Managed bean class java.time.ZonedDateTime for managed bean managedBean doesn't declare a public no-argument constructor

In order to get the current date, I declared a managed bean in faces-config.xml as follows.

<managed-bean>
    <managed-bean-name>currentDate</managed-bean-name>
    <managed-bean-class>java.time.ZonedDateTime</managed-bean-class>
    <managed-bean-scope>request</managed-bean-scope>
</managed-bean>

Earlier, I had been using org.joda.time.DateTime and working fine. This bean is accessible in EL just like the following.

<h:outputText value="#{currentDate}" converter="#{converter}"/>

This however, causes the following exception to be thrown.

16:15:29,984 SEVERE [javax.enterprise.resource.webcontainer.jsf.application] (default task-16) Error Rendering View[/admin_side/Home.xhtml]: com.sun.faces.mgbean.ManagedBeanCreationException: Unable to create managed bean currentDate.  The following problems were found:
     - Managed bean class java.time.ZonedDateTime for managed bean currentDate doesnt declare a public no-argument constructor.
    at com.sun.faces.mgbean.BeanManager.create(BeanManager.java:265)
    at com.sun.faces.el.ManagedBeanELResolver.resolveBean(ManagedBeanELResolver.java:257)
    at com.sun.faces.el.ManagedBeanELResolver.getValue(ManagedBeanELResolver.java:117)
    at com.sun.faces.el.DemuxCompositeELResolver._getValue(DemuxCompositeELResolver.java:176)
    at com.sun.faces.el.DemuxCompositeELResolver.getValue(DemuxCompositeELResolver.java:203)
    at com.sun.el.parser.AstIdentifier.getValue(AstIdentifier.java:116)
    at com.sun.el.ValueExpressionImpl.getValue(ValueExpressionImpl.java:226)
    at org.jboss.weld.el.WeldValueExpression.getValue(WeldValueExpression.java:50)
    at org.jboss.weld.el.WeldValueExpression.getValue(WeldValueExpression.java:50)
    at com.sun.faces.facelets.el.TagValueExpression.getValue(TagValueExpression.java:109)
    at javax.faces.component.ComponentStateHelper.eval(ComponentStateHelper.java:194)
    at javax.faces.component.ComponentStateHelper.eval(ComponentStateHelper.java:182)
    at javax.faces.component.UIOutput.getValue(UIOutput.java:174)
    at com.sun.faces.renderkit.html_basic.HtmlBasicInputRenderer.getValue(HtmlBasicInputRenderer.java:205)
    at com.sun.faces.renderkit.html_basic.HtmlBasicRenderer.getCurrentValue(HtmlBasicRenderer.java:355)
    at com.sun.faces.renderkit.html_basic.HtmlBasicRenderer.encodeEnd(HtmlBasicRenderer.java:164)
    at javax.faces.component.UIComponentBase.encodeEnd(UIComponentBase.java:920)
    at javax.faces.component.UIComponent.encodeAll(UIComponent.java:1863)
    at javax.faces.render.Renderer.encodeChildren(Renderer.java:176)
    at javax.faces.component.UIComponentBase.encodeChildren(UIComponentBase.java:890)
    at com.sun.faces.renderkit.html_basic.HtmlBasicRenderer.encodeRecursive(HtmlBasicRenderer.java:304)
    at com.sun.faces.renderkit.html_basic.HtmlBasicRenderer.encodeRecursive(HtmlBasicRenderer.java:309)
    at com.sun.faces.renderkit.html_basic.GroupRenderer.encodeChildren(GroupRenderer.java:114)
    at javax.faces.component.UIComponentBase.encodeChildren(UIComponentBase.java:890)
    at javax.faces.component.UIComponent.encodeAll(UIComponent.java:1856)
    at javax.faces.component.UIComponent.encodeAll(UIComponent.java:1859)
    at javax.faces.component.UIComponent.encodeAll(UIComponent.java:1859)
    at com.sun.faces.application.view.FaceletViewHandlingStrategy.renderView(FaceletViewHandlingStrategy.java:458)
    at com.sun.faces.application.view.MultiViewHandler.renderView(MultiViewHandler.java:134)
    at javax.faces.application.ViewHandlerWrapper.renderView(ViewHandlerWrapper.java:337)
    at javax.faces.application.ViewHandlerWrapper.renderView(ViewHandlerWrapper.java:337)
    at javax.faces.application.ViewHandlerWrapper.renderView(ViewHandlerWrapper.java:337)
    at javax.faces.application.ViewHandlerWrapper.renderView(ViewHandlerWrapper.java:337)
    at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.RenderResponsePhase.execute(RenderResponsePhase.java:120)
    at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.Phase.doPhase(Phase.java:101)
    at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.LifecycleImpl.render(LifecycleImpl.java:219)
    at javax.faces.webapp.FacesServlet.service(FacesServlet.java:659)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.ServletHandler.handleRequest(ServletHandler.java:86)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.FilterHandler$FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterHandler.java:130)
    at org.primefaces.webapp.filter.FileUploadFilter.doFilter(FileUploadFilter.java:78)
    at io.undertow.servlet.core.ManagedFilter.doFilter(ManagedFilter.java:60)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.FilterHandler$FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterHandler.java:132)
    at io.undertow.websockets.jsr.JsrWebSocketFilter.doFilter(JsrWebSocketFilter.java:151)
    at io.undertow.servlet.core.ManagedFilter.doFilter(ManagedFilter.java:60)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.FilterHandler$FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterHandler.java:132)
    at org.omnifaces.facesviews.FacesViewsForwardingFilter.filterExtensionLess(FacesViewsForwardingFilter.java:128)
    at org.omnifaces.facesviews.FacesViewsForwardingFilter.doFilter(FacesViewsForwardingFilter.java:89)
    at org.omnifaces.filter.HttpFilter.doFilter(HttpFilter.java:108)
    at io.undertow.servlet.core.ManagedFilter.doFilter(ManagedFilter.java:60)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.FilterHandler$FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterHandler.java:132)
    at filter.NoCacheFilter.doFilter(NoCacheFilter.java:33)
    at io.undertow.servlet.core.ManagedFilter.doFilter(ManagedFilter.java:60)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.FilterHandler$FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterHandler.java:132)
    at org.omnifaces.filter.CharacterEncodingFilter.doFilter(CharacterEncodingFilter.java:122)
    at org.omnifaces.filter.HttpFilter.doFilter(HttpFilter.java:108)
    at io.undertow.servlet.core.ManagedFilter.doFilter(ManagedFilter.java:60)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.FilterHandler$FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterHandler.java:132)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.FilterHandler.handleRequest(FilterHandler.java:85)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.security.ServletSecurityRoleHandler.handleRequest(ServletSecurityRoleHandler.java:62)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.ServletDispatchingHandler.handleRequest(ServletDispatchingHandler.java:36)
    at org.wildfly.extension.undertow.security.SecurityContextAssociationHandler.handleRequest(SecurityContextAssociationHandler.java:78)
    at io.undertow.server.handlers.PredicateHandler.handleRequest(PredicateHandler.java:43)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.security.SSLInformationAssociationHandler.handleRequest(SSLInformationAssociationHandler.java:131)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.security.ServletAuthenticationCallHandler.handleRequest(ServletAuthenticationCallHandler.java:57)
    at io.undertow.server.handlers.DisableCacheHandler.handleRequest(DisableCacheHandler.java:33)
    at io.undertow.server.handlers.PredicateHandler.handleRequest(PredicateHandler.java:43)
    at io.undertow.security.handlers.AuthenticationConstraintHandler.handleRequest(AuthenticationConstraintHandler.java:51)
    at io.undertow.security.handlers.AbstractConfidentialityHandler.handleRequest(AbstractConfidentialityHandler.java:46)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.security.ServletConfidentialityConstraintHandler.handleRequest(ServletConfidentialityConstraintHandler.java:64)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.security.ServletSecurityConstraintHandler.handleRequest(ServletSecurityConstraintHandler.java:56)
    at io.undertow.security.handlers.AuthenticationMechanismsHandler.handleRequest(AuthenticationMechanismsHandler.java:58)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.security.CachedAuthenticatedSessionHandler.handleRequest(CachedAuthenticatedSessionHandler.java:72)
    at io.undertow.security.handlers.NotificationReceiverHandler.handleRequest(NotificationReceiverHandler.java:50)
    at io.undertow.security.handlers.SecurityInitialHandler.handleRequest(SecurityInitialHandler.java:76)
    at io.undertow.server.handlers.PredicateHandler.handleRequest(PredicateHandler.java:43)
    at org.wildfly.extension.undertow.security.jacc.JACCContextIdHandler.handleRequest(JACCContextIdHandler.java:61)
    at io.undertow.server.handlers.PredicateHandler.handleRequest(PredicateHandler.java:43)
    at io.undertow.server.handlers.PredicateHandler.handleRequest(PredicateHandler.java:43)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.ServletInitialHandler.handleFirstRequest(ServletInitialHandler.java:282)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.ServletInitialHandler.dispatchRequest(ServletInitialHandler.java:261)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.ServletInitialHandler.access$000(ServletInitialHandler.java:80)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.ServletInitialHandler$1.handleRequest(ServletInitialHandler.java:172)
    at io.undertow.server.Connectors.executeRootHandler(Connectors.java:199)
    at io.undertow.server.HttpServerExchange$1.run(HttpServerExchange.java:774)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1142)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:617)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)

They call them Value-based Classes. Accordingly, such classes are immutable and do not have a public no-argument constructor hence, the exception.

_{The whole reference is not needed for the concrete problem.}

Some classes, such as java.util.Optional and java.time.LocalDateTime, are value-based. Instances of a value-based class:

are final and immutable (though may contain references to mutable objects); have implementations of equals(), hashCode(), and toString() which are computed solely from the instance's state and not from its identity or the state of any other object or variable;

make no use of identity-sensitive operations such as reference equality (==) between instances, identity hash code of instances, or synchronization on an instances's intrinsic lock;

are considered equal solely based on equals(), not based on reference equality (==);

do not have accessible constructors, but are instead instantiated through factory methods which make no commitment as to the identity of returned instances;

are freely substitutable when equal, meaning that interchanging any two instances x and y that are equal according to equals() in any computation or method invocation should produce no visible change in behavior.

A program may produce unpredictable results if it attempts to distinguish two references to equal values of a value-based class, whether directly via reference equality or indirectly via an appeal to synchronization, identity hashing, serialization, or any other identity-sensitive mechanism. Use of such identity-sensitive operations on instances of value-based classes may have unpredictable effects and should be avoided.

What is the rescue, turning to java.util.Date / java.util.Calendar?

Using Mojarra 2.2.12 in WildFly 9.0.2 final.

Solution

Unfortunately, That's really a technical limitation which cannot be solved via "old fashioned" <managed-bean> approach.

Given that JSF bean management is likely going to be deprecated in a future Java EE release in favor of CDI, and that you're with WildFly actually running a CDI capable container, you'd best move on to a CDI approach. In CDI this can be achieved with a so-called producer.

@RequestScoped
public class CurrentDateProducer {

    @Produces
    @Named
    public ZonedDateTime getCurrentDate() {
        return ZonedDateTime.now();
    }

}

It'll be available as #{currentDate} the expected way.