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Spring - how to use PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer to dynamically load files

i have the next properties files with Spring Framework
config.properties
with content
environment=devel //posible values: devel, testing, prod
and with the previous environment property, choose some of the following files to load dynamically
config-service1-devel.properties
config-service1-testing.properties
config-service1-prod.properties
config-serviceN-devel.properties
config-serviceN-testing.properties
config-serviceN-prod.properties
and then, with spring i want load the properties, i'm solve to load the first properties file but i dont understand how to use expression language to complete the values of the dependent properties.
<bean id="MainApplicationProperties"
class="org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer">
<property name="location"
value="file://#{systemProperties['jboss.server.home.dir']}/conf/services.properties" />
<property name="placeholderPrefix" value="$mainProperty{" />
<property name="placeholderSuffix" value="}" />
</bean>
<bean id="SecondApplicationProperties"
class="org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer"
depends-on="MainApplicationProperties">
<property name="locations">
<list>
<value>file://#{systemProperties['jboss.server.home.dir']}/conf/serviceOne/service1-$mainProperty{environment}.properties</value>
<value>file://#{systemProperties['jboss.server.home.dir']}/conf/serviceTwo/service2-$mainProperty{environment}.properties</value>
<value>file://#{systemProperties['jboss.server.home.dir']}/conf/serviceN/serviceN-$mainProperty{environment}.properties</value>
</list>
</property>
</bean>
the error output is the next,
java.io.FileNotFoundException: /..../conf/serviceOne/service1-$mainProperty{environment}.properties (No such file or directory)
my opinion is, the value has not replaced
helpme, thanks

The problem is that when BeanFactoryPostProcessors are starting to be invoked, they are already instantiated. So even thou the first PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer modifies the bean definition of the second PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer, it has no effect as both beans have been already instantiated.

Is it possible to specify a context property placeholder at runtime

I have a standalone jar that uses spring. The config in my spring xml uses placeholders of which I've been replacing when compiling with maven. Example spring config:
<bean id="foo" class="package.Foo">
<property name="host" value="${db.host}" />
</bean>
Instead of replacing ${db.host} using maven I'd like to pass in a properties file at runtime, e.g.
java -jar Application.jar productionDB.properties
This would allow me to switch the db host at runtime by passing in the production db properties file or the testing db properties file.
Is it possible to do this or are there any better ways of achieving the same goal?

You could specify your property file as a System Property, e.g.:
java -jar Application.jar -DappConfig=/path/to/productionDB.properties
Then you should be able to reference that in your application context:
<context:property-placeholder location="file:${appConfig}"/>
<bean id="foo" class="package.Foo">
<property name="host" value="${db.host}" />
</bean>

You could use a PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer to use a .properties file to pass in the required variables.
<bean id="placeholderConfig"
class="org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer">
<property name="locations">
<list>
<value>classpath:productionDB.properties</value>
</list>
</property>
</bean>
You can leave your bean declaration as is. The properties will be automatically taken from the productionDB.properties file.

There are a few options:
Set your resources via your container's JNDI and use Spring's <jee:jndi-lookup/>.
Use Spring's <context:property-placeholder location="classpath:/myProps.properties" />. I prefer this short-hand over the "full" bean definition because Spring will automatically use the correct implementation (PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer for Spring < 3.1, or PropertySourcesPlaceholderConfigurer for Spring 3.1+). Using this configuration, you would just drop the myProps.properties at the root of your classpath (${TOMCAT_HOME}/lib for example).

You can pass the values using the context:property-placeholder. So your setup would be something like:
<context:property-placeholder location="file://opt/db.properties"/>
Then when you are wiring up your Foo service, you can use the property names in your config, such as
<bean id="foo" class="package.Foo">
<property name="host" value="${db.host}" />
</bean>
Then just use the different set of files for each environmnet
See the spring docs for more details.

externalizing terracottaconfig property in ehcache.xml file inside Spring framework

There is this tag <terracottaConfig url="host1:9510,host2:9510,host3:9510"/> in ehcache.xml file inside spring web application. I want to externalize url attribute of this tag. Value of URL should be replaced by a property from external file. It will be very helpful if you suggest any solution to this problem.

You can put something like this -
<terracottaConfig url="${terracotta.config.location}" /> , however the big catch is that this will be loaded only from the system properties. It is not resolved from PropertyPlaceHolder as it is not a Spring configuration file.
So if you want to use an external config file, you will basically have to programatically set this system property before the Spring Application starts loading up the ehcache.xml file - one way to do that will be write your custom ServletContextListener to load up your properties file and set the system property based on that, this way when the ehcache.xml is loaded up it would be able to resolve the place holder properly.
Your answer helped me to solve my problem. I just want to add that instead of setting system property through program, I am using util:properties as follows
<bean id="sysProperties" class="org.springframework.beans.factory.config.MethodInvokingFactoryBean">
<property name="targetObject" value="#{#systemProperties}"/>
<property name="targetMethod" value="putAll"/>
<property name="arguments">
<util:properties>
<prop key="propertyname_used_in_ecache_xml">#{proerties_defined_using_property_factory['propertyname_defined_in_external_properties_file']}</prop>
</util:properties>
</property>
</bean>
<bean id="cacheManager"
class="org.springframework.cache.ehcache.EhCacheManagerFactoryBean" depends-on="sysProperties">
<property name="configLocation">
<value>classpath:ehcache.xml</value>
</property>
</bean>

PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer + PropertiesFactoryBean only resolving location properties

I am having trouble getting PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer to work in my current configuration. Given the following block of code in my applicationContext.xml:
<bean id="myProperties"
class="org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertiesFactoryBean">
<property name="locations">
<list>
<!-- Order matters, last one to create a property wins! -->
<value>classpath:default.properties</value>
<value>file:${MYAPP_PROPERTIES_LOCATION:badurl}/application.properties</value>
<value>file:${user.home}/developer.properties</value>
</list>
</property>
<property name="ignoreResourceNotFound" value="true"/>
<bean id="propertyConfigurer"
class="org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertiesPlaceholderConfigurer">
<property name="properties" ref="myProperties"/>
<property name="systemPropertiesModeName" value="SYSTEM_PROPERTIES_MODE_OVERRIDE"/>
<property name="searchSystemEnvironment" value="true"/>
</bean>
Then in the default.properties files I have the following (these are test properties):
property1=prop1val
property2=${property1}
What works: the propertyConfigurer correctly resolves both the environment variable MYAPP_PROPERTIES_LOCATION and the System variable user.home. However, then the final properties object is created by the factory bean, the resulting properties are [property1=prop1val, property2=${property1}].
With this configuration, how can I get the properties inside the myProperties bean to resolve their placeholders?? I have done plenty of research to include tracing through the spring code - and I can see how and why this isn't being done. I'm hoping there is some setting I'm just missing! This is my first post so be easy on me :)

You have proper configuration of spring and the property files. That why you are being able to read the data from the file. Everything is proper with what spring is doing too, let me explain a bit more....
As you told below is your property file,
property1=prop1val
property2=${property1}
Remember, it is a pretty text file with key value pairs and it can not take variables. Here, if you are intended to copy the value of property1 to property2 dynamically it is not going to happen. That is not the way we are supposed to use a property file.
Property file is supposed to be simple text file with key-value pairs. So, keep the keys atomic so that you can construct the required data logically from the application or inside your applicationcontext.xml file.

I am not sure why you are using PropertiesFactoryBean. Can you please try just the following (Not sure if you already tried it and any issues you faced)
<bean id="propertyConfigurer"
class="org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer">
<property name="locations">
<list>
<!-- Order matters, last one to create a property wins! -->
<value>classpath:default.properties</value>
<value>file:${MYAPP_PROPERTIES_LOCATION:badurl}/application.properties</value>
<value>file:${user.home}/developer.properties</value>
</list>
</property>
</bean>

loading properties file in spring

One of our team has implemented loading properties this way (see pseudo code below) and advises this approach is right as the client application using this is free to keep the properties in any file. Contrary to the widely used propertyplaceholderconfigurer.
application-context.xml
<bean class="com.mypackage.Myclass">
<property name="xml" value="classpath:"{com.myapp.myproperty1}"> </property>
</bean>
config.properties
com.myapp.myproperty1=data.xml
edit: I should have added it is data.properties and not data.xml. We want to load a property file (this property file is given in the config.properties as a "property".
com.myapp.myproperty1=data.properties
java class
import org.springframework.core.io.Resource;
public class Myclass {
private Resource xmlField;
// setter & getter methods..
}
Is it right to use spring core.io.Resource?
Another reason is the client application wants to load a environment specific configuration. I suggested use the propertyconfigurer and use maven profiles to generate the environment specific build
Can you please advise which one suits which case? and if it differs in different scenarios, please help me point out them?
thanks

You can put the properties in any file and still use PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer. Here's an example that satisfies both your coworker's concerns and your desire for environment specific stuff:
<bean id="propertyPlaceholderConfigurer" class="org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer">
<property name="locations">
<list>
<!-- default settings -->
<value>classpath:MyCompany.properties</value>
<!-- environment-specific settings -->
<value>classpath:MyCompany.${mycompany.env:dev}.properties</value>
<!-- keep your coworker happy -->
<value>classpath:${mycoworker}</value>
<!-- allows emergency reconfiguration via the local file system -->
<value>file:///${user.home}/MyCompany.properties</value>
</list>
</property>
<property name="systemPropertiesModeName" value="SYSTEM_PROPERTIES_MODE_OVERRIDE"/>
<property name="ignoreResourceNotFound" value="true" />
<!-- should be validated separately, in case users of the library load additional properties -->
<property name="ignoreUnresolvablePlaceholders" value="false"/>
</bean>
If you pass in no -D arguments, then you'll pick up the following properties files, where properties in the later files overwrite previously determined values.
MyCompany.properties off the classpath
MyCompany.dev.properties off the classpath
$HOME/MyCompany.properties if it exists
To swap in a production config for #2, just pass -Dmycompany.env=prod to java. Similarly your coworker can pass -Dmycoworker=/some/path/config.properties if he/she wants.

I'm not sure why a PropertyPlaceholderConfigurator wouldn't have been the correct choice.
I've almost always handled environment-specific configs via a customized PPC that can either (a) get a -D parameter on startup, and/or (b) use the machine name, to decide which property file to load.
For me, this is more convenient than bundling the information in via Maven, since I can more easily test arbitrary configurations from whatever machine I'm on (using a -D property).

+1 for Dave's suggestion. You should be using PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer for loading\reading properties. Here is the example i just pulled out from my previous project if you wonder how to use this. This example is for loading multiple properties files but the concept is same. Good luck.
<bean id="projectProperties" class="org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertiesFactoryBean">
<property name="locations">
<list>
<value>classpath:config.properties</value>
</list>
</property>
</bean>
<bean class="org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertyPlaceholderConfigurer">
<property name="properties" ref="projectProperties" />
</bean>
<bean id="uniqueAssetIdRetriever" class="com.mypackage.Myclass">
<property name="xml" value="${com.myapp.myproperty1}" />
</bean>