[FELIX-953] Bundle#loadClass sometimes return null instead of throwing a CNFE

• Type: Bug
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Blocker
• Resolution: Fixed
• Fix Version/s: framework-1.6.0
• Component/s: Framework
• Assignee: Richard S. Hall
• Reporter: Guillaume Nodet
• Created: 20/Feb/09 20:49
• Updated: 24/Feb/09 15:10
• Resolved: 24/Feb/09 14:51

Description

Here is a patch:

Index: src/main/java/org/apache/felix/framework/Felix.java
===================================================================
--- src/main/java/org/apache/felix/framework/Felix.java (revision 746347)
+++ src/main/java/org/apache/felix/framework/Felix.java (working copy)
@@ -1338,7 +1338,12 @@
                 throw new ClassNotFoundException(name, ex);
             }
         }
-        return bundle.getCurrentModule().getClassByDelegation(name);
+        Class clazz = bundle.getCurrentModule().getClassByDelegation(name);
+        if (clazz == null)
+        {
+            throw new ClassNotFoundException(name);
+        }
+        return clazz;
     }
 
     /**

I'm wondering if there any reason why ModuleImpl#getClassByDelegation(String) returns null instead of throwing a NPE.
Browsing through the code, it seems there are several places where a null value is checked, then a CNFE thrown.
This would also avoid possible NPE in felix code as in Felix#createBundleActivator.

I think it would be nice to iron the definition of IModule#getClassByDelegation to either remove the thrown CNFE or never returns null, as currently both can happen.
The IWire interface has exactly the same problem.

I will try to come up with a patch which will never return a null value for both interfaces.

Issue Links

• is part of: FELIX-851 Refactor the module abstraction layer to align more closely to OSGi concepts