Bean reference example using spring expression language(Annotation) | Spring Tutorial

Master Spring & Java Development!

Subscribe to Ram N Java for clean, beginner-friendly coding guides!

🔔 Subscribe to Ram N Java

Overview: Bean References in SpEL (Annotation)

The Spring Expression Language (SpEL) provides a seamless way to reference other managed Spring beans and access their properties directly at runtime. When working with annotation-driven configurations, you can use the @Value annotation to inject an entire bean reference or drill down into its specific fields and getter methods.

In this guide, you will learn how to reference Spring beans and extract nested properties using annotation configuration and SpEL.

Understanding Bean Reference Syntax

SpEL enables direct interaction with other beans registered in the Spring ApplicationContext:

• Referencing Another Bean: You can reference a bean directly by its name inside the expression delimiter: @Value("#{addressBean}").
• Accessing Nested Properties: Drill into bean properties directly using dot notation: @Value("#{addressBean.city}").
• Invoking Bean Methods: Execute methods on the referenced bean dynamically: @Value("#{addressBean.getFullAddress()}").
• Dynamic Bean Interconnection: Connect components cleanly without having to inject the entire bean object when you only need a single property value.

Step-by-Step Configuration

1. Define the Source Bean: Annotate your source class with @Component("beanName") and define its fields and getters.
2. Inject via @Value: In your dependent component, annotate your field using SpEL syntax referencing the source bean:
   @Value("#{itemBean.price}")
3. Container Initialization: When the ApplicationContext starts, Spring evaluates the reference and assigns the resolved property value directly to the field.

Recommended Next Videos from Ram N Java

• 👉 Spring expression language method invocation (Annotation) | Spring Tutorial | Spring Framework
• 👉 Spring Expression Language Ternary Operator (if-then-else) Example [Annotation] | Spring Tutorial
• 👉 Relational Operators in Spring Expression Language (SpEL) with Annotation | Spring Tutorial

---

Click here to watch on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaJ9aA92Mdg&list=UUhwKlOVR041tngjerWxVccw

Click the below Image to Enlarge:

Bean reference example using spring expression language(Annotation) | Spring Tutorial

Bean reference example using spring expression language(Annotation) | Spring Tutorial

Bean reference example using spring expression language(Annotation) | Spring Tutorial

pom.xml

<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0%20http://maven.apache.org/maven-v4_0_0.xsd">
    <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
    <groupId>com.ram.core</groupId>
    <artifactId>SpringDemo</artifactId>
    <packaging>jar</packaging>
    <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
    <name>SpringDemo</name>
    <url>http://maven.apache.org</url>

    <properties>
        <spring.version>5.0.5.RELEASE</spring.version>
    </properties>

    <dependencies>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>junit</groupId>
            <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
            <version>3.8.1</version>
            <scope>test</scope>
        </dependency>

        <!-- Spring 5 dependencies -->
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
            <artifactId>spring-core</artifactId>
            <version>${spring.version}</version>
        </dependency>

        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
            <artifactId>spring-context</artifactId>
            <version>${spring.version}</version>
        </dependency>
    </dependencies>
</project>

Address.java

package com.ram.model;

import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Value;
import org.springframework.stereotype.Component;

@Component("address")
public class Address
{
    @Value("A220 Bridge Appartment")
    private String street;

    @Value("Chennai")
    private String city;

    @Value("TamilNadu")
    private String state;

    public String getStreet()
    {
        return street;
    }

    public void setStreet(String street)
    {
        this.street = street;
    }

    public String getCity()
    {
        return city;
    }

    public void setCity(String city)
    {
        this.city = city;
    }

    public String getState()
    {
        return state;
    }

    public void setState(String state)
    {
        this.state = state;
    }

    public String getFullAddress()
    {
        return street + "," + city + "," + state;
    }

    @Override
    public String toString()
    {
        return "Address [street=" + street + ", city=" + city + ", state="
                + state + "]";
    }

}

Employee.java

package com.ram.model;

import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Value;
import org.springframework.stereotype.Component;

@Component("employee")
public class Employee
{
    @Value("100")
    private int id;

    @Value("Peter")
    private String name;

    @Value("#{address.state}")
    private String employeeState;

    @Value("#{address.getFullAddress()}")
    private String fullAddress;

    @Value("#{address}")
    private Address address;

    public int getId()
    {
        return id;
    }

    public void setId(int id)
    {
        this.id = id;
    }

    public String getName()
    {
        return name;
    }

    public void setName(String name)
    {
        this.name = name;
    }

    public String getEmployeeState()
    {
        return employeeState;
    }

    public void setEmployeeState(String employeeState)
    {
        this.employeeState = employeeState;
    }

    public Address getAddress()
    {
        return address;
    }

    public void setAddress(Address address)
    {
        this.address = address;
    }

    @Override
    public String toString()
    {
        return "Employee [id=" + id + ", name=" + name + ", employeeState="
                + employeeState + ", fullAddress=" + fullAddress + ", address="
                + address + "]";
    }

}

applicationContext.xml

<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"
    xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-4.3.xsd
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/context
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/context/spring-context-4.3.xsd">

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

</beans>

App.java

package com.ram.core;

import org.springframework.context.ApplicationContext;
import org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext;

import com.ram.model.Employee;

public class App
{
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        ApplicationContext context = new ClassPathXmlApplicationContext(
                "applicationContext.xml");

        System.out.println("---------------------------------------");

        Employee employee = (Employee) context.getBean("employee");
        System.out.println(
                "Got employee object from the ApplicationContext(Spring Container)");
        System.out.println(employee);  
    }

}

Output

Sep 02, 2018 9:27:41 AM org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext prepareRefresh
INFO: Refreshing org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext@736e9adb: startup date [Sun Sep 02 09:27:41 IST 2018]; root of context hierarchy
Sep 02, 2018 9:27:41 AM org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanDefinitionReader loadBeanDefinitions
INFO: Loading XML bean definitions from class path resource [applicationContext.xml]
---------------------------------------
Got employee object from the ApplicationContext(Spring Container)
Employee [id=100, name=Peter, employeeState=TamilNadu, fullAddress=A220 Bridge Appartment,Chennai,TamilNadu, address=Address [street=A220 Bridge Appartment, city=Chennai, state=TamilNadu]]

Click the below link to download the code:
https://sites.google.com/site/ramj2eev2/java_basics/SpringDemo_Spring_EL_Bean_Annotation.zip?attredirects=0&d=1

Github Link:
https://github.com/ramram43210/javaee/tree/master/Spring_2018/SpringDemo_Spring_EL_Bean_Annotation

Bitbucket Link:
https://bitbucket.org/ramram43210/spring/src/13d8c90b997048bdc5084bfdce013eb8d2ccb438/Spring_2018/SpringDemo_Spring_EL_Bean_Annotation/?at=master

See also:

All JavaEE Videos Playlist

All JavaEE Videos

All JAVA EE Links

Spring Tutorial

Servlets Tutorial

All Design Patterns Links

JDBC Tutorial

Java Collection Framework Tutorial

JAVA Tutorial

Kids Tutorial

Cooking Tutorial

Bean reference example using spring expression language(XML) | Spring Tutorial

Master Spring & Java Development!

Subscribe to Ram N Java for clean, beginner-friendly coding guides!

🔔 Subscribe to Ram N Java

Overview: Bean References in SpEL via XML

The Spring Expression Language (SpEL) allows you to reference other managed Spring beans and access their properties directly inside your XML configuration files. Instead of using standard property references that inject entire objects, SpEL allows you to extract specific values or call methods on another bean and inject only the desired result into your target bean properties.

In this guide, you will learn how to configure bean references and access nested bean properties using XML-based configuration.

Understanding Bean Reference Syntax in XML

SpEL makes bean wiring flexible and dynamic directly in your XML definitions:

• Referencing Another Bean: Directly target a defined bean by its ID within the expression: value="#{addressBean}".
• Accessing Nested Properties: Drill into specific bean properties using simple dot notation: value="#{addressBean.city}".
• Invoking Bean Methods: Call methods on the referenced bean dynamically: value="#{addressBean.getFullAddress()}".
• Declarative Wiring: Avoid unnecessary dependencies in your Java classes by injecting only the extracted values your bean actually needs.

Configuring Bean References in XML

To configure bean references inside your Spring XML definition file:

1. Define the Source Bean: Declare the source bean with its ID and properties in your XML configuration.
2. Reference via SpEL: In your target bean definition, set the value attribute using #{...} pointing to the source bean:
   <property name="cityName" value="#{addressBean.city}" />
3. Container Resolution: When Spring initializes the application context, it resolves the expression and populates the property with the extracted bean value.

Recommended Next Videos from Ram N Java

• 👉 Mastering Bean References with Spring Expression Language (Annotation) | Spring Tutorial
• 👉 Spring expression language method invocation (XML) | Spring Tutorial | Spring Framework
• 👉 Mastering Spring Expression Language Ternary Operator (if-then-else) Example [XML] | Spring Tutorial

---

Click here to watch on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgiI-FE_Ncw&list=UUhwKlOVR041tngjerWxVccw

Click the below Image to Enlarge:

Bean reference example using spring expression language(XML) | Spring Tutorial

Bean reference example using spring expression language(XML) | Spring Tutorial

pom.xml

<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0%20http://maven.apache.org/maven-v4_0_0.xsd">
    <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
    <groupId>com.ram.core</groupId>
    <artifactId>SpringDemo</artifactId>
    <packaging>jar</packaging>
    <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
    <name>SpringDemo</name>
    <url>http://maven.apache.org</url>

    <properties>
        <spring.version>5.0.5.RELEASE</spring.version>
    </properties>

    <dependencies>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>junit</groupId>
            <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
            <version>3.8.1</version>
            <scope>test</scope>
        </dependency>

        <!-- Spring 5 dependencies -->
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
            <artifactId>spring-core</artifactId>
            <version>${spring.version}</version>
        </dependency>

        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
            <artifactId>spring-context</artifactId>
            <version>${spring.version}</version>
        </dependency>
    </dependencies>
</project>

Address.java

package com.ram.model;

public class Address
{
    private String street;

    private String city;

    private String state;

    public String getStreet()
    {
        return street;
    }

    public void setStreet(String street)
    {
        this.street = street;
    }

    public String getCity()
    {
        return city;
    }

    public void setCity(String city)
    {
        this.city = city;
    }

    public String getState()
    {
        return state;
    }

    public void setState(String state)
    {
        this.state = state;
    }

    public String getFullAddress()
    {
        return street + "," + city + "," + state;
    }

    @Override
    public String toString()
    {
        return "Address [street=" + street + ", city=" + city + ", state="
                + state + "]";
    }

}

Employee.java

package com.ram.model;

public class Employee
{
    private int id;

    private String name;

    private Address address;

    private String employeeState;

    private String fullAddress;

    public int getId()
    {
        return id;
    }

    public void setId(int id)
    {
        this.id = id;
    }

    public String getName()
    {
        return name;
    }

    public void setName(String name)
    {
        this.name = name;
    }

    public Address getAddress()
    {
        return address;
    }

    public void setAddress(Address address)
    {
        this.address = address;
    }

    public String getEmployeeState()
    {
        return employeeState;
    }

    public void setEmployeeState(String employeeState)
    {
        this.employeeState = employeeState;
    }

    public String getFullAddress()
    {
        return fullAddress;
    }

    public void setFullAddress(String fullAddress)
    {
        this.fullAddress = fullAddress;
    }

    @Override
    public String toString()
    {
        return "Employee [id=" + id + ", name=" + name + ", employeeState="
                + employeeState + ", fullAddress=" + fullAddress + ", address="
                + address + "]";
    }

}

applicationContext.xml

<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"
    xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-4.3.xsd
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/context
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/context/spring-context-4.3.xsd">

    <bean id="address" class="com.ram.model.Address">
        <property name="street" value="A220 Bridge Appartment"></property>
        <property name="city" value="Chennai"></property>
        <property name="state" value="TamilNadu"></property>
    </bean>


    <bean id="employee" class="com.ram.model.Employee">
        <property name="id" value="100"></property>
        <property name="name" value="Peter"></property>
        <property name="address" value="#{address}"></property>
        <property name="employeeState" value="#{address.state}"></property>
        <property name="fullAddress" value="#{address.getFullAddress()}"></property>
   
    </bean>
</beans>

App.java

package com.ram.core;

import org.springframework.context.ApplicationContext;
import org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext;

import com.ram.model.Employee;

public class App
{
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        ApplicationContext context = new ClassPathXmlApplicationContext(
                "applicationContext.xml");

        System.out.println("---------------------------------------");

        Employee employee = (Employee) context.getBean("employee");
        System.out.println(
                "Got employee object from the ApplicationContext(Spring Container)");
        System.out.println(employee);
    }

}

Output

Sep 01, 2018 8:07:16 AM org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext prepareRefresh
INFO: Refreshing org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext@736e9adb: startup date [Sat Sep 01 08:07:16 IST 2018]; root of context hierarchy
Sep 01, 2018 8:07:16 AM org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanDefinitionReader loadBeanDefinitions
INFO: Loading XML bean definitions from class path resource [applicationContext.xml]
---------------------------------------
Got employee object from the ApplicationContext(Spring Container)
Employee [id=100, name=Peter, employeeState=TamilNadu, fullAddress=A220 Bridge Appartment,Chennai,TamilNadu, address=Address [street=A220 Bridge Appartment, city=Chennai, state=TamilNadu]]

Click the below link to download the code:
https://sites.google.com/site/ramj2eev2/java_basics/SpringDemo_Spring_EL_Bean_Ref.rar?attredirects=0&d=1

Github Link:
https://github.com/ramram43210/javaee/tree/master/Spring_2018/SpringDemo_Spring_EL_Bean_Ref

Bitbucket Link:
https://bitbucket.org/ramram43210/spring/src/02e04aa1b68a77d4f5a01ebf111e80370bd99ca8/Spring_2018/SpringDemo_Spring_EL_Bean_Ref/?at=master

See also:

All JavaEE Videos Playlist

All JavaEE Videos

All JAVA EE Links

Spring Tutorial

Servlets Tutorial

All Design Patterns Links

JDBC Tutorial

Java Collection Framework Tutorial

JAVA Tutorial

Kids Tutorial

Cooking Tutorial