How to intercept the return type List using the spring AOP pointcut expression

Question

Following is my aspect class. I am trying to get all the returning List from my baserepostitary

@Aspect
@Service
public class DecryptionAspect {

    @AfterReturning(value="(execution(* List *(..)) )" +
            "&& target(com.erp.core.repo.IBaseRepository) ",returning="list")
    public void decry(List list) throws Exception
    {
        //Do some magic here
    }

}

But it is throwing error. So how can i make changes in my pointcut expression to make it work.

Stack trace:

Oct 24, 2018 6:14:33 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext listenerStart
SEVERE: Exception sending context initialized event to listener instance of class org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener
org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanCreationException: Error creating bean with name '_messageBrokerHandlerAdapter': BeanPostProcessor before instantiation of bean failed; nested exception is org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanCreationException: Error creating bean with name 'org.springframework.transaction.config.internalTransactionAdvisor': Cannot resolve reference to bean 'org.springframework.transaction.annotation.AnnotationTransactionAttributeSource#0' while setting bean property 'transactionAttributeSource'; nested exception is org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanCreationException: Error creating bean with name 'org.springframework.transaction.annotation.AnnotationTransactionAttributeSource#0': Initialization of bean failed; nested exception is java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Pointcut is not well-formed: expecting '(' at character position 18
(execution(* List *(..)) )&& target(com.erp.core.repo.IBaseRepository) 
                  ^

    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.createBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:452)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory$1.getObject(AbstractBeanFactory.java:293)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.getSingleton(DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.java:222)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.doGetBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:290)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.getBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:192)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultListableBeanFactory.preInstantiateSingletons(DefaultListableBeanFactory.java:585)
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.finishBeanFactoryInitialization(AbstractApplicationContext.java:895)
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.refresh(AbstractApplicationContext.java:425)
    at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoader.createWebApplicationContext(ContextLoader.java:282)
    at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoader.initWebApplicationContext(ContextLoader.java:204)
    at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener.contextInitialized(ContextLoaderListener.java:47)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.listenerStart(StandardContext.java:4994)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.startInternal(StandardContext.java:5492)
    at org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleBase.start(LifecycleBase.java:150)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase$StartChild.call(ContainerBase.java:1575)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase$StartChild.call(ContainerBase.java:1565)
    at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:262)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1145)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:615)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)
Caused by: org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanCreationException: Error creating bean with name 'org.springframework.transaction.config.internalTransactionAdvisor': Cannot resolve reference to bean 'org.springframework.transaction.annotation.AnnotationTransactionAttributeSource#0' while setting bean property 'transactionAttributeSource'; nested exception is org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanCreationException: Error creating bean with name 'org.springframework.transaction.annotation.AnnotationTransactionAttributeSource#0': Initialization of bean failed; nested exception is java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Pointcut is not well-formed: expecting '(' at character position 18
(execution(* List *(..)) )&& target(com.erp.core.repo.IBaseRepository) 
                  ^

    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionValueResolver.resolveReference(BeanDefinitionValueResolver.java:328)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionValueResolver.resolveValueIfNecessary(BeanDefinitionValueResolver.java:106)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.applyPropertyValues(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1325)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.populateBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1086)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.doCreateBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:517)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.createBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:456)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory$1.getObject(AbstractBeanFactory.java:293)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.getSingleton(DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.java:222)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.doGetBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:290)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.getBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:196)
    at org.springframework.aop.framework.autoproxy.BeanFactoryAdvisorRetrievalHelper.findAdvisorBeans(BeanFactoryAdvisorRetrievalHelper.java:86)
    at org.springframework.aop.framework.autoproxy.AbstractAdvisorAutoProxyCreator.findCandidateAdvisors(AbstractAdvisorAutoProxyCreator.java:100)
    at org.springframework.aop.aspectj.annotation.AnnotationAwareAspectJAutoProxyCreator.findCandidateAdvisors(AnnotationAwareAspectJAutoProxyCreator.java:84)
    at org.springframework.aop.aspectj.autoproxy.AspectJAwareAdvisorAutoProxyCreator.shouldSkip(AspectJAwareAdvisorAutoProxyCreator.java:107)
    at org.springframework.aop.framework.autoproxy.AbstractAutoProxyCreator.postProcessBeforeInstantiation(AbstractAutoProxyCreator.java:278)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.applyBeanPostProcessorsBeforeInstantiation(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:848)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.resolveBeforeInstantiation(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:820)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.createBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:446)
    ... 19 more
Caused by: org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanCreationException: Error creating bean with name 'org.springframework.transaction.annotation.AnnotationTransactionAttributeSource#0': Initialization of bean failed; nested exception is java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Pointcut is not well-formed: expecting '(' at character position 18
(execution(* List *(..)) )&& target(com.erp.core.repo.IBaseRepository) 
                  ^

    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.doCreateBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:527)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.createBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:456)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory$1.getObject(AbstractBeanFactory.java:293)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.getSingleton(DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.java:222)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.doGetBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:290)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.getBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:192)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionValueResolver.resolveReference(BeanDefinitionValueResolver.java:322)
    ... 36 more
Caused by: java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Pointcut is not well-formed: expecting '(' at character position 18
(execution(* List *(..)) )&& target(com.erp.core.repo.IBaseRepository) 
                  ^

    at org.aspectj.weaver.tools.PointcutParser.resolvePointcutExpression(PointcutParser.java:316)
    at org.aspectj.weaver.tools.PointcutParser.parsePointcutExpression(PointcutParser.java:294)
    at org.springframework.aop.aspectj.AspectJExpressionPointcut.buildPointcutExpression(AspectJExpressionPointcut.java:195)
    at org.springframework.aop.aspectj.AspectJExpressionPointcut.checkReadyToMatch(AspectJExpressionPointcut.java:181)
    at org.springframework.aop.aspectj.AspectJExpressionPointcut.getClassFilter(AspectJExpressionPointcut.java:162)
    at org.springframework.aop.support.AopUtils.canApply(AopUtils.java:200)
    at org.springframework.aop.support.AopUtils.canApply(AopUtils.java:254)
    at org.springframework.aop.support.AopUtils.findAdvisorsThatCanApply(AopUtils.java:286)
    at org.springframework.aop.framework.autoproxy.AbstractAdvisorAutoProxyCreator.findAdvisorsThatCanApply(AbstractAdvisorAutoProxyCreator.java:117)
    at org.springframework.aop.framework.autoproxy.AbstractAdvisorAutoProxyCreator.findEligibleAdvisors(AbstractAdvisorAutoProxyCreator.java:87)
    at org.springframework.aop.framework.autoproxy.AbstractAdvisorAutoProxyCreator.getAdvicesAndAdvisorsForBean(AbstractAdvisorAutoProxyCreator.java:68)
    at org.springframework.aop.framework.autoproxy.AbstractAutoProxyCreator.wrapIfNecessary(AbstractAutoProxyCreator.java:359)
    at org.springframework.aop.framework.autoproxy.AbstractAutoProxyCreator.postProcessAfterInitialization(AbstractAutoProxyCreator.java:322)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.applyBeanPostProcessorsAfterInitialization(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:407)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.initializeBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1426)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.doCreateBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBean

Answer 1

The pattern of execution pointcut is:

execution(modifiers-pattern? ret-type-pattern declaring-type-pattern? name-pattern(param-pattern)throws-pattern?)

therefore you need:

@AfterReturning(value="execution(java.util.List *(..)) " 
       + "&& target(com.example.demoaop.repo.IBaseRepository) "
        ,returning="list")
public void decry(List list) throws Exception
{
    //Do some magic here
}

or

@AfterReturning(value="execution(public java.util.List *(..)) " 
       + "&& target(com.example.demoaop.repo.IBaseRepository) "
        ,returning="list")
public void decry(List list) throws Exception
{
    //Do some magic here
}

if you want to intercept only public methods.

Also, notice that you'll have to fully qualify List otherwise Spring AOP has no idea which List are you referring.

See this for further details.