Spring MVC controller JUnit: failed to load application context

Question

@RunWith(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.class)

@ContextConfiguration({"/web-application-config.xml"})

My project consist of 4 modules/layers. I can't make these annotations work with my JUnit test for Spring MVC controller but in other layers, it works like a charm.

I have researched the possibility of incompatibility of spring jars or misconfigurations, but I have tried editing the pom.xml in these layer, still it produces the same error.

java.lang.IllegalStateException: Failed to load ApplicationContext
    at org.springframework.test.context.TestContext.getApplicationContext(TestContext.java:308)
    at org.springframework.test.context.support.DependencyInjectionTestExecutionListener.injectDependencies(DependencyInjectionTestExecutionListener.java:109)
    at org.springframework.test.context.support.DependencyInjectionTestExecutionListener.prepareTestInstance(DependencyInjectionTestExecutionListener.java:75)
    at org.springframework.test.context.TestContextManager.prepareTestInstance(TestContextManager.java:321)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.createTest(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:220)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner$1.runReflectiveCall(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:301)
    at org.junit.internal.runners.model.ReflectiveCallable.run(ReflectiveCallable.java:15)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.methodBlock(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:303)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.runChild(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:240)
    at org.junit.runners.BlockJUnit4ClassRunner.runChild(BlockJUnit4ClassRunner.java:46)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.runChildren(ParentRunner.java:180)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.access$000(ParentRunner.java:41)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$1.evaluate(ParentRunner.java:173)
    at org.junit.internal.runners.statements.RunBefores.evaluate(RunBefores.java:28)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.statements.RunBeforeTestClassCallbacks.evaluate(RunBeforeTestClassCallbacks.java:61)
    at org.junit.internal.runners.statements.RunAfters.evaluate(RunAfters.java:31)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.statements.RunAfterTestClassCallbacks.evaluate(RunAfterTestClassCallbacks.java:70)
    at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.run(ParentRunner.java:220)
    at org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.run(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.java:180)
    at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit4.runner.JUnit4TestReference.run(JUnit4TestReference.java:49)
    at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.TestExecution.run(TestExecution.java:38)
    at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.RemoteTestRunner.runTests(RemoteTestRunner.java:467)
    at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.RemoteTestRunner.runTests(RemoteTestRunner.java:683)
    at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.RemoteTestRunner.run(RemoteTestRunner.java:390)
    at org.eclipse.jdt.internal.junit.runner.RemoteTestRunner.main(RemoteTestRunner.java:197)
Caused by: org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanCreationException: Error creating bean with name 'org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer#0': Initialization of bean failed; nested exception is java.lang.NoSuchFieldError: NULL
    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:291)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.getSingleton(DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.java:222)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.doGetBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:288)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.getBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:194)
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.invokeBeanFactoryPostProcessors(AbstractApplicationContext.java:626)
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.refresh(AbstractApplicationContext.java:407)
    at org.springframework.test.context.support.AbstractGenericContextLoader.loadContext(AbstractGenericContextLoader.java:84)
    at org.springframework.test.context.support.AbstractGenericContextLoader.loadContext(AbstractGenericContextLoader.java:1)
    at org.springframework.test.context.TestContext.loadApplicationContext(TestContext.java:280)
    at org.springframework.test.context.TestContext.getApplicationContext(TestContext.java:304)
    ... 24 more
Caused by: java.lang.NoSuchFieldError: NULL
    at org.springframework.expression.TypedValue.<clinit>(TypedValue.java:32)
    at org.springframework.expression.spel.support.StandardEvaluationContext.setRootObject(StandardEvaluationContext.java:85)
    at org.springframework.expression.spel.support.StandardEvaluationContext.<init>(StandardEvaluationContext.java:74)
    at org.springframework.context.expression.StandardBeanExpressionResolver.evaluate(StandardBeanExpressionResolver.java:124)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.evaluateBeanDefinitionString(AbstractBeanFactory.java:1287)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionValueResolver.evaluate(BeanDefinitionValueResolver.java:224)
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionValueResolver.resolveValueIfNecessary(BeanDefinitionValueResolver.java:200)
    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)
    ... 35 more

Answer 1

Try to configure in this way ie

Give Absolute path separated by double Backslash

 For example
 @RunWith(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.class)
 @ContextConfiguration(locations = 
{ 
    "file:D:\\projectName\\webtier\\webroot\\WEB-INF\\web-application-config.xml",

}
 )