Change configuration to make it easier to integrate with an existing Spring MVC application by implementing special MVC mapping and HanndlerAdapter beans that only recognize Spring Data REST components.

spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/RepositoryExporterHandlerAdapter.java

@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+package org.springframework.data.rest.webmvc;
+
+import java.util.Arrays;
+
+import org.springframework.core.Ordered;
+import org.springframework.http.MediaType;
+import org.springframework.http.converter.json.MappingJacksonHttpMessageConverter;
+import org.springframework.web.method.HandlerMethod;
+import org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.RequestMappingHandlerAdapter;
+
+/**
+ * @author Jon Brisbin
+ */
+public class RepositoryExporterHandlerAdapter extends RequestMappingHandlerAdapter {
+
+  public RepositoryExporterHandlerAdapter() {
+    setCustomArgumentResolvers(Arrays.asList(
+        new ServerHttpRequestMethodArgumentResolver(),
+        new PagingAndSortingMethodArgumentResolver()
+    ));
+
+    // Add JSON converter for special Spring Data media type
+    MappingJacksonHttpMessageConverter json = new MappingJacksonHttpMessageConverter();
+    json.setSupportedMediaTypes(
+        Arrays.asList(MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON, MediaType.valueOf("application/x-spring-data+json"))
+    );
+    getMessageConverters().add(json);
+  }
+
+  @Override public int getOrder() {
+    return Ordered.HIGHEST_PRECEDENCE;
+  }
+
+  @Override protected boolean supportsInternal(HandlerMethod handlerMethod) {
+    return super.supportsInternal(handlerMethod)
+        && RepositoryRestController.class.isAssignableFrom(handlerMethod.getBeanType());
+  }
+
+}

spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/RepositoryExporterHandlerMapping.java

@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+package org.springframework.data.rest.webmvc;
+
+import java.util.List;
+import javax.persistence.EntityManagerFactory;
+
+import org.springframework.core.Ordered;
+import org.springframework.orm.jpa.support.OpenEntityManagerInViewInterceptor;
+import org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.RequestMappingHandlerMapping;
+
+/**
+ * @author Jon Brisbin
+ */
+public class RepositoryExporterHandlerMapping extends RequestMappingHandlerMapping {
+
+  private EntityManagerFactory entityManagerFactory;
+
+  public RepositoryExporterHandlerMapping(EntityManagerFactory entityManagerFactory) {
+    this.entityManagerFactory = entityManagerFactory;
+    setOrder(Ordered.HIGHEST_PRECEDENCE);
+  }
+
+  @Override protected boolean isHandler(Class<?> beanType) {
+    return RepositoryRestController.class.isAssignableFrom(beanType);
+  }
+
+  @Override protected void extendInterceptors(List<Object> interceptors) {
+    OpenEntityManagerInViewInterceptor omivi = new OpenEntityManagerInViewInterceptor();
+    omivi.setEntityManagerFactory(entityManagerFactory);
+    interceptors.add(omivi);
+  }
+
+}

spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/RepositoryRestController.java

@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@ import org.springframework.http.ResponseEntity;
 import org.springframework.http.converter.HttpMessageConverter;
 import org.springframework.http.converter.HttpMessageNotReadableException;
 import org.springframework.http.server.ServerHttpRequest;
-import org.springframework.stereotype.Controller;
 import org.springframework.ui.ExtendedModelMap;
 import org.springframework.ui.Model;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
@@ -84,7 +83,6 @@ import org.springframework.web.util.UriComponentsBuilder;
 /**
  * @author Jon Brisbin <jbrisbin@vmware.com>
  */
-@Controller
 public class RepositoryRestController
     extends RepositoryExporterSupport<RepositoryRestController>
     implements ApplicationContextAware,

spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/RepositoryRestMvcConfiguration.java

@@ -11,29 +11,21 @@ import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.ImportResource;
+import org.springframework.core.Ordered;
 import org.springframework.data.rest.repository.RepositoryExporter;
 import org.springframework.data.rest.repository.context.ValidatingRepositoryEventListener;
 import org.springframework.data.rest.repository.jpa.JpaRepositoryExporter;
-import org.springframework.http.MediaType;
 import org.springframework.http.converter.HttpMessageConverter;
-import org.springframework.http.converter.json.MappingJacksonHttpMessageConverter;
-import org.springframework.orm.jpa.support.OpenEntityManagerInViewInterceptor;
 import org.springframework.orm.jpa.support.PersistenceAnnotationBeanPostProcessor;
-import org.springframework.util.Assert;
-import org.springframework.web.method.support.HandlerMethodArgumentResolver;
 import org.springframework.web.servlet.ViewResolver;
-import org.springframework.web.servlet.config.annotation.EnableWebMvc;
-import org.springframework.web.servlet.config.annotation.InterceptorRegistry;
-import org.springframework.web.servlet.config.annotation.WebMvcConfigurerAdapter;
 import org.springframework.web.servlet.view.ContentNegotiatingViewResolver;
 
 /**
  * @author Jon Brisbin <jbrisbin@vmware.com>
  */
 @Configuration
-@EnableWebMvc
 @ImportResource("classpath*:META-INF/spring-data-rest/**/*-export.xml")
-public class RepositoryRestMvcConfiguration extends WebMvcConfigurerAdapter {
+public class RepositoryRestMvcConfiguration {
 
   ContentNegotiatingViewResolver viewResolver;
   RepositoryRestController repositoryRestController;
@@ -50,39 +42,27 @@ public class RepositoryRestMvcConfiguration extends WebMvcConfigurerAdapter {
   @Autowired(required = false)
   ValidatingRepositoryEventListener validatingRepositoryEventListener;
 
-  @Override public void addArgumentResolvers(List<HandlerMethodArgumentResolver> argumentResolvers) {
-    argumentResolvers.add(new ServerHttpRequestMethodArgumentResolver());
-    argumentResolvers.add(new PagingAndSortingMethodArgumentResolver());
-  }
+  RepositoryExporterHandlerAdapter repositoryExporterHandlerAdapter;
+  RepositoryExporterHandlerMapping repositoryExporterHandlerMapping;
 
-  @Override public void addInterceptors(InterceptorRegistry registry) {
-    registry.addWebRequestInterceptor(openEntityManagerInViewInterceptor());
-  }
-
-  @Bean List<HttpMessageConverter<?>> httpMessageConverters() {
-    Assert.notNull(httpMessageConverters);
-
-    if (httpMessageConverters.isEmpty()) {
-      MappingJacksonHttpMessageConverter json = new MappingJacksonHttpMessageConverter();
-      json.setSupportedMediaTypes(
-          Arrays.asList(MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON, MediaType.valueOf("application/x-spring-data+json"))
-      );
-      httpMessageConverters.add(json);
+  @Bean RepositoryExporterHandlerAdapter repositoryExporterHandlerAdapter() {
+    if (null == repositoryExporterHandlerAdapter) {
+      repositoryExporterHandlerAdapter = new RepositoryExporterHandlerAdapter();
     }
+    return repositoryExporterHandlerAdapter;
+  }
 
-    return httpMessageConverters;
+  @Bean RepositoryExporterHandlerMapping repositoryExporterHandlerMapping() {
+    if (null == repositoryExporterHandlerMapping) {
+      repositoryExporterHandlerMapping = new RepositoryExporterHandlerMapping(entityManagerFactory);
+    }
+    return repositoryExporterHandlerMapping;
   }
 
   @Bean PersistenceAnnotationBeanPostProcessor persistenceAnnotationBeanPostProcessor() {
     return new PersistenceAnnotationBeanPostProcessor();
   }
 
-  @Bean OpenEntityManagerInViewInterceptor openEntityManagerInViewInterceptor() {
-    OpenEntityManagerInViewInterceptor oemiv = new OpenEntityManagerInViewInterceptor();
-    oemiv.setEntityManagerFactory(entityManagerFactory);
-    return oemiv;
-  }
-
   @Bean JpaRepositoryExporter jpaRepositoryExporter() {
     if (null == customJpaRepositoryExporter) {
       return new JpaRepositoryExporter();
@@ -110,6 +90,7 @@ public class RepositoryRestMvcConfiguration extends WebMvcConfigurerAdapter {
   @Bean ContentNegotiatingViewResolver contentNegotiatingViewResolver() {
     if (null == viewResolver) {
       viewResolver = new ContentNegotiatingViewResolver();
+      viewResolver.setOrder(Ordered.HIGHEST_PRECEDENCE);
 
       Map<String, String> mediaTypes = new HashMap<String, String>() {{
         put("json", "application/json");
@@ -128,7 +109,7 @@ public class RepositoryRestMvcConfiguration extends WebMvcConfigurerAdapter {
     if (null == repositoryRestController) {
       this.repositoryRestController = new RepositoryRestController()
           .repositoryExporters(Arrays.<RepositoryExporter>asList(jpaRepositoryExporter()))
-          .httpMessageConverters(httpMessageConverters())
+          .httpMessageConverters(repositoryExporterHandlerAdapter().getMessageConverters())
           .jsonMediaType("application/json");
     }
     return repositoryRestController;