Frequently asked questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is there a continuous integration available for downloading built S#arp Architecture artifacts?

A: Great question! In fact, S#arp Architecture is part of the CI environment hosted at http://teamcity.codebetter.com.

Q: How do I register an NHibernate IInterceptor?

A: To register an IInterceptor, simply invoke the registration after initializing NHibernateSession in Global.asax.cs; e.g.,

NHibernateSession.Init(new WebSessionStorage(this),

    new string[] { Server.MapPath("~/bin/MyProject.Data.dll") });

NHibernateSession.RegisterInterceptor(new MyAuditLogger()); 

Q: How do I “downgrade” my S#arp Architecture project to not use Fluent NHibernate Auto Mapping?

A: Starting with S#arp Architecture RC, Fluent NHibernate’s auto persistence mapping is supported and included by default. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, take a quick look at http://www.chrisvandesteeg.nl/2008/12/02/fluent-nhibernates-autopersistencemodel-i-love-it/. If you don’t want to use the Auto Mapping capabilities, you can use Fluent NHibernate ClassMaps or HBMs as well.

• Delete YourProject.Infrastruction/NHibernateMaps/AutoPersistenceModelGenerator.cs from your project

• Modify YourProject.Web.Mvc/Global.asax.cs to no longer load the auto persistence model and feed it to the NHibernate initialization process. The following example code demonstrates how this may be accomplished:

  AutoPersistenceModel autoPersistenceModel =
      new AutoPersistenceModelGenerator().Generate(); 
  
  NHibernateSession.Init(new WebSessionStorage(this),
      new string[] { Server.MapPath("~/bin/Northwind.Infrastructure.dll") });
  

Likewise, within YourProject.Tests/YourProject.Infrastructure/NHibernateMaps/MappingIntegrationTests class, remove the passing of the auto-persistence model to the NHibernate initialization process:

  [TestFixture]
  [Category("DB Tests")]
  public class MappingIntegrationTests
  {
      [SetUp]
      public virtual void SetUp() {
          string[] mappingAssemblies =
              RepositoryTestsHelper.GetMappingAssemblies();

          AutoPersistenceModel autoPersistenceModel =
              new AutoPersistenceModelGenerator().Generate(); 

          NHibernateSession.Init(new SimpleSessionStorage(),
              mappingAssemblies,
              "../../../../app/Northwind.Web.Mvc/NHibernate.config");
      }

Compile and hope for the best. ;)

Note that Fluent NHibernate Auto Mapper can live in happy coexistence with Fluent NHibernate ClassMaps and HBMs. Simply exclude the applicable classes from the Auto Mapper and add their mapping definition, accordingly. Alternatively, it’s very simple to provide mapping overrides as well, which is the approach I personally prefer to take.

Q: How do I run my S#arp Architecture project in a medium trust environment?

A: If you must run in a Medium Trust environment, the following modifications must be made to the NHibernate configuration:

… managed_web … Additionally, all class mappings need to be set to lazy=”false”.

Q: How do I run my S#arp Architecture project in 64 bit (x64) environment?

A: There are a couple of options for running in a 64 bit environment. The first is to switch IIS7 to have the website run in a classic .NET application pool. Alternatively, you can create a separate app pool and ensure that the “Enable 32 bit application” is checked under the advanced settings for the app pool.

In addition to modifying IIS for a 64 bit environment, also note that that you should modify YourProject.Tests to build as an x86 assembly, as the included SQLite assembly will only work as x86. Alternatively, you could download an x64 compliant version of SQLite.

Q: Because the Entity’s Id property has a protected setter, the Id property isn’t being included during XML serialization? What can we do to include it?

A: Having the Id setter being protected is a fundamental principle of S#arp Architecture. But there are times when the Id is needed to be included during XML serialization. The following base class can be added to YourProject.Core to facilitate the Id being included with XML serialized objects:

public class EntityWithSerializableId : Entity
{
    public virtual int ItemId {
        get { return Id; }
        set { ; }
    }
}

Q: How do I add support for multiple databases?

A:: To add support for an additional database to your project:

Create an NHibernateForOtherDb.config file which contains the connection string to the new database

Within YourProject.Web.Mvc/Global.asax.cs, immediately under the NHibernateSession.Init() to initialize the first session factory, an additional call to NHibernateSession.AddConfiguration(). While the first NHibernate initialization assumes a default factory key, you'll need to provide an explicit factory key for the 2nd initialization. This factory key will be referred to by repositories which are tied to the new database as well; accordingly, I'd recommend making it a globally accessible string to make it easier to refere to in various locations. E.g.,

 NHibernateSession.AddConfiguration(Northwind.Infrastructure.DataGlobals.OTHER_DB_FACTORY_KEY, 
      new string[] { Server.MapPath("~/bin/Northwind.Data.dll") }, 
      new AutoPersistenceModelGenerator().Generate(),
      Server.MapPath("~/NHibernateForOtherDb.config"), null, null, null);

// In DataGlobals.cs:
public const string OTHER_DB_FACTORY_KEY = "nhibernate.other_db";

Create an Entity class which you intend to be tied to the new database; e.g.,

public class Village : Entity
{
    public virtual string Name { get; set; }
}

Within YourProject.Core/DataInterfaces, add a new repository interface for the Entity class and simply inherit from the base repository interface. Since you'll need to decorate the concrete repository implementation with the factory session key, you need to have the explicit interface to then have the associated concrete implementation; e.g.,

using SharpArch.Core.PersistenceSupport;

namespace Northwind.Domain.DataInterfaces
{
    public interface IVillageRepository : IRepository<Village> { }
}

Within YourProject.Data, add a new repository implementation for the repository interface just defined; e.g.,

using Northwind.Core.DataInterfaces;
using SharpArch.Data.NHibernate;
using Northwind.Core;

namespace Northwind.Infrastructure
{
    [SessionFactory(DataGlobals.OTHER_DB_FACTORY_KEY)]
    public class VillageRepository : 
        Repository<Village>, IVillageRepository { }
}

Within YourProject.Web.Mvc.Controllers, add a new controller which will use the repository (or which will accept an application service which then uses the repository); e.g.,

using System.Web.Mvc;
using SharpArch.Web.NHibernate;
using Northwind.Core.DataInterfaces;
using SharpArch.Core;
using Northwind.Core;
using System.Collections.Generic;

namespace Northwind.Web.Mvc.Controllers
{
    public class VillagesController : Controller
    {
        public VillagesController(
            IVillageRepository villageRepository) {
            Check.Require(villageRepository != null,
                "villageRepository may not be null");
            this.villageRepository = villageRepository;
        }

        [Transaction(DataGlobals.OTHER_DB_FACTORY_KEY)]
        public ActionResult Index() {
            IList<Village> villages = villageRepository.GetAll();
            return View(villages);
        }

        private IVillageRepository villageRepository;
    }
}

Create an index page to list the villages given to it from the controller.

Note that the WCF support built into the SharpArch libraries does NOT support multiple databases at this time. WCF will always use the "default" database; the one which is configured without an explicit session factory key.