BindStatus hides real field value with custom editors

[dobes]

Hello, I'm using the spring MVC + Velocity + Hibernate combo. I recently changed over the new way of making forms using the BindStatus object. I am generating my selection lists with this macro:

#macro( selectEntity $path $entities )
	#springBind($path)
	<!-- status.value is $status.value.class $status.value -->
	<select name="$&#123;status.expression&#125;">
		#foreach&#40;$entity in $entities&#41;
			#if&#40;$status.value && $status.value == $entity&#41;
				#set&#40; $sel = 'selected="true"' &#41;
			#else
				#set&#40; $sel = "" &#41;
			#end
			<option value="$&#123;entity.id&#125;" $sel>$&#123;entity.name&#125;</option>
		#end
	</select>
#end

The first time I enter the editing form, I construct the model object like this:

	public Map getModel(Object command) {
		return new BindException(command, "this").getModel();
	}

When the user submits the form, I update the Object in question and create the model using:

	protected Map bindAndValidate(ServletRequest request, Object command) throws ServletException {
		ServletRequestDataBinder binder = new ServletRequestDataBinder(command, "this");
		new GameslaveBindInitializer(getStorage()).initBinder(request, binder);
		binder.bind(request);
		return binder.getErrors().getModel();
	}

The GameslaveBindInitializer adds a bunch of custom property editors which looks up object Ids in the database for each type I store in the database. (side note: I wonder if this could be automated based on hibernate metadata?)

Now for the problem: the first time I construct the object and render the template (using getModel()), $status.value is correctly set to a gameslave.dnd35.db.* instance. However, in a subsequent edit (using bindAndValidate()), $status.value is a string, thus screwing up the form logic.

Taking a look at BindException we easily find a culprit:

	public Object getFieldValue(String field) {
		FieldError fe = getFieldError(field);
		String fixedField = fixedField(field);
		// use rejected value in case of error, current bean property value else
		Object value = (fe != null) ? fe.getRejectedValue() : getBeanWrapper().getPropertyValue(fixedField);
		// apply custom editor, but not on binding failures like type mismatches
		if (fe == null || !fe.isBindingFailure()) {
			PropertyEditor customEditor = getCustomEditor(fixedField);
			if (customEditor != null) {
				customEditor.setValue(value);
				return customEditor.getAsText();
			}
		}
		return value;
	}

Note how BindException will always return a String instance for fields with a custom editor; fields without custom editors, however, will be returned as an object. I can guess at the reasoning behind this but it is inconvenient for me.

I think BindStatus should have an accessor that returns the original object instead of a translated string even when there is a property editor.

As a workaround, I can check whether $status.editor is not null, and if so use $status.editor.value instead of $status.value (I think - I'll try once I'm done this post).