When this problem manifests, the plugin throws an exceptionally irrelevant exception that provides very little information. Below is what the exception looks like...
JWSC Exception
An exception has occurred in the compiler (1.7.0_45). Please file a bug at the Java Developer Connection (http://java.sun.com/webapps/bugreport) after checking the Bug Parade for duplicates. Include your program and the following diagnostic in your report. Thank you.
java.lang.IllegalAccessError: tried to access class com.sun.tools.javac.code.Kinds$1 from class com.sun.tools.javac.code.Kinds
at com.sun.tools.javac.code.Kinds.kindName(Kinds.java:146)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.checkMethod(Attr.java:2803)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.checkId(Attr.java:2579)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.visitSelect(Attr.java:2363)
at com.sun.tools.javac.tree.JCTree$JCFieldAccess.accept(JCTree.java:1677)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribTree(Attr.java:431)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribTree(Attr.java:418)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribExpr(Attr.java:449)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.visitApply(Attr.java:1521)
at com.sun.tools.javac.tree.JCTree$JCMethodInvocation.accept(JCTree.java:1321)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribTree(Attr.java:431)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribTree(Attr.java:418)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribExpr(Attr.java:460)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.visitExec(Attr.java:1294)
at com.sun.tools.javac.tree.JCTree$JCExpressionStatement.accept(JCTree.java:1167)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribTree(Attr.java:431)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribTree(Attr.java:418)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribStat(Attr.java:480)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribStats(Attr.java:496)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.visitBlock(Attr.java:918)
at com.sun.tools.javac.tree.JCTree$JCBlock.accept(JCTree.java:781)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribTree(Attr.java:431)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribTree(Attr.java:418)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribStat(Attr.java:480)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.visitMethodDef(Attr.java:836)
at com.sun.tools.javac.tree.JCTree$JCMethodDecl.accept(JCTree.java:669)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribTree(Attr.java:431)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribTree(Attr.java:418)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribStat(Attr.java:480)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribClassBody(Attr.java:3250)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribClass(Attr.java:3173)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attribClass(Attr.java:3109)
at com.sun.tools.javac.comp.Attr.attrib(Attr.java:3083)
at com.sun.tools.javac.main.JavaCompiler.attribute(JavaCompiler.java:1184)
at com.sun.tools.javac.main.JavaCompiler.compile2(JavaCompiler.java:870)
at com.sun.tools.javac.main.JavaCompiler.compile(JavaCompiler.java:829)
at com.sun.tools.javac.main.Main.compile(Main.java:439)
at com.sun.tools.javac.api.JavacTaskImpl.call(JavacTaskImpl.java:132)
at org.codehaus.plexus.compiler.javac.JavaxToolsCompiler.compileInProcess(JavaxToolsCompiler.java:125)
So from that you'd think it's a compiler issue, but the problem actually lies in your own code. Specifically it is the use of unchecked generics that causes it.
To demonstrate, lets assume I have a class called TestClass that has a method called testMethod(). This method expects a List<T> as the input parameter. There is no other code in the method because its not necessary to show this problem.
TestClass.java
package net.igorkromin;
public class TestClass {
public static <T> void testMethod(List<T> arg1) {
// do something
}
}
So far so good. There is nothing extraordinary in the code above (except that it doesn't do anything useful). Now lets say I wanted to make use of this class and its sole method somewhere in my web service code. Lets also say that I was lazy and didn't declare my List properly so my code ends up with an unchecked generic like this...
Failing Java Code
List list = new ArrayList(); // <-- unchecked generic type List
TestClass.testMethod(list);
The above will cause JWSC to fail. For some reason because testMethod() expects a List<T> and it gets a List instead, JWSC goes whacko.
Now if I declare my list variable with a qualified generic type like below, everything works as expected, no complaints from JWSC!
Passing Java Code
List<Integer> list = new ArrayList<>();
TestClass.testMethod(list);
The second version of the code is of course better in many ways, so I wouldn't necessarily call this a JWSC bug, however the exception that is being thrown could have been better or perhaps it should have been a warning saying that there is an unchecked type being used!
-i
