Hi -

I am learning how to develop client-server apps using Eclipse, with Firebird for the backend, and Hibernate for the ORM. I am still confused about which plugins I really need, and the best way to use them all toegether.

(1) What order should I work in? Build UML model first, then generate Java and SQL DDL from it, and then generate HBM from the Java? Does anything get lost in translation this way, from UML to Java to HBM? What if you specify some extra properties in UML (eg, a field's default value, validation rule, perhaps even default widgets for viewing, editing, searching) - is there a way to propagate these properties to Java and HBM?

(2) What about data-bound SWT widgets? I heard SWTWorkbench "Essential Data" is the only plugin which helps me bind my SWT widgets to my business objects. Do I need something like this in addition to Hibernate?

(3) Are manual coding and visual drag-and-drop (Instantiations SWTBuilder, Jigloo), the preferred ways to create forms? Some older tools (eg, MS-Access, or Sybase's PowerDesigner AppModeler for Delphi) have wizards or templates to generate default forms and widgets, and I heard IBM's Reflexive Interface Builder (RIB) might do something like this. Is forms design and widgets a completely separate issue from Hibernate?

Any suggestions on the plugins you like for client-server development with Hibernate would be most appreciated!

I found some answers to my questions here:

http://www.hibernate.org/159.html

in the "Hibernate Toolset" presentation, where they talk about different Development Scenarios:

(1) Top-down (start with JavaBeans)

(2) Bottom-up (start with relational schema)

(3) Middle-out (start with mapping)

(4) Meet in middle (start with both JavaBeans and relational schema)

They also had a handy diagram here:

http://www.hibernate.org/hib_docs/onlin ... /img6.html

So I guess I could start with UML, generate POJO, generate HBM, and generate DDL. Hopefully I can also annotate a field in my UML with its default value, validation rule, and maybe even some tags specifying the widget(s) to use for viewing, editing and searching that field.

Still not sure what to use for creating a field's widgets (Instantiations SWTDesigner, Jigloo, IBM's Reflexive Interface Builder), and binding them to business objects (Essential Data?), but I guess these are non-Hibernate questions!