Field or property 'contextMessage' cannot be found on object of type 'org.springframework.webflow.engine.impl.RequestControlContextImpl'

Question

A customer's project was written using Spring Web Flow 2.0.5.RELEASE, and I upgraded to version 2.3.2.RELEASE. In some flows, I have this kind of transition:

<transition on="save" to="index">
    <evaluate expression="carTypeService.validateCarType(contextMessage, carType)" />
    <evaluate expression="carTypeService.saveCarType(carType)" />
</transition>

This transition works fine in older version. In the new version, I get the error below:

GRAVE: Servlet.service() for servlet Spring MVC Dispatcher Servlet threw exception

org.springframework.expression.spel.SpelEvaluationException: EL1008E:(pos 21): Field or property 'contextMessage' cannot be found on object of type 'org.springframework.webflow.engine.impl.RequestControlContextImpl'
    at org.springframework.expression.spel.ast.PropertyOrFieldReference.readProperty(PropertyOrFieldReference.java:246)
    at org.springframework.expression.spel.ast.PropertyOrFieldReference.getValueInternal(PropertyOrFieldReference.java:112)
    at org.springframework.expression.spel.ast.PropertyOrFieldReference.getValueInternal(PropertyOrFieldReference.java:107)
    at org.springframework.expression.spel.ast.MethodReference.getValueRef(MethodReference.java:125)
    at org.springframework.expression.spel.ast.CompoundExpression.getValueRef(CompoundExpression.java:62)
    at org.springframework.expression.spel.ast.CompoundExpression.getValueInternal(CompoundExpression.java:81)
    at org.springframework.expression.spel.ast.SpelNodeImpl.getTypedValue(SpelNodeImpl.java:102)
    at org.springframework.expression.spel.standard.SpelExpression.getValue(SpelExpression.java:98)
    at org.springframework.binding.expression.spel.SpringELExpression.getValue(SpringELExpression.java:84)
    at org.springframework.webflow.action.EvaluateAction.doExecute(EvaluateAction.java:75)
    at org.springframework.webflow.action.AbstractAction.execute(AbstractAction.java:188)
    at org.springframework.webflow.execution.AnnotatedAction.execute(AnnotatedAction.java:145)
    at org.springframework.webflow.execution.ActionExecutor.execute(ActionExecutor.java:51)
    at org.springframework.webflow.engine.support.ActionTransitionCriteria.test(ActionTransitionCriteria.java:82)
    at org.springframework.webflow.engine.support.TransitionCriteriaChain.test(TransitionCriteriaChain.java:71)
    at org.springframework.webflow.engine.Transition.canExecute(Transition.java:195)
    at org.springframework.webflow.engine.Transition.execute(Transition.java:211)
    at org.springframework.webflow.engine.impl.FlowExecutionImpl.execute(FlowExecutionImpl.java:393)
    at org.springframework.webflow.engine.impl.RequestControlContextImpl.execute(RequestControlContextImpl.java:214)
    at org.springframework.webflow.engine.TransitionableState.handleEvent(TransitionableState.java:119)
    at org.springframework.webflow.engine.Flow.handleEvent(Flow.java:555)
    at org.springframework.webflow.engine.impl.FlowExecutionImpl.handleEvent(FlowExecutionImpl.java:388)
    at org.springframework.webflow.engine.impl.RequestControlContextImpl.handleEvent(RequestControlContextImpl.java:210)
    at org.springframework.webflow.engine.ViewState.handleEvent(ViewState.java:232)
    at org.springframework.webflow.engine.ViewState.resume(ViewState.java:196)
    at org.springframework.webflow.engine.Flow.resume(Flow.java:545)
    at org.springframework.webflow.engine.impl.FlowExecutionImpl.resume(FlowExecutionImpl.java:258)
    at org.springframework.webflow.executor.FlowExecutorImpl.resumeExecution(FlowExecutorImpl.java:169)
    at org.springframework.webflow.mvc.servlet.FlowHandlerAdapter.handle(FlowHandlerAdapter.java:183)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.doDispatch(DispatcherServlet.java:925)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.doService(DispatcherServlet.java:856)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.processRequest(FrameworkServlet.java:920)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.doPost(FrameworkServlet.java:827)
    at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:643)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.service(FrameworkServlet.java:801)
    at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:723)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:290)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:206)
    at org.apache.myfaces.webapp.filter.ExtensionsFilter.doFilter(ExtensionsFilter.java:374)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:235)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:206)
    at org.ajax4jsf.webapp.BaseXMLFilter.doXmlFilter(BaseXMLFilter.java:178)
    at org.ajax4jsf.webapp.BaseFilter.handleRequest(BaseFilter.java:290)
    at org.ajax4jsf.webapp.BaseFilter.processUploadsAndHandleRequest(BaseFilter.java:368)
    at org.ajax4jsf.webapp.BaseFilter.doFilter(BaseFilter.java:495)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:235)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:206)
    at org.springframework.orm.jpa.support.OpenEntityManagerInViewFilter.doFilterInternal(OpenEntityManagerInViewFilter.java:180)
    at org.springframework.web.filter.OncePerRequestFilter.doFilter(OncePerRequestFilter.java:107)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:235)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:206)
    at org.springframework.web.filter.CharacterEncodingFilter.doFilterInternal(CharacterEncodingFilter.java:88)
    at org.springframework.web.filter.OncePerRequestFilter.doFilter(OncePerRequestFilter.java:107)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:235)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:206)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:330)
    at org.springframework.security.web.access.intercept.FilterSecurityInterceptor.invoke(FilterSecurityInterceptor.java:118)
    at org.springframework.security.web.access.intercept.FilterSecurityInterceptor.doFilter(FilterSecurityInterceptor.java:84)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.access.ExceptionTranslationFilter.doFilter(ExceptionTranslationFilter.java:113)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.session.SessionManagementFilter.doFilter(SessionManagementFilter.java:103)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.authentication.AnonymousAuthenticationFilter.doFilter(AnonymousAuthenticationFilter.java:113)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.servletapi.SecurityContextHolderAwareRequestFilter.doFilter(SecurityContextHolderAwareRequestFilter.java:54)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.savedrequest.RequestCacheAwareFilter.doFilter(RequestCacheAwareFilter.java:45)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.authentication.www.BasicAuthenticationFilter.doFilter(BasicAuthenticationFilter.java:150)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.authentication.AbstractAuthenticationProcessingFilter.doFilter(AbstractAuthenticationProcessingFilter.java:183)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.authentication.logout.LogoutFilter.doFilter(LogoutFilter.java:105)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.context.SecurityContextPersistenceFilter.doFilter(SecurityContextPersistenceFilter.java:87)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
...

According to the official documentation, I can use the variable within a flow as in the older version.

I know that messageContext is implemented in org.springframework.binding.message.MessageContext class, but how I should reference it into the XML?

Answer 1

I had never used spring-webflow but the exception message seems quite straightforward. org.springframework.webflow.engine.impl.RequestControlContextImpl class has no field nor property with the contextMessage name. You can see it here for example. Yet there is another property messageContext which you should reference in your xml I think.