Null Pointer Exception JSF

Question

I'm getting a Null Pointer Exception when using my web app. This exception is thrown at the login page. I enter both username and pass but it seems that the value or the evaluation of the expression #{userBean.user} or #{userBean.pass} is returning null.

My configuration: Apache Tomcat 7.0.22, Mojarra 2.1.6, RichFaces 4.1

Here's the stacktrace

javax.faces.el.EvaluationException: java.lang.NullPointerException
    at javax.faces.component.MethodBindingMethodExpressionAdapter.invoke(MethodBindingMethodExpressionAdapter.java:102)
    at com.sun.faces.application.ActionListenerImpl.processAction(ActionListenerImpl.java:102)
    at javax.faces.component.UICommand.broadcast(UICommand.java:315)
    at javax.faces.component.UIViewRoot.broadcastEvents(UIViewRoot.java:794)
    at javax.faces.component.UIViewRoot.processApplication(UIViewRoot.java:1259)
    at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.InvokeApplicationPhase.execute(InvokeApplicationPhase.java:81)
    at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.Phase.doPhase(Phase.java:101)
    at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.LifecycleImpl.execute(LifecycleImpl.java:118)
    at javax.faces.webapp.FacesServlet.service(FacesServlet.java:593)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:304)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:210)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:224)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:169)
    at org.apache.catalina.authenticator.AuthenticatorBase.invoke(AuthenticatorBase.java:472)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:168)
    at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorReportValve.invoke(ErrorReportValve.java:100)
    at org.apache.catalina.valves.AccessLogValve.invoke(AccessLogValve.java:929)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngineValve.java:118)
    at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:405)
    at org.apache.coyote.http11.AbstractHttp11Processor.process(AbstractHttp11Processor.java:964)
    at org.apache.coyote.AbstractProtocol$AbstractConnectionHandler.process(AbstractProtocol.java:515)
    at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.AprEndpoint$SocketProcessor.run(AprEndpoint.java:1824)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1110)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:603)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:722)
Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException
    at mx.gob.sagarpa.utilidades.Database.checkUser(Database.java:61)
    at mx.gob.sagarpa.beans.UserBean.doLogin(UserBean.java:70)
    at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
    at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:57)
    at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:601)
    at org.apache.el.parser.AstValue.invoke(AstValue.java:262)
    at org.apache.el.MethodExpressionImpl.invoke(MethodExpressionImpl.java:278)
    at com.sun.faces.facelets.el.TagMethodExpression.invoke(TagMethodExpression.java:105)
    at javax.faces.component.MethodBindingMethodExpressionAdapter.invoke(MethodBindingMethodExpressionAdapter.java:88)
    ... 24 more

What can I do?

BalusC · Accepted Answer · 2012-02-13 16:02:43Z

You need to head to the bottomost "Caused by" part of the stacktrace for the real root cause. In your particular case that is the following:

Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException
    at mx.gob.sagarpa.utilidades.Database.checkUser(Database.java:61)

You see, at line 61 of Database class, inside the checkUser() method, some object reference is null while the code is accessing it by the period operator ..

someObject = null;
someObject.doSomething(); // NullPointerException!

To fix it, you'd need to either add a nullcheck

if (someObject != null) {
    someObject.doSomething();
} else {
    // Take alternate path?
}

or to make sure that it's never null

someObject = createItSomehow();
someObject.doSomething(); // Okay.

Which path to take depends on the concrete functional requirement which is not clear from the question. But you should now at least understand why a NullPointerException can occur. This is also explained in its javadoc (which should be the #1 source for finding information about classes, including exceptions):

Thrown when an application attempts to use null in a case where an object is required. These include:

Calling the instance method of a null object.

Accessing or modifying the field of a null object.

Taking the length of null as if it were an array.

Accessing or modifying the slots of null as if it were an array.

Throwing null as if it were a Throwable value.

Applications should throw instances of this class to indicate other illegal uses of the null object.

That said, this problem is not exactly related to JSF. It's just basic Java. I'd suggest to take some time to go through a decent basic Java book/tutorial.

Thanks, sometimes I forgot to check everything. Indeed I freaked out because it was working a few hours ago but I think is related to the DB.

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