This is an automated email from the ASF dual-hosted git repository. lukaszlenart pushed a commit to branch fix/WW-2963-default-action-ref-wildcard-fallback in repository https://gitbox.apache.org/repos/asf/struts.git
commit 9cfe25430eb554ae0667542278dfa81b8525dbfd Author: Lukasz Lenart <[email protected]> AuthorDate: Fri Mar 6 11:23:02 2026 +0100 WW-2963 fix(core): resolve default-action-ref via wildcard matching When default-action-ref names an action that only exists as a wildcard pattern (e.g., "movie-list" matching "movie-*"), the fallback now tries wildcard matching after the exact map lookup fails. This mirrors the exact→wildcard resolution already used for request action names. 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <[email protected]> --- .../struts2/config/impl/DefaultConfiguration.java | 3 + .../apache/struts2/config/ConfigurationTest.java | 32 +++++ core/src/test/resources/xwork-sample.xml | 21 ++++ ...WW-2963-default-action-ref-wildcard-fallback.md | 138 +++++++++++++++++++++ 4 files changed, 194 insertions(+) diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/struts2/config/impl/DefaultConfiguration.java b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/struts2/config/impl/DefaultConfiguration.java index 9ec9f9c20..029876abc 100644 --- a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/struts2/config/impl/DefaultConfiguration.java +++ b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/struts2/config/impl/DefaultConfiguration.java @@ -624,6 +624,9 @@ public class DefaultConfiguration implements Configuration { String defaultActionRef = namespaceConfigs.get(namespace); if (defaultActionRef != null) { config = actions.get(defaultActionRef); + if (config == null) { + config = namespaceActionConfigMatchers.get(namespace).match(defaultActionRef); + } } } } diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/apache/struts2/config/ConfigurationTest.java b/core/src/test/java/org/apache/struts2/config/ConfigurationTest.java index 039928bf5..4b949fe39 100644 --- a/core/src/test/java/org/apache/struts2/config/ConfigurationTest.java +++ b/core/src/test/java/org/apache/struts2/config/ConfigurationTest.java @@ -337,6 +337,38 @@ public class ConfigurationTest extends XWorkTestCase { } + public void testDefaultActionRefWithWildcard() { + RuntimeConfiguration configuration = configurationManager.getConfiguration().getRuntimeConfiguration(); + + // "unknown-action" doesn't exist in /wildcard-default, so default-action-ref "movie-input" should be used + // "movie-input" matches wildcard "movie-*", so it should resolve via wildcard matching + ActionConfig config = configuration.getActionConfig("/wildcard-default", "unknown-action"); + + assertNotNull("Default action ref should resolve via wildcard matching", config); + assertEquals("org.apache.struts2.SimpleAction", config.getClassName()); + assertEquals("input", config.getMethodName()); + } + + public void testDefaultActionRefWithExactMatch() { + RuntimeConfiguration configuration = configurationManager.getConfiguration().getRuntimeConfiguration(); + + // default-action-ref "home" matches an exact action, so it should resolve without wildcard matching + ActionConfig config = configuration.getActionConfig("/exact-default", "unknown-action"); + + assertNotNull("Default action ref should resolve via exact match", config); + assertEquals("org.apache.struts2.SimpleAction", config.getClassName()); + assertEquals("execute", config.getMethodName()); + } + + public void testDefaultActionRefWithWildcardNoMatch() { + RuntimeConfiguration configuration = configurationManager.getConfiguration().getRuntimeConfiguration(); + + // default-action-ref "no-match-anywhere" matches neither an exact action nor wildcard "movie-*" + ActionConfig config = configuration.getActionConfig("/wildcard-default-nomatch", "unknown-action"); + + assertNull("Should return null when default-action-ref matches neither exact nor wildcard", config); + } + @Override protected void setUp() throws Exception { super.setUp(); diff --git a/core/src/test/resources/xwork-sample.xml b/core/src/test/resources/xwork-sample.xml index 93c35c134..5bc189d82 100644 --- a/core/src/test/resources/xwork-sample.xml +++ b/core/src/test/resources/xwork-sample.xml @@ -304,5 +304,26 @@ <!-- default-class-ref is expected to be inherited --> </package> + <package name="wildcardDefault" extends="default" namespace="/wildcard-default"> + <default-action-ref name="movie-input"/> + <action name="movie-*" class="org.apache.struts2.SimpleAction" method="{1}"> + <result name="success" type="mock"/> + </action> + </package> + + <package name="exactDefault" extends="default" namespace="/exact-default"> + <default-action-ref name="home"/> + <action name="home" class="org.apache.struts2.SimpleAction" method="execute"> + <result name="success" type="mock"/> + </action> + </package> + + <package name="wildcardDefaultNoMatch" extends="default" namespace="/wildcard-default-nomatch"> + <default-action-ref name="no-match-anywhere"/> + <action name="movie-*" class="org.apache.struts2.SimpleAction" method="{1}"> + <result name="success" type="mock"/> + </action> + </package> + <include file="includeTest.xml"/> </struts> diff --git a/thoughts/shared/research/2026-03-06-WW-2963-default-action-ref-wildcard-fallback.md b/thoughts/shared/research/2026-03-06-WW-2963-default-action-ref-wildcard-fallback.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..26b21cdb6 --- /dev/null +++ b/thoughts/shared/research/2026-03-06-WW-2963-default-action-ref-wildcard-fallback.md @@ -0,0 +1,138 @@ +--- +date: 2026-03-06T12:00:00+01:00 +topic: "default-action-ref fails to find wildcard named actions" +tags: [research, codebase, default-action-ref, wildcard, action-mapping, DefaultConfiguration] +status: complete +--- + +# Research: WW-2963 — default-action-ref fails to find wildcard named actions + +**Date**: 2026-03-06 +**Ticket**: [WW-2963](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/WW-2963) + +## Research Question + +When `<default-action-ref name="movie-list"/>` is configured and the only matching action uses a wildcard pattern `<action name="movie-*" ...>`, Struts returns a 404 instead of resolving the default action through wildcard matching. + +## Summary + +The bug is in `DefaultConfiguration.RuntimeConfigurationImpl.findActionConfigInNamespace()`. When the default-action-ref fallback triggers (step 3 of the resolution chain), it only performs an **exact map lookup** (`actions.get(defaultActionRef)`) for the default action name. It does NOT attempt wildcard matching. This means if the default action name (e.g., "movie-list") is only matchable via a wildcard pattern (e.g., "movie-*"), the lookup returns `null` and the request fails with a 404. + +The fix is to also try the wildcard matcher when the exact lookup for the default action ref fails. + +## Detailed Findings + +### Action Resolution Order (within a namespace) + +In [`DefaultConfiguration.java:611-632`](https://github.com/apache/struts/blob/4c94c4f89a15b3102c3822dfc64dca15ee42a731/core/src/main/java/org/apache/struts2/config/impl/DefaultConfiguration.java#L611-L632): + +```java +private ActionConfig findActionConfigInNamespace(String namespace, String name) { + ActionConfig config = null; + if (namespace == null) { + namespace = ""; + } + Map<String, ActionConfig> actions = namespaceActionConfigs.get(namespace); + if (actions != null) { + config = actions.get(name); // 1. Exact match + if (config == null) { + config = namespaceActionConfigMatchers.get(namespace).match(name); // 2. Wildcard match + if (config == null) { + String defaultActionRef = namespaceConfigs.get(namespace); + if (defaultActionRef != null) { + config = actions.get(defaultActionRef); // 3. Default (EXACT ONLY — BUG) + } + } + } + } + return config; +} +``` + +Steps 1 and 2 correctly try exact then wildcard matching for the **incoming request name**. But step 3 (the default-action-ref fallback) only does `actions.get(defaultActionRef)` — an exact map lookup. It never tries wildcard matching for the default action name. + +### The Bug Scenario + +Configuration: +```xml +<package name="default" namespace="/" extends="struts-default"> + <default-action-ref name="movie-list"/> + <action name="movie-*" class="MovieAction" method="{1}"/> +</package> +``` + +When a request hits an unknown action in namespace `/`: +1. `actions.get("unknownAction")` → `null` (no exact match) +2. `namespaceActionConfigMatchers.get("/").match("unknownAction")` → `null` (doesn't match `movie-*`) +3. `defaultActionRef` = `"movie-list"` from `namespaceConfigs` +4. `actions.get("movie-list")` → `null` ← **BUG**: "movie-list" is not a key in the actions map; it's only matchable via the wildcard pattern "movie-*" +5. Result: `null` → 404 + +### The Fix + +After the exact lookup fails for the default action ref, also try the wildcard matcher: + +```java +if (config == null) { + String defaultActionRef = namespaceConfigs.get(namespace); + if (defaultActionRef != null) { + config = actions.get(defaultActionRef); + if (config == null) { + config = namespaceActionConfigMatchers.get(namespace).match(defaultActionRef); + } + } +} +``` + +This adds one line: try `namespaceActionConfigMatchers.get(namespace).match(defaultActionRef)` when `actions.get(defaultActionRef)` returns null, mirroring the same exact→wildcard fallback pattern already used for the request name. + +### How `actions` Map Is Built + +In [`DefaultConfiguration.java:440-478`](https://github.com/apache/struts/blob/4c94c4f89a15b3102c3822dfc64dca15ee42a731/core/src/main/java/org/apache/struts2/config/impl/DefaultConfiguration.java#L440-L478), `buildRuntimeConfiguration()` iterates all `PackageConfig` instances and populates: + +- `namespaceActionConfigs`: `Map<String, Map<String, ActionConfig>>` — namespace → (action pattern name → ActionConfig). Keys are the literal declared names (e.g., `"movie-*"`), NOT expanded names. +- `namespaceConfigs`: `Map<String, String>` — namespace → default action ref name (e.g., `"movie-list"`). + +The `ActionConfigMatcher` is then built from the action names in each namespace, compiling only non-literal (wildcard-containing) names into patterns. + +### How Wildcard Matching Works + +The matching chain is: +1. `ActionConfigMatcher.match(name)` → inherited from `AbstractMatcher.match()` ([`AbstractMatcher.java:131-148`](https://github.com/apache/struts/blob/4c94c4f89a15b3102c3822dfc64dca15ee42a731/core/src/main/java/org/apache/struts2/config/impl/AbstractMatcher.java#L131-L148)) +2. Uses `WildcardHelper.match()` (default `PatternMatcher` impl) to match the input against compiled patterns +3. On match, `ActionConfigMatcher.convert()` clones the `ActionConfig` substituting `{1}`, `{2}`, etc. with captured groups + +### Key Classes + +| Concern | Class | File | +|---|---|---| +| Resolution order (exact→wildcard→default) | `RuntimeConfigurationImpl` | [`DefaultConfiguration.java:611-632`](https://github.com/apache/struts/blob/4c94c4f89a15b3102c3822dfc64dca15ee42a731/core/src/main/java/org/apache/struts2/config/impl/DefaultConfiguration.java#L611-L632) | +| Runtime config build | `DefaultConfiguration` | [`DefaultConfiguration.java:440-478`](https://github.com/apache/struts/blob/4c94c4f89a15b3102c3822dfc64dca15ee42a731/core/src/main/java/org/apache/struts2/config/impl/DefaultConfiguration.java#L440-L478) | +| Wildcard pattern storage/matching | `AbstractMatcher` | [`AbstractMatcher.java:95-148`](https://github.com/apache/struts/blob/4c94c4f89a15b3102c3822dfc64dca15ee42a731/core/src/main/java/org/apache/struts2/config/impl/AbstractMatcher.java#L95-L148) | +| ActionConfig wildcard cloning | `ActionConfigMatcher` | [`ActionConfigMatcher.java:58-152`](https://github.com/apache/struts/blob/4c94c4f89a15b3102c3822dfc64dca15ee42a731/core/src/main/java/org/apache/struts2/config/impl/ActionConfigMatcher.java#L58-L152) | +| Default `*`/`**` matcher | `WildcardHelper` | [`WildcardHelper.java`](https://github.com/apache/struts/blob/4c94c4f89a15b3102c3822dfc64dca15ee42a731/core/src/main/java/org/apache/struts2/util/WildcardHelper.java) | +| PackageConfig default-action-ref storage | `PackageConfig` | [`PackageConfig.java:52, 262-273`](https://github.com/apache/struts/blob/4c94c4f89a15b3102c3822dfc64dca15ee42a731/core/src/main/java/org/apache/struts2/config/entities/PackageConfig.java#L262-L273) | +| XML parsing of default-action-ref | `XmlDocConfigurationProvider` | [`XmlDocConfigurationProvider.java:833-840`](https://github.com/apache/struts/blob/4c94c4f89a15b3102c3822dfc64dca15ee42a731/core/src/main/java/org/apache/struts2/config/providers/XmlDocConfigurationProvider.java#L833-L840) | + +## Code References + +- `core/src/main/java/org/apache/struts2/config/impl/DefaultConfiguration.java:626` — The buggy line: `config = actions.get(defaultActionRef)` without wildcard fallback +- `core/src/main/java/org/apache/struts2/config/impl/DefaultConfiguration.java:621` — How wildcard matching IS correctly done for the request name (just above the buggy code) +- `core/src/main/java/org/apache/struts2/config/impl/DefaultConfiguration.java:440-478` — `buildRuntimeConfiguration()` where action maps and default refs are built + +## Existing Test Coverage + +- **No tests exist** for WW-2963 or the combination of default-action-ref with wildcard actions +- Wildcard tests exist in `ConfigurationTest.java:91-116` (testWildcardName, testWildcardNamespace) +- Default-action-ref is used in production XML (showcase, tiles, etc.) but never tested with wildcards +- Best place to add a test: `ConfigurationTest.java` or a new test using a dedicated test XML config + +## Architecture Insights + +The resolution chain (exact → wildcard → default) was designed so that default-action-ref is a last resort. However, the implementation assumed the default action ref name would always correspond to a literally-declared action. The fix is minimal and consistent with the existing pattern — just add a wildcard match attempt for the default action ref name, the same way it's already done for the request name. + +## Open Questions + +1. Should there be a validation at configuration load time that warns if `default-action-ref` doesn't resolve to any action (neither exact nor wildcard)? +2. Should the wildcard-matched default action also support `{1}` substitution (e.g., "movie-list" matching "movie-*" with `{1}` = "list")? The current `ActionConfigMatcher.convert()` already handles this. +3. Does the same issue exist in the namespace-level wildcard fallback at `getActionConfig()` lines 581-605? (Likely no — namespace matching uses `NamespaceMatcher` which already does wildcard matching.)
