BeanDefinitionParser and nesting

[daleth]

I'm using Spring's custom schema support as the configuration backed for my app. Currently I have to create a contrived class that models my config file root elements (none of which actually contain any data).

So, my plan was to create a BeanDefinitionParser, for the root element, that parses all its children (which results in a bag of beans) and then returns null. The Javadoc for BeanDefinitionParser indicates that return null is okay if the bean definitions "will not be used in a nested fashion".

My understanding of this that if the element currently serving as the root of my document were to become a child element of some other element than I would have to return a bean definition. However, if the element is always and forever the root element it's okay to return null.

Is my understanding correct? If not, could you explain what is meant by "used in a nested fashion"?

Thanks for the help.

[daleth]

Any feedback on this?