Hi all,

I've recently started using Hibernate, and have been loving it. It just helps so much!

One problem that I have had with it is the queries - the queries are strings, which don't get compiled. It would be nice to be able to have the queries compiled to have them checked for validaty. In particular, I would like to be able to change an objects attribute name, and have the problem highlight for me.

For example, I might have a query:

"from object as o where o.name = ?"

If the attribute 'name' changes in o, the query, because its a string, won't throw a compile exception, and I won't know that there is a problem until runtime. Is there a way around this?

Thanks for any suggestions,

Mark

Try query in mapping file, it may check that before real HQL call.
For use using the criteria API

Hi Emmanual,

Thanks for the suggestion, but it makes no mention of this capability in the documentation.

"15.3. Named SQL queries
Named SQL queries may be defined in the mapping document and called in exactly the same way as a named HQL query. "

Any other ideas, from Emmanual or others?

Thanks,

Mark

He also said the criteria API - check it out.

Well, I know the documentation does not mention that. That's why I asked you to *try*

Thanks for the replies gentlemen.

David, I did check the criteria technique, I should have made mention of it in my last post, sorry. Unfortunately I saw no way in which it would accomplish what I desire because of the way criterias are setup:

ie.
List cats = sess.createCriteria(Cat.class)
.add( Expression.like("name", "Fritz%") )
.add( Expression.between("weight", minWeight, maxWeight) )
.list();

The "name" is still being added as a string, which is the problem :(

Emmanual:
I thought about this a bit further, and it seems to me that putting the query in the mapping file is going in the opposite direction than I was hoping to go. If the query is in the mapping file, it will NEVER be compiled time checked right? Or am I missing something here (which is, of course, very possible)?

Thanks again guys,

Mark

Hibernate *may* load (compile at runtime) HQL in mapping files in the init process, and thus fail at the very begining. But I've never tested.

Hi Emmanuel,

Actually, its the failure at runtime that I'm trying to avoid! I'm looking for a solution whereby I catch the errors when I recompile my code, NOT when I run it.

--snip from original post:
For example, I might have a query:

"from object as o where o.name = ?"

If the attribute 'name' changes in o, the query, because its a string, won't throw a compile exception, and I won't know that there is a problem until runtime. Is there a way around this?
--end snip

This problem would remain even if Hibernate does compile HQL at runtime, because we are still talking runtime and not compile time.

Well, thanks for the suggestions/thoughts!

Best regards,

Mark