[WW-3164] Using Struts 2.1.6 Portlet Plugin Causes NullPointerException When Executing A Normal Struts 2 Action

• Type: Bug
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Fixed
• Affects Version/s: 2.1.6
• Fix Version/s: 2.1.8
• Component/s: Plugin - Portlet

Environment

Windows XP, JDK 6

• Assignee: Nils-Helge Garli
• Reporter: Bruce Phillips
• Created: 20/Jun/09 12:09
• Updated: 28/Oct/12 22:08
• Resolved: 26/Jun/09 08:46

Description

Created a Struts 2 web/portlet application with a pom.xml having a dependency on struts2-core-2.0.11.2.jar. Works both as a normal web application and as a portlet application.

Changed the dependencies to be struts2-core-2.1.6.jar and struts2-portlet-plugin-2.1.6.jar. Running the application as a web application in Tomcat 6 or Jetty results in a org.apache.jasper.JasperException: java.lang.NullPointerException whenever a Struts 2 action is called.

Removed the dependency on struts2-portlet-plugin-2.1.6.jar and the application runs fine as a normal Struts 2 web application.

You can download an archived Eclipse dynamic web project that uses maven here:

http://www.brucephillips.name/struts/struts2portletexample.zip

1. Unzip the project
2. In a command window navigate to where you unzipped the project
3. In the root folder for the project run mvn clean
4. Then run mvn jetty:run
5. Open your browser and go to http://localhost:8080/StrutsPortletExample/index.html
6. click on the link for add new employee
7. You'll get a NullPointerException
8. Close Jetty by using Control C
9. In the pom.xml file for the project comment out the dependency on Struts 2.1.6 Porlet Plugin
10. In command window redo mvn clean and then mvn jetty:run
11. Open your browser and go to http://localhost:8080/StrutsPortletExample/index.html
12. click on the link for add new employee and the Struts 2 action will execute successfully and you'll get the add employee page

In Struts 2.0.11 we were able to use both Struts 2 actions and a Struts 2 portlet in the same web application. Trying to use the new Struts 2.1.6 Portlet Plugin causes an exception when user clicks on a normal struts 2 action link.

Here is the first part of the Exception stack trace as reported by Struts 2:

Struts Problem Report

Struts has detected an unhandled exception:

1. Messages: java.lang.NullPointerException
   File: org/apache/struts2/components/UIBean.java
   Line number: 792
   Stacktraces
   org.apache.jasper.JasperException: java.lang.NullPointerException

org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:418)
org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:486)
org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:380)
javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:820)
org.mortbay.jetty.servlet.ServletHolder.handle(ServletHolder.java:502)
org.mortbay.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler.handle(ServletHandler.java:389)
org.mortbay.jetty.security.SecurityHandler.handle(SecurityHandler.java:216)
org.mortbay.jetty.servlet.SessionHandler.handle(SessionHandler.java:181)
org.mortbay.jetty.handler.ContextHandler.handle(ContextHandler.java:765)
org.mortbay.jetty.webapp.WebAppContext.handle(WebAppContext.java:417)
org.mortbay.jetty.servlet.Dispatcher.forward(Dispatcher.java:334)
org.mortbay.jetty.servlet.Dispatcher.forward(Dispatcher.java:126)
org.apache.struts2.dispatcher.ServletDispatcherResult.doExecute(ServletDispatcherResult.java:154)