[MRELEASE-782] Properties defined in a child pom hide all the properties defined in the parent pom while performing release:prepare

**[Marius Dumitru Florea](https://issues.apache.org/jira/secure/ViewProfile.jspa?name=mflorea)** opened **[MRELEASE-782](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/MRELEASE-782?redirect=false)** and commented

Suppose you have this two poms:

```
...

1.6

...
```

```
...

...

...


...
${my.version}

...
```

Running release:prepare on this works just fine. Now, if we add a `properties` section with any property to the child pom we get:

```
[ERROR] Failed to execute goal org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-release-plugin:2.3.2:prepare (default-cli) on project XYZ: The version could not be updated: ${my.version} -> [Help 1]
org.apache.maven.lifecycle.LifecycleExecutionException: Failed to execute goal org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-release-plugin:2.3.2:prepare (default-cli) on project XYZ: The version could not be updated: ${my.version}
at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.MojoExecutor.execute(MojoExecutor.java:213)
at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.MojoExecutor.execute(MojoExecutor.java:153)
at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.MojoExecutor.execute(MojoExecutor.java:145)
at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.LifecycleModuleBuilder.buildProject(LifecycleModuleBuilder.java:84)
at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.LifecycleModuleBuilder.buildProject(LifecycleModuleBuilder.java:59)
at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.LifecycleStarter.singleThreadedBuild(LifecycleStarter.java:183)
at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.LifecycleStarter.execute(LifecycleStarter.java:161)
at org.apache.maven.DefaultMaven.doExecute(DefaultMaven.java:320)
at org.apache.maven.DefaultMaven.execute(DefaultMaven.java:156)
at org.apache.maven.cli.MavenCli.execute(MavenCli.java:537)
at org.apache.maven.cli.MavenCli.doMain(MavenCli.java:196)
at org.apache.maven.cli.MavenCli.main(MavenCli.java:141)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:597)
at org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.launcher.Launcher.launchEnhanced(Launcher.java:290)
at org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.launcher.Launcher.launch(Launcher.java:230)
at org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.launcher.Launcher.mainWithExitCode(Launcher.java:409)
at org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.launcher.Launcher.main(Launcher.java:352)
Caused by: org.apache.maven.plugin.MojoFailureException: The version could not be updated: ${commons.version}
at org.apache.maven.plugins.release.PrepareReleaseMojo.prepareRelease(PrepareReleaseMojo.java:299)
at org.apache.maven.plugins.release.PrepareReleaseMojo.execute(PrepareReleaseMojo.java:247)
at org.apache.maven.plugin.DefaultBuildPluginManager.executeMojo(DefaultBuildPluginManager.java:101)
at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.MojoExecutor.execute(MojoExecutor.java:209)
... 19 more
Caused by: org.apache.maven.shared.release.ReleaseFailureException: The version could not be updated: ${my.version}
at org.apache.maven.shared.release.phase.AbstractRewritePomsPhase.rewriteArtifactVersions(AbstractRewritePomsPhase.java:578)
at org.apache.maven.shared.release.phase.AbstractRewritePomsPhase.transformDocument(AbstractRewritePomsPhase.java:298)
at org.apache.maven.shared.release.phase.AbstractRewritePomsPhase.transformProject(AbstractRewritePomsPhase.java:220)
at org.apache.maven.shared.release.phase.AbstractRewritePomsPhase.transform(AbstractRewritePomsPhase.java:126)
at org.apache.maven.shared.release.phase.AbstractRewritePomsPhase.simulate(AbstractRewritePomsPhase.java:713)
at org.apache.maven.shared.release.DefaultReleaseManager.prepare(DefaultReleaseManager.java:228)
at org.apache.maven.shared.release.DefaultReleaseManager.prepare(DefaultReleaseManager.java:169)
at org.apache.maven.shared.release.DefaultReleaseManager.prepare(DefaultReleaseManager.java:146)
at org.apache.maven.shared.release.DefaultReleaseManager.prepare(DefaultReleaseManager.java:107)
at org.apache.maven.plugins.release.PrepareReleaseMojo.prepareRelease(PrepareReleaseMojo.java:291)
... 22 more
```

---

**Affects:** 2.3.2

4 votes, 10 watchers

Reproduce the parent and child POM setup with release:prepare, then start at AbstractRewritePomsPhase and PrepareReleaseMojo in the stack trace to follow version rewriting. Done means a child properties section no longer prevents the inherited ${my.version} from being resolved during release:prepare.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.