DataBinder setAutoGrowNestedPaths(false) /no effect

[nedge]

Spring 3.0.0. introduced the property autoGrowNestedPaths to allow a data binder to automatically create nested objects that are not yet there.
However, calling:

dataBinder.setAutoGrowNestedPaths(false);

has no effect.

I see in the debugger that the dataBinder.autoGrowNestedPaths is false but the binding result's ( BeanPropertyBindingResult) corresponding property is true. We set autoGrowNestedPaths = false before binding!

Our code that worked fine in Spring 2.5 doesn't work anymore as new nested objects are being created even though we've set dataBinder.autoGrowNestedPaths = false.

e.g.
try {
return dataBinder.getBindingResult().getFieldValue(name);
} catch (NullValueInNestedPathException ex) {
// Can happen when root or intermediate objects are null
}

[nedge]

I found that you have to immediately set the property after construction.

DataBinder dataBinder = new DataBinder(model, modelName);
dataBinder.setAutoGrowNestedPaths(false);

You even have to setautoGrowNestedPaths = false before you register any custom editors as in my case the BindingResult was being created before I set autoGrowNestedPaths = false;

To be compatible with Spring < 3.0 I think the default should be autoGrowNestedPaths = false

[Marten Deinum]

Register a JIRA issue for that then it will get picked up, just dumping it here will probably not.

[nedge]

I added it to JIRA
http://jira.springframework.org/browse/SPR-6718