LazyInitializationException in selectManyCheckbox on @ManyToMany(fetch=LAZY)

Question

What is the best way to handle multiple chackboxes when you nead to fill a JPA M:N relation ... for example I have an JPA entity Hardware and the entity Connectivity.

Hardware has a set for connectivity :

private Set<Connectivity> connectivities = new HashSet<Connectivity>(0);

and has a setter and getter like this :

@ManyToMany(fetch = FetchType.LAZY, cascade = { CascadeType.PERSIST, CascadeType.REFRESH }, mappedBy = "hwProviders")
    public Set<Connectivity> getConnectivities() {
        return this.connectivities;
    }

    public void setConnectivities(Set<Connectivity> connectivities) {
        this.connectivities = connectivities;
    }

I'm using JSF2.2 and primefaces 5.3 in the gui I have:

<p:selectManyCheckbox id="connectivity" value="#{hardware.connectivities}" converter="omnifaces.SelectItemsConverter" layout="pageDirection">
     <f:selectItems value="#{connectivityes}" var="connect" itemValue="#{connect}" itemLabel="#{connect.name}"/>
</p:selectManyCheckbox>

I have problem with lazy exception even if I make a call to force load the set before rendering the view:

hardware.getConnectivities().size();

Any suggiestions on how to handle this situation?

I'm using omnifaces to make the entity conversion.

Tnx to BalusC I have managed to do the loading right but I still have problem wuth saving. When I select the checkbox and submit the form I get the lazy exception in conversion I think:

16:34:50,538 SEVERE [javax.enterprise.resource.webcontainer.jsf.context] (default task-12) org.hibernate.LazyInitializationException: failed to lazily initialize a collection, could not initialize proxy - no Session
    at org.hibernate.collection.internal.AbstractPersistentCollection.throwLazyInitializationException(AbstractPersistentCollection.java:575)
    at org.hibernate.collection.internal.AbstractPersistentCollection.withTemporarySessionIfNeeded(AbstractPersistentCollection.java:214)
    at org.hibernate.collection.internal.AbstractPersistentCollection.initialize(AbstractPersistentCollection.java:554)
    at org.hibernate.collection.internal.PersistentSet.add(PersistentSet.java:202)
    at com.sun.faces.renderkit.html_basic.MenuRenderer.convertSelectManyValuesForModel(MenuRenderer.java:381)
    at com.sun.faces.renderkit.html_basic.MenuRenderer.convertSelectManyValue(MenuRenderer.java:128)
    at com.sun.faces.renderkit.html_basic.MenuRenderer.getConvertedValue(MenuRenderer.java:314)
    at org.primefaces.component.selectmanycheckbox.SelectManyCheckboxRenderer.getConvertedValue(SelectManyCheckboxRenderer.java:39)
    at javax.faces.component.UIInput.getConvertedValue(UIInput.java:1045)
    at javax.faces.component.UIInput.validate(UIInput.java:975)
    at javax.faces.component.UIInput.executeValidate(UIInput.java:1248)
    at javax.faces.component.UIInput.processValidators(UIInput.java:712)
    at javax.faces.component.UIForm.processValidators(UIForm.java:253)
    at javax.faces.component.UIComponentBase.processValidators(UIComponentBase.java:1260)
    at javax.faces.component.UIComponentBase.processValidators(UIComponentBase.java:1260)
    at javax.faces.component.UIViewRoot.processValidators(UIViewRoot.java:1195)
    at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.ProcessValidationsPhase.execute(ProcessValidationsPhase.java:76)
    at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.Phase.doPhase(Phase.java:101)
    at com.sun.faces.lifecycle.LifecycleImpl.execute(LifecycleImpl.java:198)
    at javax.faces.webapp.FacesServlet.service(FacesServlet.java:646)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.ServletHandler.handleRequest(ServletHandler.java:85)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.FilterHandler$FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterHandler.java:130)
    at si.arctur.filter.SessionFilter.doFilter(SessionFilter.java:76)
    at io.undertow.servlet.core.ManagedFilter.doFilter(ManagedFilter.java:60)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.FilterHandler$FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterHandler.java:132)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.FilterHandler.handleRequest(FilterHandler.java:85)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.security.ServletSecurityRoleHandler.handleRequest(ServletSecurityRoleHandler.java:61)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.ServletDispatchingHandler.handleRequest(ServletDispatchingHandler.java:36)
    at org.wildfly.extension.undertow.security.SecurityContextAssociationHandler.handleRequest(SecurityContextAssociationHandler.java:78)
    at io.undertow.server.handlers.PredicateHandler.handleRequest(PredicateHandler.java:43)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.security.SSLInformationAssociationHandler.handleRequest(SSLInformationAssociationHandler.java:131)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.security.ServletAuthenticationCallHandler.handleRequest(ServletAuthenticationCallHandler.java:56)
    at io.undertow.server.handlers.PredicateHandler.handleRequest(PredicateHandler.java:43)
    at io.undertow.security.handlers.AbstractConfidentialityHandler.handleRequest(AbstractConfidentialityHandler.java:45)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.security.ServletConfidentialityConstraintHandler.handleRequest(ServletConfidentialityConstraintHandler.java:63)
    at io.undertow.security.handlers.AuthenticationMechanismsHandler.handleRequest(AuthenticationMechanismsHandler.java:58)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.security.CachedAuthenticatedSessionHandler.handleRequest(CachedAuthenticatedSessionHandler.java:70)
    at io.undertow.security.handlers.SecurityInitialHandler.handleRequest(SecurityInitialHandler.java:76)
    at io.undertow.server.handlers.PredicateHandler.handleRequest(PredicateHandler.java:43)
    at org.wildfly.extension.undertow.security.jacc.JACCContextIdHandler.handleRequest(JACCContextIdHandler.java:61)
    at io.undertow.server.handlers.PredicateHandler.handleRequest(PredicateHandler.java:43)
    at io.undertow.server.handlers.PredicateHandler.handleRequest(PredicateHandler.java:43)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.ServletInitialHandler.handleFirstRequest(ServletInitialHandler.java:261)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.ServletInitialHandler.dispatchRequest(ServletInitialHandler.java:247)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.ServletInitialHandler.access$000(ServletInitialHandler.java:76)
    at io.undertow.servlet.handlers.ServletInitialHandler$1.handleRequest(ServletInitialHandler.java:166)
    at io.undertow.server.Connectors.executeRootHandler(Connectors.java:197)
    at io.undertow.server.HttpServerExchange$1.run(HttpServerExchange.java:759)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1142)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:617)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)

Curb

Answer 1

You need to fetch it while inside a transaction (thus, inside the service method), and not while outside a transaction (thus, inside e.g. JSF managed bean init/action method), that would thus throw a LazyInitializationException.

So, your attempt

hardware.getConnectivities().size();

has to take place inside a transaction. Create if necessary a new service method for the purpose whereby you pass the entity which was obtained before in another transaction.

hardwareService.fetchConnectivities(hardware);

public void fetchConnectivities(Hardware hardware) {
    hardware.setConnectivities(em.merge(hardware).getConnectivities()); // Becomes managed.
    hardware.getConnectivities().size(); // Triggers lazy initialization.
}

An alternative would be to create a DTO for the purpose which has it eagerly fetched.

And then to save the selected items, make sure that you explicitly specify the selection component's collectionType attribute to a standard Java type rather than letting it autodiscover a JPA impl specific lazy loaded type such as org.hibernate.collection.internal.PersistentSet in your specific case. JSF needs it in order to instantiate the collection before filling it with the selected items.

<p:selectManyCheckbox ... collectionType="java.util.LinkedHashSet">

See also org.hibernate.LazyInitializationException at com.sun.faces.renderkit.html_basic.MenuRenderer.convertSelectManyValuesForModel.

Winger

I am doing that inside the PostConstruct of the ViewScoped cdi bean – Curb

As answered, that's not inside a transaction. – Winger

Ok and when I try to save I also get lazy exception ... what is the proper way to handle save in this situations? – Curb

Just make sure it's already fetched in a transaction. You do understand what a transaction is? If not, this is perhaps food for read: https://mcmap.net/q/16668/-when-is-it-necessary-or-convenient-to-use-spring-or-ejb3-or-all-of-them-together – Winger

Hmm even if I fetch it inside a transaction for example in a EJB method an the pass it to the managed bean when I try to save it it throws again the lazy exception – Curb

Let us continue this discussion in chat. – Curb

Ah, that exception in updated Q was helpful. I updated the answer. – Winger

That was it tnx for help – Curb

@BalusC: them em.merge(hardware) does afaik not make the hardware be merged. The return value of the merge is, so it needs to be hardware = em.merge(hardware) – Buskirk

Answer 2

I fix it only by specifie

<f:attribute name="collectionType" value="java.util.LinkedHashSet" />

Augmentative

Then you were already inside a transaction as mentioned in the other answer – Buskirk