[OPENJPA-1010] Instantiate meta-model classes for JPA 2.0 from source code annotations

• Type: New Feature
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Fixed
• Fix Version/s: 2.0.0-M3
• Component/s: jpa
• Assignee: Pinaki Poddar
• Reporter: Pinaki Poddar
• Created: 31/Mar/09 16:19
• Updated: 09/Apr/10 16:04
• Resolved: 27/Aug/09 16:58

Description

JPA 2.0 has introduced a specification for strictly-typed dynamic query construction. The type-strictness is based on availability of a meta-model. The user application can either use meta-model API to access the type information or instantiate the meta-model (referred as canonical meta-model) with a set of auto-generated classes for compile-time binding. This issue refers to instantiating the canonical meta-model at compile-time.
The process involves processing source code annotations or xml descriptors.

Source code annotation processing support in Java platform has significantly changed across JDK version 5 and 6. In JDK5, the annotation processing was supported by a command-line tool named apt based on com.sun.mirror API library. In JDK 6, the annotation processing is more seamlessly integrated with javac compilation process with javax.annotation API libraries.

While it is possible, albeit more complex, to support both style (they are not only based on different libraries, their life-cycle is somewhat different too), at this stage we will scope this activity to support only JDK 6 environment i.e. we assume that the user application compiles with a JDK6 compiler.

Issue Links

• incorporates: OPENJPA-1181 Metamodel Generation must be more selective and controllable
• is part of: OPENJPA-1007 OpenJPA 2.0 iteration 6 primary task
• is related to: OPENJPA-1009 Populate canonical meta-model for strictly typed Criteria Query building
• relates to: OPENJPA-1011 Instantiate meta-model classes for JPA 2.0 from XML descriptors
• relates to: OPENJPA-1622 Invoking MetaModel generator
• relates to: OPENJPA-1040 Fix code formatting errors introduced by OPENJPA-1010