Document support for varargs invocations in SpEL

Closes gh-33332

framework-docs/modules/ROOT/nav.adoc

@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@
 **** xref:core/expressions/language-ref/constructors.adoc[]
 **** xref:core/expressions/language-ref/variables.adoc[]
 **** xref:core/expressions/language-ref/functions.adoc[]
+**** xref:core/expressions/language-ref/varargs.adoc[]
 **** xref:core/expressions/language-ref/bean-references.adoc[]
 **** xref:core/expressions/language-ref/operator-ternary.adoc[]
 **** xref:core/expressions/language-ref/operator-elvis.adoc[]

framework-docs/modules/ROOT/pages/core/expressions/language-ref/constructors.adoc

@@ -3,8 +3,10 @@
 
 You can invoke constructors by using the `new` operator. You should use the fully
 qualified class name for all types except those located in the `java.lang` package
-(`Integer`, `Float`, `String`, and so on). The following example shows how to use the
-`new` operator to invoke constructors:
+(`Integer`, `Float`, `String`, and so on).
+xref:core/expressions/language-ref/varargs.adoc[Varargs] are also supported.
+
+The following example shows how to use the `new` operator to invoke constructors.
 
 [tabs]
 ======
@@ -38,4 +40,3 @@ Kotlin::
 ======
 
 
-

framework-docs/modules/ROOT/pages/core/expressions/language-ref/functions.adoc

@@ -2,8 +2,12 @@
 = Functions
 
 You can extend SpEL by registering user-defined functions that can be called within
-expressions by using the `#functionName(...)` syntax. Functions can be registered as
-variables in `EvaluationContext` implementations via the `setVariable()` method.
+expressions by using the `#functionName(...)` syntax, and like with standard method
+invocations, xref:core/expressions/language-ref/varargs.adoc[varargs] are also supported
+for function invocations.
+
+Functions can be registered as _variables_ in `EvaluationContext` implementations via the
+`setVariable()` method.
 
 [TIP]
 ====
@@ -111,7 +115,8 @@ been fully bound prior to registration; however, partially bound handles are als
 supported.
 
 Consider the `String#formatted(Object...)` instance method, which produces a message
-according to a template and a variable number of arguments.
+according to a template and a variable number of arguments
+(xref:core/expressions/language-ref/varargs.adoc[varargs]).
 
 You can register and use the `formatted` method as a `MethodHandle`, as the following
 example shows:
@@ -203,4 +208,3 @@ Kotlin::
 ======
 
 
-

framework-docs/modules/ROOT/pages/core/expressions/language-ref/methods.adoc

@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 [[expressions-methods]]
 = Methods
 
-You can invoke methods by using typical Java programming syntax. You can also invoke methods
-on literals. Variable arguments are also supported. The following examples show how to
-invoke methods:
+You can invoke methods by using the typical Java programming syntax. You can also invoke
+methods directly on literals such as strings or numbers.
+xref:core/expressions/language-ref/varargs.adoc[Varargs] are supported as well.
+
+The following examples show how to invoke methods.
 
 [tabs]
 ======

framework-docs/modules/ROOT/pages/core/expressions/language-ref/varargs.adoc

@@ -0,0 +1,151 @@
+[[expressions-varargs]]
+= Varargs Invocations
+
+The Spring Expression Language supports
+https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/guides/language/varargs.html[varargs]
+invocations for xref:core/expressions/language-ref/constructors.adoc[constructors],
+xref:core/expressions/language-ref/methods.adoc[methods], and user-defined
+xref:core/expressions/language-ref/functions.adoc[functions].
+
+The following example shows how to invoke the `java.lang.String#formatted(Object...)`
+_varargs_ method within an expression by supplying the variable argument list as separate
+arguments (`'blue', 1`).
+
+[tabs]
+======
+Java::
++
+[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
+----
+	// evaluates to "blue is color #1"
+	String expression = "'%s is color #%d'.formatted('blue', 1)";
+	String message = parser.parseExpression(expression).getValue(String.class);
+----
+
+Kotlin::
++
+[source,kotlin,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
+----
+	// evaluates to "blue is color #1"
+	val expression = "'%s is color #%d'.formatted('blue', 1)"
+	val message = parser.parseExpression(expression).getValue(String::class.java)
+----
+======
+
+A variable argument list can also be supplied as an array, as demonstrated in the
+following example (`new Object[] {'blue', 1}`).
+
+[tabs]
+======
+Java::
++
+[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
+----
+	// evaluates to "blue is color #1"
+	String expression = "'%s is color #%d'.formatted(new Object[] {'blue', 1})";
+	String message = parser.parseExpression(expression).getValue(String.class);
+----
+
+Kotlin::
++
+[source,kotlin,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
+----
+	// evaluates to "blue is color #1"
+	val expression = "'%s is color #%d'.formatted(new Object[] {'blue', 1})"
+	val message = parser.parseExpression(expression).getValue(String::class.java)
+----
+======
+
+As an alternative, a variable argument list can be supplied as a `java.util.List` – for
+example, as an xref:core/expressions/language-ref/inline-lists.adoc[inline list]
+(`{'blue', 1}`). The following example shows how to do that.
+
+[tabs]
+======
+Java::
++
+[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
+----
+	// evaluates to "blue is color #1"
+	String expression = "'%s is color #%d'.formatted({'blue', 1})";
+	String message = parser.parseExpression(expression).getValue(String.class);
+----
+
+Kotlin::
++
+[source,kotlin,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
+----
+	// evaluates to "blue is color #1"
+	val expression = "'%s is color #%d'.formatted({'blue', 1})"
+	val message = parser.parseExpression(expression).getValue(String::class.java)
+----
+======
+
+[[expressions-varargs-type-conversion]]
+== Varargs Type Conversion
+
+In contrast to the standard support for varargs invocations in Java,
+xref:core/expressions/evaluation.adoc#expressions-type-conversion[type conversion] may be
+applied to the individual arguments when invoking varargs constructors, methods, or
+functions in SpEL.
+
+For example, if we have registered a custom
+xref:core/expressions/language-ref/functions.adoc[function] in the `EvaluationContext`
+under the name `#reverseStrings` for a method with the signature
+`String reverseStrings(String... strings)`, we can invoke that function within a SpEL
+expression with any argument that can be converted to a `String`, as demonstrated in the
+following example.
+
+[tabs]
+======
+Java::
++
+[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
+----
+	// evaluates to "3.0, 2.0, 1, SpEL"
+	String expression = "#reverseStrings('SpEL', 1, 10F / 5, 3.0000)";
+	String message = parser.parseExpression(expression)
+			.getValue(evaluationContext, String.class);
+----
+
+Kotlin::
++
+[source,kotlin,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
+----
+	// evaluates to "3.0, 2.0, 1, SpEL"
+	val expression = "#reverseStrings('SpEL', 1, 10F / 5, 3.0000)"
+	val message = parser.parseExpression(expression)
+			.getValue(evaluationContext, String::class.java)
+----
+======
+
+Similarly, any array whose component type is a subtype of the required varargs type can
+be supplied as the variable argument list for a varargs invocation. For example, a
+`String[]` array can be supplied to a varargs invocation that accepts an `Object...`
+argument list.
+
+The following listing demonstrates that we can supply a `String[]` array to the
+`java.lang.String#formatted(Object...)` _varargs_ method. It also highlights that `1`
+will be automatically converted to `"1"`.
+
+[tabs]
+======
+Java::
++
+[source,java,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
+----
+	// evaluates to "blue is color #1"
+	String expression = "'%s is color #%s'.formatted(new String[] {'blue', 1})";
+	String message = parser.parseExpression(expression).getValue(String.class);
+----
+
+Kotlin::
++
+[source,kotlin,indent=0,subs="verbatim,quotes"]
+----
+	// evaluates to "blue is color #1"
+	val expression = "'%s is color #%s'.formatted(new String[] {'blue', 1})"
+	val message = parser.parseExpression(expression).getValue(String::class.java)
+----
+======
+

spring-expression/src/test/java/org/springframework/expression/spel/SpelDocumentationTests.java

@@ -21,10 +21,13 @@ import java.lang.invoke.MethodHandles;
 import java.lang.invoke.MethodType;
 import java.lang.reflect.Method;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Arrays;
+import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.Date;
 import java.util.GregorianCalendar;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 
 import example.Color;
 import example.FruitMap;
@@ -667,6 +670,59 @@ class SpelDocumentationTests extends AbstractExpressionTests {
 		}
 	}
 
+	@Nested
+	class Varargs {
+
+		@Test
+		void varargsMethodInvocationWithIndividualArguments() {
+			// evaluates to "blue is color #1"
+			String expression = "'%s is color #%d'.formatted('blue', 1)";
+			String message = parser.parseExpression(expression)
+					.getValue(String.class);
+			assertThat(message).isEqualTo("blue is color #1");
+		}
+
+		@Test
+		void varargsMethodInvocationWithArgumentsAsObjectArray() {
+			// evaluates to "blue is color #1"
+			String expression = "'%s is color #%d'.formatted(new Object[] {'blue', 1})";
+			String message = parser.parseExpression(expression)
+					.getValue(String.class);
+			assertThat(message).isEqualTo("blue is color #1");
+		}
+
+		@Test
+		void varargsMethodInvocationWithArgumentsAsInlineList() {
+			// evaluates to "blue is color #1"
+			String expression = "'%s is color #%d'.formatted({'blue', 1})";
+			String message = parser.parseExpression(expression).getValue(String.class);
+			assertThat(message).isEqualTo("blue is color #1");
+		}
+
+		@Test
+		void varargsMethodInvocationWithTypeConversion() {
+			Method reverseStringsMethod = ReflectionUtils.findMethod(StringUtils.class, "reverseStrings", String[].class);
+			SimpleEvaluationContext evaluationContext = SimpleEvaluationContext.forReadOnlyDataBinding().build();
+			evaluationContext.setVariable("reverseStrings", reverseStringsMethod);
+
+			// String reverseStrings(String... strings)
+			// evaluates to "3.0, 2.0, 1.0, SpEL"
+			String expression = "#reverseStrings('SpEL', 1, 10F / 5, 3.0000)";
+			String message = parser.parseExpression(expression)
+					.getValue(evaluationContext, String.class);
+			assertThat(message).isEqualTo("3.0, 2.0, 1, SpEL");
+		}
+
+		@Test
+		void varargsMethodInvocationWithArgumentsAsStringArray() {
+			// evaluates to "blue is color #1"
+			String expression = "'%s is color #%s'.formatted(new String[] {'blue', 1})";
+			String message = parser.parseExpression(expression).getValue(String.class);
+			assertThat(message).isEqualTo("blue is color #1");
+		}
+
+	}
+
 	@Nested
 	class TernaryOperator {
 
@@ -906,6 +962,12 @@ class SpelDocumentationTests extends AbstractExpressionTests {
 		public static String reverseString(String input) {
 			return new StringBuilder(input).reverse().toString();
 		}
+
+		public static String reverseStrings(String... strings) {
+			List<String> list = Arrays.asList(strings);
+			Collections.reverse(list);
+			return list.stream().collect(Collectors.joining(", "));
+		}
 	}
 
 	private static class ListConcatenation implements OperatorOverloader {