Most of the menu-bar choices for the Map Browser are described below.
The following choices are available:
The Property Map Editor provides the means to map persistent class attributes and relationships to database columns and foreign key relationships. The editor contains two pages (tabbed dialog boxes): one for mapping attributes and one for mapping relationships.
The attributes page allows the user to choose between a simple mapping of an attribute (one attribute to one column) and a complex mapping (one attribute to one or more columns).
If you choose the simple map type option, you are prompted with a choice of columns and must pick one. If you choose a complex mapping then the Complex Attribute Editor is used to map the attribute. With the Complex Attribute Editor, you must complete two tasks:
Example: Suppose a model class has an attribute address of type Address and you wish to map the number , street, and zip attributes of the Address to three separate columns in the database. You would select the complex map type option from the Property Map Editor, then launch the Complex Attribute Editor. The editor requires you to choose a composer class (AddressComposer). When the composer has been selected, provide the associated column for each of the Address attributes (number, street, zip).
The relationships page allows you to map class relationships to database foreign key relationships. This is a straightforward mapping along the lines of simple attribute mapping. You select a foreign key relationship for each class relationship.