JetBrains/intellij-community · error · RuntimeException

Error loading BeanInfo for component {className}: {reason}

Error message

Error loading BeanInfo for component {className}: {reason}

What it means

Thrown by CompiledClassPropertiesProvider when java.beans.Introspector.getBeanInfo(componentClass) raises any Throwable while introspecting a component class to discover its bindable properties. The forms tooling relies on Java Bean introspection to list readable/writable properties of Swing and custom components; if introspection itself fails (not merely returns no descriptors), it is rethrown as a RuntimeException naming the component class and the underlying reason.

Source

Thrown at java/compiler/forms-compiler/src/com/intellij/uiDesigner/lw/CompiledClassPropertiesProvider.java:49

    if (Utils.validateJComponentClass(myLoader, className, false) != null) {
      return null;
    }

    final Class<?> aClass;
    try {
      aClass = Class.forName(className, false, myLoader);
    }
    catch (final ClassNotFoundException exc) {
      throw new RuntimeException(exc.toString()); // should never happen
    }

    final BeanInfo beanInfo;
    try {
      beanInfo = Introspector.getBeanInfo(aClass);
    }
    catch (Throwable e) {
      throw new RuntimeException("Error loading BeanInfo for component " + className + ": " + e.getMessage(), e);
    }

    final HashMap<String, LwIntrospectedProperty> result = new HashMap<>();
    final PropertyDescriptor[] descriptors = beanInfo.getPropertyDescriptors();
    for (final PropertyDescriptor descriptor : descriptors) {
      final Method readMethod = descriptor.getReadMethod();
      final Method writeMethod = descriptor.getWriteMethod();
      final Class<?> propertyType = descriptor.getPropertyType();
      if (writeMethod == null || readMethod == null || propertyType == null) {
        continue;
      }

      final String name = descriptor.getName();

      final LwIntrospectedProperty property = propertyFromClass(propertyType, name);

      if (property != null) {
        property.setDeclaringClassName(descriptor.getReadMethod().getDeclaringClass().getName());

View on GitHub (pinned to be881553f2)

Solutions

1. Check the wrapped exception (cause) after the reason text — it identifies whether the failure is in a custom BeanInfo, a static initializer, or introspection itself.
2. Fix or remove the custom BeanInfo class for the component (a malformed <Class>BeanInfo class is the most common culprit).
3. Simplify the component's getter/setter signatures so the Introspector can process them without invoking user code.
4. If the class is not meant to be a designer component, stop referencing it in .form files.

try { provider.getIntrospectedProperties(className); } catch (RuntimeException e) { if (e.getMessage() != null && e.getMessage().startsWith("Error loading BeanInfo")) { /* inspect e.getCause(): custom BeanInfo or initializer failure */ skipComponent(className); } else throw e; }

When it happens

Trigger: Calling the properties provider on a component class whose BeanInfo cannot be produced: the class has getter/setter methods that throw during introspection, a custom BeanInfo class that fails to load or instantiate, or introspection hits a LinkageError/RuntimeException. Any Throwable from Introspector.getBeanInfo lands in this catch.

Common situations: Custom component with a buggy static initializer touched by introspection; a custom XBeanInfo class on the classpath that throws in its constructor; classpath pollution where a partially compiled component class is introspected; running the forms compiler in an environment (e.g. build server) with a different JDK whose Introspector behavior differs.

Related errors

• Class not found:
• Unsupported class version error:
• Attempt to compile nested form with no nested form loader sp
• No binding on root component of nested form
• Recursive form nesting is not allowed

AI-assisted analysis of JetBrains/intellij-community@be881553f2 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/936b22418101a3c2. Report an issue: GitHub.