Environment (Spring Framework 3.2.1.RELEASE API)
Date: 2013-01-24

org.springframework.core.env

## Interface Environment

- All Superinterfaces:
    PropertyResolver
  All Known Subinterfaces:
    ConfigurableEnvironment, ConfigurableWebEnvironment
  All Known Implementing Classes:
    AbstractEnvironment, MockEnvironment, StandardEnvironment, StandardPortletEnvironment, StandardServletEnvironment

      public interface Environment
      extends PropertyResolver

  Interface representing the environment in which the current application is running. Models two key aspects of the application environment: profiles and properties. Methods related to property access are exposed via the `PropertyResolver` superinterface.

  A profile is a named, logical group of bean definitions to be registered with the container only if the given profile is active. Beans may be assigned to a profile whether defined in XML or via annotations; see the spring-beans 3.1 schema or the `@Profile` annotation for syntax details. The role of the `Environment` object with relation to profiles is in determining which profiles (if any) are currently active, and which profiles (if any) should be active by default.

  Properties play an important role in almost all applications, and may originate from a variety of sources: properties files, JVM system properties, system environment variables, JNDI, servlet context parameters, ad-hoc Properties objects, Maps, and so on. The role of the environment object with relation to properties is to provide the user with a convenient service interface for configuring property sources and resolving properties from them.

  Beans managed within an `ApplicationContext` may register to be `EnvironmentAware` or `@Inject` the `Environment` in order to query profile state or resolve properties directly.

  In most cases, however, application-level beans should not need to interact with the `Environment` directly but instead may have to have `${...}` property values replaced by a property placeholder configurer such as `PropertySourcesPlaceholderConfigurer`, which itself is `EnvironmentAware` and as of Spring 3.1 is registered by default when using `<context:property-placeholder/>`.

  Configuration of the environment object must be done through the `ConfigurableEnvironment` interface, returned from all `AbstractApplicationContext` subclass `getEnvironment()` methods. See `ConfigurableEnvironment` Javadoc for usage examples demonstrating manipulation of property sources prior to application context `refresh()`.

  Since:
    3.1
  Author:
    Chris Beams
  See Also:
    `PropertyResolver`, `EnvironmentCapable`, `ConfigurableEnvironment`, `AbstractEnvironment`, `StandardEnvironment`, `EnvironmentAware`, `ConfigurableApplicationContext.getEnvironment()`, `ConfigurableApplicationContext.setEnvironment(org.springframework.core.env.ConfigurableEnvironment)`, `AbstractApplicationContext.createEnvironment()`

- - ### Method Summary

    Methods
    Modifier and Type | Method and Description
    --- | ---
    `boolean` | `acceptsProfiles(String... profiles)` Return whether one or more of the given profiles is active or, in the case of no explicit active profiles, whether one or more of the given profiles is included in the set of default profiles.
    `String[]` | `getActiveProfiles()` Return the set of profiles explicitly made active for this environment.
    `String[]` | `getDefaultProfiles()` Return the set of profiles to be active by default when no active profiles have been set explicitly.

    - ### Methods inherited from interface org.springframework.core.env.PropertyResolver

      `containsProperty, getProperty, getProperty, getProperty, getProperty, getPropertyAsClass, getRequiredProperty, getRequiredProperty, resolvePlaceholders, resolveRequiredPlaceholders`

- - ### Method Detail

    - #### getActiveProfiles

          String[] getActiveProfiles()

      Return the set of profiles explicitly made active for this environment. Profiles are used for creating logical groupings of bean definitions to be registered conditionally, for example based on deployment environment. Profiles can be activated by setting "spring.profiles.active" as a system property or by calling `ConfigurableEnvironment.setActiveProfiles(String...)`.

      If no profiles have explicitly been specified as active, then any default profiles will automatically be activated.

      See Also:
        `getDefaultProfiles()`, `ConfigurableEnvironment.setActiveProfiles(java.lang.String...)`, `AbstractEnvironment.ACTIVE_PROFILES_PROPERTY_NAME`

    - #### getDefaultProfiles

          String[] getDefaultProfiles()

      Return the set of profiles to be active by default when no active profiles have been set explicitly.
      See Also:
        `getActiveProfiles()`, `ConfigurableEnvironment.setDefaultProfiles(java.lang.String...)`, `AbstractEnvironment.DEFAULT_PROFILES_PROPERTY_NAME`

    - #### acceptsProfiles

          boolean acceptsProfiles(String... profiles)

      Return whether one or more of the given profiles is active or, in the case of no explicit active profiles, whether one or more of the given profiles is included in the set of default profiles. If a profile begins with '!' the logic is inverted, i.e. the method will return true if the given profile is not active. For example,

          env.acceptsProfiles("p1", "!p2")

      will return true if profile 'p1' is active or 'p2' is not active.
      Throws:
        `IllegalArgumentException` - if called with zero arguments
        `IllegalArgumentException` - if any profile is null, empty or whitespace-only
      See Also:
        `getActiveProfiles()`, `getDefaultProfiles()`