</filter-class>
  </filter>

  <filter-mapping>
    <filter-name>springSecurityFilterChain</filter-name>
    <url-pattern>/*</url-pattern>
  </filter-mapping>

  <listener>
    <listener-class>org.springframework.security.web.session.HttpSessionEventPublisher</listener-class>
  </listener>

  <security-constraint>
    <display-name>Protege os fontes das páginas JSF quando acessadas diretamente</display-name>
    <web-resource-collection>
      <web-resource-name>XHTML</web-resource-name>
      <url-pattern>*.xhtml</url-pattern>
    </web-resource-collection>
    <auth-constraint/>
  </security-constraint>

  <servlet>
    <servlet-name>Faces Servlet</servlet-name>
    <servlet-class>javax.faces.webapp.FacesServlet</servlet-class>
    <load-on-startup>1</load-on-startup>
  </servlet>

  <filter>
    <filter-name>PrimeFaces FileUpload Filter</filter-name>
    <filter-class>org.primefaces.webapp.filter.FileUploadFilter</filter-class>
  </filter>

  <filter-mapping>
    <filter-name>PrimeFaces FileUpload Filter</filter-name>
    <servlet-name>Faces Servlet</servlet-name>
  </filter-mapping>

  <servlet-mapping>
    <servlet-name>Faces Servlet</servlet-name>
    <url-pattern>*.jspa</url-pattern>
  </servlet-mapping>

  <session-config>
    <session-timeout>960</session-timeout>
  </session-config>

  <error-page>
    <exception-type>javax.faces.application.ViewExpiredException</exception-type>
    <location>/views/errors/viewExpired.jspa</location>
  </error-page>

  <error-page>
    <exception-type>java.lang.Exception</exception-type>
    <location>/views/errors/error.jspa</location>
  </error-page>

  <error-page>
    <error-code>404</error-code>
    <location>/views/errors/notfound.jspa</location>
  </error-page>

  <welcome-file-list>
    <welcome-file>index.jsp</welcome-file>
  </welcome-file-list>
</web-app>

Answer 1

Looks like you have been bitten by this change in EL 3.0

The default coercion for nulls to non-primitive types (except String) returns nulls. For instance, a null coerced to Boolean now returns a null, while a null coerced to boolean returns false.

Try setting the system property org.apache.el.parser.COERCE_TO_ZERO to true to force the EL 2.2 and earlier behaviour.