Currently default-class-ref defined in parent packages sticks to actions despite having default-class-ref defined in sub packages. This is inconsistent behavior to how an default interceptor stacks and be redefined for child packages.

The current behavior also takes away a lot of flexibility that could be achieved via templating out abstract pattern packages.

Given a configuration & test that looks like:
<xwork>
....
<package name="Abstract-crud" extends="default">
   <!-- edit is often used as the create/view -->
   <default-class-ref class="com.opensymphony.xwork2.SimpleAction"/>
                <action name="edit" >
                        <result name="input" type="mock">edit.vm</result>
                        <result name="success" type="mock">edit.vm</result>
                        <result name="error" type="mock">edit.vm</result>
                </action>
                <action name="save" >
                        <result name="input" type="mock">edit.vm</result>
                        <result name="success" type="chain">list</result>
                        <result name="error" type="mock">edit.vm</result>
                        <result name="cancel" type="mock">list.action</result>
                </action>
                <action name="list">
                        <result name="success" type="mock">list</result>
                </action>
                <action name="delete">
                        <result name="success" type="mock">list</result>
                </action>

        </package>
       
        <package name="Example" extends="Abstract-crud" namespace="/example">
                 <default-class-ref class="com.opensymphony.xwork2.ModelDrivenAction" />
        </package>

        <package name="Example2" extends="Abstract-crud" namespace="/example2">
                <default-class-ref class="com.opensymphony.xwork2.ModelDrivenAction" />
                <action name="override">
                        <result name="success" type="mock">somethingelse.vm</result>
                </action>
        </package>

        <package name="SubItem" extends="Abstract-crud" namespace="/example2/subItem">
                <default-class-ref class="com.opensymphony.xwork2.ModelDrivenAction" />
        </package>
        
        <package name="Example3" extends="Abstract-crud" namespace="/example3">
  <!-- default-class-ref is expected to be inherited -->
        </package>

----
</xwork>



public void testDefaultClassDefEvaluation() throws Exception {
        ActionProxy proxy = actionProxyFactory.createActionProxy("Abstract-crud", "edit", null);
        System.out.println(proxy.getConfig().getClassName());
        assertEquals("com.opensymphony.xwork2.SimpleAction", proxy.getConfig().getClassName());
        
        proxy = actionProxyFactory.createActionProxy("/example", "edit", null);
        assertEquals("com.opensymphony.xwork2.ModelDrivenAction", proxy.getConfig().getClassName());
        System.out.println(proxy.getConfig().getClassName());
         

        proxy = actionProxyFactory.createActionProxy("/example2", "override", null);
        assertEquals("com.opensymphony.xwork2.ModelDrivenAction", proxy.getConfig().getClassName());
        System.out.println(proxy.getConfig().getClassName());
        
        proxy = actionProxyFactory.createActionProxy("/example2/subItem", "save", null);
        assertEquals("com.opensymphony.xwork2.ModelDrivenAction", proxy.getConfig().getClassName());
        System.out.println(proxy.getConfig().getClassName());
        
        proxy = actionProxyFactory.createActionProxy("/example2", "list", null);
        assertEquals("com.opensymphony.xwork2.ModelDrivenAction", proxy.getConfig().getClassName());
        System.out.println(proxy.getConfig().getClassName());
        
        proxy = actionProxyFactory.createActionProxy("/example3", "list", null);
        assertEquals("com.opensymphony.xwork2.SimpleAction", proxy.getConfig().getClassName());
        System.out.println(proxy.getConfig().getClassName());
        
    }

The following test should print -->
com.opensymphony.xwork2.SimpleAction
com.opensymphony.xwork2.ModelDrivenAction
com.opensymphony.xwork2.ModelDrivenAction
com.opensymphony.xwork2.ModelDrivenAction
com.opensymphony.xwork2.ModelDrivenAction
com.opensymphony.xwork2.SimpleAction

However, currently xwork prints:

com.opensymphony.xwork2.SimpleAction (correct)
com.opensymphony.xwork2.SimpleAction (incorrect)
com.opensymphony.xwork2.ModelDrivenAction (correct)
com.opensymphony.xwork2.SimpleAction (incorrect)
com.opensymphony.xwork2.SimpleAction (incorrect)
com.opensymphony.xwork2.SimpleAction (correct)