BeanFactory and Application Context

Bean Factory

• Bean instantiation/wiring

Application Context

• Bean instantiation/wiring
• Automatic BeanPostProcessor registration
• Automatic BeanFactoryPostProcessor registration
• Convenient MessageSource access (for i18n)
• ApplicationEvent publication

---

Bean Factory

 

BeanFactory beanFactory = new DefaultListableBeanFactory();
XmlBeanDefinitionReader reader = new XmlBeanDefinitionReader((BeanDefinitionRegistry) beanFactory);
reader.loadBeanDefinitions(new ClassPathResource("spring.xml"));

ComponentClass cc = (ComponentClass) beanFactory.getBean("compclass");

 

---

<bean id="compclass" class="com.classes.ComponentClass" />

 

---

Application Context

ApplicationContext context = new ClassPathXmlApplicationContext("spring.xml");
ComponentClass cc = (ComponentClass) context.getBean("compclass");

 

---

 

<bean id="propertyConfigurer" class="org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer"
      p:location="myproperties.properties" />

<bean id="compclass" class="com.classes.ComponentClass" p:age="${myp.age}" />

 

---

<bean id="compclass" class="com.classes.ComponentClass">
    <property name="age" value="30"/>
</bean>

 

---

Ref:

1. http://stackoverflow.com/questions/243385/beanfactory-vs-applicationcontext
2. http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5231371/springs-xmlbeanfactory-is-deprecated