Maven Checkstyle not allowing import

Question

I am trying to understand why my checkstyle <allow> rule is not being respected by Maven and am getting the error: src\main\java\com\jon\ttf\adapter\persistence\BaseSqlPersistence.java:[4,1] (imports) ImportControl: Disallowed import - org.sql2o.Sql2o. I have removed most of the code in import-control-error.xml as they are all very similar. Could the problem be somewhere in checkstyle-checks.xml where a certain check is over riding my org.sql2o.Sql2o package?

Let me know if you want me to attach more code

import-control-error.xml

<import-control pkg="com.jon.ttf">
    <disallow pkg=".*" regex="true"/>
    <allow pkg="org.sql2o.Sql2o"/>
    <allow pkg="spark"/>
</import-control>

checkstyle-checks.xml

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE module PUBLIC
        "-//Puppy Crawl//DTD Check Configuration 1.3//EN"
        "http://www.puppycrawl.com/dtds/configuration_1_3.dtd">

<module name="Checker">

    <module name="SuppressWarningsFilter"/>

    <property name="charset" value="UTF-8"/>

    <property name="severity" value="warning"/>

    <property name="fileExtensions" value="java, properties, xml"/>

    <module name="TreeWalker">
        <module name="RegexpSinglelineJava">
            <property name="format" value="^\t* "/>
            <property name="message" value="Indent must use tab characters"/>
            <property name="ignoreComments" value="true"/>
        </module>

        <module name="SuppressWarningsHolder"/>
        <module name="UnusedImports">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
        </module>
        <module name="OuterTypeFilename"/>
        <module name="ImportControl">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
            <property name="file" value="import-control-error.xml"/>
        </module>
        <module name="IllegalTokenText">
            <property name="tokens" value="STRING_LITERAL, CHAR_LITERAL"/>
            <property name="format"
                      value="\\u00(08|09|0(a|A)|0(c|C)|0(d|D)|22|27|5(C|c))|\\(0(10|11|12|14|15|42|47)|134)"/>
            <property name="message" value="Avoid using corresponding octal or Unicode escape."/>
        </module>
        <module name="AvoidEscapedUnicodeCharacters">
            <property name="allowEscapesForControlCharacters" value="true"/>
            <property name="allowByTailComment" value="true"/>
            <property name="allowNonPrintableEscapes" value="true"/>
        </module>
        <module name="LineLength">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
            <property name="max" value="300"/>
            <property name="ignorePattern" value="^package.*|^import.*|a href|href|http://|https://|ftp://"/>
        </module>
        <module name="AvoidStarImport">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
            <property name="allowStaticMemberImports" value="true"/>
        </module>
        <module name="OneTopLevelClass"/>
        <module name="NoLineWrap"/>
        <module name="EmptyBlock">
            <property name="option" value="TEXT"/>
            <property name="tokens" value="LITERAL_TRY, LITERAL_FINALLY, LITERAL_IF, LITERAL_ELSE, LITERAL_SWITCH"/>
        </module>
        <module name="NeedBraces">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
        </module>
        <module name="LeftCurly"/>
        <module name="RightCurly">
            <property name="option" value="alone"/>
            <property name="tokens"
                      value="CLASS_DEF, METHOD_DEF, CTOR_DEF, LITERAL_FOR, LITERAL_WHILE, LITERAL_DO, STATIC_INIT, INSTANCE_INIT"/>
        </module>
        <module name="EqualsHashCode">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
        </module>
        <module name="WhitespaceAround">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
            <property name="allowEmptyConstructors" value="true"/>
            <property name="allowEmptyMethods" value="true"/>
            <property name="allowEmptyTypes" value="true"/>
            <property name="allowEmptyLoops" value="true"/>
            <message key="ws.notFollowed"
                     value="WhitespaceAround: ''{0}'' is not followed by whitespace. Empty blocks may only be represented as '{}' when not part of a multi-block statement (4.1.3)"/>
            <message key="ws.notPreceded"
                     value="WhitespaceAround: ''{0}'' is not preceded with whitespace."/>
        </module>
        <module name="OneStatementPerLine">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
        </module>
        <module name="MultipleVariableDeclarations">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
        </module>
        <module name="ArrayTypeStyle">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
        </module>
        <module name="MissingSwitchDefault">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
        </module>
        <module name="FallThrough">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
        </module>
        <module name="UpperEll">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
        </module>
        <module name="EmptyLineSeparator">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
            <property name="allowNoEmptyLineBetweenFields" value="true"/>
        </module>
        <module name="SeparatorWrap">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
            <property name="tokens" value="DOT"/>
            <property name="option" value="nl"/>
        </module>
        <module name="SeparatorWrap">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
            <property name="tokens" value="COMMA"/>
            <property name="option" value="EOL"/>
        </module>
        <module name="PackageName">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
            <property name="format" value="^[a-z]+(\.[a-z][a-z0-9]*)*$"/>
            <message key="name.invalidPattern"
                     value="Package name ''{0}'' must match pattern ''{1}''."/>
        </module>
        <module name="TypeName">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
            <message key="name.invalidPattern"
                     value="Type name ''{0}'' must match pattern ''{1}''."/>
        </module>
        <module name="MethodTypeParameterName">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
            <property name="format" value="(^[A-Z][0-9]?)$|([A-Z][a-zA-Z0-9]*[T]$)"/>
            <message key="name.invalidPattern"
                     value="Method type name ''{0}'' must match pattern ''{1}''."/>
        </module>
        <module name="InterfaceTypeParameterName">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
            <property name="format" value="(^[A-Z][0-9]?)$|([A-Z][a-zA-Z0-9]*[T]$)"/>
            <message key="name.invalidPattern"
                     value="Interface type name ''{0}'' must match pattern ''{1}''."/>
        </module>
        <module name="NoFinalizer">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
        </module>
        <module name="GenericWhitespace">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
            <message key="ws.followed"
                     value="GenericWhitespace ''{0}'' is followed by whitespace."/>
            <message key="ws.preceded"
                     value="GenericWhitespace ''{0}'' is preceded with whitespace."/>
            <message key="ws.illegalFollow"
                     value="GenericWhitespace ''{0}'' should followed by whitespace."/>
            <message key="ws.notPreceded"
                     value="GenericWhitespace ''{0}'' is not preceded with whitespace."/>
        </module>
        <module name="Indentation">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
            <property name="basicOffset" value="8"/>
            <property name="braceAdjustment" value="0"/>
            <property name="caseIndent" value="8"/>
            <property name="throwsIndent" value="8"/>
            <property name="lineWrappingIndentation" value="8"/>
            <property name="arrayInitIndent" value="16"/>
        </module>
        <module name="MethodName">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
            <property name="format" value="^[a-z][a-z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9_]*$"/>
            <message key="name.invalidPattern" value="Method name ''{0}'' must match pattern ''{1}''."/>
        </module>
        <module name="EmptyCatchBlock">
            <property name="severity" value="error"/>
        </module>
    </module>

</module>

Answer 1

am getting the error: BaseSqlPersistence.java:[4,1] (imports) ImportControl: Disallowed import - org.sql2o.Sql2o

import-control-error.xml

<disallow pkg=".*" regex="true"/>
<allow pkg="org.sql2o.Sql2o"/>

The order of rules for ImportControl is the same order as defined in the XML file. Since the .* is defined first, that means all imports are disallowed. If you remove this or move it to the bottom, then it should work as expected.

If you are trying to disallow all imports that aren't allowed, then this is the default behavior of ImportControl and the specific disallow isn't needed.

You can find more information at http://checkstyle.sourceforge.net/config_imports.html#ImportControl_Description

Order of rules in the same subpackage/root are defined by the order of declaration in the XML file, which is from top (first) to bottom (last).

As a final note,

<allow pkg="org.sql2o.Sql2o"/>

This is a class, not a package. If you are allowing the package, you must define it as org.sql2o. If you are allowing the class, it must be defined as <allow class="org.sql2o.Sql2o"/>.