Outdated Javadoc for AbstractApplicationContext.postProcessBeanFactory

[jxblum]

The Javadoc for the AbstractApplicationContext.postProcessBeanFactory(:ConfigurableListableBeanFactory) method specifically states:

"All bean definitions will have been loaded, but no beans will have been instantiated yet."

While the later is true, the former is no longer true when bean definitions come from @Configuration classes, which won't be processed (i.e. "loaded" & "registered") until the ConfigurationClassPostProcessor is invoked.

Technically, it is a difference between here (the method and Javadoc in question) vs. here (where the ConfigurationClassPostProcessor will eventually be invoked).

As you know, the ConfigurationClassPostProcessor uses the ConfigurationClassBeanDefinitionReader to "load" bean definitions.

At one time, most likely during the days of XML configuration, and before the advent of JavaConfig with @Configuration classes, this statement was probably true. However, now the statement may be a bit misleading for framework developers building extensions to the framework, such as an ApplicationContext implementation extending from AbstractApplicationContext.