Solve:Errors/BindingResult argument declared without preceding model attribute

Sometimes Spring MVC will amaze you with totally unexpected exceptions. You have no idea why that is coming. For instance, recently I wrote a small piece of Spring MVC Controller code, one like below:

@Controller public class UserController { @RequestMapping(value = "addUser") public String addUser(@ModelAttribute("userForm") UserForm userForm, ModelMap map, BindingResult results) { if (results.hasErrors()) { return "add_user_form"; } return "add_user_success"; } //... }
Code language: Java (java)

And while executing the application, I got a strange exception:

Throwable occurred: java.lang.IllegalStateException: Errors/BindingResult argument declared without preceding model attribute. Check your handler method signature! at org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.support.HandlerMethodInvoker.resolveHandlerArguments(HandlerMethodInvoker.java:335) at org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.support.HandlerMethodInvoker.invokeHandlerMethod(HandlerMethodInvoker.java:171) at org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.annotation.AnnotationMethodHandlerAdapter.invokeHandlerMethod(AnnotationMethodHandlerAdapter.java:436) at org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.annotation.AnnotationMethodHandlerAdapter.handle(AnnotationMethodHandlerAdapter.java:424) at org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.doDispatch(DispatcherServlet.java:923) at org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.doService(DispatcherServlet.java:852) at org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.processRequest(FrameworkServlet.java:882) at org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.doPost(FrameworkServlet.java:789)
Code language: Java (java)

What!!!?

Problem Statement

How to solve below exception in Spring MVC? 

java.lang.IllegalStateException: Errors/BindingResult argument declared without preceding model attribute. Check your handler method signature.

Solution

Well basically Spring expects the BindingResult attribute to be present right after your Model attribute. So if we change the above controller method to:

@RequestMapping(value = "addUser") public String addUser(@ModelAttribute("userForm") UserForm userForm, BindingResult results, ModelMap map)
Code language: Java (java)

This will solve the error. Just keep in mind. Whenever you want to define BindingResult object in your controller method, declare it right after the (@ModelAttribute) model attribute.

Spring’s documentation says: The Errors or BindingResult parameters have to follow the model object that is being bound immediately as the method signature might have more that one model object and Spring will create a separate BindingResult instance for each of them so the following sample won’t work: Hope this is useful.

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8 Comments

  1. Marc-Andre Girard says:

    I had the same issue too! But I’ve read your blog after finding this by myself. But good article!

  2. Ruman says:

    public String saveCompanyEventsBasicInfo(final CompanyEvents companyEvents,
    			final BindingResult bindingResult, final ModelMap model) {
    		validateEventImage(companyEvents, bindingResult);
    		if (bindingResult.hasErrors()) {
    			return "leave/leavemaster";
    		}
    return null;
    }
    


    sry.same error occurs .

  3. jouko says:

    I too was having the same error. Thanks this post help me understand the error.

  4. boopathi says:

    its working….thanks

  5. manglesh says:

    Excellent, Thanks very much for this blog. I had the same issue wasting my time and then ended up on this blog and solution worked like a magic…. Thanks again

  6. siddhant says:

    Very very useful…

  7. Christina says:

    Thanks for the post

  8. Rajesh R says:

    ResponseEntity submitPetData(@RequestHeader(value = “Authorization”, required = true) String token, @Valid @PathVariable(value = “countryCode”, required = true) String countryCode,
    BindingResult bindingResult, Principal principal) {

    For my example I dont have modelAttribute.. I am using @PathVariable and geting the same error

    Caused by: java.lang.IllegalStateException: An Errors/BindingResult argument is expected to be declared immediately after the model attribute, the @RequestBody or the @RequestPart arguments to which they apply: public org.springframework.http.ResponseEntity

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