[SOLVED] How to use dot ('.') in OGNL to bind input fields in Struts 2?

How to use dot ('.') in OGNL to bind input fields in Struts 2?

I'm trying to understand somebody's else Struts 2 code and I'm stuck with a data passing problem.

I know that on a JSP page, if you use a <s:textfield name="something" ... /> tag, thrn Struts 2 will try to call setSomething(...) automatically in the action class.

I'm now seeing this type of code:

<s:textfield name="item.name" ... />

and I'm wondering, how does this . (dot) work? I have a method called setItem() in my action class, and the object that is being set in that method has a setName() method, but apparently this doesn't work. What does the dot means between item and name, and how do I use it correctly to instantiate the item and set its name?

PS: The item object that is being set in setItem() in my action class has an empty args constructor.

Solution

The problem is solved. The getItem() actually contained the following code:

public Item getItem()
{
    System.out.println("Trying to get item: " + item.toString());
    return item;
}

And this gave a nullpointer exception because item was null. Only, this nullpointerexception was NOT THROWN by the struts framework! The code just continued (and failed of course...). When I removed the sysout statement, the code worked.