Using Spring cache annotation in multiple modules

Question

I have a util module that produces a jar to be used in other applications. I'd like this module to use caching and would prefer to use Spring's annotation-driven caching.

So Util-Module would have something like this:

---

DataManager.java

...
@Cacheable(cacheName="getDataCache")
public DataObject getData(String key) { ... }
...

data-manager-ehcache.xml

...
<cache name="getDataCache" maxElementsInMemory="100" eternal="true" />
...

data-manager-spring-config.xml

...
<cache:annotation-driven cache-manager="data-manager-cacheManager" />
<!-- ???? --->
<bean id="data-manager-cacheManager" 
    class="org.springframework.cache.ehcache.EhcacheCacheManager" 
    p:cache-manager="data-manager-ehcache"/>
<bean id="data-manager-ehcache" 
    class="org.springframework.cache.ehcache.EhCacheManagerFactoryBean" 
    p:config-location="data-manager-ehcache.xml"/>
...

---

I would also like my deployable unit to have caching via Spring annotation, while including the above jar as a dependency. So my Deployable-Unit would have something like this:

---

MyApp.java

...
@Cacheable(cacheName="getMyAppObjectCache")
public MyAppObject getMyAppObject(String key) { ... }
...

my-app-ehcache.xml

...
<cache name="getMyAppObjectCache" maxElementsInMemory="100" eternal="true" />
...

my-app-spring-config.xml

...
<cache:annotation-driven cache-manager="my-app-cacheManager" />
<!-- ???? --->
<bean id="my-app-cacheManager" 
    class="org.springframework.cache.ehcache.EhcacheCacheManager" 
    p:cache-manager="my-app-ehcache"/>
<bean id="my-app-ehcache" 
    class="org.springframework.cache.ehcache.EhCacheManagerFactoryBean" 
    p:config-location="my-app-ehcache.xml"/>
...

---

Question:

Is it possible to use annotation driven caching in both your main project and a dependency module while keeping the configurations separated?

If not, an explanation of why it isn't would be appreciated. If so, an explanation of what needs to change in the above configuration would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Use this class: http://static.springsource.org/autorepo/docs/spring/3.2.0.M1/api/org/springframework/cache/support/CompositeCacheManager.html like this:

<cache:annotation-driven cache-manager="cacheManager" />  <bean id="cacheManager" class="org.springframework.cache.support.CompositeCacheManager">     <property name="cacheManagers">         <array>             <ref bean="cacheManager1" />             <ref bean="cacheManager2" />         </array>     </property>     <property name="addNoOpCache" value="true" /> </bean> 

Answer 2

this seems to be fixed in 3.2M1, see https://jira.springsource.org/browse/SPR-8696

Answer 3

Spring currently expects the cacheManager to be a Singleton. This is something that the ehcache-spring-annotations project ran into and I've yet to see the request fulfilled. http://code.google.com/p/ehcache-spring-annotations/issues/detail?id=76

As with all things Java and Spring you do have the option to reimplement the class.

http://forums.terracotta.org/forums/posts/list/5618.page#27960 provides a base explanation of what some people have come up with as a workaround and

• http://itcb.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/itcb/addons/itcb-cache/trunk/
• http://itcb.svn.sourceforge.net/.../itcb/addons/cachemanager/

Is the actual code they came up with. The approach does create a convention to follow but it would be easy enough to reimplement this with your own version if you do not like the actual approach described.