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Copyright (c) 2026 Software Tree
This project demonstrates how JDX ORM handles object models with one-to-one and one-to-many relationships between Java classes, and how those relationships are mapped declaratively to a relational database.
The domain model represents a small organizational structure:
- A Company has many Departments (one-to-many, stored as a
List) and many ForeignLocations (one-to-many, stored as an array). - An Employee belongs to a Department (many-to-one) and has one Address (one-to-one).
The example application demonstrates shallow and deep CRUD operations, lazy fetching of related objects, named queries, directed operations (selectively ignoring related objects during retrieval), and batch inserts — all using the JDX ORM API.
- Java JDK 8 or higher installed and on the system PATH.
- JDX ORM SDK installed. Set the environment variable
JX_HOMEto the SDK's top-level installation directory. - A supported JDBC-compatible database (SQLite is pre-configured; a MySQL example is also included in the
.jdxfile).
JDX_RelationshipsExample/
├── config/
│ └── relationships_example.jdx # ORM mapping specification file
├── src/
│ └── com/softwaretree/jdxrelationshipsexample/
│ ├── RelationshipsExample.java # Main application entry point
│ └── model/
│ ├── SimpleAddr.java # Address model class
│ ├── SimpleCompany.java # Company model class
│ ├── SimpleDept.java # Department model class
│ ├── SimpleEmp.java # Employee model class
│ └── SimpleForeignLocation.java # Foreign location model class
├── bin/ # Compiled .class files (generated)
├── sources.txt # List of Java source files for compilation
├── compile.cmd # Windows: compile the Java source files
├── compile.sh # Mac/Linux: compile the Java source files
├── setEnvironment.bat # Windows: sets classpath environment variable
├── setEnvironment.sh # Mac/Linux: sets classpath environment variable
├── runJDXExample.bat # Windows: run the sample application
├── runJDXExample.sh # Mac/Linux: run the sample application
├── forward.bat # Windows: create/recreate the database schema
├── forward.sh # Mac/Linux: create/recreate the database schema
├── JDXDemo.bat # Windows: launch the JDXDemo GUI application
├── JDXDemo.sh # Mac/Linux: launch the JDXDemo GUI application
└── README.md # This file
The five model classes and their relationships are summarized below:
| Class | Table | Primary Key | Relationships |
|---|---|---|---|
SimpleCompany |
Simple_Company |
companyId |
Has many SimpleDept (List); has many SimpleForeignLocation (array) |
SimpleDept |
Simple_Dept |
deptId |
Belongs to SimpleCompany via companyId |
SimpleForeignLocation |
Simple_ForeignLocation |
locationId (auto-generated) |
Belongs to SimpleCompany via companyId |
SimpleEmp |
Simple_Employee |
empId |
References SimpleDept via deptId; has one SimpleAddr |
SimpleAddr |
Simple_Address |
addrId |
Belongs to SimpleEmp (addrId is an implicit attribute) |
Two classes use the IMPLICIT_ATTRIB mapping feature, which allows JDX ORM to automatically manage foreign-key fields without explicit initialization in application code:
SimpleAddr.addrId— automatically initialized with theempIdof the containingSimpleEmpwhen that employee is persisted.SimpleEmp.deptId— automatically initialized with thedeptIdof the referencedSimpleDeptwhen the employee is persisted.
This declarative file defines how the Java object model maps to relational database tables. It specifies:
JDX_DATABASEandJDBC_DRIVER— database connection and driver settings.JDX_OBJECT_MODEL_PACKAGE— the base Java package for all model classes, allowing short class name references within the file.CLASS/PRIMARY_KEY— each mapped class and its primary key.RELATIONSHIP— one-to-one and one-to-many relationships, specified asBYVALUE(owned/deep) or by reference.COLLECTION_CLASS— descriptors for collection-typed relationships (array andList), including element ordering.IMPLICIT_ATTRIB— foreign-key fields automatically managed by JDX ORM.RDBMS_GENERATED— markslocationIdinSimpleForeignLocationas auto-generated by the database.QUERY_NAME— a named parameterized query (GetEmpByTitle) defined onSimpleEmpfor reuse in application code.
The file is pre-configured for SQLite. A commented-out MySQL example is also included. Refer to the JDX Database & JDBC Driver Specification Guide for configuring other databases.
Note: Update
JDX_DATABASEandJDBC_DRIVERto match your local database setup before running.
The entry point of the sample application. It initializes JDX ORM and runs two phases:
Phase 1 — populateEmployees(): Sets up the database with sample data:
- Deletes any pre-existing objects.
- Inserts a
SimpleCompanywith twoSimpleDeptobjects and twoSimpleForeignLocationobjects using a deep insert (persistence by reachability). - Inserts
SimpleEmpobjects with associatedSimpleAddrobjects, both individually and in batch.
Phase 2 — useJDXORM(): Demonstrates various query and update patterns:
- Shallow query of a company, followed by lazy fetch of its foreign locations.
- Deep query of a company (retrieves all related objects in one call).
- Deep query of all employees.
getObjectByIdwith shallow and deep flags.- Lazy fetch of a related object (
address) from a shallowly retrieved employee. - Update of an employee and re-retrieval.
- Named query (
GetEmpByTitle) to retrieve employees filtered by title. - Directed operations — deep query while selectively ignoring the
deptrelationship, followed by an explicitaccesscall to fetch it separately.
Lists all .java source files to be compiled, one per line:
./src/com/softwaretree/jdxrelationshipsexample/model/SimpleAddr.java
./src/com/softwaretree/jdxrelationshipsexample/model/SimpleCompany.java
./src/com/softwaretree/jdxrelationshipsexample/model/SimpleDept.java
./src/com/softwaretree/jdxrelationshipsexample/model/SimpleEmp.java
./src/com/softwaretree/jdxrelationshipsexample/model/SimpleForeignLocation.java
./src/com/softwaretree/jdxrelationshipsexample/RelationshipsExample.java
This file is passed to javac using the @sources.txt argument syntax.
Compiles all Java source files listed in sources.txt and outputs .class files into the bin/ directory.
- Requires
JX_HOMEto be set to the JDX ORM SDK installation directory. - Links against
jxclasses.jar(JDX ORM library) andjson-20240303.jar(JSON support). compile.cmd— Windows batch script (supports JDK 8; a commented line supports JDK 9+).compile.sh— Mac/Linux shell script equivalent.
Windows:
compile.cmdMac/Linux:
chmod +x compile.sh # first time only
./compile.shSets the CLASSPATH environment variable to include the JDX ORM libraries and the appropriate JDBC driver JAR for your database. Edit this file to point to the correct JDBC driver for your database before running the application.
setEnvironment.bat— Windows (uses;as classpath separator).setEnvironment.sh— Mac/Linux (uses:as classpath separator; sourced viasource ./setEnvironment.sh).
Invokes the environment setup script to configure the classpath, then runs the RelationshipsExample main class.
Windows:
runJDXExample.batMac/Linux:
chmod +x runJDXExample.sh # first time only
./runJDXExample.shCreates (or recreates) the database schema based on the ORM specification in the .jdx file, without running the application.
Windows:
forward -createMac/Linux:
chmod +x forward.sh # first time only
./forward.sh -createLaunches the JDXDemo desktop GUI application, which provides a graphical way to browse and interact with the database using the JDX ORM configuration.
Windows:
JDXDemo.batMac/Linux:
chmod +x JDXDemo.sh # first time only
./JDXDemo.sh-
Set
JX_HOMEto the root of your JDX ORM SDK installation. -
Configure the database by editing
config/relationships_example.jdx:- Update
JDX_DATABASEwith the correct connection URL and credentials. - Update
JDBC_DRIVERwith the appropriate JDBC driver class. - Update
setEnvironment.bat(Windows) orsetEnvironment.sh(Mac/Linux) to include the JDBC driver JAR on the classpath.
- Update
-
Compile the source files:
compile.cmd # Windows ./compile.sh # Mac/Linux
-
Run the sample application:
runJDXExample.bat # Windows ./runJDXExample.sh # Mac/Linux
The application will automatically create the database schema on first run (controlled by the
forceCreateSchemaflag inRelationshipsExample.java).
Mac/Linux tip: Run
chmod +x *.shonce in the project directory to make all shell scripts executable.
This project can be imported directly into the Eclipse IDE as an existing Java project using File → Import → Existing Projects into Workspace.
- JDX Database & JDBC Driver Specification Guide
- JDX ORM SDK documentation (included in your SDK installation under
JX_HOME)