Adding JournalArticles through services or imports can cause freemarker errors

• Type: Regression Bug
• Status: Closed
• Resolution: Fixed
• Affects Version/s: 7.0.X, 7.1.X, Master
• Fix Version/s: 7.1.X, 7.2.10 DXP FP3, 7.2.X, 7.2.1 CE GA2, Master
• Component/s: WCM
• Labels:
  • ee-ts
  • liferay-fixpack-dxp-3-7210
• Branch Version/s:
  7.2.x, 7.1.x
• Backported to Branch:
  Committed
• Fix Priority: 3
• Git Pull Request: https://github.com/brianchandotcom/liferay-portal/pull/79517

Backporting LPS-99857 to 7.0.x revealed an issue where (harmless) freemarker errors are thrown: https://test-1-7.liferay.com/job/test-portal-acceptance-pullrequest-batch(7.0.x)/AXIS_VARIABLE=0,label_exp=!master/27977//consoleText

LPS-99857 created a situation where JournalArticle templates will try to be rendered during an import. If the template needs information from a request, because there is no request during an import or service call, it will fail and throw freemarker errors. The clearest example is when deploying the porygon-theme.war to 7.0.x with the changes from LPS-99857. Because the war imports journal articles with a template which depends on attributes from the non-existent request, a long series of freemarker exceptions appear, one for each article.

Reproduction Steps:

1. Create a new site
2. Goto Web Content and from the upper right ellipsis Export/Import
3. Import Template Export.portlet.lar

Expected Results: The import happens without throwing freemarker errors
Actual Results: Freemarker errors are thrown in logs

[exec] FreeMarker template error. See an example error below. 
     [exec] The following has evaluated to null or missing:
     [exec] ==> request.attributes  [in template "20115#20151#37564" at line 1, column 20]
     [exec] 
     [exec] ----
     [exec] Tip: It's the step after the last dot that caused this error, not those before it.
     [exec] ----
     [exec] Tip: If the failing expression is known to be legally refer to something that's sometimes null or missing, either specify a default value like myOptionalVar!myDefault, or use <#if myOptionalVar??>when-present<#else>when-missing</#if>. (These only cover the last step of the expression; to cover the whole expression, use parenthesis: (myOptionalVar.foo)!myDefault, (myOptionalVar.foo)??
     [exec] ----
     [exec] 
     [exec] ----
     [exec] FTL stack trace ("~" means nesting-related):
     [exec] 	- Failed at: #assign colSize = request.attributes...  [in template "20115#20151#37564" at line 1, column 1]
     [exec] ----
     [exec] 
     [exec] Java stack trace (for programmers):
     [exec] ----
     [exec] freemarker.core.InvalidReferenceException: [... Exception message was already printed; see it above ...]
     [exec] 	at freemarker.core.InvalidReferenceException.getInstance(InvalidReferenceException.java:131)
     [exec] 	at freemarker.core.UnexpectedTypeException.newDesciptionBuilder(UnexpectedTypeException.java:77)
     [exec] 	at freemarker.core.UnexpectedTypeException.<init>(UnexpectedTypeException.java:40)
     [exec] 	at freemarker.core.NonHashException.<init>(NonHashException.java:46)
     [exec] 	at freemarker.core.Dot._eval(Dot.java:45)
     [exec] 	at freemarker.core.Expression.eval(Expression.java:78)
     [exec] 	at freemarker.core.DefaultToExpression._eval(DefaultToExpression.java:80)
     [exec] 	at freemarker.core.Expression.eval(Expression.java:78)
     [exec] 	at freemarker.core.Assignment.accept(Assignment.java:131)
     [exec] 	at freemarker.core.Environment.visit(Environment.java:324)
     [exec] 	at freemarker.core.MixedContent.accept(MixedContent.java:54)
     [exec] 	at freemarker.core.Environment.visit(Environment.java:324)
     [exec] 	at freemarker.core.Environment.process(Environment.java:302)
     [exec] 	at freemarker.template.Template.process(Template.java:325)
     [exec] 	at com.liferay.portal.template.freemarker.internal.FreeMarkerTemplate.processTemplate(FreeMarkerTemplate.java:139)
     [exec] 	at com.liferay.portal.template.AbstractSingleResourceTemplate.doProcessTemplate(AbstractSingleResourceTemplate.java:85)
     [exec] 	at com.liferay.portal.template.AbstractTemplate.write(AbstractTemplate.java:204)
     [exec] 	at com.liferay.portal.template.AbstractSingleResourceTemplate.processTemplate(AbstractSingleResourceTemplate.java:108)
     [exec] 	at com.liferay.journal.transformer.JournalTransformer.mergeTemplate(JournalTransformer.java:691)
     [exec] 	at com.liferay.journal.transformer.JournalTransformer.doTransform(JournalTransformer.java:346)
     [exec] 	at com.liferay.journal.transformer.JournalTransformer.transform(JournalTransformer.java:120)
     [exec] 	at com.liferay.journal.util.impl.JournalUtil.transform(JournalUtil.java:1193)
     [exec] 	at com.liferay.journal.service.impl.JournalArticleLocalServiceImpl.getArticleDisplay(JournalArticleLocalServiceImpl.java:7466)
     [exec] 	at com.liferay.journal.service.impl.JournalArticleLocalServiceImpl.getArticleDisplay(JournalArticleLocalServiceImpl.java:2170)
     [exec] 	at com.liferay.journal.service.impl.JournalArticleLocalServiceImpl.notifySubscribers(JournalArticleLocalServiceImpl.java:7813)
     [exec] 	at com.liferay.journal.service.impl.JournalArticleLocalServiceImpl.updateStatus(JournalArticleLocalServiceImpl.java:6226)
...