Spring -Mongodb storing/retrieving enums as int not string - spring

Question

My enums are stored as int in mongodb (from C# app). Now in Java, when I try to retrieve them, it throws an exception (it seems enum can be converted from string value only). Is there any way I can do it?
Also when I save some collections into mongodb (from Java), it converts enum values to string (not their value/cardinal). Is there any override available?
This can be achieved by writing mongodb-converter on class level but I don't want to write mondodb-converter for each class as these enums are in many different classes.
So do we have something on the field level?

Answer 1

After a long digging in the spring-mongodb converter code,
Ok i finished and now it's working :) here it is (if there is simpler solution i will be happy see as well, this is what i've done ) :
first define :
public interface IntEnumConvertable {
public int getValue();
}
and a simple enum that implements it :
public enum tester implements IntEnumConvertable{
vali(0),secondvali(1),thirdvali(5);
private final int val;
private tester(int num)
{
val = num;
}
public int getValue(){
return val;
}
}
Ok, now you will now need 2 converters , one is simple ,
the other is more complex. the simple one (this simple baby is also handling the simple convert and returns a string when cast is not possible, that is great if you want to have enum stored as strings and for enum that are numbers to be stored as integers) :
public class IntegerEnumConverters {
#WritingConverter
public static class EnumToIntegerConverter implements Converter<Enum<?>, Object> {
#Override
public Object convert(Enum<?> source) {
if(source instanceof IntEnumConvertable)
{
return ((IntEnumConvertable)(source)).getValue();
}
else
{
return source.name();
}
}
}
}
the more complex one , is actually a converter factory :
public class IntegerToEnumConverterFactory implements ConverterFactory<Integer, Enum> {
#Override
public <T extends Enum> Converter<Integer, T> getConverter(Class<T> targetType) {
Class<?> enumType = targetType;
while (enumType != null && !enumType.isEnum()) {
enumType = enumType.getSuperclass();
}
if (enumType == null) {
throw new IllegalArgumentException(
"The target type " + targetType.getName() + " does not refer to an enum");
}
return new IntegerToEnum(enumType);
}
#ReadingConverter
public static class IntegerToEnum<T extends Enum> implements Converter<Integer, Enum> {
private final Class<T> enumType;
public IntegerToEnum(Class<T> enumType) {
this.enumType = enumType;
}
#Override
public Enum convert(Integer source) {
for(T t : enumType.getEnumConstants()) {
if(t instanceof IntEnumConvertable)
{
if(((IntEnumConvertable)t).getValue() == source.intValue()) {
return t;
}
}
}
return null;
}
}
}
and now for the hack part , i personnaly didnt find any "programmitacly" way to register a converter factory within a mongoConverter , so i digged in the code and with a little casting , here it is (put this 2 babies functions in your #Configuration class)
#Bean
public CustomConversions customConversions() {
List<Converter<?, ?>> converters = new ArrayList<Converter<?, ?>>();
converters.add(new IntegerEnumConverters.EnumToIntegerConverter());
// this is a dummy registration , actually it's a work-around because
// spring-mongodb doesnt has the option to reg converter factory.
// so we reg the converter that our factory uses.
converters.add(new IntegerToEnumConverterFactory.IntegerToEnum(null));
return new CustomConversions(converters);
}
#Bean
public MappingMongoConverter mappingMongoConverter() throws Exception {
MongoMappingContext mappingContext = new MongoMappingContext();
mappingContext.setApplicationContext(appContext);
DbRefResolver dbRefResolver = new DefaultDbRefResolver(mongoDbFactory());
MappingMongoConverter mongoConverter = new MappingMongoConverter(dbRefResolver, mappingContext);
mongoConverter.setCustomConversions(customConversions());
ConversionService convService = mongoConverter.getConversionService();
((GenericConversionService)convService).addConverterFactory(new IntegerToEnumConverterFactory());
mongoConverter.afterPropertiesSet();
return mongoConverter;
}

Answer 2

You will need to implement your custom converters and register it with spring.
http://static.springsource.org/spring-data/data-mongo/docs/current/reference/html/#mongo.custom-converters

Answer 3

Isn't it easier to use plain constants rather than an enum...
int SOMETHING = 33;
int OTHER_THING = 55;
or
public class Role {
public static final Stirng ROLE_USER = "ROLE_USER",
ROLE_LOOSER = "ROLE_LOOSER";
}
String yourRole = Role.ROLE_LOOSER