Community request: fake EPerson from configuration.

dspace-api/src/main/java/org/dspace/curate/XmlWorkflowCuratorServiceImpl.java

@@ -102,10 +102,15 @@ public class XmlWorkflowCuratorServiceImpl
         Curator curator = new Curator();
         curator.setReporter(reporter);
         c.turnOffAuthorisationSystem();
+        boolean wasAnonymous = false;
         if (null == c.getCurrentUser()) { // We need someone to email
-            c.setCurrentUser(ePersonService.findAnAdministrator(c));
+            wasAnonymous = true;
+            c.setCurrentUser(ePersonService.getSystemEPerson(c));
         }
         boolean failedP = curate(curator, c, wfi);
+        if (wasAnonymous) {
+            c.setCurrentUser(null);
+        }
         c.restoreAuthSystemState();
         return failedP;
     }

dspace-api/src/main/java/org/dspace/eperson/EPersonServiceImpl.java

@@ -116,19 +116,28 @@ public class EPersonServiceImpl extends DSpaceObjectServiceImpl<EPerson> impleme
         return ePersonDAO.findByID(context, EPerson.class, id);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Create a fake EPerson which can receive email.  Its address will be the
+     * value of "mail.admin", or "postmaster" if all else fails.
+     * @param c
+     * @return
+     * @throws SQLException
+     */
     @Override
-    public EPerson findAnAdministrator(Context c)
+    public EPerson getSystemEPerson(Context c)
             throws SQLException {
-        List<EPerson> contacts = groupService.findByName(c, Group.ADMIN).getMembers();
+        String adminEmail = configurationService.getProperty("mail.admin");
-        EPerson currentUser;
+        if (null == adminEmail) {
-        if (contacts.isEmpty()) {
+            adminEmail = "postmaster"; // Last-ditch attempt to send *somewhere*
-            log.warn("Administrators group is empty");
-            currentUser = findByEmail(c, configurationService.getProperty("mail.admin"));
-            // Null if no such EPerson
-        } else {
-            currentUser = contacts.get(0);
         }
-        return currentUser;
+        EPerson systemEPerson = findByEmail(c, adminEmail);
+
+        if (null == systemEPerson) {
+            systemEPerson = new EPerson();
+            systemEPerson.setEmail(adminEmail);
+        }
+
+        return systemEPerson;
     }
 
     @Override

dspace-api/src/main/java/org/dspace/eperson/service/EPersonService.java

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import java.sql.SQLException;
 import java.util.Date;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Set;
+import javax.validation.constraints.NotNull;
 
 import org.dspace.authorize.AuthorizeException;
 import org.dspace.content.Item;
@@ -158,15 +159,16 @@ public interface EPersonService extends DSpaceObjectService<EPerson>, DSpaceObje
         throws SQLException;
 
     /**
-     * Try very hard to find an administrator's account.  Might return a member
+     * The "System EPerson" is a fake account that exists only to receive email.
-     * of the Administrators group, or an account with a configured email
+     * It has an email address that should be presumed usable.  It does not
-     * address.
+     * exist in the database and is not complete.
      *
      * @param context current DSpace session.
-     * @return a presumed administrator account, or null if none could be found.
+     * @return an EPerson that can presumably receive email.
      * @throws SQLException
      */
-    public EPerson findAnAdministrator(Context context)
+    @NotNull
+    public EPerson getSystemEPerson(Context context)
             throws SQLException;
 
     /**