<beans xmlns:p="http://xbean.apache.org/schemas/pizza">
 
+  <bean id="topping" class="java.lang.String">
+    <constructor-arg>
+      <value>Salami</value>
+    </constructor-arg>
+  </bean>
+
+  <p:pizza id="pizzaService" myTopping="#topping" cheese="##Edam" size="17"/>
+  
+</beans>

The topping bean is configured using the regular Spring way; the pizza bean is configured using XBean XML; however notice that the pizza bean is configured via the reference #topping. If you really do want to configure a property with a string which starts with # then escape it as ## as we are doing with the cheese property in this example. i.e. the cheese property will be set to the string "#Edam"

<beans xmlns:x="http://xbean.apache.org/schemas/pizza">
 
+  <x:keg id="ml1000" remaining="1000 ml"/>
+  <x:keg id="pints5" remaining="5 pints"/>
+  <x:keg id="liter20" remaining="20 liter"/>
+  <x:keg id="empty" remaining="0"/>
+
+</beans>

Here's how the bean developer would setup the PropertyEditor for the "remaining" property:

/**
+ * @org.apache.xbean.XBean element="keg" 
+ * 
+ * Used to verify that property PropertyEditors work correctly.
+ * 
+ * @author chirino
+ */
+public class KegService {
+	
+    private long remaining;
+
+	/**
+	 * Gets the amount of beer remaining in the keg (in ml)
+	 * 
+	 * @param remaining
+	 */
+	public long getRemaining() {
+		return remaining;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Sets the amount of beer remaining in the keg (in ml)
+	 * 
+     * @org.apache.xbean.Property propertyEditor="org.apache.xbean.spring.example.MilliLittersPropertyEditor"
+	 * @param remaining
+	 */
+	public void setRemaining(long remaining) {
+		this.remaining = remaining;
+	}
+	
+	public long dispense( long amount ) {
+		this.remaining -= amount;
+		return this.remaining;
+	}
 
+}

/**
+ * 
+ * Used to verify that per property PropertyEditors work correctly.
+ * 
+ * @author chirino
+ */
+public class MilliLittersPropertyEditor extends PropertyEditorSupport {
+
+	public void setAsText(String text) throws IllegalArgumentException {
+
+		Pattern p = Pattern.compile("^(\\d+)\\s*(l(iter)?)?$", Pattern.CASE_INSENSITIVE);
+		Matcher m = p.matcher(text);
+		if( m.matches() ) {
+			setValue(new Long(Long.parseLong(m.group(1))*1000));
+			return;
+		}
+		
+		p = Pattern.compile("^(\\d+)\\s*(ml)?$", Pattern.CASE_INSENSITIVE);
+		m = p.matcher(text);
+		if( m.matches() ) {
+			setValue(new Long(Long.parseLong(m.group(1))));
+			return;
+		}
+
+		p = Pattern.compile("^(\\d+)\\s*pints?$", Pattern.CASE_INSENSITIVE);
+	    m = p.matcher(text);
+		if( m.matches() ) {
+			long pints = Long.parseLong(m.group(1));
+			setValue(new Long( (long)(pints * 1750) ));
+			return;
+		}
+		
+		throw new IllegalArgumentException("Could convert not to long (in ml) for "+ text);		
+	}
+
+	public String getAsText() {
+		Long value = (Long) getValue();
+		return (value != null ? value.toString() : "");
+	}
+}