Hi-

Have been experimenting with the Java Config code introduced at http://blog.interface21.com/main/200...on-for-spring/.

I'd like to do something like this:

@Configuration
public class MyConfig
{
@Bean
public BookHolder abstractBookHolder()
{
// BookHolder properties will be set by children
return new BookHolder();
}
// the rest is the same as Rod's example, including the book() method
}
and in my config
<beans>
<bean class="test.javaconfig.MyConfig"/>
<bean class="org.springframework.beans.factory.java.Conf igurationPostProcessor"/>
<bean id="bookHolder" parent="abstractBookHolder">
<property name="book" ref="book"/>
</bean>
</beans>
The test code is:
public static void main(String[] args)
{
GenericApplicationContext context = new GenericApplicationContext();
XmlBeanDefinitionReader rdr = new XmlBeanDefinitionReader(context);
rdr.setValidationMode(XmlBeanDefinitionReader.VALI DATION_NONE);
rdr.loadBeanDefinitions(new InputSource(TestMain.class.getResourceAsStream("/test/javaconfig/appContext.xml")));
context.refresh();

BookHolder bh = (BookHolder)context.getBean("bookHolder");
System.out.println(bh);
}

The injection of book works if bookHolder is configured with a class to instantiate instead of a parent, but if I try to use the parent I get:

Exception in thread "main" org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanDefinitionSt oreException: Error registering bean with name 'bookHolder' defined in resource loaded through SAX InputSource: Could not resolve parent bean definition 'abstractBookHolder'; nested exception is org.springframework.beans.factory.NoSuchBeanDefini tionException: No bean named 'abstractBookHolder' is defined
Caused by: org.springframework.beans.factory.NoSuchBeanDefini tionException: No bean named 'abstractBookHolder' is defined
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultL istableBeanFactory.getBeanDefinition(DefaultListab leBeanFactory.java:355)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.Abstract BeanFactory.getMergedBeanDefinition(AbstractBeanFa ctory.java:800)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.Abstract BeanFactory.getMergedBeanDefinition(AbstractBeanFa ctory.java:829)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.Abstract BeanFactory.getMergedBeanDefinition(AbstractBeanFa ctory.java:800)
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultL istableBeanFactory.getBeanNamesForType(DefaultList ableBeanFactory.java:159)
at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplic ationContext.getBeanNamesForType(AbstractApplicati onContext.java:687)
at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplic ationContext.invokeBeanFactoryPostProcessors(Abstr actApplicationContext.java:397)
at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplic ationContext.refresh(AbstractApplicationContext.ja va:330)
at test.javaconfig.TestMain.main(TestMain.java:30)

Is it possible to use the java config for parent beans? The docs don't mention anything about it.

Thanks a lot,
-brunk