diff --git a/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/webservices/WebServicesAutoConfiguration.java b/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/webservices/WebServicesAutoConfiguration.java
index 26635733b3b..f4660fa738a 100644
--- a/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/webservices/WebServicesAutoConfiguration.java
+++ b/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/webservices/WebServicesAutoConfiguration.java
@@ -106,6 +106,11 @@ public class WebServicesAutoConfiguration {
 
 		private ApplicationContext applicationContext;
 
+		@Override
+		public void setApplicationContext(ApplicationContext applicationContext) {
+			this.applicationContext = applicationContext;
+		}
+
 		@Override
 		public void postProcessBeanDefinitionRegistry(BeanDefinitionRegistry registry)
 				throws BeansException {
@@ -125,33 +130,29 @@ public class WebServicesAutoConfiguration {
 				throws BeansException {
 		}
 
-		@Override
-		public void setApplicationContext(ApplicationContext applicationContext)
-				throws BeansException {
-			this.applicationContext = applicationContext;
-		}
-
 		private void registerBeans(String location, String pattern, Class<?> type,
 				BeanDefinitionRegistry registry) {
-			Resource[] resources = new Resource[] {};
-			try {
-				resources = this.applicationContext
-						.getResources(ensureTrailingSlash(location) + pattern);
-			}
-			catch (IOException ignored) {
-			}
-			for (Resource resource : resources) {
+			for (Resource resource : getResources(location, pattern)) {
 				RootBeanDefinition beanDefinition = new RootBeanDefinition(type);
 				ConstructorArgumentValues constructorArguments = new ConstructorArgumentValues();
 				constructorArguments.addIndexedArgumentValue(0, resource);
 				beanDefinition.setConstructorArgumentValues(constructorArguments);
-
 				registry.registerBeanDefinition(
 						StringUtils.stripFilenameExtension(resource.getFilename()),
 						beanDefinition);
 			}
 		}
 
+		private Resource[] getResources(String location, String pattern) {
+			try {
+				return this.applicationContext
+						.getResources(ensureTrailingSlash(location) + pattern);
+			}
+			catch (IOException e) {
+				return new Resource[0];
+			}
+		}
+
 		private static String ensureTrailingSlash(String path) {
 			if (!path.endsWith("/")) {
 				return path + "/";
diff --git a/spring-boot-docs/src/main/asciidoc/spring-boot-features.adoc b/spring-boot-docs/src/main/asciidoc/spring-boot-features.adoc
index d912afd140e..7186bc52569 100644
--- a/spring-boot-docs/src/main/asciidoc/spring-boot-features.adoc
+++ b/spring-boot-docs/src/main/asciidoc/spring-boot-features.adoc
@@ -6560,10 +6560,14 @@ your `Endpoints`.
 The {spring-webservices-reference}[Spring Web Services features] can be easily accessed
 via the `spring-boot-starter-webservices` module.
 
-Spring Boot can also automatically expose your WSDLs and XSDs using
-`spring.webservices.wsdl-locations` configuration property. For the detected WSDL and XSD
-files Boot will register beans of type `SimpleWsdl11Definition` and `SimpleXsdSchema`,
-respectively.
+`SimpleWsdl11Definition` and `SimpleXsdSchema` beans can be automatically created for your
+WSDLs and XSDs respectively. To do so, configure their location:
+
+
+[source,properties,indent=0]
+----
+    spring.webservices.wsdl-locations=classpath:/wsdl
+----