I get this exception when Jackson tries to parse my data to Json:
org.springframework.http.converter.HttpMessageNotWritableException: Could not write JSON: failed to lazily initialize a collection of role: packagename.Thing.Stuffs, could not initialize proxy - no Session (through reference chain: java.util.ArrayList[0]->packagename.Stuff[“thing"]->packagename.Thing[“stuffs"]); nested exception is com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonMappingException: failed to lazily initialize a collection of role: packagename.Thing.Stuffs, could not initialize proxy - no Session (through reference chain: java.util.ArrayList[0]->packagename.Stuff[“thing"]->packagename.Thing[“stuffs"])
I have the following entities(names have been replaced with Stuff and Thing):
Stuff:
@Entity
@Table(name = "stuff")
@SQLDelete(sql = "UPDATE stuff SET deleted = 1 WHERE id = ?")
@Where(clause = "deleted = 0")
public class Stuff implements Serializable {
    private Long id;
    private Thing thing;
    private String stuffName;
    @Id
    @Column(name = "id", unique = true, nullable = false)
    @GeneratedValue
    public Long getId() {
        return this.id;
    }
    @ManyToOne(cascade = {CascadeType.PERSIST, CascadeType.MERGE}, optional = false)
    @JoinColumn(name = "thing_id", nullable = false)
    public Thing getThing() {
        return thing;
    }  
    @Transient
    public String getStuffName() {
        return stuffName;
    }
    // Setters and constructor(s) omitted
}
Thing:
@Entity
@Table(name = "thing")
public class Thing implements Serializable {
    private Long id;
    private String name;
    private List<Stuff> stuffs;
    @Id
    @Column(name = "id", unique = true, nullable = false)
    @GeneratedValue
    public Long getId() {
        return this.id;
    }
    public void setId(Long id) {
        this.id = id;
    }
    @Column(name = "name", unique = false, nullable = false, length = 45)
    public String getName() {
        return this.name;
    }
    @OneToMany(cascade = CascadeType.ALL)
    @JoinColumn(name = "thing_id")
    @JsonIgnore
    public List<Stuffs> getStuffs() {
        return stuffs;
    }
    // Setters and constructor(s) omitted
}
I have been googling for this type of error. It seems that this is happening when the json-parser is trying to parse objects that aren't loaded due to lazy-load. Lazy load seems to be on by default. I'd like to avoid setting everything to eager so I put @JsonIgnore instead. Changes nothing for me. Help would be greatly appreciated, this is driving me nuts.
EDIT:
Adding @JsonIgnore and @Eager in both classes gives me another problem. An exception that is looking like this:
org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.support.DefaultHandlerExceptionResolver.doResolveException Handling of [org.springframework.http.converter.HttpMessageNotWritableException] resulted in Exception java.lang.IllegalStateException: Cannot call sendError() after the response has been committed
Searching for that on stackoverflow gives me this: Hibernate and Jackson (java.lang.IllegalStateException: Cannot call sendError() after the response has been committed)
The link is basically saying that I should add @JsonIgnore, and I have already done that.
 
     
    