Hi,

I'm very new to LLBLGen (still evaluating it), so forgive me if the answers to some of my questions are obvious.

I have the requirement to pass business object data from a remote service webapp to a client via web services. The catch is that the client is non-.NET (Visual Fox Pro 9.0) and persists the data with its own data model. Passing entities generated by LLBLGen is not an option then. I see two possibilities (correct me if I'm wrong):

1. Output the business entity to compact XML and send that - the client would load it up into an XML document and parse it. I don't really like that approach, plus I'm not even sure it would work.

2. The other option is to have a Data Transfer Object (DTO) for each entity - a very lightweight class with just some properties - a minimum of what needs to be sent over. Entities could then be converted into DTOs and vice versa. These DTOs would only be used to transfer data over XML web services. I prefer this approach.

I could code the DTOs by hand, but I don't see why this couldn't be automated. So.. what are options for having the DTO lightweight classes generated along with the entity classes? Would I need to write a new task and add it to a custom template?

How would v2.0 help me out? I know that a new projection feature will be coming that should simplify this, but I don't know anything about how that would work.

Thank you!

Hi Firstly Welcome to LLBLGen. Hope you love it.

Golden rule about web services is: 1. If your web services client is .Net and nothing but .Net then you can pass back .Net objects (after serialisation)

however

1. If your client are non .Net, stick to 'base' object i.e. standard xml.

My guess is that you fall into catogory 2.

To ease application development you CAN use DTO on the .Net side. Please read this http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/cpguide/html/cpcongeneratingstronglytypeddataset.asp. I have used it in my projects as the DTO not only to non .Net clients, but also passing data between the layers. The xsd generated the CRUD code to manipulate the xml.

The generated XML then get sent to the 'other side'

The onther side will need to be 'hand coded' I am afraid.

Hope this helps.

Correcting the above mentioned link (remove the dot found at the end): http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/cpguide/html/cpcongeneratingstronglytypeddataset.asp

Hi,

I'm also new to LLBLGen, and was wondering about the potential of having a template that produced light weight "DTO" objects with casting operators to their corresponding LLBL Entities, although I think for a slightly different purpose to you Walaa. I basically want to have my presentation tier use the DTOs and not have knowledge particularly of the LLBLgen generated entities.

Is this something that can be done with a template, and if so does anyone have a template that does this or can point me in the direction of one? I'm only evaluating the software at this stage too, but at this point it seems to fit pretty perfectly with what I am doing.

Thanks, Matt

mattcole wrote:

Hi,

I'm also new to LLBLGen, and was wondering about the potential of having a template that produced light weight "DTO" objects with casting operators to their corresponding LLBL Entities, although I think for a slightly different purpose to you Walaa. I basically want to have my presentation tier use the DTOs and not have knowledge particularly of the LLBLgen generated entities.

Is this something that can be done with a template, and if so does anyone have a template that does this or can point me in the direction of one? I'm only evaluating the software at this stage too, but at this point it seems to fit pretty perfectly with what I am doing.

Thanks, Matt

That's very easy to do indeed. Something like:

using System;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Collections;
using System.Runtime.Serialization;

using <[RootNamespace]>.EntityClasses;

namespace <[RootNamespace]>.DTOClasses
{
    /// <summary>
    /// DTO class for the entity '<[CurrentEntityName]>'.
    /// </summary>
    [Serializable]
    public <[If UsePartialClasses]>partial <[EndIf]>class <[CurrentEntityName]>DTO : <[ If IsSubType ]><[ SuperTypeName ]>DTO<[ EndIf]> 
    {
        #region Class Member Declarations
<[Foreach EntityField CrLf]>            private <[TypeOfField]> _<[CaseCamel EntityFieldName]>;<[NextForeach]>
        #endregion
    
        /// <summary>
        /// CTor
        /// </summary>
        public <[CurrentEntityName]>DTO()
        {       
        }


        /// <summary>
        /// CTor which initializes the DTO with values from its corresponding entity
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="entityInstance">The entity instance which holds the values for this DTO</param>
        public <[CurrentEntityName]>DTO(<[CurrentEntityName]>Entity entityInstance)<[ If IsSubType ]> : base(entityInstance)<[ EndIf]> 
        {
<[Foreach EntityField CrLf]>            _<[CaseCamel EntityFieldName]> = entityInstance.<[EntityFieldName]>;<[NextForeach]>
        }
        
        
        /// <summary>
        /// Creates a new entity instance and copies over the values of this DTO
        /// </summary>
        public <[CurrentEntityName]>Entity ToEntity()
        {
            return ToEntity(new <[CurrentEntityName]>Entity());
        }

        
        /// <summary>
        /// Copies over the values of this DTO into the entity passed in.
        /// </summary>
        public <[CurrentEntityName]>Entity ToEntity(<[CurrentEntityName]> toFill)
        {
<[Foreach EntityField CrLf]>            toFill.<[EntityFieldName]> = _<[CaseCamel EntityFieldName]>;<[NextForeach]>
<[ If IsSubType ]>          base.ToEntity(toFill);<[ EndIf]>        
            return toFill;
        }
    
    
<[Foreach EntityField CrLf]>
        /// <summary> The <[EntityFieldName]> property of the Entity <[CurrentEntityName]></summary>
        public <[If EntityFieldOverrides]>override<[Else]>virtual<[EndIf]> <[TypeOfField]> <[EntityFieldName]>
        {
            get { return _<[CaseCamel EntityFieldName]>;}
            set { _<[CaseCamel EntityFieldName]> = value; }
        }<[NextForeach]>
    }
}

Haven't tested it, so it could be that I forgot a ; here and there .

Now, to run this template, you have to add a task to the generator config you're using, e.g. AdapterScenarioFullSafe2003.config

so right ABOVE the last task in that file, add:

<task name="EntitiesDirectoryCreator" assemblyFilename="SD.LLBLGen.Pro.TaskPerformers.dll" taskPerformerClass="SD.LLBLGen.Pro.TaskPerformers.DirectoryCreator">
    <parameter name="folderToCreate" value="[dbgenericSubFolder]\DTOClasses"/>
    <parameter name="failWhenExistent" value="false"/>
    <parameter name="clearWhenExistent" value="false"/>
</task>
<task name="EntityClassGenerator" assemblyFilename="SD.LLBLGen.Pro.TaskPerformers.dll" taskPerformerClass="SD.LLBLGen.Pro.TaskPerformers.CodeEmitter">
    <parameter name="destinationFolder" value="[dbgenericSubFolder]\DTOClasses"/>
    <parameter name="failWhenExistent" value="false"/>
    <parameter name="filenameFormat" value="[elementName]DTO.[extension]"/>
    <parameter name="templateID" value="SD_EntityDTOAdapterTemplate"/>
    <parameter name="emitType" value="allEntities"/>
</task>

Which will create the folder DTOClasses and will generate for all entities their corresponding class using the template bound to the ID SD_EntityDTOAdapterTemplate. SD_EntityDTOAdapterTemplate isn't an existing ID, you've to add it to the templateset you're using, in this case for example the SqlServer C# template set. So, go to the Drivers\SqlServer\Templates folder and open CSharpTemplateset.config in notepad. (there's also a tutorial for this in the manual).

Right below the last <templateBinding> tag you add:

<templateBinding templateID="EntityDTOAdapterTemplate" templateFilename="..\..\..\SharedTemplates\C#\entityDTO.template" />

The template I specified above should be saved in the file entityDTO.template and be stored in the folder SharedTemplates\C#

That's it Now you choose Adapter generator configuration for 2003 in the top combobox and the C# templateset in the bottom combobox when you press F7 and you'll get DTO classes for each entity

In v2 of LLBLGen Pro (now in beta) we've made the template/config alternation much easier so in V2 you don't have to mess with config files which contain other tasks or templateset configs which contain other templateID definitions

Hi Frans Would it be possible to add this as a feature in the UI of LLBLgen Pro. I notice a lot of projects i am working lately are following this approach of exchanging lightweight DTOs as messages in the form of xml. Small xml print is important. Having this as part of Code generation would be great. I have never tried the Templates stuff, so apologies if this is not relevant. Thanks

The thing is that it is very project specific: some people want a static method in the entity classes, others want an external lib etc. So the template is pretty specific. In v2, we've added a more flexible way of adding additional tasks to what you're going to execute, so it's a matter of click and go.

To fill DTO's, we've added projection logic to v2, which means you can fetch a resultset and project that resultset onto DTO classes, which can have less fields if you want to. This means that you just have to generate empty classes, and you can fill them with the generated code, which eases teh usage of DTO's in many applications. So what's left is the template, however I think that's always the case.

Nice Template! could you add it to the template library?

Hi Frans,

Thanks very much for that template, I'll give it a go now!

Matt

adrianporger wrote:

Nice Template! could you add it to the template library?

Perhaps for v2, where it's easy to add templates + tasks. For v1 I think I'll leave it to this posting.

of course for v2!

who is still working with v1???

And the GUI templates of course! ...

Otis wrote:

adrianporger wrote:

Nice Template! could you add it to the template library?

Perhaps for v2, where it's easy to add templates + tasks. For v1 I think I'll leave it to this posting.

Hi I've downloaded v2 and was wondering if you could tell me the steps in getting the template and tasks working for version 2. Thanks

I believe those would be added soon.

I'll put up a word doc with the changes descriptions later today, till the SDK docs are done, which will basicly contain the same info.

So please tell, where is the word doc. Is it in the SDK download? I am new to llblgen.

It has been merged into the SDK documentation already So the doc wasn't needed anymore. So please download the SDK documentation

I dont know if anyone has used DTO template Frans has provided. It is really kool and easy to use. It had couple of corrections required, incase it is already updated in SVN repository then ignore this message, as I just copied it from here(can't access outside SVN coz of company policy) and modified it.

Here is the modified template Modificaiton 1 : Moved SuperType ":" in If loop, incase anyone doesn't have any SuperType/ Modification 2 : Included [Nullable] support, as it is there for LLBL Entities.

using System;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Collections;
using System.Runtime.Serialization;

using <[RootNamespace]>.EntityClasses;

namespace <[RootNamespace]>.DTOClasses
{
    /// <summary>
    /// DTO class for the entity '<[CurrentEntityName]>'.
    /// </summary>
    [Serializable]
    public <[If UsePartialClasses]>partial <[EndIf]>class <[CurrentEntityName]>DTO <[ If IsSubType ]>: <[ SuperTypeName ]>DTO<[ EndIf]> 
    {
        #region Class Member Declarations
<[Foreach EntityField CrLf]>            private <[If IsNullable]><[If IsValueType]>Nullable<<[TypeOfField]>><[Else]><[TypeOfField]><[EndIf]><[Else]><[TypeOfField]><[EndIf]> _<[CaseCamel EntityFieldName]>;<[NextForeach]>
        #endregion
    
        /// <summary>
        /// CTor
        /// </summary>
        public <[CurrentEntityName]>DTO()
        {       
        }


        /// <summary>
        /// CTor which initializes the DTO with values from its corresponding entity
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="entityInstance">The entity instance which holds the values for this DTO</param>
        public <[CurrentEntityName]>DTO(<[CurrentEntityName]>Entity entityInstance)<[ If IsSubType ]> : base(entityInstance)<[ EndIf]> 
        {
<[Foreach EntityField CrLf]>            _<[CaseCamel EntityFieldName]> = entityInstance.<[EntityFieldName]>;<[NextForeach]>
        }
        
        
        /// <summary>
        /// Creates a new entity instance and copies over the values of this DTO
        /// </summary>
        public <[CurrentEntityName]>Entity ToEntity()
        {
            return ToEntity(new <[CurrentEntityName]>Entity());
        }

        
        /// <summary>
        /// Copies over the values of this DTO into the entity passed in.
        /// </summary>
        public <[CurrentEntityName]>Entity ToEntity(<[CurrentEntityName]>Entity toFill)
        {
<[Foreach EntityField CrLf]>            toFill.<[EntityFieldName]> = _<[CaseCamel EntityFieldName]>;<[NextForeach]>
<[ If IsSubType ]>          base.ToEntity(toFill);<[ EndIf]>        
            return toFill;
        }
    
    
<[Foreach EntityField CrLf]>
        /// <summary> The <[EntityFieldName]> property of the Entity <[CurrentEntityName]></summary>
        public <[If EntityFieldOverrides]>override<[Else]>virtual<[EndIf]> <[If IsNullable]><[If IsValueType]>Nullable<<[TypeOfField]>><[Else]><[TypeOfField]><[EndIf]><[Else]><[TypeOfField]><[EndIf]> <[EntityFieldName]>
        {
            get { return _<[CaseCamel EntityFieldName]>;}
            set { _<[CaseCamel EntityFieldName]> = value; }
        }<[NextForeach]>
    }
}

Hi,

I am not able to generate the DTO Classes based on the above template provided.

Help is very much appreciated. I am using v2

Regards

Prabhu

It always helps if you explain what exactly goes wrong.

I'm using v2 and allready put the template into SharedTemplates folder, now my question is: what do I have to do to use it? Because when I'm trying to generate the entityclasses the interface doesn't allow me to choose the template that I create

am i missing something here?

P.D: I wanna create the DTO's classes in a different dll, how can i do that?

You bound the template to a templateID in a templatebindings file?

Yes i did and now i can choose from the list my template but i don't know where the DTO were generated or if i'm making something wrong.

Also i want to generate the DTO classes in a different dll, how can i do that?

Hello,

if you want to create a dll by DTO, you will need to create a project by DTO. It can be very difficult to use it after(10 table=10 entity=10 project with the reference ..) Why don't you created a business class with all your DTO?

I think you r missunderstand me or i didn't xpress in a proper way, i wanna create 3 dll:

1-DTOs

2-Adapter Classes(DBSpecific)

3-LLBL entities