Gilhari Many-to-Many Example

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Gilhari Many-to-Many Example

Demonstrates many-to-many relationships between JSON objects with Gilhari ORM

Gilhari is a Docker-compatible microservice framework that provides RESTful Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) functionality for JSON objects with any relational database.

Remarkably, Gilhari automates REST APIs (POST, GET, PUT, DELETE, etc.) handling, JSON CRUD operations, and database schema setup — no manual coding required.

About This Example

This repository contains a standalone example showing how to configure Gilhari to handle many-to-many relationships between JSON objects using a join class pattern.

The example uses the base Gilhari docker image (softwaretree/gilhari) to easily create a new docker image (gilhari_manytomany_example) that can run as a RESTful microservice (server) to persist app specific JSON objects with relational mappings.

This example can be used standalone as a RESTful microservice or optionally with the ORMCP Server.

ORMCP Documentation: https://github.com/softwaretree/ormcp-docs
ORMCP/Gilhari Examples: https://github.com/SoftwareTree/ormcp-docs/tree/main/examples - Comprehensive list of examples

Note: This example is also included in the Gilhari SDK distribution. If you have the SDK installed, you can use it directly from the examples/gilhari_manytomany_example directory without cloning.

Example Overview

The example showcases a JSON object model with three types of objects: User, Group, and UserGroup

Object Model Overview:

JSON_User: User object with id and name
JSON_Group: Group object with id and name
JSON_UserGroup: Join class that materializes the many-to-many relationship
Attributes:
- User: uId (int), uName (string), groups (array of Group objects)
- Group: gId (int), gName (string), users (array of User objects)
- UserGroup: uId (int), gId (int)
Database Tables: USER, GRP, USER_GRP (join table)

What Makes This Example Different?

This example demonstrates a many-to-many relationship pattern:

Many-to-Many Relationship:

A User object can belong to many Group objects (one-to-many relationship from User's perspective)
A Group object can have many User objects (one-to-many relationship from Group's perspective)
UserGroup object serves as a join class to materialize the many-to-many relationship between User and Group
The relationship is bidirectional - you can navigate from User to Groups and from Group to Users

Configuration: See config/gilhari_manytomany_example.jdx for how to configure many-to-many relationships using join classes.

User Object Structure

{
  "uId": 1,
  "uName": "John Doe",
  "groups": [
    {
      "gId": 101,
      "gName": "Developers"
    },
    {
      "gId": 102,
      "gName": "Architects"
    }
  ]
}

Group Object Structure

{
  "gId": 101,
  "gName": "Developers",
  "users": [
    {
      "uId": 1,
      "uName": "John Doe"
    },
    {
      "uId": 2,
      "uName": "Jane Smith"
    }
  ]
}

UserGroup (Join) Object Structure

{
  "uId": 1,
  "gId": 101
}

Note: The UserGroup object represents the association/join between a User and a Group. It's automatically managed by Gilhari when you create relationships.

Project Structure

gilhari_manytomany_example/
├── src/                                 # Container domain model classes
│   └── com/softwaretree/...             # JSON_User.java, JSON_Group.java, JSON_UserGroup.java
├── config/                              # Configuration files
│   ├── gilhari_manytomany_example.jdx   # ORM specification with many-to-many relationships
│   └── classnames_map_example.json
├── bin/                                 # Compiled .class files
├── scripts/                             # Development scripts
│   └── compile.cmd / .sh                # Compiles the container domain model classes
├── gilhari/                             # Gilhari microservice (Docker) related files
│   ├── Dockerfile                       # Docker image definition
│   ├── gilhari_service.config           # Service configuration
│   ├── build.cmd / .sh                  # Builds the Docker image
│   ├── run_docker_app.cmd / .sh         # Runs the Docker container
│   ├── curlCommands.cmd / .sh           # REST API testing scripts
│   ├── json_entity_examples.txt         # Sample request bodies
│   └── connectORMCP.md                  # Connecting ORMCP Server to this microservice
└── sources.txt                          # Generated by scripts/compile (not in Git)

All scripts are meant to be run from the project root directory, for example gilhari\build.cmd (Windows) or ./gilhari/build.sh (Linux/Mac). They also work when started from any other directory.

Source Code

The src directory contains the declarations of the underlying shell (container) classes (e.g., JSON_User, JSON_Group, JSON_UserGroup) that are used to define the object-relational mapping (ORM) specification for the corresponding conceptual domain-specific JSON object model classes:

JSON_User, JSON_Group, and JSON_UserGroup classes: Simple shell (container) classes (.java files) corresponding to the domain-specific JSON object model classes of related entities (Container domain model classes)
JDX_JSONObject: Base class of the container domain model classes for handling persistence of domain-specific JSON objects
Container domain model classes: Only need to define two constructors, with most processing handled by the JDX_JSONObject superclass

Note: Gilhari does not require any explicit programmatic definitions (e.g., ES6 style JavaScript classes) for domain-specific JSON object model classes. It handles the data of domain-specific JSON objects using instances of the container domain model classes and the ORM specification.

Configurations

A declarative ORM specification for the domain-specific JSON object model classes and their attributes is defined in config/gilhari_manytomany_example.jdx using the container domain model classes. This file defines the mappings between JSON objects and database tables, including the many-to-many relationship configuration.

Key points:

Update the database URL and JDBC driver in this file according to your setup
See the JDX_DATABASE and JDBC_DRIVER Specification Guide for configuring different databases
The container domain model classes (like JSON_User, JSON_Group) corresponding to the conceptual domain-specific JSON object model classes are defined as subclasses of the JDX_JSONObject class
Appropriate mappings for the domain-specific JSON object model classes are defined in the ORM specification file using the corresponding container domain model classes
Many-to-many relationship configuration uses JOIN_COLLECTION_CLASS to define the associations through the join class

For comprehensive details on defining and using container classes and the ORM specification for JSON object models, refer to the "Persisting JSON Objects" section in the JDX User Manual.

Many-to-Many Relationship Configuration

The key to this example is in the ORM specification file (config/gilhari_manytomany_example.jdx), where the many-to-many relationship is configured using a join class pattern.

Join Class Definition:

CLASS .JSON_UserGroup TABLE USER_GRP
    VIRTUAL_ATTRIB uId ATTRIB_TYPE int
    VIRTUAL_ATTRIB gId ATTRIB_TYPE int
    PRIMARY_KEY uId gId
;

Join Collection for Users in a Group:

JOIN_COLLECTION_CLASS ArrayUsers COLLECTION_TYPE ARRAY ELEMENT_CLASS .JSON_User JOIN_CLASS .JSON_UserGroup
   PRIMARY_KEY gId
   JOIN_KEY uId
;

Join Collection for Groups for a User:

JOIN_COLLECTION_CLASS ArrayGroups COLLECTION_TYPE ARRAY ELEMENT_CLASS .JSON_Group JOIN_CLASS .JSON_UserGroup
    PRIMARY_KEY uId
    JOIN_KEY gId
;

Relationship in Group class:

CLASS .JSON_Group TABLE GRP
    ...
    RELATIONSHIP users REFERENCES ArrayUsers BYVALUE WITH gId
;

Relationship in User class:

CLASS .JSON_User TABLE USER
    ...
    RELATIONSHIP groups REFERENCES ArrayGroups BYVALUE WITH uId
;

This configuration creates a bidirectional many-to-many relationship where:

Users can have multiple Groups
Groups can have multiple Users
The UserGroup join table manages the associations

Docker Configuration

The gilhari/Dockerfile builds a RESTful Gilhari microservice using:

Base Gilhari image (softwaretree/gilhari)
Compiled domain model (.class) files
Configuration files including the ORM specification and a JDBC driver

The Docker build context is the project root, so the ADD paths in the Dockerfile (bin, config, gilhari/gilhari_service.config) are relative to the project root.

Service Configuration

The gilhari/gilhari_service.config file specifies runtime parameters for the RESTful Gilhari microservice:

{
  "gilhari_microservice_name": "gilhari_manytomany_example",
  "jdx_orm_spec_file": "./config/gilhari_manytomany_example.jdx",
  "jdbc_driver_path": "/node/node_modules/jdxnode/external_libs/sqlite-jdbc-3.50.3.0.jar",
  "jdx_debug_level": 3,
  "jdx_force_create_schema": "true",
  "jdx_persistent_classes_location": "./bin",
  "classnames_map_file": "config/classnames_map_example.json",
  "gilhari_rest_server_port": 8081
}

The paths in this file (e.g., ./config/..., ./bin) are resolved inside the container, relative to the working directory where the Dockerfile copies bin/ and config/.

Service Configuration Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default
`gilhari_microservice_name`	Optional name to identify this Gilhari microservice. The name is logged on console during start up	-
`jdx_orm_spec_file`	Location of the ORM specification file containing mapping for persistent classes	-
`jdbc_driver_path`	Path to the JDBC driver (.jar) file. SQLite driver included by default	-
`jdx_debug_level`	Debug output level (0-5). 0 = most verbose, 5 = minimal. Level 3 outputs all SQL statements	5
`jdx_force_create_schema`	Whether to recreate database schema on each run. `true` = useful for development, `false` = create only once	false
`jdx_persistent_classes_location`	Root location for compiled persistent (Container domain model) classes. Can be a directory (e.g., ./bin) or a JAR file path. Used as a Java CLASSPATH	-
`classnames_map_file`	Optional JSON file that can map names of container domain model classes to (simpler) object class (type) names (e.g., by omitting a package name) to simplify REST URL	-
`gilhari_rest_server_port`	Port number for the RESTful service. This port number may be mapped to different port number (e.g., 80) by a docker run command.	8081

Build Files

scripts/compile.cmd / scripts/compile.sh: Compiles the container domain model classes
sources.txt: Lists the container domain model class source (.java) files for compilation. The compile script generates it from the .java files under src/, so new classes are picked up automatically
gilhari/build.cmd / gilhari/build.sh: Creates the Gilhari Docker image (gilhari_manytomany_example) using gilhari/Dockerfile

Note: Compilation targets JDK version 1.8, which is compatible with the current Gilhari version.

Quick Start

For Quick Evaluation (No SDK Required)

If you just want to see this example in action without modifications:

Clone this repository (pre-compiled classes included)
Install Docker
Build and run (skip compilation step)

For Development and Customization

If you want to modify the object model or create your own Gilhari microservices:

Gilhari SDK: Download and install from https://softwaretree.com
JX_HOME environment variable: Set to the root directory of your Gilhari SDK installation
Java Development Kit (JDK 1.8+) for compilation
Docker installed on your system

Note: The Gilhari SDK contains necessary libraries (JARs) and base classes required for compiling container domain model classes. While pre-compiled .class files are included in this repository for immediate use, you'll need the SDK to make any modifications to the object model or to create your own Gilhari microservices.

Build and Run

Option 1: Quick Run (Using Pre-compiled Classes)

Skip compilation and go straight to Docker:

# Windows
gilhari\build.cmd
gilhari\run_docker_app.cmd

# Linux/Mac
./gilhari/build.sh
./gilhari/run_docker_app.sh

Option 2: Compile and Run (For Modifications)

If you've made changes to the source code:

Ensure JX_HOME is set to your Gilhari SDK installation directory (if JX_HOME is not set, the compile script uses ../.., which is the SDK root when this example is in the SDK's examples directory)

Compile the classes:

# Windows
scripts\compile.cmd

# Linux/Mac
./scripts/compile.sh

Build and run the Docker container:

# Windows
gilhari\build.cmd
gilhari\run_docker_app.cmd

# Linux/Mac
./gilhari/build.sh
./gilhari/run_docker_app.sh

REST API Usage

Once running, access the Gilhari microservice at:

http://localhost:<port>/gilhari/v1/:className

Example endpoints:

http://localhost:80/gilhari/v1/User
http://localhost:80/gilhari/v1/Group
http://localhost:80/gilhari/v1/UserGroup

Supported HTTP Methods

Method	Purpose	Example
GET	Retrieve objects	`GET /gilhari/v1/User`
POST	Create objects	`POST /gilhari/v1/User`
PUT	Update objects	`PUT /gilhari/v1/User`
PATCH	Partial update	`PATCH /gilhari/v1/User`
DELETE	Delete objects	`DELETE /gilhari/v1/User`

Example: Creating Users and Groups with Relationships

Create a Group:

curl -X POST http://localhost:80/gilhari/v1/Group \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "gId": 101,
    "gName": "Developers"
  }'

Create a User with Group membership:

curl -X POST http://localhost:80/gilhari/v1/User \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "uId": 1,
    "uName": "John Doe",
    "groups": [
      {
        "gId": 101,
        "gName": "Developers"
      }
    ]
  }'

Get a User with all their Groups:

curl -X GET "http://localhost:80/gilhari/v1/User/1" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Get a Group with all its Users:

curl -X GET "http://localhost:80/gilhari/v1/Group/101" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Testing the API

All the curl scripts are in gilhari/. Each one first calls the health/check endpoint and stops with a message if the microservice is not running, and writes the responses to curl.log in the directory it is run from.

Comprehensive test scripts:

gilhari/curlCommands.cmd / .sh: Extensive REST API test calls demonstrating many-to-many relationships

The curlCommands script provides a complete demonstration of many-to-many relationship operations:

Creating Users and Groups independently
Associating existing objects through the UserGroup join table
Creating objects with relationships in a single operation
Querying with and without referenced objects (deep=true/false)
Using filters to query specific objects
Aggregate operations (COUNT) on all object types
Managing associations without affecting the related objects
Proper cleanup operations

Run the script to generate a curl.log file with all responses:

# Windows
gilhari\curlCommands.cmd

# Linux/Mac
chmod +x gilhari/*.sh
./gilhari/curlCommands.sh

# Custom port
gilhari\curlCommands.cmd 8899
./gilhari/curlCommands.sh 8899

Other options:

Postman: Import the endpoints for interactive testing
Browser: Access GET endpoints directly
Any REST Client: Standard HTTP methods work with any REST client
ORMCP Server (optional): Use ORMCP Server tools for AI-powered interactions

Using with ORMCP Server (Optional)

This Gilhari microservice can be used with ORMCP Server for AI-powered database interactions. ORMCP Server discovers the object model automatically via the getObjectModelSummary endpoint, so you can query and manipulate User and Group objects and their memberships in natural language.

See gilhari/connectORMCP.md for step-by-step setup instructions, including a ready-to-use Claude Desktop configuration and sample prompts.

Development Tools

Docker Container Access

Shell into a running container:

# Find container ID
docker ps

# Access container
docker exec -it <container-id> bash

View Logs

docker logs <container-id>

Stop Container

docker stop <container-id>

Additional Resources

JDX User Manual: "Persisting JSON Objects" section for detailed ORM specification documentation
Gilhari SDK Documentation: The SDK available for download at https://softwaretree.com
ORMCP Documentation: https://github.com/softwaretree/ormcp-docs
Database Configuration Guide: JDX_DATABASE and JDBC_DRIVER Specification Guide
operationDetails Documentation: See the operationDetails Parameter reference in gilhari-docs for GraphQL-like query capabilities
Connecting ORMCP Server: See gilhari/connectORMCP.md

Platform Notes

Script files are provided for both Windows (.cmd) and Linux/Mac (.sh).

Linux/Mac users: Make scripts executable before running:

chmod +x scripts/*.sh gilhari/*.sh

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Problem: Docker image build fails

Solution: Ensure the base Gilhari image is pulled: docker pull softwaretree/gilhari

Problem: Compilation errors

Solution: Verify JDK 1.8+ is installed and JX_HOME environment variable is set correctly

Problem: Port 80 already in use

Solution: Either stop the service that is already listening on port 80, or change the host port in the gilhari/run_docker_app script (e.g., -p 8080:8081). In the latter case, pass the same port to the curl scripts, for example gilhari\curlCommands.cmd 8080 (Windows) or ./gilhari/curlCommands.sh 8080 (Linux/Mac)

Problem: Database connection errors

Solution: Check config/gilhari_manytomany_example.jdx for the correct database URL and JDBC driver. The URL is used from inside the Docker container, where localhost refers to the container itself. If your database runs outside the container (on your machine or on another server), specify its host and port in the URL in one of these formats:
```
host.docker.internal:<PortNumber>
<DatabaseServer_IP_Address>:<PortNumber>
```
host.docker.internal refers to the machine running Docker (on Linux, add --add-host=host.docker.internal:host-gateway to the docker run command in gilhari/run_docker_app). See the JDX_DATABASE and JDBC_DRIVER Specification Guide for examples for different databases.

Problem: Changes to the SQLite database are lost when the container is removed, or the microservice should use (and update) the database file in your project

Solution: gilhari/Dockerfile copies the config directory, including the SQLite .db file, into the image, so each container works on its own copy of the database. Changes survive docker stop / docker start but are lost when the container is removed, and they never reach the .db file in your project. To use the original file instead, mount the project's config directory over the container's copy. From the project root, run:
```
# Windows (Command Prompt)
docker run --platform linux/amd64 -p 80:8081 -v "%CD%\config:/opt/gilhari_manytomany_example/config" gilhari_manytomany_example:1.0

# Linux/Mac
docker run --platform linux/amd64 -p 80:8081 -v "$(pwd)/config:/opt/gilhari_manytomany_example/config" gilhari_manytomany_example:1.0
```
The database URL in the .jdx file (jdbc:sqlite:./config/...) is relative to the container's working directory (/opt/gilhari_manytomany_example), so it points to the mounted file without any change. Also make sure that jdx_force_create_schema is "false" in gilhari/gilhari_service.config (if you change it, rebuild the image); otherwise the tables are recreated, and their data erased, each time the microservice starts. Keep a backup copy of the .db file, and stop the container before you open or copy the file with other tools.

Problem: Relationships not working correctly

Solution: Verify the ORM specification has proper JOIN_COLLECTION_CLASS definitions and RELATIONSHIP declarations for both sides of the many-to-many relationship

Problem: Circular reference issues when retrieving objects

Solution: This is expected behavior in many-to-many relationships. Use query parameters or projections to control the depth of object retrieval

Support

For issues or questions:

ORMCP Documentation & Issues: https://github.com/softwaretree/ormcp-docs/issues
This example: https://github.com/SoftwareTree/gilhari_manytomany_example/issues
Gilhari SDK: Contact support at gilhari_support@softwaretree.com

License

This example code is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Important: This license applies ONLY to the example code in this repository. The Gilhari software (including the softwaretree/gilhari Docker image and Gilhari SDK) and the embedded JDX ORM software are proprietary products owned by Software Tree.

The Gilhari Docker image includes an evaluation license for testing purposes. For production use or licensing beyond the evaluation period, please visit https://www.softwaretree.com or contact gilhari_support@softwaretree.com.

Ready to try it? Start with the Quick Start section above!

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
bin/com/softwaretree/jdxjsonmanytomanyexample/model		bin/com/softwaretree/jdxjsonmanytomanyexample/model
config		config
gilhari		gilhari
scripts		scripts
src/com/softwaretree/jdxjsonmanytomanyexample/model		src/com/softwaretree/jdxjsonmanytomanyexample/model
.dockerignore		.dockerignore
.gitattributes		.gitattributes
.gitignore		.gitignore
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md

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Gilhari Many-to-Many Example

About This Example

Example Overview

What Makes This Example Different?

User Object Structure

Group Object Structure

UserGroup (Join) Object Structure

Project Structure

Source Code

Configurations

Many-to-Many Relationship Configuration

Docker Configuration

Service Configuration

Service Configuration Parameters

Build Files

Quick Start

For Quick Evaluation (No SDK Required)

For Development and Customization

Build and Run

Option 1: Quick Run (Using Pre-compiled Classes)

Option 2: Compile and Run (For Modifications)

REST API Usage

Supported HTTP Methods

Example: Creating Users and Groups with Relationships

Testing the API

Using with ORMCP Server (Optional)

Development Tools

Docker Container Access

View Logs

Stop Container

Additional Resources

Platform Notes

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Support

License

About

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Resources

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