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Listening to class reload in Java

For performance reasons, I have a class that stores a Map whose key is a Class<?> and its value is function of that class's fields. The map is populated during code execution according to the type of the calling object. The above is a generalization/simplification
public class Cache {
private static final Map<Class<?>, String> fieldsList = ...;
//Synchronization omitted for brevity
public String getHqlFor(Class<?> entity){
if (!fieldsList.containsKey(entity))
fieldsList.put(entity,createHql(entity));
return fieldsList.get(entity);
}
}
During development, thanks to the help of Jrebel, I often make modifications to classes by changing entire properties or just their names. I can continue development just fine. However, if I already put a value into the cache it will be stale forever.
What I am asking here is if it is possible to intercept the event that a class in the classpath has changed. Very broad... But my specific problem is very simple: since I have such a need only during development, I just want to wipe that cache in case any class in my classpath changes.
How can I accomplish this? I don't need to do anything special than intercepting the event and simply wiping the cache

JRebel has a plugin API that you can use to trigger code on class reloads. The tutorial complete with example application and plugin available here: https://manuals.zeroturnaround.com/jrebel/advanced/custom.html
The JRebel plugin is a self-contained jar built against the JRebel SDK, which is attached to the running application via the JVM argument -Drebel.plugins=/path/to/my-plugin.jar. The JRebel agent attached to the application will load and start plugins from this argument.
If the application is not started with the JRebel agent, the plugin is simply not loaded.
In your example you want to register a ClassEventListener that will clear the Cache.fieldsList map. As it is a private field, you need to access it via reflection or add a get/clear method via a ClassBytecodeProcessor
public class MyPlugin implements Plugin {
void preinit() {
ReloaderFactory.getInstance().addClassReloadListener(new ClassEventListenerAdapter(0) {
#Override
public void onClassEvent(int eventType, Class<?> klass) throws Exception {
Cache.clear();
}
});
}
// ... other methods ...
}
And to clear the map
public class CacheCBP extends JavassistClassBytecodeProcessor {
public void process(ClassPool cp, ClassLoader cl, CtClass ctClass) {
ctClass.addMethod(CtMethod.make("public static void clear() { fieldsList.clear(); }", ctClass));
}
}
However a better option is to only clear/recalculate the single class entry on class reload if possible. The example didn't display whether the info computed from one class depended on superclass infos, but if this is true, the JRebel SDK has methods to register a reload listener on the class hierarchy as well.

There is an existing class ClassValue which already does the job for you:
public class Cache {
private final ClassValue<String> backend = new ClassValue<String>() {
#Override
protected String computeValue(Class<?> entity) {
return createHql(entity);
}
};
public String getHqlFor(Class<?> entity){
return backend.get(entity);
}
}
When you call get, it will call computeValue if this is the first call for this specific Class argument or return the already existing value otherwise. It does already care thread safety and for allowing classes to get garbage collected. You don’t need to know when class unloading actually happens.

Starting Instrumentation Agent after VM Startup

I was hoping for someone to explain this item since I might be getting this wrong:
I was reading about Java Agent Instrumentation which says that the agent can start after VM startup. So if I want to dynamically replace some class (without brining down the app) is this what I am going to go for using agent-main? Or do I need to do something more here?
I know people might ask "Are you talking about JRebel" - not really because I want to do something simple and JRebel is an overkill.
instrument docs - Java docs for Instrumentation
I understand all the instrumentation overrides, but I am slightly confused how I can hook this agent with -agent argument after the app has started.

First your agent class needs to specify an agentmain method like:
public class MyAgent {
public static void agentmain(final String args, final Instrumentation inst) {
try {
System.out.println("Agent loaded.");
} catch (Exception e) {
// Catch and handle every exception as they would
// otherwise be ignored in an agentmain method
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}
Compile it and pack it inside a jar-file for example. If you choose the jar-variant then it must specify the Agent-Class key in its manifest-file (MANIFEST.MF). It points to the class implementing the agentmain method. It could look like:
Manifest-Version: 1.0
Agent-Class: package1.package2.MyAgent
If it is located inside those packages, as an example.
After that you can load the agent via the VirtualMachine#loadAgent method (documentation). Note that the mechanism used by those classes are part of the Attach library of Java. They decided, as most users don't need it, to not directly add it to the systems path but you can just add it. It is located at
pathToYourJDKInstallation\jre\bin\attach.dll
And it needs to be somewhere where the system property java.library.path is pointing at. You could for example just copy it to your .../Windows/System32 folder or adjust the property or stuff like that.
As an example, if you want to inject an agent-jar inside another currently running jar, you could use a method like this:
public void injectJarIntoJar(final String processIdOfTargetJar,
final String pathToAgentJar, final String[] argumentsToPass) {
try {
final VirtualMachine vm = VirtualMachine.attach(processIdOfTargetJar);
vm.loadAgent(pathToAgentJar, argumentsToPass.toString());
vm.detach();
} catch (AttachNotSupportedException | AgentLoadException
| AgentInitializationException | IOException e) {
System.err.println("Unable to inject jar into target jar.");
}
}
With the same technique you can inject dll-libraries (if they implement the corresponding agent-methods via the native agent interface) into jars.
Actually, if that helps you, I have written some small library for that kind of stuff some time ago. See Mem-Eater-Bug, the corresponding class is Injector.java and the whole project has a small Wiki.
It has an example showing how to use that technique to manipulate a SpaceInvaders game written as Java application.

So apparently you want to reload classes at runtime. Such that your project can react to changes of the code without restarting.
To achieve this you need to prepare your project and write a very clean architecture, it involves using interfaces, factory-patterns, proxy-patterns and a routine that checks for updates and then destroys and rebuilds all current objects.
Unfortunately this might not be an easy task, but it is doable, depending on the size of your project and the amount of code that should react dynamically to changes.
I found this article helpful, let me explain how it works. You can easily load a class with ClassLoader.loadClass(...) and you can also use that to reload a class, very easy. However at the time you have compiled your code classes are some kind of hardwired already. So your old code will continue to create instances of the old classes although you have reloaded the class.
This is the reason why we need some kind of architecture that allows exchanging the old class with the new class. Also it is pretty obvious that current instances of the old class can not automatically be transferred to the new version as everything could have changed. So you will also need a custom method that collects and rebuilds those instances.
The approach described in the article uses an Interface instead of an actual class in the first place. This allows to easily exchange the class behind that interface without breaking the code that uses the interface.
Then you need a factory where you ask for instances of that Interface. The factory can now check if the underlying class-file has changed, if so it reloads it and obtains a reference to the new class version. It can now always create an instance of the interface which uses the up-to-date class.
The factory, by that, is also able to collect all created instances in order to exchange them later, if the code base has changed. But the factory should reference them using WeakReference (documentation), else you have a big memory leak because the Garbage Collector would not be able to delete instances because the factory holds references to them.
Okay, now we are able to always obtain up-to-date implementations of an Interface. But how can we easily exchange existing instances. The answer is by using a proxy-pattern (explanation).
It is simple, you have a proxy class which is the actual object you are working with. It has all the methods of the Interface and upon calling methods it simply forwards to the real class.
Your factory, as it has a list of all current instances using WeakReference, can now iterate the list of proxies and exchange their real class with a new up-to-date version of the object.
Existing proxies that are used all around your project will now automatically use the new real version as the proxy itself has not changed, only its internal reference to the real target has changed.
Now some sample code to give you a rough idea.
The interface for the objects you want to monitor:
public interface IExample {
void example();
}
The real class, which you want to rebuild:
public class RealExample implements IExample {
#Override
public void example() {
System.out.println("Hi there.");
}
}
The proxy class that you will actually use:
public class ProxyExample implements IExample {
private IExample mTarget;
public ProxyExample(final IExample target) {
this.mTarget = target;
}
#Override
public void example() {
// Forward to the real implementation
this.mRealExample.example();
}
public void exchangeTarget(final IExample target) {
this.mTarget = target;
}
}
The factory you will mainly use:
public class ExampleFactory {
private static final String CLASS_NAME_TO_MONITOR = "somePackage.RealExample";
private final List<WeakReference<ProxyExample>> mInstances;
private final URLClassLoader mClassLoader;
public ExampleFactory() {
mInstances = new LinkedList<>();
// Classloader that will always load the up-to-date version of the class to monitor
mClassLoader = new URLClassLoader(new URL[] {getClassPath()}) {
public Class loadClass(final String name) {
if (CLASS_NAME_TO_MONITOR.equals(name)) {
return findClass(name);
}
return super.loadClass(name);
}
};
}
private IExample createRealInstance() {
return (IExample) this.mClassLoader.loadClass(CLASS_NAME_TO_MONITOR).newInstance();
}
public IExample createInstance() {
// Create an up-to-date instance
final IExample instance = createRealInstance();
// Create a proxy around it
final ProxyExample proxy = new ProxyExample(instance);
// Add the proxy to the monitor
this.mInstances.add(proxy);
return proxy;
}
public void updateAllInstances() {
// Iterate the proxies and update their references
// Use a ListIterator to easily remove instances that have been cleared
final ListIterator<WeakReference<ProxyExample>> instanceIter =
this.mInstances.listIterator();
while (instanceIter.hasNext()) {
final WeakReference<ProxyExample> reference = instanceIter.next();
final ProxyExample proxy = reference.get();
// Remove the instance if it was already cleared,
// for example by the garbage collector
if (proxy == null) {
instanceIter.remove();
continue;
}
// Create an up-to-date instance for exchange
final IExample instance = createRealInstance();
// Update the target of the proxy instance
proxy.exchangeTarget(instance);
}
}
}
And finally how to use it:
public static void main(final String[] args) {
final ExampleFactory factory = new ExampleFactory();
// Get some instances using the factory
final IExample example1 = factory.createInstance();
final IExample example2 = factory.createInstance();
// Prints "Hi there."
example1.example();
// Update all instances
factory.updateAllInstances();
// Prints whatever the class now contains
example1.example();
}

Attaching an agent at runtime requires use of the attach API which is contained in the tools.jar until Java 8 and is contained in its own module starting from Java 9. The location of the tools.jar and the name of its classes is system-dependent (OS, version, vendor) and as of Java 9 it does not exist at all but must be resolved via its module.
If you are looking for an easy way to access this functionality, try out Byte Buddy which has a subproject byte-buddy-agent for this. Create a Java agent as you are used to it but add anAgent-Main entry where you would put your Pre-Main in the manifest. Also, name the entry method agentmain, not premain.
Using byte-buddy-agent, you can write a program:
class AgentLoader {
public static void main(String[] args) {
String processId = ...
File agentJar = ...
ByteBuddyAgent.attach(processId, agentJar);
}
}
and you are done.

Issue with ASM getMergedType and getCommonSuperClass

I use ASM to update the class stack map, but when asm getMergedType, the following exception occurs:
java.lang.RuntimeException:
java.io.IOException: Resource not found for IntefaceImplA.
If without asm modify the class method, it does work fine.
I have defined two interfaces A and B: IntefaceImplA and
IntefaceImplB.
My environment source code:
IntefaceA.java
public interface IntefaceA {
void inteface();
}
IntefaceImplA.java
public class IntefaceImplA implements IntefaceA {
#Override
public void inteface() {
}
}
IntefaceImplB.java
public class IntefaceImplB implements IntefaceA {
#Override
public void inteface() {
}
}
Test.java
public class Test {
public IntefaceA getImpl(boolean b) {
IntefaceA a = b ? new IntefaceImplA() : new IntefaceImplB();
return a;
}
}
Main.java
public class Main {
public static void main(String args[]) {
....
if (a instance of Test) {
..
...
}
}
}
After I compiled a runner jar, and delete the IntefaceImplA.class and IntefaceA.class manually from the jar. why i wanna to delete those classes files, since the spring always like to do this stuff.
the runner jar can be run normal without ASM, but use Asm will occur exception. since the asm wanna to getMergedType for IntefaceImplA and IntefaceImplB, but IntefaceImplA was deleted by me.
After investigate the ASM ClassWriter source code i found below code:
protected String getCommonSuperClass(String type1, String type2)
{
ClassLoader classLoader = this.getClass().getClassLoader();
Class c;
Class d;
try {
c = Class.forName(type1.replace('/', '.'), false, classLoader);
d = Class.forName(type2.replace('/', '.'), false, classLoader);
} catch (Exception var7) {
throw new RuntimeException(var7.toString());
}
if(c.isAssignableFrom(d)) {
return type1;
} else if(d.isAssignableFrom(c)) {
return type2;
} else if(!c.isInterface() && !d.isInterface()) {
do {
c = c.getSuperclass();
} while(!c.isAssignableFrom(d));
return c.getName().replace('.', '/');
} else {
return "java/lang/Object";
}
}
Actually, I deleted the related class file, the classloader cannot find the class. but without asm the Program does work normal.
Should I enhance the override to the getCommonSuperClass method, if occur exception then return java/lang/Object for it? that's funny

Generally, overriding getCommonSuperClass to use a different strategy, e.g. without loading the class, is a valid use case. As it’s documentation states:
The default implementation of this method loads the two given classes and uses the java.lang.Class methods to find the common super class. It can be overridden to compute this common super type in other ways, in particular without actually loading any class, or to take into account the class that is currently being generated by this ClassWriter, which can of course not be loaded since it is under construction.
Besides the possibility that either or both arguments are classes you are currently constructing (or changing substantially), it might be the case that the context of the code transforming tool is not the context in which the classes will eventually run, so they don’t have to be accessible via Class.forName in that context. Since Class.forName uses the caller’s context, which is ASM’s ClassWriter, it is even possible that ASM can’t access the class despite it is available in the context of the code using ASM (if different class loaders are involved).
Another valid scenario is to have a more efficient way to resolve the request by using already available meta information without actually loading the class.
But, of course, it is not a valid resolution to just return "java/lang/Object". While this is indeed a common super type of every argument, it isn’t necessarily the right type for the code. To stay with your example,
public IntefaceA getImpl(boolean b) {
IntefaceA a = b ? new IntefaceImplA() : new IntefaceImplB();
return a;
}
the common super type of IntefaceImplA and IntefaceImplB is not only required to verify the validity of assigning either type to it, it is also the result type of the conditional expression, which must be assignable to the return type of the method. If you use java/lang/Object as common super type, a verifier will reject the code as it can’t be assignable to IntefaceA.
The original stackmap, very likely reporting IntefaceA as common super, will be accepted by the verifier as that type is identical to the method’s return type, so it can be considered assignable, even without loading the type. The test, whether either, IntefaceImplA and IntefaceImplB, is assignable to that specified common type, might be postponed to the point where these types are actually loaded and since you said, you deleted IntefaceA, this can never happen.
A method whose declared return type is absent, can’t work at all. The only explanation of your observation that “without asm the program does work normal”, is, that this method was never invoked at all during your test. You most probably created a time bomb in your software by deleting classes in use.
It’s not clear why you did this. Your explanation “since the spring always like to do this stuff” is far away from being comprehensible.
But you can use the overriding approach to get the same behavior as with the unmodified code. It just doesn’t work by return java/lang/Object. You could use
#Override
protected String getCommonSuperClass(String type1, String type2) {
if(type1.matches("IntefaceImpl[AB]") && type2.matches("IntefaceImpl[AB]"))
return "IntefaceA";
return super.getCommonSuperClass(type1, type2);
}
Of course, if you deleted more class files, you have to add more special cases.
An entirely different approach is not to use the COMPUTE_FRAMES option. This option implies that ASM will recompute all stack map frames from scratch, which is great for the lazy programmer, but implies a lot of unnecessary work if you are just doing little code transformations on an existing class and, of course, creates the requirement to have a working getCommonSuperClass method.
Without that option, the ClassWriter will just reproduce the frames the ClassReader reports, so all unchanged methods will also have unchanged stack maps. You will have to care about the methods whose code you change, but for a lot of typical code transformation tasks, you can still keep the original frames. E.g. if you just redirect method calls to signature-compatible targets or inject logging statements which leave the stack in the same state it was before them, you can still keep the original frames, which happens automatically. Note the existence of the ClassWriter(ClassReader,int) constructor, which allows an even more efficient transfer of the methods you don’t change.
Only if you change the branch structure or insert code with branches, you have to care for frames. But even then, it’s often worth learning how to do this, as the automatic calculation is quiet expensive while you usually have the necessary information already when doing a code transformation.

Mock ClassLoader.getSystemClassLoader().loadClass with Powermockito

I am trying to test utility method which check if particular class is on class path, if yes return true else return false.
Why I am doing this: I have to independent classes extending same class, and only one of it will be on classpath. Need to do specific thing if one particular is on classpath.
Using kind of below method to check if particular class is on class path.
This check will be done only once after first request.
I'd checked Class.forName() also but decided to go with below approach.
My utility method looks something like this:
public static boolean isMyClassOnClassPath() {
try {
ClassLoader.getSystemClassLoader().loadClass("com.MyClass");
return true;
} catch (ClassNotFoundException ex) {
return false;
}
}
Checking false condition is easy as particular class is not not the ClassPath.
I'm trying to write Junit for positive scenario when this method will return true.
#Test
public void isMyClassOnClassPathShouldReturnTrueWhenMyClassIsOnClassPath() throws Exception{
PowerMockito.mockStatic(MyClass.class);
ClassLoader classLoader = PowerMockito.mock(ClassLoader.class);
PowerMockito.mockStatic(ClassLoader.class);
PowerMockito.when(ClassLoader.getSystemClassLoader()).thenReturn(classLoader);
//trying to mock classLoader.loadClass, below way is incorrect
//PowerMockito.when(classLoader.loadClass("com.MyClass")).thenReturn(Class<java.lang.Object.class>);
Assert.assertTrue(MyClassUtil.isMyClassOnClassPath());
}
So is it possible to mock classLoader.loadClass() method?

Honestly: don't even think about doing something like that.
In short, you are like a person sitting on a tree that starts cutting random limbs of the tree that person is sitting on. Meaning: this is a central part of the JVM. Assume your mocking would work: then every caller to that method would receive your mocked loader! So, when your test case itself wanted to load some classes, it would run into your mock!
And as almost usual, when people claim "I need to user Powermock for xyz" your real problem is a different one: you created untestable code. By making that static call there, you prevent yourself from testing your code!
For starters, you can have a look here to learn how to write testable code. But in case you are curious how you could fix your design:
class ClassPathChecker {
private final ClassLoader classLoader;
ClassPathChecker() { this(ClassLoader.getSystemClassLoader()); }
ClassPathChecker(ClassLoader classLoader) {
this.classLoader = this.classLoader);
}
boolean canClassBeLoaded(String className) {
try {
classLoader.loadClass ...
The above uses dependency injection to insert a mocked ClassLoader; which gives you full control over everything that is going on. Without using Powermock at all.
And out of curiosity: why do you restrict yourself to the System classloader? Wouldn't a simple call like Class.forName("yourclass") tell you the same?

Implementing Spring-like package scanning in Android

I'm attempting to implement a package-scanning feature, similar to Spring's component-scan, for the Android framework I'm developing. Basically, I would like to be able to specify a base package, e.g. com.foo.bar and retrieve all Class instances that have a particular annotation. I don't want to have to register every component with my framework as that would defeat the purpose of the auto scanning.
Based on my research, it seems that it's not possible with Java to retrieve resources given a package name using reflection. However, I briefly looked into the Reflections framework, and I'm wondering if there is an Android-compatible equivalent. If not, perhaps there is a slightly less obvious way to accomplish what I want to do.
I looked into the Spring source a bit to see how they achieved this, but I don't think what they are doing would work within the Dalvik runtime.
Update
Currently, the below code has been the best I can do to retrieve all classes that contain a specific annotation, but frankly it's a pretty poor solution. It makes some really unsafe assumptions about the ClassLoader plus it scans (and loads) all application classes.
public Set<Class<?>> getClassesWithAnnotation(Class<? extends Annotation> annotation) {
Set<Class<?>> classes = new HashSet<Class<?>>();
Field dexField = PathClassLoader.class.getDeclaredField("mDexs");
dexField.setAccessible(true);
PathClassLoader classLoader = (PathClassLoader) Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();
DexFile[] dexs = (DexFile[]) dexField.get(classLoader);
for (DexFile dex : dexs) {
Enumeration<String> entries = dex.entries();
while (entries.hasMoreElements()) {
String entry = entries.nextElement();
Class<?> entryClass = dex.loadClass(entry, classLoader);
if (entryClass != null && entryClass.isAnnotationPresent(annotation)) {
classes.add(entryClass);
}
}
}
return classes;
}

I wanted to find all the subclass at runtime.
So I've been looking for android class scanning.
This is my final code from what I gathered in web.
You will get the idea.
public static void findSubClasses(Context context, Class parent) {
ApplicationInfo ai = context.getApplicationInfo();
String classPath = ai.sourceDir;
DexFile dex = null;
try {
dex = new DexFile(classPath);
Enumeration<String> apkClassNames = dex.entries();
while (apkClassNames.hasMoreElements()) {
String className = apkClassNames.nextElement();
try {
Class c = context.getClassLoader().loadClass(className);
if (parent.isAssignableFrom(c)) {
android.util.Log.i("nora", className);
}
} catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
// TODO Auto-generated catch block
e.printStackTrace();
}
// android.util.Log.i("nora", className);
}
} catch (IOException e) {
// TODO Auto-generated catch block
e.printStackTrace();
} finally {
try {
dex.close();
} catch (IOException e) {
// TODO Auto-generated catch block
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}

I share the opinion of Joop Eggen and find his approach a good one. In Android I try to avoid the usual web app features which lead to a long lasting application start. I do not use reflection or package scanning.
But if you want to .... if I understand it correctly you want to have an annotation for a class. Instead of using annotations you could also use marker interfaces (to just have more possibilites).
1) Look at
Annotation: Java custom annotation and dynamic loading
Has an implementation in the question which just answers your question.
Annotation: Scanning Java annotations at runtime
Interface: Find Java classes implementing an interface
Interface: Is something similar to ServiceLoader in Java 1.5?
Interface: How can I get a list of all the implementations of an interface programmatically in Java?
Interface: Since the approach is expensive, maybe the ServiceLoader is a compromise between execution time and comfort, since it loads only the classes given in the services file. On the other hand if only classes with a certain interface are in your package then the ServiceLoader isn't that faster.
2) AndroidAnnotations
I would prefer the way AndroidAnnotations work (maybe an integration in AndroidAnnotations is the preferable way): It automatically adds an extra compilation step that generates source code, using the standard Java Annotation Processing Tool. So instead of runtime scanning you execute code based on the annotations generated during compile time.
I think the Bean/EBean annotation could work for you (only single class): https://github.com/excilys/androidannotations/wiki/Enhance%20custom%20classes
A scan-feature is not available, see this thread
3) Writing your own annotation processor
See APT (Annotation Processing Tool). The idea would be to generate a static function which returns a list of classes which are annotated, so that no class scanning is needed.
A very good ressource is http://javadude.com/articles/annotations/index.html

Take a look at Vogar's ClassPathScanner. It uses it to find test cases on the class path.

EDIT:
I found this issue in the Android issue tracker. It appears that ClassLoader.getResource(String) is 'working as expected', in that it returns null. This is expected because the DalvikVM does not keep the resources around after compiling. There are workarounds listed in the issue, but there may be another way to access the classes you desire.
Use the PackageManager to get a hold of an instance of ApplicationInfo. ApplicationInfo has a public field called sourceDir which is the full path (a String) to the location of the source directory for that application. Create a File from this String, and you should be able to navigate to your package within the source directory. Once there, you can use the method from my original answer to find the classes you are looking for.
String applicationSourceDir =
getPackageManager().getApplicationInfo(androidPackageName, 0).sourceDir;
/EDIT
You should be able to use the ClassLoader.getResource(String) to get a URL to your specific package (the passed in String being the package name you are interested in delimited by path separators rather than periods). With this URL you can then call getFile(), from which you can create a Java File to the package folder. Call packageFile.listFiles() from there, and you have your classes/subpackages.
Be recursive with the subpackages, and with the classes find the Class object using the static Class.forName(String) method.

In your java build process incorporate the class path scanning, generating injection data/code. This could then be ported too to Dalvik. It is even more efficient that dynamic scanning.