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Dali JPA Tools

An Eclipse Web Tools Platform Sub-Project
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Getting Started with Dali 0.5

To work with Java Persistence Entities you need couple of prerequisites:

To work with Java Persistence Entities you need to enable persistence functionality in a Java project:
  • Make sure your Project's Java Compiler Compliance Level is set to 5.0
  • Switch to the "Persistence Perspective"--you don't have to but this perspective contains the views that support entity editing.
  • Right-click on a Java Project and choose Java Persistence -> Add Java Persistence... (see the viewlet demo Adding Persistence to a Project)
  • Follow the instructions on the Wizard. You'll need to identify the jar containing the JPA annotation definitions so your entities will compile. You'll also need to select, or define, a database connection that will be used to access relational schema information.
To create a new persistent Entity:
  • Right-click on your Java Project and choose New -> Other -> Java Persistence -> Entity
  • Or, you can create a new Java class and simply add the "@Entity" annotation to it. The Dali tools will pickup the change and the editing views will activate.
To make an existing POJO an Entity:
  • Right-click on your Class in the Package Explorer and choose Persistence -> Make Java Persistence Entity
  • Or simply add the "@Entity" annotation to any existing POJO class definition. The Dali tools will pickup the change and the editing views will activate.
Take a look at the viewlet demos on the Dali Home Page for a walk through of building property access and field access Entities.

    Running JPA Applications 'Out of Container'

    How you run your JPA application in a compliant runtime in a Java SE environment ('out of container') is vendor specific. We'll add links to how-to's for any runtime we're told about. Post to the Dali newsgroup or mailing list if you have a how-to you'd like included.

      Notes

      • In order to compile JPA Entities, it is a requirement that the appropriate jar(s) from a JPA runtime are available on the project classpath. The "Add Java Persistence..." wizard will help you add the required library to your project classpath. You must have previously installed a Java EE 5 or JPA persistence runtime implementation--one is not distributed with Dali. If you are working inside of a WebTools Enterprise Application Project, no classpath configuration is needed as your classpath should already contain the appropriate jars from your Server configuration, assuming the server supports EJB 3.0.
      • When starting a new workbench session, it is currently necessary to re-connect to your database if you are working on-line with the DB. This allows the Dali plug-in to provide DB related mapping assistance and validation.

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