Compile-Time and Load-Time Weaving and Autowired on XMLAdapter not working

Question

I have an XML-based database and I have defined a User model with a list of references to Role (another model). I have attached an XMLAdapter to roles property to auto-populate roles. For that, I've @autowired the RoleRepository in this adapter.

However, the repository is never autowired (always null), no matter what I do. I have configured Compile-Time Weaving, Load-Time Weaving, and also tried an instrumentation java agent that is able to load itself into the running JVM invesdwin-instrument.

@Configurable(autowire = Autowire.BY_TYPE)
public class RoleAdapter extends XmlAdapter<String, List<Role>> {

    @Autowired
    protected RoleRepository roleRepository;

    public RoleAdapter() {
    }

    @Override
    public List<Role> unmarshal(String nameList) throws Exception {
        // code using roleRepository
    }

    @Override
    public String marshal(List<Role> roles) throws Exception {
        // some code
    }
}

@SpringBootApplication
@EnableConfigurationProperties({MyProperties.class})
@EntityScan(basePackages = { ... })
@EnableDiscoveryClient
@EnableLoadTimeWeaving(aspectjWeaving=EnableLoadTimeWeaving
    .AspectJWeaving.ENABLED)
@EnableSpringConfigured // tried this in a separate config
public class MyApplication {

    static { // this was not here, added in a desperate move
        DynamicInstrumentationLoader.waitForInitialized();
        DynamicInstrumentationLoader.initLoadTimeWeavingContext();
    }

    // some code

    /**
     * Main method, used to run the application.
     *
     * @param args the command line arguments
     */
    public static void main(String[] args) {

        // dynamically attach java agent to jvm if not already present
        DynamicInstrumentationLoader.waitForInitialized();
        // weave all classes before they are loaded as beans
        DynamicInstrumentationLoader.initLoadTimeWeavingContext();

        if (!InstrumentationLoadTimeWeaver.isInstrumentationAvailable()) {
            throw new IllegalStateException("Instrumentation not available!");
        } else { // it always gets here
            System.out.println("Instrumentation available!");
        }

        SpringApplication app = new SpringApplication(MyApplication.class);
        DefaultProfileUtil.addDefaultProfile(app);
        Environment env = app.run(args).getEnvironment();
        logApplicationStartup(env);
    }

    // more code
}

And the roles field in User

@XmlElement(type = String.class)
@XmlJavaTypeAdapter(RoleAdapter.class)
@XmlSchemaType(name = "IDREFS")
protected List<Role> roles;

I would like to know what I've missed here with weaving. A simpler way to achieve these auto-populating properties is also welcome.

Answer 1

"Solved" the problem by forgetting Compile-Time Weaving and Load-Time Weaving, and injecting RolesRepository into UsersRepository, initializing an instance of the RoleAdapter with the injected repository and add this instance into the unmarshaller.

@Repository
public class UserRepository extends TimestampRepository<User> {

    public static final String USERS_BY_USERNAME_CACHE = "usersByUsername";
    public static final String USERS_BY_EMAIL_CACHE = "usersByEmail";

    public UserRepository(
            MyProperties myProperties,
            ExistTemplate existTemplate,
            Jaxb2Marshaller marshaller,
            Jaxb2Marshaller unmarshaller,
            RoleRepository roleRepository) {
        super(
                new UserEntityInformation(myProperties.getDatabase().getDbname()),
                existTemplate, marshaller, unmarshaller);
        marshaller.setAdapters(new RoleAdapter(roleRepository));
        unmarshaller.setAdapters(new RoleAdapter(roleRepository));
    }

    // more code
}

public class RoleAdapter extends XmlAdapter<String, List<Role>> {

    protected final RoleRepository roleRepository;

    public RoleAdapter(RoleRepository roleRepository) {
        this.roleRepository = roleRepository;
    }

    @Override
    public List<Role> unmarshal(String nameList) throws Exception {
        // code using roleRepository
    }

    @Override
    public String marshal(List<Role> roles) throws Exception {
        // some code
    }
}