AnnotatedElementUtils.findMergedRepeatableAnnotations does not fetch results when other attributes exist in container annotation

[ForteScarlet]

Affects: v5.3.24, v6.0.2

---

I have the following code:

public class Main2 {

    @Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
    @Repeatable(Anno1Container.class)
    public @interface Anno1 {
        String value();
    }

    @Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
    public @interface Anno1Container {
        Anno1[] value();
    }

    @Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
    @Repeatable(Anno2Container.class)
    public @interface Anno2 {
        String value();
    }

    @Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
    public @interface Anno2Container {
        Anno2[] value();
        int number() default 2; // other attributes
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) throws NoSuchMethodException {
        Method method = Main2.class.getMethod("a");
        System.out.println(AnnotatedElementUtils.findMergedRepeatableAnnotations(method, Anno1.class));
        // [@example.Main2$Anno1("A1_1"), @example.Main2$Anno1("A1_2")]
        System.out.println(AnnotatedElementUtils.findMergedRepeatableAnnotations(method, Anno2.class));
        // []
    }


    @Anno1("A1_1")
    @Anno1("A1_2")
    @Anno2("A2_1")
    @Anno2("A2_2")
    public void a() {
    }
}

AnnotatedElementUtils.findMergedRepeatableAnnotations cannot get results when other attributes ( Anno2Container.number ) exist for the container annotation ( Anno2Container )

In v5.3.23, AnnotatedElementUtils.findMergedRepeatableAnnotations can successfully obtain the above two annotations

[sbrannen]

This is potentially a regression caused by #20279.

I'll investigate it.

[sbrannen]

There is a bug in the logic for RepeatableContainers.StandardRepeatableContainers.computeRepeatedAnnotationsMethod(...) which has existed since Spring Framework 5.2 (when StandardRepeatableContainers was introduced); however, the changes made in conjunction with #20279 made this bug apparent when using AnnotatedElementUtils.findMergedRepeatableAnnotations.

Thus, this is simultaneously a bug and a regression.

[sbrannen]

Anyone encountering this issue in Spring Framework 5.3.24/6.0.2/6.0.3 can work around the bug by using the findMergedRepeatableAnnotations() variant that accepts the container type.

For example, the following allows the provided sample to properly find the repeatable annotations.

AnnotatedElementUtils.findMergedRepeatableAnnotations(method, Anno2.class, Anno2Container.class)

[ForteScarlet]

Anyone encountering this issue in Spring Framework 5.3.24/6.0.2/6.0.3 can work around the bug by using the findMergedRepeatableAnnotations() variant that accepts the container type.

For example, the following allows the provided sample to properly find the repeatable annotations.

AnnotatedElementUtils.findMergedRepeatableAnnotations(method, Anno2.class, Anno2Container.class)

Thanks, i will try.

[sbrannen]

The fix for this will be available in Spring Framework 5.3.25 and 6.0.3 (as well as the upcoming snapshots for those releases).

[ghillert]

I think this broke a little "hack" I was employing for Coherence Spring to work around the lack of @NonBinding annotation support in Spring 🙂. Over two years I added a related ticket for that: #26302