SpringBoot Kotlin project wont run and debug from Intellij - spring

We have inherited a SpringBoot project written in Kotlin. Using Intellij, I would expect to be able to go to the Application main method and click the green arrow to start the project. I would also expect to be able to run the project in debug mode and set breakpoints, this only works with tests.
When I try and run the project I get a exception FileNotFound which has yielded me no answers. Every file appears to be accounted for and there is clearly nothing missing.
This is a multi-module gradle project with many unique configurations and I suspect one is causing an issue. I am having trouble determining which configuration is causing the issue because the project doesn't even seem to get to the point of standing up Spring (no banner).
I have tried many different combinations of bash scripts, environment variables, and gradle tasks and the project does not seem to run at all. Is there any way I can use Intellij to debug the sequence of configurations and gradle tasks?

So, I am answering my own question because searches lead me nowhere and this was a surprisingly difficult problem to debug. It turns out I was taking the wrong approaches and asking the wrong questions. I took a lot of time to study up on Spring configurations and Gradle tasks to realize none of our stuff was wrong. The Kotlin compiler was failing at the very beginning.
What had happened was one developer naively cd'ed into the Application's module and ran an echo statement that piped gradle output to a file called out with no extensions.
Kotlin would find this file and then proceed to not compile anything starting at the Application main. When we ran the app from terminal the app would recompile itself from the very beginning with no problems. But the automatically generated Intellij config simply ran the app with the bad file every time.
The troubling part was that our .gitignore file was configured to ignore all of the kotlin /out/ directories, but not files like /out so this troublesome file was committed to the repository for quite a while.
Surprisingly, deleting this out file fixed most of the issues our project had with Intellij.
Another note:
Our script was also set to source certain variables from other scripts, which meant we either had to carry them over to the runtime configs. We could also run Intelli from the same terminal we had already sourced the script in (using Tools> Create command line launcher). Once I had that sorted the project ran and debugged perfectly.

Related

Could not load compiled classes for initialization script from cache

So i ran a java program in IntelliJ using Gradle for 2 hours and then my computer (which has Windows as its OS) didn't work correctly so I had to restart it. But then this problem occurred when building my Gradle Project, where it told me that it "Could not load compiled classes for initialization script from cache".
Solution moved from question
The solution is really simple but it took me a long long time to figure it out so I wanted to share it with anyone who might also stumble across this problem (I also haven't seen a simple solution elsewhere).
Step 1: Open the Explorer and go to "C:/Users/username/.gradle/caches" (if you don't see the .gradle folder in your file explorer you have either moved it to a different directory or you have to enable the ability to view hidden folders in your file explorer: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/view-hidden-files-and-folders-in-windows-97fbc472-c603-9d90-91d0-1166d1d9f4b5 , I don't mean the .gradle folder inside your IntelliJ project but the Gradle user home directory which you can find in IntelliJ by clicking "File > Settings > Build, Execution, Deployment > Build Tools > Gradle")
Step 2: delete everything inside the caches folder (in other words, clear the Gradle cache)
Step 3: start IntelliJ and rebuild your Project with gradle
I did that and then my gradle Build worked again perfectly and I could run my code again. I hope it helps :)!

How does IntelliJ decide what bytecode (classes) to use when running a maven app?

Questions
My questions are:
(Q) When running an app in the IntelliJ debugger, how does IntelliJ decide which bytecode to use ?
(Q) Does IntelliJ use whatever maven build plugin is being used or simulate it?
(Q) If multiple conflicting versions of code are being used (see mvn dependency:tree -Dverbose), how does IntelliJ decide which version of the code to use?
(Q) Where is the JAR file that IntelliJ creates so I could inspect it to see what versions of classes were used?
(Q) Is the process of selecting classes to use any different when running vs debugging?
Note: This question is being directed to IntelliJ's support staff as well as the SO community.
Background
I have an app that has been very problematic with IntelliJ with regards to picking the desired classes when running the application. 
The app is a Java Executable Jar that has been packaged with the maven-assembly-plugin.  It is not a SpringBoot application.
The problem stems from IntelliJ picking different class files than the maven-assembly-plugin which copies all of these classes (from all of the dependent jar files) into a single jar file. Naturally, only one version of a class can exist in the jar app (I believe the first class copied wins and the others are ignored).
IntelliJ (AFAIK) has no way of knowing what version of what class will be put into the JAR without knowing how the maven-assembly-plugin is implemented; So I'm looking for this answer.
Understanding the Question
To explain, see the example I created to understand how the maven-shade-plugin works. See Is there a sample project in github that shows how to use the maven-shade-plugin?. It's not a perfect fit for my problem/question, but it is in the public domain and it's close enough.
I'll frame my question based on the helloworld example. The helloworld.pom depends directly on loglib:2.0.0 so I would expect IntelliJ to select and use that version when compiling and running the application.  
The problem (code changes not being picked up)
The problem I ran into was when I changed the helloworld/pom.xml file to depend on loglib:2.1.0-SNAPSHOT and IntelliJ did not pick up the code changes and used a previous version of the dependency even though the source code was loaded inside of IntelliJ and the loglib/pom.xml file was changed to be version 2.1.0-SNAPSHOT.
The application is run by specifying the main class of the application com.steranka.play.HelloWorldApp. The Run/Debug configuration is:
NOTE: I've done this exact thing many/many times and it's always worked, so I was puzzled. I also tried to reproduce the problem with a sample example and could not reproduce it. IntelliJ worked flawlessly picking up changes as it has always done in the past.
Trying to fix the problem (bytecode not matching source code)
I went through the list of things I've done in the past but after they were all completed, the problem remained.  The list of steps I followed included:
(1) Rebuilt the project (which included helloworld and loglib packages). Rebuild was done inside of IntelliJ. Nope.
(2) Verify that the correct maven dependency loglib:2.1.0-SNAPSHOT was being used in helloworld module, and that it shows up in the Maven Tools dependency list. 
(3) Clicked Reload all Maven Projects - run from Maven Tool. 
After IntelliJ restart, I made a change to a log.info() statement in the loglib:2.1.0-SNAPSHOT module ran my program and my changes to the log statement did not appear, only the previous version of the log message appeared.
This is the crux of the problem, and reason for my question.  Where is IntelliJ getting the bytecode that it is running? Is it from loglib/target/classes/* directory (this is my belief), or from maven .m2/repository/ ... / loglib:2.0.0-SNAPSHOT.
(3) I put a breakpoint on the log statement (that I changed) and ran the app in Debug mode and IntelliJ stopped on the log statement when I stepped over the statement the wrong log message was printed.  This is when I knew the bytecode IntelliJ was executing did not match the source code.
Detailed steps that reproduced the problem
To be clear I'll give timestamp versions because I don't know exactly what POM versions were being used:
T1: Starting with line that says: log.info("orig message");
T2: I changed the message to log.info("orig message - change1");
T3: IntelliJ did not pick up my change and log/console shows orig message
T4: I added some lines to the source code (multiple log statements)
     log.info("this is strange")
     log.info("why isn't this working")
T5: I put a breakpoint on the line why isn't this working and the breakpoint symbol appeared
T6: However, when I ran the program and IntelliJ stopped at the first breakpoint (orig message - change1) and when it stopped the 2nd breakpoint symbol was greyed out (indicating that the debugger could not stop on that line). 
T7: I stepped and IntelliJ was obviously running different code because the original message appeared instead of the changed message.
More Questions
(Q) When the IntelliJ debugger shows code that doesn't match what is being actually executed, how can I track down what code is actually being used? The answer to my previous questions should answer this.
The observable things I know to look at are:
The Project Settings modules.
The maven tool modules list and the dependencies.
The External Libraries list in the Project Tool.
The target/.jar and target/.classes files.
Settings - java compiler used, maven used,
Common Reasons for this problem (bytecode not matching source code in debugger)
Reason 1: The most common reason for the above problem (in my past) has been making a code change in some module (say loglib when the loglib/pom.xml is at version 2.1.0-SNAPSHOT) and forgetting to update helloworld/pom.xml to refer to the -SNAPSHOT version. In my case I performed this check.
Reason 2: Years ago debuggers did not automatically compile code before the code was run, and this let to the problem whereby the bytecode being used matched the last time the file was compiled. The fix was/is simple, recompile the code and update the *.class file contains your code changes and the debugger code matches the bytecode that is being executed.
How to Reproduce the problem
The maven-shade-example (referred to above) can be used to reproduce the problem where the code shown in the debugger is not used at runtime.
git clone git#github.com:steranka/maven-shade-example.git
cd maven-shade-example
git checkout feature/fixing-problem-another-way
mvn clean install
java -jar helloworld\target\helloworld-1.0.0.jar
The output is:
Hello World!
What's up, Sam
Hello, Sam
Goodbye, Sam
But if you try to open this project inside IntelliJ and build and run it, you'll get an error. To run this, I right clicked on the hello word application and selected Run HelloWorldApp.main() (or Debug).
Hello World!
What's up, Sam
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NoSuchMethodError: 'java.lang.String com.steranka.play.LogIt.sayHello(java.lang.String)'
at com.steranka.play.GoodFeature.sayGoodbye(GoodFeature.java:6)
at com.steranka.play.HelloWorldApp.main(HelloWorldApp.java:15)
What makes this un-nerving is the debugger jumps to the correct code if you click on the method, it just doesn't use that method at runtime.
The runtime configuration inside IntelliJ is:
#CrazyCoder points out that IntelliJ will run the JAR file created using mvn clean install in the helloworld\target\helloworld-1.0.0.jar if you create a run configuration that says to use Java.
When I created a run configuration to use the Jar file, then IntelliJ's debugger properly executed the application and stepped into the correct files. That configuration looks like this:
When I tried this solution on the actual code causing problems, it also worked. Strangely enough (to me) after switching to the JAR configuration and successfully running, I switched back to my Main class configuration and it also worked! So toggling between the two configurations might work for others as it did for me.
#CrazyCoder also points out that there is an outstanding bug/feature request with IntelliJ that asks for better support of the maven-shade-plugin. See https://youtrack.jetbrains.com/issue/IDEA-266746
#Thorbjørn Ravn Andersen states that IntelliJ emulates Maven so in general the behavior between building and running inside IntelliJ should match what happens with Maven.

Unable to find Groovy method when building Rhino with Intellij IDEA

While trying to build https://github.com/mozilla/rhino, I'm getting Unable to find method on org.codehaus.groovy.runtime.StringGroovyMethods.
so the build fails, and I'm unable to test Rhino built from source code, which is the goal.
Steps Taken
From the opening screen in IntelliJ, I check out the project:
I get this error Unable to find method ''java.lang.String org.codehaus.groovy.runtime.StringGroovyMethods.capitalize(java.lang.String)'' right away, which I have not been able to fix:
There are two suggestions in the above Re-download dependencies and sync project and Stop Gradle build processes. I have tried both with no improvement.
When I look at the build.gradle file, I see another suggestion ...configure Gradle wrapper to use distribution with sources.... This also does not get past the missing Groovy method problem.
I have looked on S.O. for similar issues and tried various things under File > Settings > Build, Execution, Deployment, but I realized I'm over my head since, conceptually, I'm not sure what I need and where that would go in the settings.
The command line items from the readme work as expected, but going back to File > Build still fails (added after tim_yates comment).
What changes are required to the IDE or to the build definitions to allow Mozilla Rhino to build properly?
I installed the latest (2022.1) version of IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition. During the install, it asked if you wanted this IDE to be associated with Groovy file types, and I answered in the affirmative.
On this new install, the Unable to find method on org.codehaus.groovy.runtime.StringGroovyMethodserror did not appear, so the problem was solved by upgrading the IDE (and also that required updating GIT).

Inconsistent run of springboot application when run in Eclipse

I have observed an inconsistent way properties are being read in Eclipse. I have a very simple Springboot web project with typical property files. Here is my project layout:
Notice the two property files: testapplication.properties and application.properties. They are identical at this point, the intention is to use them for test and non test environments.
When I try to run this application in Eclipse, I am getting an error about missing expected property values, for example:
Could not resolve placeholder 'min.thread.count' in value "${min.thread.count}"
When I run the same setup using gradle's bootRun task, it works fine.
When I run the same setup in InteliJ it works fine.
If I rename the testapplication.properties to application.properties the application runs fine in Eclipse. As such it is using property form test folder.
In addition, I am pretty sure when I started Eclipse this morning I was able to run the application with a proper application.properties and testapplication.properties files. I was working on a unit test and renamed the testapplication.properties to application.properties, did some work, then renamed it back to testapplication.properties the application refused to start. I have attempted to replicate it: shut down eclipse with two different property files (application and testapplication), start it again and run application. However, at this moment I have the same issue (complaining about missing property value).
As you can see this i weird behaviour. As it stands I find that I cannot use Eclipse as I am not sure what it will do. I've switch to community edition of InteliJ as it seems to be working correctly. But as a long time fan of Eclipse I am heartbroken :)
Does anyone have any clue what could be causing this?
EDIT:
I have checkin in my test project here:
https://github.com/twolak2003/CamelSpringBootEureka.git in branch PropertyFileIssue. Simply clone, switch to PropertyFileIssue branch, import to eclipse as gradle project.
It is a simple vanilla spring cloud boot project running a eureka server and eureka client. For the purpose of this issue we'll just concentrate on eureka-service.
I am using latest Eclipse Oxygen. I did notice the same issue in Eclise Neon. I switched to Oxygen hoping the issue will go away. Only plugin is the Spring IDE. Using Java 8 to run this.
Test 1: Start the EurekaService/src/main/hello.java as Java application.
It starts fine and will read the src/main/resources/application.property file.
Test 2: Rename the EurekaService/src/main/test/resources/restapplication.properties to EurekaService/src/main/test/resources/application.properties. Start the EurekaService application again.
Findings: It starts fine as well BUT it uses property file in the /src/test/resources. This to me is issue as well, it should not be using /test/ for running the application.
Test 3: Now rename the /src/test/resources/application.properties to /src/test/resources/testapplication.properties again. (this is repeat of test1). Once again run EurekaService/src/main/hello as java application.
Finding Despite this being a repeat of test1 the test failed due to "Could not resolve placeholder 'tomek.prop' in value "${tomek.prop}"".
Am I doing something really stupid or is there an issue?
For now with heavy heart I am switching to InteliJ to keep my project going. The behaviour of Eclipse is just too unpredictable for me to stomach for now :(
So far I don't have a correct answer for this other than stop using Eclipse :). But there is workaround.
DO NOT use more than one application.property file.
If you need test properties to override actual properties then name your file as anything else but "application.property". Otherwise you'll get unpredictable behaviour and your Eclipse runtime get's confused.

Dynamically adding gradle projects at runtime

I'm in the process of updating our build process for Android to use gradle. We have client-specific apps - i.e. a single code template which is used as the basis for all the apps which are created dynamically.
To build the apps, I loop through a CSV file to get the details for each one. I then take a copy of the source template, inserting the client's name, images, etc. before compiling the app. This works fine in the current system. In the gradle version, I've got it successfully looping through the rows and creating the app source for each one with the right details. However when I try to actually build the app, it fails with the message:
Project with path ':xxxxxx' could not be found in root project 'android-gradle'.
From reading the documentation, I understand that this is because the project doesn't exist during the configuration phase as it's not created until the execution phase. However what I haven't been able to find is a way around this. Has anyone managed to achieve something similar? Or perhaps a suggestion for a better approach?
One option is to script settings.gradle. As in any other Gradle script, you have the full power of Groovy available. Later on you can no longer change which projects the build is composed of. Note that settings.gradle will be evaluated for each and every invocation of Gradle, so evaluation needs to be fast.
While Peter's answer pointed me in the right direction, it ended up not being a workable solution. Unfortunately with nearly 200 apps to build, creating a copy of the source for each one was too big an overhead and gradle kept running out of memory.
What I have done instead is to make use of the Android plugin's product flavors functionality. It was quite straight forward dynamically adding a productFlavor for each row in the CSV (and I can do that in build.gradle rather than settings.gradle), and I just set the srcDir to point to the relevant images etc for each one.

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