Failed to load ApplicationContext for JUnit test of Spring controller

Question

I want to write a test case to check my controller (getPersons). This is a server side code. I have confusion what should i put inside @ContextConfiguration(locations={"file:src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/app-contest.xml"})

Secondly, I'm getting some errors like this:

Failed to load application context. Can not find the path [which I specified in @ContextConfiguration]

I have a structure like this:

 restAPI
    *src/main/java
      com.company.controller
         personController.java
    *Test
      com.company.testController
         personControllerTest.java
    *src
      main
       webapp
         WEBINF
           app-context.xml


@Autowired
private PersonService personService;

@RequestMapping(value="/t2/{yy_id}/person", method=RequestMethod.GET)
@ResponseBody
public PersonInfo[] getPersons() {

    return personService.getPersons();
}

---

This is my Test

@RunWith(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.class)
@ContextConfiguration(locations={"classpath:WEB-INF/app-context.xml"})
@WebAppConfiguration
public class PersonControllerTest  {


@Autowired
private WebApplicationContext wac;

private MockMvc mockMvc;

@Before
public void setup() {
    this.mockMvc = MockMvcBuilders.webAppContextSetup(this.wac).build();
}

@Autowired
private PersonService personService;

@Test
public void getPersons() throws Exception {

    this.mockMvc.perform(get("/t2/1/person")
            .accept(MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON))
            .andExpect(status().isOk());

}

---

Trace

java.lang.IllegalStateException: Failed to load ApplicationContext
    at org.springframework.test.context.TestContext.getApplicationContext(TestContext.java:157)
    at org.springframework.test.context.web.ServletTestExecutionListener.setUpRequestContextIfNecessary(ServletTestExecutionListener.java:103)
    at org.springframework.test.context.web.ServletTestExecutionListener.prepareTestInstance(ServletTestExecutionListener.java:73)
    at org.springframework.test.context.TestContextManager.prepareTestInstance(TestContextManager.java:313)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.createTest(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:211)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner$1.runReflectiveCall(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:288)
    at org.junit.internal.runners.model.ReflectiveCallable.run(ReflectiveCallable.java:12)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.methodBlock(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:284)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.runChild(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:231)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.runChild(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:88)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$3.run(ParentRunner.java:238)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$1.schedule(ParentRunner.java:63)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.runChildren(ParentRunner.java:236)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.access$000(ParentRunner.java:53)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$2.evaluate(ParentRunner.java:229)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.statements.RunBeforeTestClassCallbacks.evaluate(RunBeforeTestClassCallbacks.java:61)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.statements.RunAfterTestClassCallbacks.evaluate(RunAfterTestClassCallbacks.java:71)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.run(ParentRunner.java:309)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.run(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:174)
    at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit4.runner.JUnit4TestReference.run(JUnit4TestReference.java:50)
    at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.TestExecution.run(TestExecution.java:38)
    at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.RemoteTestRunner.runTests(RemoteTestRunner.java:467)
    at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.RemoteTestRunner.runTests(RemoteTestRunner.java:683)
    at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.RemoteTestRunner.run(RemoteTestRunner.java:390)
    at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.RemoteTestRunner.main(RemoteTestRunner.java:197)
Caused by: org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanDefinitionStoreException: IOException parsing XML document from class path resource [WEB-INF/application-context.xml]; nested exception is java.io.FileNotFoundException: class path resource [WEB-INF/application-context.xml] cannot be opened because it does not exist
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanDefinitionReader.loadBeanDefinitions(XmlBeanDefinitionReader.java:341)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanDefinitionReader.loadBeanDefinitions(XmlBeanDefinitionReader.java:302)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanDefinitionReader.loadBeanDefinitions(AbstractBeanDefinitionReader.java:174)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanDefinitionReader.loadBeanDefinitions(AbstractBeanDefinitionReader.java:209)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanDefinitionReader.loadBeanDefinitions(AbstractBeanDefinitionReader.java:180)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanDefinitionReader.loadBeanDefinitions(AbstractBeanDefinitionReader.java:243)
    at org.springframework.test.context.web.GenericXmlWebContextLoader.loadBeanDefinitions(GenericXmlWebContextLoader.java:38)
    at org.springframework.test.context.web.AbstractGenericWebContextLoader.loadContext(AbstractGenericWebContextLoader.java:113)
    at org.springframework.test.context.web.AbstractGenericWebContextLoader.loadContext(AbstractGenericWebContextLoader.java:59)
    at org.springframework.test.context.support.AbstractDelegatingSmartContextLoader.delegateLoading(AbstractDelegatingSmartContextLoader.java:100)
    at org.springframework.test.context.support.AbstractDelegatingSmartContextLoader.loadContext(AbstractDelegatingSmartContextLoader.java:248)
    at org.springframework.test.context.TestContext.loadApplicationContext(TestContext.java:124)
    at org.springframework.test.context.TestContext.getApplicationContext(TestContext.java:148)
    ... 24 more
Caused by: java.io.FileNotFoundException: class path resource [WEB-INF/app-context.xml] cannot be opened because it does not exist
    at org.springframework.core.io.ClassPathResource.getInputStream(ClassPathResource.java:157)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanDefinitionReader.loadBeanDefinitions(XmlBeanDefinitionReader.java:328)

Can some one please help me out to figure it out what's wrong here?

Solution 1

As mentioned in the discussion: WEB-INF is not really part of the class path. If you use a common template, such as maven, use src/main/resources or src/test/resources to place the app-context.xml in. Then you can use classpath:.

Place your config file in src/main/resources/app-context.xml and use the following code:

@RunWith(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.class)
@ContextConfiguration(locations = "classpath:app-context.xml")
public class PersonControllerTest {
  ...
}

You can also create your test context with different configurations of beans.

Place your config file into src/test/resources/test-app-context.xml and use:

@RunWith(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.class)
@ContextConfiguration(locations = "classpath:test-app-context.xml")
public class PersonControllerTest {
  ...
}

Solution 2

There can be multiple root causes for this exception. For me, my mockMvc wasn't getting auto-configured. I solved this exception by using @WebMvcTest(MyController.class) at the class level. This annotation will disable full auto-configuration and instead apply only configuration relevant to MVC tests.

An alternative to this is, If you are looking to load your full application configuration and use MockMVC, you should consider @SpringBootTest combined with @AutoConfigureMockMvc rather than @WebMvcTest

Solution 3

If you are using Maven, add the below config in your pom.xml:

<build>
    <testResources>
                <testResource>
                    <directory>src/main/webapp</directory>
                </testResource>
    </testResources>
</build>

With this config, you will be able to access xml files in WEB-INF folder. From Maven POM Reference: The testResources element block contains testResource elements. Their definitions are similar to resource elements, but are naturally used during test phases.

Solution 4

In case you landed here based on the title, desperate for a solution and happen to be using Junit 5 Jupiter, you need to use

@ExtendWith(SpringExtension.class)

instead of

@RunWith(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.class)

View more solutions

Comments

[Pavel Horal]

I think that WEB-INF location should be loaded via file:/WEB-INF/... and not classpath:WEB-INF.

[Saurabh]

I have tried file as well still I'm getting the same eror

[Jean-Philippe Bond]

Are you sure it is not a spelling error? app-context.xml instead of app-contest.xml ;o

[Saurabh]

here in the question i have written by mistake contest but in my application it is context but its not working

[Pavel Horal]

Any chance you will post the actual exception / error with a stack trace?

[Saurabh]

I have post the actual stack trace so please suggest me something

[JoseK]

With a similar structure, @ContextConfiguration(locations = "file:src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/app-context.xml") works for me. My test file is under src/test/java/com/company/** whereas yours seems to be under Test which is parallel to src

[Saurabh]

I'm using maven also in the project

[Martin Strejc]

Ok, I've edited and enhance my answer, so now you can apply it in your project, @Saurabh.

[mcanti]

In the first case you mentioned, you placed the app-context.xml file in src/main/resources. But when you run tests, it will not find it there, but src/test/resources. So where should it be placed for unit tests?

[Martin Strejc]

Both src/test/* and src/main/* are present in the test phase of maven lifecycle if your POM is correct. Also you can change many thinks in maven. I rather use test-app-context.xml for testing and app-context.xml to separate their usage and content. Check stackoverflow.com/questions/6267312/… and maven.apache.org/guides/introduction/…

[JDGuide]

My project do not have app-context.xml file. Only spring-servelt.xml and web.xml file.please help me how to solve the issue.

[Martin Strejc]

I guess in your project file spring-servelt.xml is the spring context definition as well app-context.xml in the question.

[Tim]

@ContextConfiguration("classpath*:**/applicationContext.xml"‌​) worked for me.

[Dimitri Kopriwa]

I am not using xml, how do I do?

[Martin Strejc]

If you use Java based Spring configuration I would suggest to ask a new question, because the answer is slightly different and would be hard to mix with this question/answer.

[Ashikur Rahman]

WebMvcTest(MyController.class) didn't work for me. But the alternate solution of adding SpringBootTest and AutoConfigureMockMvc worked me. Thanks.

[pharask]

@mahesh, you saved my day.