Re: [Modeling-users] Pythonic, and non-XML, Model description

SourceForge Headquarters 1320 Columbia Street Suite 310 San Diego, CA 92101 +1 (858) 422-6466

        Hi there,

  More comments about PyModels --we need it in release 0.9 for the 1
  page tutorial to be really efficient.

I started to implement things, I needed to play with some pymodels to
make up my mind on some specific stuff (esp. on declaring
relationships). Obviously the starting point was made of version 4 of
PyModel and sample_PyModel, I must admit that having these two modules
made it possible to code a first sketch for PyModel quite quickly
--thanks all for your comments.

 NB:For the curious that want to play with it to, I've committed a first
    implementation in CVS branch brch-0_9pre7-1-PyModel (directory
    Modeling/, where PyModel.py and tests/test_PyModel.py are added,
    plus the following modules that were slightly changed: Model,
    Entity, Attribute and Relationships.

    Obviously you do NOT need to check this out to participate to the
    discussion!

  I expose here the points that were raised when trying it:

- model & entity declarations: nothing has changed, except that I added
  the possibility to declare 'associations' in an entity (see below)

- defaults:=20

  i. the way calculated defaults are declared needed to be
     changed, example:

      model.defaults=3D{ 'packageName': MP(identity, 'name'), }

     where MP is a special class for this (MP: Method/Parameters)
           identity is the method to be called (here identity=3Dlambda x:x)
           'name' is the name of the object's (model's) attribute to pass
           as an attribute (it should be an object's attribute)

      When multiple parameters are needed:
        MP(function,'param1','param2')

  ii. sample_PyModel_4 said:

        Entity('Employee',
               properties=3D[ # [...]
                            AForeignKey(Attribute.fk('Store'),=20
                                        isClassProperty=3D0),
                          ] )

      --> Attribute.fk('<destEntity>') was not a good idea, it's even not
          feasible. So: either you declare (and name) the foreign key,
          or you rely on the initialization of a relationship to create
          it.
=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20
- attributes: nothing changed

- relationships: there are two different ways to declare them:

  a. fully qualified rels i.e. when source and destination key are
     specified such as in:

      Entity('Employee',=20
             AForeignKey('fkStore'),
             properties=3D[RToOne('toStore','Store',src=3D'fkStore',dst=3D'=
id')]
            )
=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20
  b. unqualified rels, such as in:

      Entity('Employee', properties=3D[ RToOne('toStore', 'Store') ] )

     When using such a scheme, you need to identify the inverse
     relationship, if any, by the keyword 'inverse'; it can be specified
     in either relationships, or in both. Example:

       Entity('Employee', properties=3D[ RToOne('toStore', 'Store',=20
                                              inverse=3D'toEmployees') ] )

  Both a. and b. are implemented.=20
  In case b. the foreign key is created in the source (resp.
  destination) entity for a RToOne (resp. RToMany) relationship

  Note: the default for trelationships, such as in:
RToOne.defaults['sourceAttribute'] =3D RToOne.attNameFromRel #'fk'+destEnt+=
destAtt+count

        is not implemented but it will. For the moment being it's
        hard-coded.

- new object: Association

  Association objects make it easier to quickly design a relationship
  and its inverse. Proposed usage:

    model.entities =3D [
      Entity('Employee'),
      Entity('SalesClerk', parent=3D'Employee'),
      Entity('Mark'),
      Entity('Store'),
      ]
    model.associations =3D [
      Association('Employee', 'Store'),
      Association('Mark', 'Employee'),
      ]

  (this is the StoreEmployee test model without the attributes)

  Another full usage could be:

    # [...]
    model.associations =3D [
      Association('Employee: toStore', 'Store: toEmployees',
                  [0,1],    # Employee -----> Store
                  [0,None], # Store    ---->> Employee
                 )
      ]

    (Implementation note: for the moment Association('E1', 'E2')
     builds a toOne E1--->E2 and a toMany E2--->E1)

  =3D> this is where I'm not clear at all. It seems to me that we should
     be able to specify:
     - the source and destination entity (mandatory)
     - the multiplicity for both relationships (optional)
     - the names of the toOne rel. and of the toMany rel. (optional)
     - maybe extra parameters for each rels, something like:

        model.associations =3D [
          Association('Employee: toStore', 'Store: toEmployees',
                      [0,1],          # Employee -----> Store
                      [0,None],       # Store    ---->> Employee
                      { 'doc': 'toOne: Employee to Store' },  # Emp.toStore
                      { 'doc': 'toMany: Store to Employee' }, # Store.toEmp.
                     )
          ]

    I'm not sure this looks pretty, so if you have ideas they are
    welcome ;)

Now for the details:

* multiplicity: unconstrained upper bound can be -1, '*' or None

* I choose 'required' instead of 'allowsNone' for attributes/rels.

  Enclosed is a (working) version of sample_PyModel_5.py

  As usual, your comments and critics are appreciated. A PyModel *will*
  be integrated in 0.9, I'd like it to meet *your* needs ;)

        Cheers,

-- S=E9bastien.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
'''
sample_PyModel_5.py
A sample Pythonic OO-RDB Model=20
(re-expressing testPackages/StoreEmployees/model_StoreEmployees.xml) --
A PyModel must define a global variable called 'model', that is of type Mod=
el
'''

from PyModel import *

##
# Set preferred defaults for this model (when different from=20
# standard defaults, or if we want to make things explicit)

AFloat.defaults['precision'] =3D 10
AFloat.defaults['scale'] =3D 10
AString.defaults['width'] =3D 20

RToOne.defaults['delete'] =3D 2 #'cascade'
RToOne.defaults['multiplicity'] =3D [0,1]=20
#RToOne.defaults['sourceAttribute'] =3D RToOne.attNameFromRel # 'fk'+destEn=
t+destAtt+count
#RToOne.defaults['destinationAttribute'] =3D 'id'

RToMany.defaults['delete'] =3D 1 # 'deny' # this is temporary, final version
                                        # will say 'deny'/'cascade'/'nullif=
y'
                                        # as expected
RToMany.defaults['multiplicity'] =3D [0,None]
#RToMany.defaults['sourceAttribute'] =3D 'id'
#RToMany.defaults['destinationAttribute'] =3D RToMany.attNameFromRel # fk+d=
estEnt+sourceAtt+count

# Note that Relation.attNameFromRel is a callable, that calculates the att
# name from the indicated pieces (where count to distinguish between multip=
le
# relations between same source and target

Entity.defaults['properties'] =3D [
  APrimaryKey('id', isClassProperty=3D0, isRequired=3D1, doc=3D'Primary key=
!')
]

##

_connDict =3D {}
model =3D Model('StoreEmployees',adaptorName=3D'Postgresql',connDict=3D_con=
nDict)
model.doc =3D ' ... '
model.version=3D'0.1'
model.entities =3D [

  #
  Entity('Store',
         properties=3D[ AString('corporateName', isRequired=3D1),
                      RToMany('employees', 'Employee', inverse=3D'toStore')=
=20
                      ],
         doc =3D 'The Store object ...'
    ),

  # Employee and its subclasses SalesClerk and Executive
  Entity('Employee',
         properties=3D[ AString('lastName', isRequired=3D1, usedForLocking=
=3D1),=20
                      AString('firstName', isRequired=3D1, width=3D50,
                              usedForLocking=3D1),
                      RToMany('toAddresses', 'Address', delete=3D2),#'casca=
de'),=20
                      RToOne('toStore', 'Store')=20
                      ]
         ),

  Entity('SalesClerk', parent=3D'Employee',
         properties=3D[ AString('storeArea')=20
                      ]
         ),

  Entity('Executive', parent=3D'Employee',
         properties=3D[ AString('officeLocation', width=3D5),
                      RToMany('marks', 'Mark', delete=3D2, #'cascade'
                              inverse=3D'executive')
                      ]
         ),
=20=20
  #
  Entity('Address',
         properties=3D[ AString('street', width=3D80),=20
                      AString('zipCode'),=20
                      AString('town', width=3D80),
                      RToOne('toEmployee', 'Employee', delete=3D1,#'deny'
                             inverse=3D'toAddresses')=20
                      ]
         ),
=20=20
  #
  Entity('Mark',
         properties=3D[ AInteger('month', isRequired=3D1),=20
                      AInteger('mark', isRequired=3D1),
                      AForeignKey('toExecutive', isClassProperty=3D0),
                      RToOne('executive', 'Executive',
                             src=3D'toExecutive', dst=3D'id',
                             inverse=3D'marks'),
                      ]
         )
=20=20
  ]

if __name__ =3D=3D '__main__':
  model.build()
  #print model.validate()
  #print model.toXML()
  # plus whatever ...
=20=20
##
------------------------------------------------------------------------