Restlet that works on localhost throws NullPointerException when deployed on GAE - google-app-engine

Question

The following simple method works well on my local machine but throws a NullPointerException when I deploy it to App Engine. Calling any method on memberVO such as getId() throws NullPointerException. I cannot understand why this works on my local network but not on appspot.com.
I have tried replacing the serializable object with primitives and strings just for test purposes but none can be passed to GAE. All become null.
I also included the exception from the logs if anyone has any idea.
Thank you in advance for any insight.
Orville
#Override
public Boolean updateMember(MemberVO memberVO) {
PersistenceManager pm = PMF.get().getPersistenceManager();
try {
Member member = pm.getObjectById(Member.class, memberVO.getId());
member.setFirstName(memberVO.getFirstName());
member.setLastName(memberVO.getLastName());
pm.makePersistent(member);
} catch (NullPointerException npe) {
npe.printStackTrace();
} catch (Exception e) {
e.printStackTrace();
} finally {
pm.close();
}
return true;
}
#Override
public Boolean updateMember(MemberVO memberVO) {
PersistenceManager pm = PMF.get().getPersistenceManager();
try {
Member member = pm.getObjectById(Member.class, memberVO.getId());
member.setFirstName(memberVO.getFirstName());
member.setLastName(memberVO.getLastName());
pm.makePersistent(member);
} catch (NullPointerException npe) {
npe.printStackTrace();
} catch (Exception e) {
e.printStackTrace();
} finally {
pm.close();
}
return true;
}
Stacktrace:
12-20 05:23PM 48.523 /rest/member 500 3162ms 3858cpu_ms 8api_cpu_ms 0kb Restlet-Framework/2.0snapshot,gzip(gfe)
72.27.92.51 - - [20/Dec/2010:17:23:51 -0800] "POST /rest/member HTTP/1.1" 500 549 - "Restlet-Framework/2.0snapshot,gzip(gfe)"
"myapp.appspot.com" ms=3162 cpu_ms=3858 api_cpu_ms=8 cpm_usd=0.307323
loading_request=1 pending_ms=977
I 12-20 05:23PM 50.343
javax.servlet.ServletContext log: adapter: [Restlet] Attaching
application: com.myapp.MyApplication#1a3b359 to URI:
W 12-20 05:23PM 51.656
org.restlet.resource.UniformResource doCatch: Exception or error
caught in resource
java.lang.NullPointerException
at com.myapp.MemberResource.updateMember(MemberResource.java:67)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at
sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:
57)
at
sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImp l.java:
43)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:43)
at org.restlet.resource.ServerResource.doHandle(ServerResource.java:
453)
at org.restlet.resource.ServerResource.post(ServerResource.java:1095)
at org.restlet.resource.ServerResource.doHandle(ServerResource.java:
506)
at
org.restlet.resource.ServerResource.doNegotiatedHandle(ServerResource.java:
563)
at
org.restlet.resource.ServerResource.doConditionalHandle(ServerResource.java :
299)
at org.restlet.resource.ServerResource.handle(ServerResource.java:
821)
at org.restlet.resource.Finder.handle(Finder.java:513)
at org.restlet.routing.Filter.doHandle(Filter.java:156)
at org.restlet.routing.Filter.handle(Filter.java:203)
at org.restlet.routing.Router.doHandle(Router.java:495)
at org.restlet.routing.Router.handle(Router.java:735)
at org.restlet.routing.Filter.doHandle(Filter.java:156)
at org.restlet.routing.Filter.handle(Filter.java:203)
at org.restlet.routing.Filter.doHandle(Filter.java:156)
at org.restlet.routing.Filter.handle(Filter.java:203)
at org.restlet.routing.Filter.doHandle(Filter.java:156)
at
org.restlet.engine.application.StatusFilter.doHandle(StatusFilter.java:
154)
at org.restlet.routing.Filter.handle(Filter.java:203)
at org.restlet.routing.Filter.doHandle(Filter.java:156)
at org.restlet.routing.Filter.handle(Filter.java:203)
at org.restlet.engine.ChainHelper.handle(ChainHelper.java:111)
at
org.restlet.engine.application.ApplicationHelper.handle(ApplicationHelper.j ava:
72)
at org.restlet.Application.handle(Application.java:382)
at org.restlet.routing.Filter.doHandle(Filter.java:156)
at org.restlet.routing.Filter.handle(Filter.java:203)
at org.restlet.routing.Router.doHandle(Router.java:495)
at org.restlet.routing.Router.handle(Router.java:735)
at org.restlet.routing.Filter.doHandle(Filter.java:156)
at org.restlet.routing.Filter.handle(Filter.java:203)
at org.restlet.routing.Router.doHandle(Router.java:495)
at org.restlet.routing.Router.handle(Router.java:735)
at org.restlet.routing.Filter.doHandle(Filter.java:156)
at org.restlet.routing.Filter.handle(Filter.java:203)
at org.restlet.engine.ChainHelper.handle(ChainHelper.java:111)
at org.restlet.Component.handle(Component.java:387)
at org.restlet.Server.handle(Server.java:488)
at org.restlet.engine.ServerHelper.handle(ServerHelper.java:71)
at
org.restlet.engine.http.HttpServerHelper.handle(HttpServerHelper.java:
150)
at org.restlet.ext.servlet.ServerServlet.service(ServerServlet.java:
1037)
at
org.restlet.ext.gwt.GwtShellServletWrapper.service(GwtShellServletWrapper.j ava:
189)
at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:717)
at org.mortbay.jetty.servlet.ServletHolder.handle(ServletHolder.java:
511)
at org.mortbay.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler
$CachedChain.doFilter(ServletHandler.java:1166)
at org.mortbay.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler
$CachedChain.doFilter(ServletHandler.java:1157)
at org.mortbay.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler
$CachedChain.doFilter(ServletHandler.java:1157)
at org.mortbay.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler
$CachedChain.doFilter(ServletHandler.java:1157)
at
org.mortbay.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler.handle(ServletHandler.java:
388)
at
org.mortbay.jetty.security.SecurityHandler.handle(SecurityHandler.java:
216)
at
org.mortbay.jetty.servlet.SessionHandler.handle(SessionHandler.java:
182)
at
org.mortbay.jetty.handler.ContextHandler.handle(ContextHandler.java:
765)
at org.mortbay.jetty.webapp.WebAppContext.handle(WebAppContext.java:
418)
at
org.mortbay.jetty.handler.HandlerWrapper.handle(HandlerWrapper.java:
152)
at org.mortbay.jetty.Server.handle(Server.java:326)
at org.mortbay.jetty.HttpConnection.handleRequest(HttpConnection.java:
542)
at org.mortbay.jetty.HttpConnection
$RequestHandler.headerComplete(HttpConnection.java:923)
at org.mortbay.jetty.HttpConnection.handle(HttpConnection.java:404)
at
com.google.net.rpc.impl.BlockingApplicationHandler.handleRequest(BlockingAp plicationHandler.java:
24)
at com.google.net.rpc.impl.RpcUtil.runRpcInApplication(RpcUtil.java:
435)
at com.google.net.rpc.impl.Server$RpcTask.runInContext(Server.java:
572)
at com.google.tracing.TraceContext$TraceContextRunnable
$1.run(TraceContext.java:448)
at com.google.tracing.TraceContext.runInContext(TraceContext.java:
688)
at com.google.tracing.TraceContext
$AbstractTraceContextCallback.runInInheritedContextNoUnref(TraceContext.jav a:
326)
at com.google.tracing.TraceContext
$AbstractTraceContextCallback.runInInheritedContext(TraceContext.java:
318)
at com.google.tracing.TraceContext
$TraceContextRunnable.run(TraceContext.java:446)
at
java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:
1110)
at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor
$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:603)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:636)
I 12-20 05:23PM 51.684
This request caused a new process to be started for your application,
and thus caused your application code to be loaded for the first time.
This request may thus take longer and use more CPU than a typical
request for your application.

Answer 1

This is due to a know limitation of GAE with HTTP chunked encoding (not related to Restlet).
However, Restlet does offer a convenient workaround in recent 2.1 snapshot to prevent chunking on the client-side. See details here:
http://wiki.restlet.org/docs_2.1/13-restlet/21-restlet/318-restlet/303-restlet.html