Entity Class

Represents an entity. All interactions between the code and the database are directed through this class.

Definition

Namespace: Firefly.Box.Data
Assembly: Firefly.Box (in Firefly.Box.dll) Version: debug-master-v:33791
C#
public class Entity
Inheritance
Object    Entity

Remarks

Used to describe an object within it's data provider.
In an Sql database, an Entity will be mapped to a Table, View or Synonym.
Note that a primary key must be set for an entity to operate properly.
When inherited, all members of that inherit from ColumnBase will be automatically added to the Entity's Columns property collection. Columns marked with the EntityPrimaryKeyAttribute attribute, will be set as primary keys. This behavior can be changed by overriding the PopulateColumns method.

Example

This example demonstrates the declaration of the popular Microsoft sql demo database called pubs.
C#
using System.Text;
using Firefly.Box.Data;
using Firefly.Box;
using Firefly.Box.Data.Advanced;
using Firefly.Box.Data.DataProvider;

namespace TestFirefly.Box.Documentation
{
    /// <summary>
    /// This data base is based on tables from the Microsoft demo database "pubs". It's scripts can be downloaded from:
    /// http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=06616212-0356-46a0-8da2-eebc53a68034&displaylang=en
    /// </summary>

    public class Pubs
    {
        public class Employees : Entity
        {
            [PrimaryKey]
            internal readonly TextColumn Id = new TextColumn("emp_id", "9", "Id");
            internal readonly TextColumn FirstName = new TextColumn("fname", "20", "First name");
            internal readonly TextColumn MiddleInitial = new TextColumn("minit", "1", "Middle initial");
            internal readonly TextColumn LastName = new TextColumn("lname", "30", "Last name");
            internal readonly JobId JobId = new JobId();
            internal readonly JobLevel JobLevel = new JobLevel();
            internal readonly PublisherId PublisherId = new PublisherId();

            public Employees():base("employee",DataSource)
            {
            }
            public void InitializeWithTestData()
            {
                Truncate();
                Insert("A-C71970F", "Aria", "", "Cruz", 10, 87, "1389");
                Insert("A-R89858F", "Annette", "", "Roulet", 6, 152, "9999");
                Insert("AMD15433F", "Ann", "M", "Devon", 3, 200, "9952");
                Insert("ARD36773F", "Anabela", "R", "Domingues", 8, 100, "0877");
                Insert("CFH28514M", "Carlos", "F", "Hernadez", 5, 211, "9999");
                Insert("CGS88322F", "Carine", "G", "Schmitt", 13, 64, "1389");
                Insert("DBT39435M", "Daniel", "B", "Tonini", 11, 75, "0877");
                Insert("DWR65030M", "Diego", "W", "Roel", 6, 192, "1389");
                Insert("ENL44273F", "Elizabeth", "N", "Lincoln", 14, 35, "0877");
                Insert("F-C16315M", "Francisco", "", "Chang", 4, 227, "9952");
                Insert("GHT50241M", "Gary", "H", "Thomas", 9, 170, "0736");
                Insert("H-B39728F", "Helen", "", "Bennett", 12, 35, "0877");
                Insert("HAN90777M", "Helvetius", "A", "Nagy", 7, 120, "9999");
                Insert("HAS54740M", "Howard", "A", "Snyder", 12, 100, "0736");
                Insert("JYL26161F", "Janine", "Y", "Labrune", 5, 172, "9901");
                Insert("KFJ64308F", "Karin", "F", "Josephs", 14, 100, "0736");
                Insert("KJJ92907F", "Karla", "J", "Jablonski", 9, 170, "9999");
                Insert("L-B31947F", "Lesley", "", "Brown", 7, 120, "0877");
                Insert("LAL21447M", "Laurence", "A", "Lebihan", 5, 175, "0736");
                Insert("M-L67958F", "Maria", "", "Larsson", 7, 135, "1389");
                Insert("M-P91209M", "Manuel", "", "Pereira", 8, 101, "9999");
                Insert("M-R38834F", "Martine", "", "Rance", 9, 75, "0877");
                Insert("MAP77183M", "Miguel", "A", "Paolino", 11, 112, "1389");
                Insert("MAS70474F", "Margaret", "A", "Smith", 9, 78, "1389");
                Insert("MFS52347M", "Martin", "F", "Sommer", 10, 165, "0736");
                Insert("MGK44605M", "Matti", "G", "Karttunen", 6, 220, "0736");
                Insert("MJP25939M", "Maria", "J", "Pontes", 5, 246, "1756");
                Insert("MMS49649F", "Mary", "M", "Saveley", 8, 175, "0736");
                Insert("PCM98509F", "Patricia", "C", "McKenna", 11, 150, "9999");
                Insert("PDI47470M", "Palle", "D", "Ibsen", 7, 195, "0736");
                Insert("PHF38899M", "Peter", "H", "Franken", 10, 75, "0877");
                Insert("PMA42628M", "Paolo", "M", "Accorti", 13, 35, "0877");
                Insert("POK93028M", "Pirkko", "O", "Koskitalo", 10, 80, "9999");
                Insert("PSA89086M", "Pedro", "S", "Afonso", 14, 89, "1389");
                Insert("PSP68661F", "Paula", "S", "Parente", 8, 125, "1389");
                Insert("PTC11962M", "Philip", "T", "Cramer", 2, 215, "9952");
                Insert("PXH22250M", "Paul", "X", "Henriot", 5, 159, "0877");
                Insert("R-M53550M", "Roland", "", "Mendel", 11, 150, "0736");
                Insert("RBM23061F", "Rita", "B", "Muller", 5, 198, "1622");
                Insert("SKO22412M", "Sven", "K", "Ottlieb", 5, 150, "1389");
                Insert("TPO55093M", "Timothy", "P", "O'Rourke", 13, 100, "0736");
                Insert("VPA30890F", "Victoria", "P", "Ashworth", 6, 140, "0877");
                Insert("Y-L77953M", "Yoshi", "", "Latimer", 12, 32, "1389");
            }
            public void Insert(Text id,Text firstName,Text middleInitial,Text lastName,int jobid,int jobLevel,string publisherId)
            {
                Employees e = new Employees();
                BusinessProcess bp = new BusinessProcess();
                bp.From = e;
                bp.AddAllColumns();
                bp.Activity = Activities.Insert;
                bp.ForFirstRow(delegate()
                          {
                              e.Id.Value = id;
                              e.FirstName.Value = firstName;
                              e.MiddleInitial.Value = middleInitial;
                              e.LastName.Value = lastName;
                              e.JobId.Value = jobid;
                              e.JobLevel.Value = jobLevel;
                              e.PublisherId.Value = publisherId;
                          });
            }
        }
        public class Jobs : Entity
        {
            [PrimaryKey]
            internal readonly JobId Id = new JobId();
            internal readonly TextColumn Description = new TextColumn("Job_desc", "50", "Description");
            internal readonly JobLevel MinLevel = new JobLevel("min_lvl"){Caption = "Min Level"};
            internal readonly JobLevel MaxLevel = new JobLevel("max_lvl"){Caption = "Max Level"};
            public Jobs():base("jobs",DataSource)
            {
            }
            public void InitializeWithTestData()
            {
                Truncate();
                Insert(1, "New Hire - Job not specified", 10, 10);
                Insert(2, "Chief Executive Officer", 200, 250);
                Insert(3, "Business Operations Manager", 175, 225);
                Insert(4, "Chief Financial Officier", 175, 250);
                Insert(5, "Publisher", 150, 250);
                Insert(6, "Managing Editor", 140, 225);
                Insert(7, "Marketing Manager", 120, 200);
                Insert(8, "Public Relations Manager", 100, 175);
                Insert(9, "Acquisitions Manager", 75, 175);
                Insert(10, "Productions Manager", 75, 165);
                Insert(11, "Operations Manager", 75, 150);
                Insert(12, "Editor", 25, 100);
                Insert(13, "Sales Representative", 25, 100);
                Insert(14, "Designer", 25, 100);
            }


            public void Insert(int jobId,Text description,int minLevel,int maxLevel)
            {
                Jobs j = new Jobs();
                BusinessProcess bp = new BusinessProcess();
                bp.From = j;
                bp.AddAllColumns();
                bp.Activity = Activities.Insert;
                bp.ForFirstRow(delegate()
                          {
                              j.Id.Value = jobId;
                              j.Description.Value = description;
                              j.MinLevel.Value = minLevel;
                              j.MaxLevel.Value = maxLevel;
                          });
            }
        }
        public class Publishers : Entity
        {
            [PrimaryKey]
            internal readonly PublisherId Id = new PublisherId();
            internal readonly TextColumn Name = new TextColumn("pub_name", "40", "Name");
            internal readonly TextColumn City = new TextColumn("City", "20");
            internal readonly TextColumn State = new TextColumn("State", "2");
            internal readonly TextColumn Country = new TextColumn("Country");
            public Publishers():base("Publishers",DataSource)
            {
            }
            public void InitializeWithTestData()
            {
                Truncate();
                Insert("0736", "New Moon Books", "Boston", "MA", "USA");
                Insert("0877", "Binnet & Hardley", "Washington", "DC", "USA");
                Insert("1389", "Algodata Infosystems", "Berkeley", "CA", "USA");
                Insert("1622", "Five Lakes Publishing", "Chicago", "IL", "USA");
                Insert("1756", "Ramona Publishers", "Dallas", "TX", "USA");
                Insert("9901", "GGG&G", "Mnchen", "", "Germany");
                Insert("9952", "Scootney Books", "New York", "NY", "USA");
                Insert("9999", "Lucerne Publishing", "Paris", "", "France");
            }

            public void Insert(Text publisherId,Text name,Text city,Text state,Text country)
            {
                Publishers p = new Publishers();
                BusinessProcess bp = new BusinessProcess();
                bp.From = p;
                bp.AddAllColumns();
                bp.Activity = Activities.Insert;
                bp.ForFirstRow(delegate()
                          {
                              p.Id.Value = publisherId;
                              p.Name.Value = name;
                              p.City.Value = city;
                              p.State.Value = state;
                              p.Country.Value = country;
                          });
            }
        }
        static Pubs()
        {
            // a dataset datasource
            DataSource = new DataSetDataProvider();
            // An mssql datasource that access the pubs db
            /*DataSource =
                SQLDataProviderBase.CreateSqlClientDataProvider(
                    "Integrated Security=SSPI;Persist Security Info=False;Initial Catalog=pubs;Data Source=(local)\\SQLEXPRESS;Connect Timeout=5;");*/
        }

        public static readonly DataSetDataProvider DataSource;

        public class JobId : NumberColumn
        {
            public JobId()
                : base("job_id", "2", "Job Id")
            {
            }
        }

        public class JobLevel : NumberColumn
        {
            public JobLevel(string name)
                : base(name ?? "job_lvl", "3", "Job level")
            {
            }
            public JobLevel()
                : this(null)
            {
            }
        }
        public class PublisherId : TextColumn
        {
            public PublisherId()
                : base("pub_id", "4", "publisher id")
            {
            }
        }
    }
}

Constructors

Entity(String, IEntityDataProvider)Initializes a new instance of the Entity class.
Entity(String, String, IEntityDataProvider)Initializes a new instance of the Entity class.

Properties

AllowRowLockingGets or sets the value determining whether this Entity allows physical row locking.
Cached When set to true, whenever this Entity is used within a Relation the data will be cached.
CacheEmptyResults 
CacheNonUniqueResults 
CaptionGets or sets the Entity's caption
CheckDuplicateIndex 
Columns Returns a ColumnCollection that contains all the columns of this Entity
EntityNameGets or sets the name of the entity in the database
IdentityColumn 
Indexes Returns a collection of Sorts that are associated with this Entity
PrimaryKeyColumns Returns an array containing the columns that are used as this Entity primary key
ReadOnly 
ReuseSelectResultOnPaging 

Methods

AfterDisplayForm 
CacheAFilterBasedOnTheseColumns 
ClearRelationCache 
CountRows Returns the number of rows that exist in the Firefly.Box.Data.DataProvider
Drop Instructs the Firefly.Box.Data.DataProvider to drop this Entity
EqualsDetermines whether the specified object is equal to the current object.
(Inherited from Object)
Exists Checks if the Entity exists in the data provider.
FilterBasedOnTheseColumnReturnsOneRow 
FinalizeAllows an object to try to free resources and perform other cleanup operations before it is reclaimed by garbage collection.
(Inherited from Object)
GetHashCodeServes as the default hash function.
(Inherited from Object)
GetMandatoryColumns 
GetRowsSourceUnderConstruction 
GetTypeGets the Type of the current instance.
(Inherited from Object)
MemberwiseCloneCreates a shallow copy of the current Object.
(Inherited from Object)
OnSavingRow 
PopulateColumns 
SetPrimaryKey 
ToStringReturns a string that represents the current object.
(Overrides ObjectToString)
Truncate Instructs the Firefly.Box.Data.DataProvider to truncate this Entity

See Also