Hibernate version:
2.1

Firstly, I need to get the tablename that a class is mapped to.
Secondly, I need to create tables using hibernate.

Read the API documentation for Configuration and SchemaExport.

That would work outside of the context of my application.
I should ahve been more specific sorry:
I have a SessionFactory and a class that is mapped in that SessionFactory. How do I, using only this information, get the tablename that the class is mapped to as a string. I do not require the entire ddl.

Also we need to create the table from within our program and not using ant
or running an sql file against the database.

Read the API documentation for Configuration and SchemaExport.

"The Configuration is meant only as an initialization-time object. SessionFactorys are immutable and do not retain any association back to the Configuration." - API documantation

Does this mean I have to make a new configuration object? It could prove problematic as I am using Spring to initialise the SessionFactory and will have to keep a separate properties files duplicating the setup, with the attendant maintenance problems this will inevitably cause.

I would like to avoid this. It would be so much better if it was possible to get the tablename for the class from the SessionFactory rather than cumbersomely generating SQL and then parsing it for the tablename by hand. I think that this is a reasonable piece of functionality and could even be used within SchemaExport. By abstracting this out and allowing people to use it on its own would also mean it will get used more often which means it would get tested more often which would lead to higher quality which would also improve SchemaExport..

You can't, keep the Configuration object somewhere. It doesn't hurt.

Spring does the sessionfactory initialisation. I never have a handle on the configuration object. Will ask on the Spring forum. I suppose I will still need to know the mapping file for the class if i'm going to use SchemaExport anyway. This does not seem as clean as it could be.

Its perfectly clear; you can get the mapping metadata (including the table names) on the Configuration API and you can also call SchemaExport programatically. You decided to hide these perfectly usable APIs with a wrapper (called Spring). Thats your decision.

Can you explain to me why a Sessionfactory cannot have a getConfiguration method returning an immutable Configuration?

Because this is not how Hibernate is designed and it would require significant rewrites. If you stop hiding the Hibernate API, you will find it very easy to use and free from the limitations you are now experiencing. Talk to the Spring guys.

well ... it is like it is ;-)

i think you're using a 'wrapper-class' like "org.springframework.orm.hibernate.LocalSessionFactoryBean" to create a Implementation of the Hibernate-SessionFactory ... why not create or own? Then you can store the configuration in spring ... (e.g. create the configuration in spring as singleton and pass it to your own wrapper) ...

I think something like that (i don't use spring) is possible ...

gtx
curio

:)
we're asking the spring guys how they think it should be done.
it would be useful if hibernate had a few more metadata facilities.

I'm sorry, but I'm losing my temper soon. Hibernate has two very complete metadata APIs. You are hiding them and can't access them with an uneccessary wrapper. You then complain that Hibernate doesn't have the right APIs for you. Please stop doing this.

ok.
i will stop now :)