Creating data in a many-to-many-relationship

Question

Hello,
we really have problems in implementing a JClient dialog based on BC4J for creating data in a many to many relationship - especially with cascade delete on both sides.
Simplified our tables look like:
create table A_TABLE
A_ID VARCHAR2(5) not null,
A_NAME VARCHAR2(30) not null,
constraint PK_A_TABLE primary key (A_ID),
constraint UK_A_TABLE unique (A_NAME)
create table B_TABLE
B_ID VARCHAR2(5) not null,
B_NAME VARCHAR2(30) not null,
constraint PK_B_TABLE primary key (B_ID),
constraint UK_B_TABLE unique (B_NAME)
create table AB_TABLE
A_ID VARCHAR2(5) not null,
B_ID VARCHAR2(5) not null,
constraint PK_AB_TABLE primary key (A_ID, B_ID),
constraint FK_AB_A foreign key (A_ID) references A_TABLE (A_ID) on delete cascade,
constraint FK_AB_B foreign key (B_ID) references B_TABLE (B_ID) on delete cascade
Could JDev Team please provide a BC4J/JClient sample that performs the following task:
The dialog should use A_TABLE as master and AB_TABLE as detail. The detail displays the names associated with the IDs. Next to AB_TABLE should be a view of B_TABLE which only displays rows that are currently not in AB_TABLE. Two buttons are used for adding and removing rows in AB_TABLE. After adding or removing rows in the intersection the B_TABLE view should be updated. The whole thing should work in the middle and client tier. This means no database round trips after each add/remove, no posts for AB_TABLE and no query reexecution for B_TABLE until commit/rollback.
This is a very common szenario: For an item group (A_TABLE) one can select and deselect items (AB_TABLE) from a list of available items (B_TABLE). Most of JDeveloper4s wizards use this. They can handle multi/single selections, selections from complex structures like trees and so on. Ok, the wizards are not based on BC4J - or? How can we do it with BC4J?
Our main problems are:
1. Updating the view of B_TABLE after add/remove reflecting the current selection
2. A good strategy for displaying the names instead of the IDs (subqueries or joining the three tables)
3. A JBO-27101 DeadEntityAccessException when removing an existing row from AB_TABLE and adding it again
Other problems:
4. We get a JBO-25030 InvalidOwnerException when creating a row in AB_TABLE. This is caused by the composition. We workaround this using createAndInitRow(AttributeList) on the view object (instead of create()). This is our add-Action:
ViewObject abVO = panelBinding.getApplicationModule().findViewObject("ABView");
ViewObject bVO = panelBinding.getApplicationModule().findViewObject("BView");
Row bRow = bVO.getCurrentRow();
NameValuePairs attribList = new NameValuePairs(
new String[]{"BId"}, new Object[]{bRow.getAttribute("BId")});
Row newRow = abVO.createAndInitRow(attribList);
abVO.insertRow(newRow);
5. After inserting the new row the NavigationBar has enabled commit/rollback buttons and AB_TABLE displays the row. But performing a commit does nothing. With the following statement after insertRow(newRow) the new row is created in the database:
newRow.setAttribute("BId", bRow.getAttribute("BId"));
Please give us some help on this subject.
Best regards
Michael Thal

Answer 1

<Another attempt to post a reply. >
Could JDev Team please provide a BC4J/JClient sample
that performs the following task:
The dialog should use A_TABLE as master and AB_TABLE
as detail. The detail displays the names associated
with the IDs. Next to AB_TABLE should be a view of
B_TABLE which only displays rows that are currently
not in AB_TABLE. Two buttons are used for adding and
removing rows in AB_TABLE. After adding or removing
rows in the intersection the B_TABLE view should be
updated. The whole thing should work in the middle
and client tier. This means no database round trips
after each add/remove, no posts for AB_TABLE and no
query reexecution for B_TABLE until commit/rollback.
This is a very common szenario: For an item group
(A_TABLE) one can select and deselect items
(AB_TABLE) from a list of available items (B_TABLE).
Most of JDeveloper4s wizards use this. They can
handle multi/single selections, selections from
complex structures like trees and so on. Ok, the
wizards are not based on BC4J - or? How can we do it
with BC4J?
Our main problems are:
1. Updating the view of B_TABLE after add/remove
reflecting the current selectionYou should be able to use insertRow() to insert the row into proper collection.
However to remove a row only from the collection, you need to add a method on the VO subclasses (and perhaps export this method so that the client side should see it) to unlink a row from a collection (but not remove the associated entities from the cache).
This new method should use ViewRowSetImpl.removeRowAt() method to remove the row entry at the given index from it's collection. Note that this is an absolute index and not a range index in the collection.
2. A good strategy for displaying the names instead
of the IDs (subqueries or joining the three tables)You should join the three tables by using reference (and perhaps readonly) entities.
3. A JBO-27101 DeadEntityAccessException when
removing an existing row from AB_TABLE and adding it
againThis is happening due to remove() method on the Row which is marking the row as removed. Attempts to add this row into another collection will throw a DeadEntityAccessException.
You may 'remove the row from it's collection, then call 'Row.refresh' on it to revert the entity back to undeleted state.
>
Other problems:
4. We get a JBO-25030 InvalidOwnerException when
creating a row in AB_TABLE. This is caused by the
composition. We workaround this using
createAndInitRow(AttributeList) on the view object
(instead of create()). This is our add-Action:
ViewObject abVO =
O =
panelBinding.getApplicationModule().findViewObject("AB
iew");
ViewObject bVO =
O =
panelBinding.getApplicationModule().findViewObject("BV
ew");
Row bRow = bVO.getCurrentRow();
NameValuePairs attribList = new NameValuePairs(
new String[]{"BId"}, new
String[]{"BId"}, new
Object[]{bRow.getAttribute("BId")});
Row newRow = abVO.createAndInitRow(attribList);
abVO.insertRow(newRow);This is a handy approach. Note that Bc4j framework does not support dual composition where the same detail can be owned by two or more masters. In those cases, you also need to implement post ordering to post the masters before the detail (and reverse ordering for deletes).
>
5. After inserting the new row the NavigationBar has
enabled commit/rollback buttons and AB_TABLE displays
the row. But performing a commit does nothing. With
the following statement after insertRow(newRow) the
new row is created in the database:
newRow.setAttribute("BId",
d", bRow.getAttribute("BId"));This bug in JDev 903 was fixed and a patch set (9.0.3.1) is (I believe) available now via MetaLink.
>
>
Please give us some help on this subject.
Best regards
Michael Thal