Package org.springframework.context

This package builds on the beans package to add support for message sources and for the Observer design pattern, and the ability for application objects to obtain resources using a consistent API.

See: Description

Interface Summary

Interface	Description
ApplicationContext	Central interface to provide configuration for an application.
ApplicationContextAware	Interface to be implemented by any object that wishes to be notified of the ApplicationContext that it runs in.
ApplicationContextInitializer<C extends ConfigurableApplicationContext>	Callback interface for initializing a Spring ConfigurableApplicationContext prior to being refreshed.
ApplicationEventPublisher	Interface that encapsulates event publication functionality.
ApplicationEventPublisherAware	Interface to be implemented by any object that wishes to be notified of the ApplicationEventPublisher (typically the ApplicationContext) that it runs in.
ApplicationListener<E extends ApplicationEvent>	Interface to be implemented by application event listeners.
ConfigurableApplicationContext	SPI interface to be implemented by most if not all application contexts.
EmbeddedValueResolverAware	Interface to be implemented by any object that wishes to be notified of a StringValueResolver for the resolution of embedded definition values.
EnvironmentAware	Interface to be implemented by any bean that wishes to be notified of the Environment that it runs in.
HierarchicalMessageSource	Sub-interface of MessageSource to be implemented by objects that can resolve messages hierarchically.
Lifecycle	A common interface defining methods for start/stop lifecycle control.
LifecycleProcessor	Strategy interface for processing Lifecycle beans within the ApplicationContext.
MessageSource	Strategy interface for resolving messages, with support for the parameterization and internationalization of such messages.
MessageSourceAware	Interface to be implemented by any object that wishes to be notified of the MessageSource (typically the ApplicationContext) that it runs in.
MessageSourceResolvable	Interface for objects that are suitable for message resolution in a MessageSource.
Phased	Interface for objects that may participate in a phased process such as lifecycle management.
ResourceLoaderAware	Interface to be implemented by any object that wishes to be notified of the ResourceLoader (typically the ApplicationContext) that it runs in.
SmartLifecycle	An extension of the Lifecycle interface for those objects that require to be started upon ApplicationContext refresh and/or shutdown in a particular order.

Class Summary

Class	Description
ApplicationEvent	Class to be extended by all application events.
PayloadApplicationEvent<T>	An ApplicationEvent that carries an arbitrary payload.

Exception Summary

Exception	Description
ApplicationContextException	Exception thrown during application context initialization.
NoSuchMessageException	Exception thrown when a message can't be resolved.

Package org.springframework.context Description

This package builds on the beans package to add support for message sources and for the Observer design pattern, and the ability for application objects to obtain resources using a consistent API.

There is no necessity for Spring applications to depend on ApplicationContext or even BeanFactory functionality explicitly. One of the strengths of the Spring architecture is that application objects can often be configured without any dependency on Spring-specific APIs.