Error while creating bean: Instantiation of bean failed; nested exception is java.lang.ExceptionInInitializerError

Question

I am facing the following error when I try to create bean using Application Context for the circle class! Circle class implements the Shape interface which contains a method draw().

Configuration:

I am learning spring and have setup a Java Project in eclipse with all the required jars (Spring and Apache commons logging). I have the spring.xml in my classpath in the src folder. Have also tried downloading the latest jars (Spring 4.0.4 release, previously worked with 4.0.0) but now is not working. Cannot think of any solution to fix this.

Error:

May 11, 2014 6:20:50 PM org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext prepareRefresh
INFO: Refreshing org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext@90832e: startup date [Sun May 11 18:20:50 EDT 2014]; root of context hierarchy
May 11, 2014 6:20:50 PM org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanDefinitionReader loadBeanDefinitions
INFO: Loading XML bean definitions from class path resource [spring.xml]
Exception in thread "main" org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanCreationException: Error creating bean with name 'org.springframework.context.annotation.internalConfigurationAnnotationProcessor': Instantiation of bean failed; nested exception is java.lang.ExceptionInInitializerError
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.instantiateBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1076)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.createBeanInstance(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1021)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.doCreateBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:504)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.createBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:475)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory$1.getObject(AbstractBeanFactory.java:304)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.getSingleton(DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.java:228)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.doGetBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:300)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.getBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:200)
    at org.springframework.context.support.PostProcessorRegistrationDelegate.invokeBeanFactoryPostProcessors(PostProcessorRegistrationDelegate.java:88)
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.invokeBeanFactoryPostProcessors(AbstractApplicationContext.java:609)
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.refresh(AbstractApplicationContext.java:464)
    at org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext.<init>(ClassPathXmlApplicationContext.java:139)
    at org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext.<init>(ClassPathXmlApplicationContext.java:83)
    at com.springApplication.DrawingApplication.main(DrawingApplication.java:16)
Caused by: java.lang.ExceptionInInitializerError
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.instantiateBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1071)
    ... 13 more
Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException
    at org.springframework.beans.PropertyEditorRegistrySupport.<clinit>(PropertyEditorRegistrySupport.java:92)
    ... 14 more

DrawingApplication.java

package com.springApplication;

import org.springframework.context.ApplicationContext;
import org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext;


public class DrawingApplication {

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        //The beanFactory reads from an XML file    
        //BeanFactory context = new XmlBeanFactory(new FileSystemResource("spring.xml"));

        //Application Context provides -- Event notification and more than Bean Factory
         ApplicationContext context =  new ClassPathXmlApplicationContext("spring.xml");

        //Here we pass the id of the bean from the XML given in the above line
         Shape shape =  (Shape)context.getBean("circle");

        //Calling the draw method through object local object created using Spring
         shape.draw();
    }

}

Circle.java

package com.springApplication;
import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Qualifier;

public class Circle implements Shape{

    private Point center;

    public Point getCenter() {
        return center;
    }

    @Autowired
    @Qualifier("circleRelated")
    public void setCenter(Point center) {
        this.center = center;
    }

    @Override
    public void draw() {
        System.out.println("Drawing a Circle");
        System.out.println("Center Point is: (" + center.getX() + ", " + center.getY() + ")");      
    }
}

Point.java

package com.springApplication;

public class Point {

    private int x;
    private int y;

    public int getX() {
        return x;
    }
    public void setX(int x) {
        this.x = x;
    }
    public int getY() {
        return y;
    }
    public void setY(int y) {
        this.y = y;
    }
}    

spring.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
   xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
   xmlns:context="http://www.springframework.org/schema/context"
   xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans 
       http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-3.0.xsd
       http://www.springframework.org/schema/context
       http://www.springframework.org/schema/context/spring-context-3.0.xsd">

<bean id="pointA" class="com.springApplication.Point">
    <qualifier value="circleRelated" />
    <property name="x" value="0"/>
    <property name="y" value="0"/>
</bean>

<bean id="PointB" class="com.springApplication.Point">
    <property name="x" value="0"/>
    <property name="y" value="20"/>
</bean>

<bean id="PointC" class="com.springApplication.Point">
    <property name="x" value="-20"/>
    <property name="y" value="0"/>
</bean>

<bean id="circle" class="com.springApplication.Circle">
</bean>

<!-- <bean class="org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.AutowiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor" /> -->
<context:annotation-config/>
</beans>

Please let me know if anything else is needed. Someone please help !

Sorry about the wrong placing!!

@Andrei Stefan
List of Jars ---------
commons-logging-1.1.3
spring-aop-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-aop-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-aop-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-aspects-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-aspects-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-aspects-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-beans-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-beans-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-beans-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-build-src-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-context-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-context-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-context-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-context-support-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-context-support-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-context-support-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-core-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-core-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-core-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-expression-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-expression-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-expression-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-framework-bom-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-framework-bom-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-framework-bom-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-instrument-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-instrument-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-instrument-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-instrument-tomcat-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-instrument-tomcat-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-instrument-tomcat-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-jdbc-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-jdbc-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-jdbc-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-jms-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-jms-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-jms-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-messaging-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-messaging-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-messaging-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-orm-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-orm-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-orm-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-oxm-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-oxm-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-oxm-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-test-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-test-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-test-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-tx-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-tx-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-tx-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-web-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-web-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-web-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-webmvc-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-webmvc-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-webmvc-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-webmvc-portlet-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-webmvc-portlet-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-webmvc-portlet-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources
spring-websocket-4.0.4.RELEASE
spring-websocket-4.0.4.RELEASE-javadoc
spring-websocket-4.0.4.RELEASE-sources

All of these plus other default system libraries are referenced.

Answer 1

The problem occurs because

PropertyEditorRegistrySupport.class.getClassLoader()

is null. According to JavaDoc, this happens if the class PropertyEditorRegistrySupport has been loaded by the bootstrap class loader instead of the system class loader:

Some implementations may use null to represent the bootstrap class loader. This method will return null in such implementations if this class was loaded by the bootstrap class loader.

Perhaps your Spring libraries are on the endorsed class path?