OnApplicationEnd() - are all server resources available?

Question

Hi all
I need to use onApplicationEnd() as part of Application.cfc to execute a call on a 3rd party Java object to close a connection to another device on the network.
The code I have worked perfectly if I call it as a normal request, but when I place it in the onApplicationEnd() method I'm running into some errors. These errors suggest that CF might in fact be shutting down already to the point where I cannot access these 3rd party Java classes. Not good, but also unexpected.
I then decided I'd create a parallel thread in the onApplicationEnd() and then rejoin to the main thread when I had closed by connection, but I get an obscure null pointer exception trying to create this thread from this function. Again, the same code works well if I use it in a normal request.
Is there restrictions to what I can do in onApplicationEnd() and if so is there any work around?
I am using CF 8 (8,0,1,195765) Developer Edition on a Windows XP machine.
Many thanks in advance!
Ciaran Archer

Answer 1

Thanks for the replies so far. Here is the code:
<cffunction name="onApplicationEnd" returnType="void">
        <cfargument name="appScope" required="true" />
        <cfset var logLocation = "test" />
        <cflog file="#logLocation#" text="*** [Application.cfc]  - **** START RUN ****" />
        <cflog file="#logLocation#" text="*** [Application.cfc]  - #timeformat(now(),'HH:mm:ss' )# - onApplicationEnd() called " />
        <cftry>
                <cfif structKeyExists(ARGUMENTS, "appScope")>
                        <cflog file="#logLocation#" text="*** [Application.cfc]  - #timeformat(now(),'HH:mm:ss' )# - ARGUMENTS.appScope is defined" />
                <cfelse>
                        <cflog file="#logLocation#" text="*** [Application.cfc]  - #timeformat(now(),'HH:mm:ss' )# - ARGUMENTS.appScope is undefined! " />
                </cfif>
                <!--- Check if we have a test crypto object in scope, and if so close it's connection --->
                <cfif structKeyExists(ARGUMENTS.appScope, "testCrypto")>
                        <cflog file="#logLocation#" text="*** [Application.cfc]  - #timeformat(now(),'HH:mm:ss' )# - onApplicationEnd() - crypto object exists in app scope" />
                        <cfset ARGUMENTS.appScope.testCrypto.closeConnection() />
                        <<cflog file="#logLocation#" text="*** [Application.cfc]  - #timeformat(now(),'HH:mm:ss' )# - onApplicationEnd() - closed crypto server connection" />
                <cfelse>
                        <cflog file="#logLocation#" text="*** [Application.cfc]  - #timeformat(now(),'HH:mm:ss' )# - onApplicationEnd() - NO crypto server connection present to close" />
                </cfif>
                        <cfcatch type="any">
                                <cflog file="#logLocation#" text="*** [Application.cfc]  - #timeformat(now(),'HH:mm:ss' )# - onApplicationEnd() - Error - #cfcatch.message#" />
                        </cfcatch>
                </cftry>
        <cflog file="#logLocation#" text="*** [Application.cfc]  - #timeformat(now(),'HH:mm:ss' )# - onApplicationEnd() ended " />
</cffunction>
The line to close the connection on my object is failing with the message: 'java.lang.IllegalStateException: Shutdown in progress'.
Here are the full logs for one run:
"Information","Thread-8","10/23/09","09:05:54",,"*** [Application.cfc]  - **** START RUN
"Information","Thread-8","10/23/09","09:05:54",,"*** [Application.cfc]  - 09:05:54 - onApplicationEnd() called "
"Information","Thread-8","10/23/09","09:05:54",,"*** [Application.cfc]  - 09:05:54 - ARGUMENTS.appScope is defined"
"Information","Thread-8","10/23/09","09:05:54",,"*** [Application.cfc]  - 09:05:54 - onApplicationEnd() - crypto object exists in app scope"
"Information","Thread-8","10/23/09","09:05:54",,"*** [Application.cfc]  - 09:05:54 - onApplicationEnd() - Error - Shutdown in progress"
"Information","Thread-8","10/23/09","09:05:55",,"*** [Application.cfc]  - 09:05:55 - onApplicationEnd() ended "
I really hope there is a work-around. The same issue occurs when I run CF as a console window and stop it with CTRL-C or if I run cfstop.
Cheers,
Ciaran