FULL PRODUCT VERSION :
java version "1.6.0_07"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_07-b06)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 10.0-b23, mixed mode, sharing)


ADDITIONAL OS VERSION INFORMATION :
Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM :
NPE occurs when using ZoneView as the view for an Editor Kit. Seems similar to bug 6459965 but with ZoneView instead of AsyncBoxView.

STEPS TO FOLLOW TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM :
Run the attached code.

EXPECTED VERSUS ACTUAL BEHAVIOR :
EXPECTED -
For the JTextPane to load properly.
ACTUAL -
NullPointerException thrown.

ERROR MESSAGES/STACK TRACES THAT OCCUR :
Exception in thread "AWT-EventQueue-0" java.lang.NullPointerException
        at javax.swing.text.AsyncBoxView.preferenceChanged(AsyncBoxView.java:493)
        at javax.swing.text.View.preferenceChanged(View.java:272)
        at javax.swing.text.BoxView.preferenceChanged(BoxView.java:269)
        at javax.swing.text.FlowView$FlowStrategy.insertUpdate(FlowView.java:356)
        at javax.swing.text.FlowView.loadChildren(FlowView.java:126)
        at javax.swing.text.CompositeView.setParent(CompositeView.java:122)
        at javax.swing.text.FlowView.setParent(FlowView.java:272)
        at javax.swing.text.ZoneView$Zone.loadChildren(ZoneView.java:432)
        at javax.swing.text.AsyncBoxView.setParent(AsyncBoxView.java:461)
        at javax.swing.text.CompositeView.replace(CompositeView.java:200)
        at javax.swing.text.BoxView.replace(BoxView.java:164)
        at javax.swing.text.View.append(View.java:401)
        at javax.swing.text.ZoneView.loadChildren(ZoneView.java:220)
        at javax.swing.text.CompositeView.setParent(CompositeView.java:122)
        at javax.swing.plaf.basic.BasicTextUI$RootView.setView(BasicTextUI.java:1315)
        at javax.swing.plaf.basic.BasicTextUI.setView(BasicTextUI.java:681)
        at javax.swing.plaf.basic.BasicTextUI.modelChanged(BasicTextUI.java:670)
        at javax.swing.plaf.basic.BasicTextUI$UpdateHandler.propertyChange(BasicTextUI.java:1773)
        at java.beans.PropertyChangeSupport.firePropertyChange(PropertyChangeSupport.java:339)
        at java.beans.PropertyChangeSupport.firePropertyChange(PropertyChangeSupport.java:276)
        at java.awt.Component.firePropertyChange(Component.java:7868)
        at javax.swing.text.JTextComponent.setDocument(JTextComponent.java:437)
        at javax.swing.JTextPane.setDocument(JTextPane.java:119)
        at javax.swing.JEditorPane.setEditorKit(JEditorPane.java:1097)
        at javax.swing.JTextPane.setEditorKit(JTextPane.java:481)
        at Test.init(Test.java:28)
        at Test.<init>(Test.java:13)
        at Test$1.run(Test.java:34)
        at java.awt.event.InvocationEvent.dispatch(InvocationEvent.java:209)
        at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(EventQueue.java:597)
        at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForFilters(EventDispatchThread.java:273)
        at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForFilter(EventDispatchThread.java:183)
        at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(EventDispatchThread.java:173)
        at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:168)
        at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:160)
        at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(EventDispatchThread.java:121)


REPRODUCIBILITY :
This bug can be reproduced always.

---------- BEGIN SOURCE ----------
public class Test extends javax.swing.JFrame {
    
    public Test() {
        textPane = new javax.swing.JTextPane();
        textPane.setEditorKit(new MyEditorKit());
    }
    
    public static void main(String args[]) {
        java.awt.EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
            public void run() {
                new Test().setVisible(true);
            }
        });
    }
    
    class MyEditorKit extends javax.swing.text.StyledEditorKit
            implements javax.swing.text.ViewFactory {

        @Override
        public javax.swing.text.ViewFactory getViewFactory() {
            return this;
        }
        
        public javax.swing.text.View create(javax.swing.text.Element elem) {
            String kind = elem.getName();
            if ((kind != null) && (kind.equals(javax.swing.text.AbstractDocument.SectionElementName))) {
                return new javax.swing.text.ZoneView(elem, javax.swing.text.View.Y_AXIS);
                //return new javax.swing.text.AsyncBoxView(elem, javax.swing.text.View.Y_AXIS);
            }
            javax.swing.text.ViewFactory f = super.getViewFactory();
            return f.create(elem);
        }
    }
    private javax.swing.JTextPane textPane;
}
---------- END SOURCE ----------

CUSTOMER SUBMITTED WORKAROUND :
  Bug 6459965 seems to have a workaround in the comments but not personally tested.