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BeanUtils
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Commons BeanUtils
Please download and test the BeanUtils 1.8.0 Beta release (see here for reporting any issues).
Most Java developers are used to creating Java classes that conform to the
JavaBeans naming patterns for property getters and setters. It is natural to
then access these methods directly, using calls to the corresponding
getXxx and setXxx methods. However, there are some
occasions where dynamic access to Java object properties (without compiled-in
knowledge of the property getter and setter methods to be called) is needed.
Example use cases include:
- Building scripting languages that interact with the Java object model (such as the Bean Scripting Framework).
- Building template language processors for web presentation and similar uses (such as JSP or Velocity).
- Building custom tag libraries for JSP and XSP environments (such as Jakarta Taglibs, Struts, Cocoon).
- Consuming XML-based configuration resources (such as Ant build scripts, web
application deployment descriptors, Tomcat's
server.xmlfile).
The Java language provides Reflection and Introspection
APIs (see the java.lang.reflect and java.beans
packages in the JDK Javadocs). However, these APIs can be quite complex to
understand and utilize. The BeanUtils component provides
easy-to-use wrappers around these capabilities.
BeanUtils Core And Modules
Since the 1.7.0 release BeanUtils has distributed three jars:
commons-beanutils.jar- contains everythingcommons-beanutils-core.jar- excludes Bean Collections classescommons-beanutils-bean-collections.jar- only Bean Collections classes
commons-beanutils.jar has an optional dependency on
Commons Collections
Bean Collections
Bean collections is a library combining BeanUtils with
Commons Collections
to provide services for collections of beans. One class (BeanComparator)
was previously released, the rest are new. This new distribution strategy should allow
this sub-component to evolve naturally without the concerns about size and scope
that might otherwise happen.
Bean Collections has an additional dependency on Commons Collections.
Documentation
The User Guide is part of the package JavaDocs.
The Release Notes document the new features and bug fixes that have been included in this release.
The
JavaDoc API documents are available online. In particular, you should
note the property reference syntax options described in the
PropertyUtils class description.
Releases
1.8.0 Beta
Please download and test the BeanUtils 1.8.0 Beta release (see here for reporting any issues).
BeanUtils 1.8.0 Beta is binary compatible with version 1.7.0 and contains quite a few bug fixes and enhancements. Since it has been nearly three years since the last BeanUtils release, it is hoped that this Beta release will facilitate wider testing to ensure that there are no major compatibility issues before the final 1.8.0 release.
1.7.0
BeanUtils 1.7.0 is a service release which removes the dependency upon a specific commons-collection library version. It may be safely used together with either the 2.x or 3.x series of commons-collections releases. It also introduces a number of important enhancements. It is backward compatible with the 1.6 release.
This important service release is intended to help downstream applications solve
dependency issues. The dependency on commons collections (which has become problematic
now that there are two incompatible series of commons collections releases)
has been factored into a separate optional sub-component plus a small number of
stable and mature org.apache.commons.collections packaged classes
(which are distributed with the BeanUtils core). This arrangement means that the
BeanUtils core sub-component (which is the primary dependency for most downsteam
applications) can now be safely included on the same classpath as commons collections
2.x, 3.x or indeed neither.
The distribution now contains alternative jar sets. The all-in-one jar contains all classes. The modular jar set consists of a core jar dependent only on commons logging and an optional bean collections jar (containing classes that provide easy and efficient ways to manage collections of beans) which depends on commons collections 3.
BeanUtils 1.7.0 is available to download here.
Older Releases (Not Mirrored)
- Version 1.6.1 - 18 Feb 2003 binary and source
- Version 1.6 - 21 Jan 2003 binary and source
- Version 1.5 - 23 Oct 2002
- Version 1.4.1 - 28 Aug 2002
- Version 1.4 - 13 Aug 2002
- Version 1.3 - 29 Apr 2002
- Version 1.2 - 24 Dec 2001
- Version 1.1 - 22 Sep 2001
- Version 1.0 - 14 July 2001
Support
The commons mailing lists act as the main support forum. The user list is suitable for most library usage queries. The dev list is intended for the development discussion. Please remember that the lists are shared between all commons components, so prefix your email by [beanutils].
Issues may be reported via ASF JIRA.