[GROOVY-5837] Griffon bind using parentheses fails silently or with cryptic message

• Type: Bug
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Minor
• Resolution: Fixed
• Fix Version/s: 2.0.6
• Labels: exception

Environment

> griffon --version
------------------------------------------------------------
  Griffon 1.1.0
------------------------------------------------------------
   Build: 20-Sep-2012 07:25 PM
  Groovy: 1.8.8
     Ant: 1.8.4
   Slf4j: 1.7.1
  Spring: 3.1.2.RELEASE
     JVM: 1.7.0_09 (Oracle Corporation 23.5-b02)
      OS: Windows 7 6.1 amd64

• Assignee: Andres Almiray
• Reporter: Alan Thompson
• Created: 30/Nov/12 15:25
• Updated: 22/Dec/12 01:10
• Resolved: 11/Dec/12 10:41

Description

If a Griffon user accidentally replaces curly braces {} with parentheses () in a call to bind, the error either fails silently at runtime or with a cryptic compiler error (depending on the widget type).

In the sample code (attached), the first textfield and button work correctly. The 2nd textfield (error #1) fails silently (it is blank, no compiler warnings). If uncommented, the 2nd button (error #2) causes a cryptic runtime exception (java.lang.NullPointerException - see full stacktrace attached).

Sample Griffon code for project "bug":

-- BugView.groovy ----------------------------------------------
package bug

def makeText = { phrase ->
  textField( columns:10,    text: bind { phrase.insect  } )  // correct
  button(    "Larvae",   enabled: bind { phrase.enabled } )  // correct
  textField( columns:10,    text: bind ( phrase.insect  ) )  // error #1 - silent failure
  // button(    "Larvae",   enabled: bind ( phrase.enabled ) )  // error #2 - compiler error
}

def val = 1
application( title: 'bug', preferredSize: [320, 240], pack: true, location: [50,50],
             iconImage: imageIcon('/griffon-icon-48x48.png').image
           ) {
  borderLayout()
  panel( constraints: CENTER, border: titledBorder(title: 'Bug Test')) {
    widget( makeText( model."data${val}" ) )
  }
}

-- BugModel.groovy ----------------------------------------------
package bug
import groovy.beans.Bindable

@Bindable 
class BugModel {
  Map data1 = [ insect:"Buggy Text", buggyFlag: true ] as ObservableMap
}