This version is still in development and is not considered stable yet. For the latest stable version, please use Spring Framework 6.0.26!

Context Configuration Inheritance

@ContextConfiguration supports boolean inheritLocations and inheritInitializers attributes that denote whether resource locations or component classes and context initializers declared by superclasses should be inherited. The default value for both flags is true. This means that a test class inherits the resource locations or component classes as well as the context initializers declared by any superclasses. Specifically, the resource locations or component classes for a test class are appended to the list of resource locations or annotated classes declared by superclasses. Similarly, the initializers for a given test class are added to the set of initializers defined by test superclasses. Thus, subclasses have the option of extending the resource locations, component classes, or context initializers.

If the inheritLocations or inheritInitializers attribute in @ContextConfiguration is set to false, the resource locations or component classes and the context initializers, respectively, for the test class shadow and effectively replace the configuration defined by superclasses.

As of Spring Framework 5.3, test configuration may also be inherited from enclosing classes. See @Nested test class configuration for details.

In the next example, which uses XML resource locations, the ApplicationContext for ExtendedTest is loaded from base-config.xml and extended-config.xml, in that order. Beans defined in extended-config.xml can, therefore, override (that is, replace) those defined in base-config.xml. The following example shows how one class can extend another and use both its own configuration file and the superclass’s configuration file:

  • Java

  • Kotlin

@ExtendWith(SpringExtension.class)
// ApplicationContext will be loaded from "/base-config.xml"
// in the root of the classpath
@ContextConfiguration("/base-config.xml") (1)
class BaseTest {
	// class body...
}

// ApplicationContext will be loaded from "/base-config.xml" and
// "/extended-config.xml" in the root of the classpath
@ContextConfiguration("/extended-config.xml") (2)
class ExtendedTest extends BaseTest {
	// class body...
}
1 Configuration file defined in the superclass.
2 Configuration file defined in the subclass. 
@ExtendWith(SpringExtension::class)
// ApplicationContext will be loaded from "/base-config.xml"
// in the root of the classpath
@ContextConfiguration("/base-config.xml") (1)
open class BaseTest {
	// class body...
}

// ApplicationContext will be loaded from "/base-config.xml" and
// "/extended-config.xml" in the root of the classpath
@ContextConfiguration("/extended-config.xml") (2)
class ExtendedTest : BaseTest() {
	// class body...
}
1 Configuration file defined in the superclass.
2 Configuration file defined in the subclass.

Similarly, in the next example, which uses component classes, the ApplicationContext for ExtendedTest is loaded from the BaseConfig and ExtendedConfig classes, in that order. Beans defined in ExtendedConfig can, therefore, override (that is, replace) those defined in BaseConfig. The following example shows how one class can extend another and use both its own configuration class and the superclass’s configuration class:

  • Java

  • Kotlin

// ApplicationContext will be loaded from BaseConfig
@SpringJUnitConfig(BaseConfig.class) (1)
class BaseTest {
	// class body...
}

// ApplicationContext will be loaded from BaseConfig and ExtendedConfig
@SpringJUnitConfig(ExtendedConfig.class) (2)
class ExtendedTest extends BaseTest {
	// class body...
}
1 Configuration class defined in the superclass.
2 Configuration class defined in the subclass. 
// ApplicationContext will be loaded from BaseConfig
@SpringJUnitConfig(BaseConfig::class) (1)
open class BaseTest {
	// class body...
}

// ApplicationContext will be loaded from BaseConfig and ExtendedConfig
@SpringJUnitConfig(ExtendedConfig::class) (2)
class ExtendedTest : BaseTest() {
	// class body...
}
1 Configuration class defined in the superclass.
2 Configuration class defined in the subclass.

In the next example, which uses context initializers, the ApplicationContext for ExtendedTest is initialized by using BaseInitializer and ExtendedInitializer. Note, however, that the order in which the initializers are invoked depends on whether they implement Spring’s Ordered interface or are annotated with Spring’s @Order annotation or the standard @Priority annotation. The following example shows how one class can extend another and use both its own initializer and the superclass’s initializer:

  • Java

  • Kotlin

// ApplicationContext will be initialized by BaseInitializer
@SpringJUnitConfig(initializers = BaseInitializer.class) (1)
class BaseTest {
	// class body...
}

// ApplicationContext will be initialized by BaseInitializer
// and ExtendedInitializer
@SpringJUnitConfig(initializers = ExtendedInitializer.class) (2)
class ExtendedTest extends BaseTest {
	// class body...
}
1 Initializer defined in the superclass.
2 Initializer defined in the subclass. 
// ApplicationContext will be initialized by BaseInitializer
@SpringJUnitConfig(initializers = [BaseInitializer::class]) (1)
open class BaseTest {
	// class body...
}

// ApplicationContext will be initialized by BaseInitializer
// and ExtendedInitializer
@SpringJUnitConfig(initializers = [ExtendedInitializer::class]) (2)
class ExtendedTest : BaseTest() {
	// class body...
}
1 Initializer defined in the superclass.
2 Initializer defined in the subclass.