How to resolve BeanDefinitionStoreException: IOException parsing XML document from ServletContext resource [/WEB-INF/dispatcher-servlet.xml]?

Question

Error Stack trace:

SEVERE: StandardWrapper.Throwable
org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanDefinitionStoreException: IOException parsing XML document from ServletContext resource [/WEB-INF/dispatcher-servlet.xml]; nested exception is java.io.FileNotFoundException: Could not open ServletContext resource [/WEB-INF/dispatcher-servlet.xml]   

dispatcher-servlet.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"

       xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
       xmlns:context="http://www.springframework.org/schema/context"
       xmlns:p="http://www.springframework.org/schema/p"
       xmlns:mvc="http://www.springframework.org/schema/mvc"
       xmlns:beans="http://springframework.org/schema/beans"
       xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans.xsd 
       http://www.springframework.org/schema/context/spring-context.xsd       
       http://www.springframework.org/schema/mvc/spring-mvc.xsd
       http://www.springframework.org/schema/task/spring-task.xsd">

    <mvc:annotation-driven/>

    <context:component-scan base-package="com.exam.www" />

    <!-- Factory bean that creates the Mongo instance -->
    <bean id="mongo" class="org.springframework.data.mongodb.core.MongoFactoryBean">
        <property name="host" value="localhost" />
    </bean>

    <!-- MongoTemplate for connecting and quering the documents in the database -->
    <bean id="mongoTemplate" class="org.springframework.data.mongodb.core.MongoTemplate">
        <constructor-arg name="mongo" ref="mongo" />
        <constructor-arg name="databaseName" value="Results" />
    </bean>

    <!-- Use this post processor to translate any MongoExceptions thrown in @Repository annotated classes -->
    <bean class="org.springframework.dao.annotation.PersistenceExceptionTranslationPostProcessor" />



    <bean id="jspViewResolver"
          class="org.springframework.web.servlet.view.InternalResourceViewResolver"
          p:prefix="/WEB-INF/jsp"
          p:suffix=".jsp" /> 

  <!--   <bean class="org.springframework.web.servlet.view.tiles2.TilesViewResolver"/>

    <bean class=
    "org.springframework.web.servlet.view.tiles2.TilesConfigurer"> -->
 <!--  <property name="definitions">
    <list>
      <value>/WEB-INF/views/views.xml</value>
    </list>
  </property> 
</bean> -->




</beans>

applicationContext.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
    xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-3.0.xsd">

    <!-- Root Context: defines shared resources visible to all other web components -->

    <!--
        CSRF protection. Here we only include the CsrfFilter instead of all of Spring Security.
        See http://docs.spring.io/spring-security/site/docs/3.2.x/reference/htmlsingle/#csrf for more information on
        Spring Security's CSRF protection
    -->
<!--    <bean id="csrfFilter" class="org.springframework.security.web.csrf.CsrfFilter">
        <constructor-arg>
            <bean class="org.springframework.security.web.csrf.HttpSessionCsrfTokenRepository"/>
        </constructor-arg>
    </bean> -->
    <!--
        Provides automatic CSRF token inclusion when using Spring MVC Form tags or Thymeleaf. See
        http://localhost:8080/#forms and form.jsp for examples
    -->
    <!--  <bean id="requestDataValueProcessor" class="org.springframework.security.web.servlet.support.csrf.CsrfRequestDataValueProcessor"/>

-->
</beans>

web.xml

<web-app xmlns="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee"
        xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
        xsi:schemaLocation="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee/web-app_2_5.xsd"
        version="2.5">

  <!-- <display-name>Spring With MongoDB Web Application</display-name> -->

    <servlet>
        <servlet-name>dispatcher</servlet-name>
        <servlet-class>org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet</servlet-class>
        <init-param>
            <param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
            <param-value>WEB-INF/dispatcher-servlet.xml</param-value>
        </init-param>
        <load-on-startup>1</load-on-startup>
    </servlet>

    <servlet-mapping>
        <servlet-name>dispatcher</servlet-name>
        <url-pattern>/</url-pattern>
    </servlet-mapping>

    <context-param>
        <param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
        <param-value>WEB-INF/dispatcher-servlet.xml</param-value>
    </context-param>

    <welcome-file-list>
       <welcome-file>/search.jsp</welcome-file>
    </welcome-file-list> 
</web-app>

I tried several solutions given online like 1) Giving read, write permissions to all files - Doesn't work 2) Adding init-param - doesn't work 3) Explicitly giving path of dispatcherservlet as /WebContent/WEB-INF/dispatcher-servlet.xml - doesn't work.

I get this error when I run the project on Apache tomcat server v7.0

I am struck with this problem for past 4 days. Please help me.

Following is the solution that worked.

Your war doesn't have the dispatcher-servlet.xml. 1) The project doesn't have webapp folder. When you create a project using maven be mindful. You can follow the steps mentioned here http://blog.manishchhabra.com/2013/04/spring-data-mongodb-example-with-spring-mvc-3-2/ You would have created the project using some strange archetype of maven. Try the above link and it works.

I don't find this solution else where in internet. :)

Answer 1

Spring creates two application contexts for web application. The first is the root application context containing application beans e.g DAOs service objects etc. This context (applicationContext.xml in your case) is configured using context-param contextConfigLocation. The second one is the child web application context containing your web pecific beans. This is configured using the init-param contextConfiguration of the dispatcher servlet.

In your case you have duplicated the config file for both. Change your web.xml as follows

<web-app xmlns="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee"
        xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
        xsi:schemaLocation="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee/web-app_2_5.xsd"
        version="2.5">

  <!-- <display-name>Spring With MongoDB Web Application</display-name> -->

    <servlet>
        <servlet-name>dispatcher</servlet-name>
        <servlet-class>org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet</servlet-class>
        <init-param>
            <param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
            <param-value>/WEB-INF/dispatcher-servlet.xml</param-value>
        </init-param>
        <load-on-startup>1</load-on-startup>
    </servlet>

    <servlet-mapping>
        <servlet-name>dispatcher</servlet-name>
        <url-pattern>/</url-pattern>
    </servlet-mapping>

    <context-param>
        <param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
        <param-value>/WEB-INF/applicationContext.xml</param-value>
    </context-param>

    <welcome-file-list>
       <welcome-file>/search.jsp</welcome-file>
    </welcome-file-list> 
</web-app>