Werner, thanks for the reply. To some extent I see xdoclet tags as somewhat different things than annotations. Since annotations live in the class file I see them as intended for runtime processing as opposed to compile/pre-processing. So, a MappingLoader using annotation values computing class descriptor objects at runtime instaed of from a mapping file makes sense.
But I was thinking more about pre-processing files (I guess either using xdoclet tags or annotations from class files) and creating class/field descriptor java source files obviating any need for runtime processing of either a mapping file or annotations. Jay -----Original Message----- From: Werner Guttmann [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, December 25, 2006 7:14 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [castor-user] generating class descriptor files from binding file Jay, please read in-line. Werner Jay Goldman wrote: > > When the project I am working on started using castor it was decided > that xdoclet tags would be used to create castor mapping files. A few days (weeks) ago, a decision has been taken that we (the committers plus anybody willing to help us) will start to work on implementing the JAXB 2.x specification. As part of this undertaking, we will have to support loading mapping information from (Java 5) annotations. I wonder whether this information is of any (additional) value to you, though. Personally, I think that a new MappingLoader (please see below for an explanation of what MappingLoaders are) could be added, and essentially will be added as we progress through adding support for JAXB. I wonder, though, whether this particular component could (and should) be added earlier ... ;-). > There > are no xsd files associated with the project. Essentially there are > java data classes which needed xml representations. So the java source > is the 'primary' input, it defines the needed xml. > > So, we use xdoclet processing to generate mapping files. Multiple > variants of the mapping files are needed due to subsets of the classes > being executed in different jvms with different classpaths (e.g., > tomcat vs jboss). So the same classes need to have mapping information > put in multiple files and these multiple files need to be parsed > (albet only > once) the first time an object needs to be marshalled (or unmarsalled). > > It is my understanding that when castor processes a mapping file it > creates class descriptor objects, ... Yes, correct. Both Castor JDO and XML internally use ClassDescriptor and FieldDescriptor instances to represent mapping information, using either JDO- and/or XML-specific 'dialects' of these. > so I was wondering if it wouldn't be > better to just use class descriptor classes instead of mapping files? Yes, I think it would. Here's why ... > However, to do this I would need a tool for either (a) processing > xdoclet tags into class descriptor source or (b) taking a mapping file > and generating class descriptor source and I am not aware of any such tool. Nor am I, but that would be part of the exercise, whatever approach you will be taking. For the JAXB support (annotations), we will have to add a new MappingLoader instance that builds Class-/FieldDescriptors from those annotations. And the same would be required to support xdoclets. Does this make any sense ? > > Hopefully I am incorrect and someone can point me at a way I can > create class descriptor source from my xdoclet-taged java source. > > thanks in advance, > Jay Goldman > --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from this list please visit: http://xircles.codehaus.org/manage_email --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from this list please visit: http://xircles.codehaus.org/manage_email
