[CONFIGURATION-6] [configuration] XMLConfiguration inconsistency towards empty values

• Type: Bug
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Fixed
• Affects Version/s: 1.1
• Fix Version/s: 1.2
• Bugzilla Id: 35963
• Assignee: Unassigned
• Reporter: Etienne Lacazedieu
• Created: 02/Aug/05 00:44
• Updated: 15/Jan/10 08:07
• Resolved: 15/Jan/10 08:07

Description

Empty values are not read correctly from XML files : when a XML file contains an
empty element, the corresponding keys are not present in the configuration, but
an empty string can be saved!

Consider the following code :

XMLConfiguration config = new XMLConfiguration();
config.setProperty("foo.bar", "");
config.save("config.xml");
System.out.println("Config saved!");
System.out.println("foo.bar in config1 = "+config.getProperty("foo.bar"));
XMLConfiguration config2 = new XMLConfiguration("config.xml");
System.out.println("foo.bar in config2= "+config2.getProperty("foo.bar"));

The output is :

foo.bar in config1 = ''
foo.bar in config2 = 'null'

the file config.xml contains :

<configuration>
<foo>
<bar/>
</foo>
</configuration>

this also does not allow to distinguish between an empty value and a missing key.

Issue Links

• is related to: CONFIGURATION-403 XMLConfiguration isEmpty has altered behaviour between 1.4 and 1.6