Currently if an Embeddable objects fields are all null, when the object is retrieved from the database the object is returned as null.

Is there any configuration option/annotation that can be used to return an object that's fields are all null?

ie. this would allow field checking without having to use many extra null checks.

what prevents you from assigning the parameter in Java:



You can do this in the constructor and unless Hibernate sets the variable with a new object you will get that one.

... or does hibernate then explicitly set that to be null? I didn't think that was the case but I now realize that all of my embedded objects are not null in the db.

In the case I'm dealing with EmbeddedObject() would have something like 2 fields that are Strings like firstName lastName.

and if you create the object.. like

embedThis = new EmbeddedObject() and then persist it without any of embedThis's fields being set.. it's set to null.

So unless we did a hack like making a base class that contained an int and inherited all Embeddables from it (uglllly hack) we end up with null embedded objects.

you can have an object and Hibernate won't care...
If all the embedded objects fields are null, when Hibernate persists it, the object is persisted as null, not as an empty object.

So when it's retrieved you end up with embedThis = null, not an object with no data like you'd expect/want.

define a user type @Type