Spring MVC - Properties Method Name Resolver Example

The following example shows how to use the Properties Method Name Resolver method of a Multi Action Controller using Spring Web MVC framework. The MultiActionController class helps to map multiple URLs with their methods in a single controller respectively.

package com.tutorialspoint;

import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;

import org.springframework.web.servlet.ModelAndView;
import org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.multiaction.MultiActionController;

pubpc class UserController extends MultiActionController{
	
   pubpc ModelAndView home(HttpServletRequest request,
      HttpServletResponse response) throws Exception {
      ModelAndView model = new ModelAndView("user");
      model.addObject("message", "Home");
      return model;
   }

   pubpc ModelAndView add(HttpServletRequest request,
      HttpServletResponse response) throws Exception {
      ModelAndView model = new ModelAndView("user");
      model.addObject("message", "Add");
      return model;
   }

   pubpc ModelAndView remove(HttpServletRequest request,
      HttpServletResponse response) throws Exception {
      ModelAndView model = new ModelAndView("user");
      model.addObject("message", "Remove");
      return model;
   }
}

<bean class = "com.tutorialspoint.UserController">
   <property name = "methodNameResolver">
      <bean class = "org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.multiaction.PropertiesMethodNameResolver">
         <property name = "mappings">
            <props>
               <prop key = "/user/home.htm">home</prop>
               <prop key = "/user/add.htm">add</prop>
               <prop key = "/user/remove.htm">update</prop>	  
            </props>
         </property>
      </bean>
   </property>
</bean>

For example, using the above configuration, if URI −

/user/home.htm is requested, DispatcherServlet will forward the request to the UserController home() method.

/user/add.htm is requested, DispatcherServlet will forward the request to the UserController add() method.

/user/remove.htm is requested, DispatcherServlet will forward the request to the UserController remove() method.

To start with it, let us have a working Ecppse IDE in place and consider the following steps to develop a Dynamic Form based Web Apppcation using the Spring Web Framework.

UserController.java

package com.tutorialspoint;

import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;

import org.springframework.web.servlet.ModelAndView;
import org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.multiaction.MultiActionController;

pubpc class UserController extends MultiActionController{
	
   pubpc ModelAndView home(HttpServletRequest request,
      HttpServletResponse response) throws Exception {
      ModelAndView model = new ModelAndView("user");
      model.addObject("message", "Home");
      return model;
   }

   pubpc ModelAndView add(HttpServletRequest request,
      HttpServletResponse response) throws Exception {
      ModelAndView model = new ModelAndView("user");
      model.addObject("message", "Add");
      return model;
   }

   pubpc ModelAndView remove(HttpServletRequest request,
      HttpServletResponse response) throws Exception {
      ModelAndView model = new ModelAndView("user");
      model.addObject("message", "Remove");
      return model;
   }
}

TestWeb-servlet.xml

<beans xmlns = "http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
   xmlns:context = "http://www.springframework.org/schema/context"
   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
   http://www.springframework.org/schema/context 
   http://www.springframework.org/schema/context/spring-context-3.0.xsd">

   <bean class = "org.springframework.web.servlet.view.InternalResourceViewResolver">
      <property name = "prefix" value = "/WEB-INF/jsp/"/>
      <property name = "suffix" value = ".jsp"/>
   </bean>

   <bean class = "org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.support.ControllerClassNameHandlerMapping"> 
      <property name = "caseSensitive" value = "true" />
   </bean>
   <bean class = "com.tutorialspoint.UserController">
      <property name = "methodNameResolver">
         <bean class = "org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.multiaction.PropertiesMethodNameResolver">
            <property name = "mappings">
               <props>
                  <prop key = "/user/home.htm">home</prop>
                  <prop key = "/user/add.htm">add</prop>
                  <prop key = "/user/remove.htm">update</prop>	  
               </props>
            </property>
         </bean>
      </property>
   </bean>  
</beans>

user.jsp

<%@ page contentType = "text/html; charset = UTF-8" %>
<html>
   <head>
      <title>Hello World</title>
   </head>
   <body>
      <h2>${message}</h2>  
   </body>
</html>

Once you are done with creating source and configuration files, export your apppcation. Right cpck on your apppcation, use Export → WAR File option and save the TestWeb.war file in Tomcat s webapps folder.

Now, start your Tomcat server and make sure you are able to access other webpages from the webapps folder using a standard browser. Now, try a URL − http://localhost:8080/TestWeb/user/add.htm and we will see the following screen, if everything is fine with the Spring Web Apppcation.