Chapter 5. Mapping Files
As can be seen from the examples in Chapters 1 through 4, the *.hbm.xml files are at the heart of an application's use of Hibernate. Depending on your needs, you may or may not work with *.hbm.xml files directly (for example, you may prefer to work with Java code and use XDoclet, as shown in Chapter 3, or to start from an existing database, as shown in Chapter 4), but it's vital to understand the structure and options available in a *.hbm.xml mapping files. The options presented in XDoclet and Middlegen are based on the options available in these mapping files.
This chapter is intended as a reference, organized alphabetically, by tag. A description of each tag is included, as well as some notes and comments on usage where appropriate. If you are just orienting yourself to Hibernate, you may wish to skip or skim this chapter and instead go on to the conceptual elements and tools covered in the remainder of this book. Regardless, at some point you will almost certainly need to consult this reference to make full use of Hibernate or to understand the meaning of one or another attribute.
The vast majority of the tags discussed in this chapter deal with relationship management. For an overall view of the Java and database relationship strategies supported by Hibernate, consult Chapter 7.
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