exception-handler with custom exception in jbpm 3.2.6

[massimo.zanette]

Hi,
I'm not able to define an exeption-handler that handle Exception included inside the process archive. I'm using jbpm 3.2.6SP1 with jboss 5.0.1 and jboss 4.2.3.

That's the problem:
Using JBPM console I deploy a process archive with this process definition:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<process-definition xmlns="urn:jbpm.org:jpdl-3.2" name="testException">
 <start-state name="start">
 <transition to="state1"></transition>
 <event type="node-leave">
 <script name="sysout">
 java.lang.System.out.println("---STARTING PROCESS testException--- ");
 </script>
 </event>
 </start-state>
 <state name="state1">
 <transition to="end-state">
 <action name="ThrowMyException" class="com.sample.action.ThrowMyExceptionActionHandler"></action>
 </transition>
 </state>
 <end-state name="end-state">
 <event type="node-enter">
 <script name="sysout">
 java.lang.System.out.println("---END PROCESS testException--- ");
 </script>
 </event>
 </end-state>
 <exception-handler exception-class="com.sample.action.MyException">
 <action name="exceptionHandler"
 class="com.sample.action.MyExceptionHandler">
 </action>
 </exception-handler>
</process-definition>

When the execution enter "state1" i can see that:
- com.sample.action.ThrowMyExceptionActionHandler is entered
- This action is empty, it only throws a com.sample.action.MyException-
- com.sample.action.MyExceptionHandler is not reached and JBPMConsole report this error:

Error signalling token: An exception of type "org.jbpm.JbpmException"
was thrown. The message is: class not found 'com.sample.action.MyException'


If i change the exception-class with java.lang.Exception inside the excpetion-handler the exception will be correctly caught and the process execution finish without problems.

<exception-handler exception-class="java.lang.Exception">
 <action name="exceptionHandler"
 class="com.sample.action.MyExceptionHandler">
 </action>
 </exception-handler>

I don't experience this problem if i try this process with a simple JUnit test case.
Am i doing something wrong?
Thanks

Max

[kukeltje]

With simple unit tests you do not use the process classloader from the database, but the normal classloader. Since the custom exception is on the latter it works. Afaik (but I'm not sure) jBPM only supports loading actionhandlers from the processclassloader and not all other classes.

The 'solution' is to not put the Exception in the processarchive but on another (web/ear/system/...) classpath

[massimo.zanette]

I guess you are right, but this make me a little bit confusing.
Putting Action and exception-handler inside the Process Archive give me an easy (and already built) way for managing versioning (I'm thinking about point 18.2.2 in http://docs.jboss.org/jbpm/v3/userguide/jpdl.html#delegation ).
Does it means that i can version Action but i can't version exception-handler?

[kukeltje]

You can version the exception-handler class, but not the exception class.