spring-boot application.properties are not overwriten - spring-boot

Question

I have one class:
package com.example.propertyorder;
import org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication;
import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.SpringBootApplication;
import org.springframework.context.ConfigurableApplicationContext;
import org.springframework.context.annotation.PropertySource;
import org.springframework.core.env.Environment;
#SpringBootApplication
#PropertySource(value="file:C:\\TEMP\\property-order.properties", ignoreResourceNotFound = true)
public class PropertyOrderApplication {
public static void main(String[] args) {
ConfigurableApplicationContext run = SpringApplication.run(PropertyOrderApplication.class, args);
Environment env = (Environment) run.getBean("environment");
System.out.println(env.getProperty("my.value"));
System.out.println(env.getProperty("my.value2"));
}
}
and I have one application.properties file:
my.value=application.properties
and I have my external properties file C:\\TEMP\\property-order.properties:
my.value=property-order.properties
my.value2=gotcha
but the result is always:
application.properties
gotcha
instead of:
property-order.properties
gotcha
So it looks like, that spring-boot's application.properties overrules all.
Is there a way to fix it.
The only solution that i found is to not use the application.properties, but a my-app.properties instead and place that one before my external file in the ProperySource-tree:
#PropertySource(value="classpath:my-app.properties")
#PropertySource(value="file:C:\\TEMP\\property-order.properties", ignoreResourceNotFound = true)
Is there a better way, so that I can stay with the application.properties ?
edit:
added missing value2 to the property file

Answer 1

The actual behavior is conform to the Spring Boot documentation :
Spring Boot uses a very particular PropertySource order that is
designed to allow sensible overriding of values. Properties are
considered in the following order:
....
14.Application properties outside of your packaged jar (application.properties and YAML variants).
15.Application properties packaged inside your jar (application.properties and YAML variants).
16.#PropertySource annotations on your #Configuration classes.
The application.properties (inside or outside the jar) have a higher priority (14 and 15 respectively) than any #PropertySource annotations added in #Configuration class (16).
Is there a better way, so that I can stay with the
application.properties ?
Of course you can use any of the 13 higher priority ways :
1.Devtools global settings properties on your home directory
(~/.spring-boot-devtools.properties when devtools is active).
2.#TestPropertySource annotations on your tests.
3.#SpringBootTest#properties annotation attribute on your tests. Command
line arguments.
4.Properties from SPRING_APPLICATION_JSON (inline JSON embedded in an
environment variable or system property).
5.ServletConfig init parameters.
6.ServletContext init parameters.
7.JNDI attributes from java:comp/env.
8.Java System properties (System.getProperties()).
9.OS environment variables.
10.A RandomValuePropertySource that has properties only in random.*.
11.Profile-specific application properties outside of your packaged jar
(application-{profile}.properties and YAML variants).
12.Profile-specific application properties packaged inside your jar
(application-{profile}.properties and YAML variants).
13.Application properties outside of your packaged jar
(application.properties and YAML variants).
For example renaming property-order.properties to application-order.properties to make it a Spring Boot profile properties and run your application with order as active profile would give it a higher priority and so it should be enough :
#SpringBootApplication
public class PropertyOrderApplication {...}

Answer 2

If you want to override the property defined int the application.properties, you can use the below approach.
#PropertySources({
#PropertySource(value = "classpath:application.properties"),
#PropertySource(value = "file:/user/home/external.properties", ignoreResourceNotFound = true)
})
public class Application {
public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
ConfigurableApplicationContext context = SpringApplication.run(Application.class, args);
}
}