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Spring Bean initialization - Date passed as String via xml not working for step scope

I need to pass currentDate as String to my sendMetaStatsTask tasklet appended in subject .
Now, if I create a bean with scope="step" using following xml
<bean id="sendMetaStatsTask" class="org.springframework.batch.core.step.tasklet.MethodInvokingTaskletAdapter" scope="step">
<property name="targetObject">
<bean class="com.nextag.catalog.springbatch.tasklets.GenerateReportFromQueriesTasklet">
<property name="mailTo" value="#{jobParameters['MAIL_TO']}"/>
<property name="mailFrom" value="#{jobParameters['MAIL_FROM']?:'wizereporter#nextag.com'}"/>
<property name="mailSubject" value="#{jobParameters['PARTNER_DOMAIN']+' Affiliate Seller Report - '+ currentDate.toString()}"/>
</bean>
</property>
<property name="targetMethod" value="execute"/>
</bean>
<bean id="fastDateFormat" class="org.apache.commons.lang.time.FastDateFormat" factory-method="getInstance">
<constructor-arg value="dd/MM/yyyy"/>
</bean>
<bean id="currentDate" class="java.util.Date" factory-bean="fastDateFormat" factory-method="format" scope="step">
<constructor-arg>
<bean class="java.util.Date"/>
</constructor-arg>
</bean>
It throws :-
Error creating bean with name 'currentDate' defined in BeanDefinition
defined in file
[/home/nextag/Apache6/tomcat/webapps/nextag/WEB-INF/classes/META-INF/spring/batch/jobs/seller-meta-stats-logging-job.xml]:
Initialization of bean failed; nested exception is
java.lang.IllegalStateException: Cannot create scoped proxy for bean
'scopedTarget.currentDate': Target type could not be determined at the
time of proxy creation.
at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.doCreateBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:527)
However, it works fine in case I use prototype .
Need to ask why it is not working in step scope, am I missing something ?

You need to tell the bean currentDate scope proxy so any injection is only valid to scope step. A good explanation is here
<bean id="fastDateFormat" class="org.apache.commons.lang.time.FastDateFormat" factory-method="getInstance">
<constructor-arg value="dd/MM/yyyy"/>
</bean>
<bean id="currentDate" class="java.util.Date" factory-bean="fastDateFormat" factory-method="format" scope="step">
<aop:scoped-proxy/>
<constructor-arg>
<bean class="java.util.Date"/>
</constructor-arg>
</bean>

Populate Spring Bean with the return value of a function

I want to populate a value of my spring bean with the return value of a method. Is there any way I can do this?
<bean id="JmsTemplate" class="org.springframework.jms.core.JmsTemplate">
<property name="defaultDestinationName"
value="#Value#returned#by#method" />
I already have a bean of the class which has the method in my application context.
<bean id=xyz class=path.to.xyz>
</bean>
Please note that the value that I want to inject is not a variable, but return value of a method.

You can use factory-bean and factory-method:
<bean id="JmsTemplate" class="org.springframework.jms.core.JmsTemplate">
<property name="defaultDestinationName">
<bean factory-bean="xyz" factory-method="methodName" />
</property>
</bean>
If the method you want to call takes parameters you can pass them in using constructor-arg
<bean factory-bean="xyz" factory-method="methodName">
<constructor-arg index="0" value="firstParameter" />
<constructor-arg index="1" ref="someOtherBean" />
</bean>

This can be achieved with Spring expression language
<bean id="b1" class="B1">
</bean>
<bean id="b2" class="B2">
<property name=xxx" value="#{b1.xxx}" />
</bean>

you can just do
<bean id="JmsTemplate" class="org.springframework.jms.core.JmsTemplate">
<property name="defaultDestinationName"
value="#{className.methodName()}" />
The spring container will call the geter method for that property
Note: you woudl have to autowire path.to.xyzConfig using #autowire
References 1 : Look for this : 6.4 Expression support for defining bean definitions

This question could help
In short, you could use a factory method to return the value you want.

Compound beans in Spring?

Suppose I have my own bean which contains another beans hardcoded.
How to join this with Spring configuration?
First way is to use factory-method:
<bean id="bean1" class="myClass1"/>
<bean id="bean1.member" factory-bean="bean1" factory-method="getMember"/>
<bean id="bean2" class="myClass2">
<property name="collaborator" ref="bean1.member"/>
</bean>
Another way is to use EL:
<bean id="bean1" class="myClass1"/>
<bean id="bean2" class="myClass2">
<property name="collaborator" value="#{bean1.member}"/>
</bean>
In latter case Spring does not realize the dependency. Anyway, Bean Graph in Eclipse displays beans unrelated.
Are there better ways? May be I may implement some interface with MyClass1 so that it will treated as container or context?

You should create a separate bean for bean1.member and inject it into bean1
<bean id="bean3previouslyMember" class="myCompoundBean"/>
<bean id="bean1" class="myClass1">
<property name="member" ref="bean3previouslyMember"/>
</bean>
<bean id="bean2" class="myClass2">
<property name="collaborator" ref="bean3previouslyMember"/>
</bean>
Unless myClass1 is not modifiable and has no setter, this is generally what we do.

Spring: Getting FactoryBean object instead of FactoryBean.getObject()

Short question: If I have class that impelemnts FactoryBean interface, how can I get from FactoryBean object itself instead of FactoryBean.getObject()?
Long question: I have to use 3-rd party Spring based library which is hardly use FactoryBean interface. Right now I always must configure 2 beans:
<!-- Case 1-->
<bean id="XYZ" class="FactoryBean1" scope="prototype">
<property name="steps">
<bean class="FactoryBean2">
<property name="itemReader" ref="aName"/>
</bean>
</property>
</bean>
<bean id="aName" class="com.package.ClassName1" scope="prototype">
<property name="objectContext">
<bean class="com.package.ABC"/>
</property>
</bean>
<!-- Case 2-->
<bean id="XYZ2" class="FactoryBean1" scope="prototype">
<property name="steps">
<bean class="FactoryBean2">
<property name="itemReader" ref="aName2"/>
</bean>
</property>
</bean>
<bean id="aName2" class="com.package.ClassName1" scope="prototype">
<property name="objectContext">
<bean class="com.package.QWE"/>
</property>
</bean>
Actyually defintion of a bean with name "XYZ" (compare with "XYZ2") never will be changed, but because of factory nature I must copy the code for each configuration.
Definition of a bean with name "aName" always will be new (i.e. each configuration will have own objectContext value).
I would like to simplify the configuration have a single factory bean (remove "XYZ2" and rid of link to "aName"):
<bean id="XYZ" class="FactoryBean1" scope="prototype">
<property name="steps">
<bean class="FactoryBean2"/>
</property>
</bean>
<bean id="aName" class="com.package.ClassName1" scope="prototype">
<property name="objectContext">
<bean class="com.package.ABC"/>
</property>
</bean>
<bean id="aName2" class="com.package.ClassName1" scope="prototype">
<property name="objectContext">
<bean class="com.package.QWE"/>
</property>
</bean>
Unfortunately, it's not as simple as I expect. I suppose to glue factory (i.e. XYZ bean from the example) with necessary objects (i.e. "aName", "aName2") at runtime.
The approach doesn't work because when I ask Spring for FactoryBean object it returns to me FactoryBean.getObject() which impossible to instanciate at that time because of missing itemReader value.
I hope that SpringSource foresee my case I can somehome "hook" FactoryBean.getObject() call to provide all necessary properties at runtime.
Another complexity that disturb me a bit it's chains of Factories (Factory1 get an object from Factory2 that I have to "hook" at runtime).
Any ideas will be appreciated.

It's the & (ampersand), not the At-symbol, see Spring Framework documentation: Customizing instantiation logic using FactoryBeans
<property name="factoryBean" ref="&theFactoryBean" />

You can get the factory bean itself using the & syntax in the spring config:
<property name="factoryBean" ref="&theFactoryBean" />
as opposed to:
<property name="createdBean" ref="theFactoryBean" />

spring: set property of one bean by reading the property of another bean?

Is it possible to set the property of one bean by reading the property of another bean? For instance, suppose I had:
class A {
void setList(List list);
}
class B {
List getList();
}
I would like Spring to instantiate both classes, and call A's setList method, passing in the result of calling B's getList method. The Spring configuration might look something like:
<bean id="b" class="B"/>
<bean id"a" class="A">
<property name="list" ref="b" ref-property="list"/>
</bean>
Alas, this made-up XML does not work.
Why not just inject B into A? Because I do not want to introduce the extra dependency. A is only dependent List, not on B.

in addition to #Kevin's answer if you are using spring 3.0 it is possible to do this with the new spring expression language
<bean id="a" class="A">
<property name="list"
value="#{b.list}"/>
</bean>
spring 3.0 documentation

There are a couple of ways. Here is one:
<bean id="b" class="B"/>
<bean id="a" class="A">
<property name="list">
<bean class="org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertyPathFactoryBean">
<property name="targetObject" ref="b"/>
<property name="propertyPath" value="list"/>
</bean>
</property>
</bean>
Also see the <util:property-path/> element

If you are trying to do the same for a constructor then do this.
<bean id="jdbcTemplate" class="org.springframework.jdbc.core.JdbcTemplate">
<constructor-arg type="javax.sql.DataSource" value="#{jdbc.dataSource}">
</constructor-arg>
</bean>
Here "jdbc" is as mentioned below that has property "dataSource" with getter and setter and initilized as:
<bean id="jdbc" class="com.la.activator.DataSourceProvider">
<property name="myDataSourcePool" ref="dsPoolService"/>
</bean>