Implementing a Direct Collection Mapping

Direct collection mappings store collections of Java objects that are not TopLink-enabled. In the advanced tutorial, the responsibilitiesList attribute is a direct collection.

To map a direct collection:

1. Expand the Employee descriptor in the Navigator pane.

2. Click the responsibilitiesList attribute of the Employee descriptor.

3. 
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   Click the Direct Collect button on the mapping toolbar.

4. To specify where to place the strings in the direct collection, use the Target Table and Direct Field drop-down lists to select the DESCRIP field on the RESPONS databases table.

5. Select the Use Indirection option and choose ValueHolder. See "Implementing Indirection in the Tutorial".

   Figure B-40 Direct Collection Mapping General Tab

   
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6. Click the Table Reference tab, and add a new table reference by clicking the New button.

   • Create a reference named RESPONS_EMPLOYEE, with a source table of RESPONS and target table of EMPLOYEE and click OK.

   • In the Table Reference drop-down list, choose the RESPONS_EMPLOYEE.

   • Click the Add button on the Table Reference tab to add a foreign key relationship.

   • Set the Source Field (foreign key) to EMP_ID (from the RESPONS table).

   • Set the Target Field (primary key) to EMP_ID (from the EMPLOYEE table).

7. 
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   Click Save on the toolbar or choose File >  Save Project to save the project.