Jagadish's Blog

Annotating a Resource Adapter

Java EE Connector Architecture 1.6 Specification introduces new features that include meta-data annotations.
These annotations are used to define various resource-adapter artificats and hence it is possible to have a resource-adapter
without deployment descriptor (ra.xml).

Annotations 

@Connector :

Specify that the JavaBean is a resource adapter JavaBean. Used to provide metadata about the capabilities provided by the resource adapter. It is optional to provide a JavaBean implementing the ResourceAdapter interface.

@ConnectionDefinition(s) :

Annotations to represent a connection definition with managed-connection-factory, connection-factory artifact details.

@AdministeredObject :

Designates a JavaBean as an administered object.

@Activation :

Designates a JavaBean as an ActivationSpec JavaBean. Also provides Message Listener details.

@ConfigProperty :

Specifies to the application server, that the decorated property is a configuration property for that JavaBean. Configuration Properties are now auto-discoverable by the application server and hence need not be specified using the deployment descriptor.

Connector annotations support in GlassFish :

GlassFish V3 will be the reference implementation for Java EE 6 Specification (and hence Java EE Connector Architecture 6 Specification)
GlassFish V3 Preview release has support for connector annotations, so one can deploy an annotated resource-adapter.

Java EE 6 Preview SDK will have samples bundle demonstrating various new features introduced.
Mail Connector RA sample will demonstrate a resource-adapter without deployment descriptor.
This sample was bundled in J2EE SDK 1.4 and is now bundled in Java EE 6 Preview SDK with annotations instead of deployment descriptor.

Java EE 6 Preview SDK is available here, soon.

Connectors sample will be available in "SAMPLES_DIR/javaee6/connectors/apps/mailconnector"
Read the documentation of connectors sample ("SAMPLES_DIR/javaee6/connectors/apps/mailconnector/docs") for more details.

Deployment descriptor elements and equivalent annotations:

<connector xmlns="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/j2ee" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/j2ee http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/j2ee/connector_1_5.xsd" version="1.5">    <description>Sample adapter using the JavaMail API</description>     <display-name>InboundResourceAdapter</display-name>     <icon></icon>     <vendor-name>Sun Microsystems, Inc.</vendor-name>     <eis-type>MAIL</eis-type>     <resourceadapter-version>1.0</resourceadapter-version> ... ... ...             <authentication-mechanism>                 <authentication-mechanism-type>BasicPassword</authentication-mechanism-type>                 <credential-interface>javax.resource.spi.security.PasswordCredential</credential-interface>             </authentication-mechanism>             <reauthentication-support>false</reauthentication-support> ... ... </connector>	@Connector(         description = "Sample adapter using the JavaMail API",         displayName = "InboundResourceAdapter",         vendorName = "Sun Microsystems, Inc.",         eisType = "MAIL",         version = "1.0",         authMechanisms = {                 @AuthenticationMechanism(                     authMechanism = "BasicPassword",                     credentialInterface = AuthenticationMechanism.CredentialInterface.PasswordCredential                 )         } /*         // Since the following attribute values denote the default values of the annotation,         // they need not be specified explicitly         transactionSupport = TransactionSupport.TransactionSupportLevel.NoTransaction,         reauthenticationSupport = false */ ) public class ResourceAdapterImpl     implements ResourceAdapter, java.io.Serializable { ... ... }
<connection-definition>                 <managedconnectionfactory-class>samples.connectors.mailconnector.ra.outbound.ManagedConnectionFactoryImpl</managedconnectionfactory-class>                 <config-property>                     <config-property-name>serverName</config-property-name>                     <config-property-type>java.lang.String</config-property-type>                     <config-property-value>UnknownHostName</config-property-value>                 </config-property> ... ...                 <connectionfactory-interface>samples.connectors.mailconnector.api.JavaMailConnectionFactory</connectionfactory-interface>                                            <connectionfactory-impl-class>samples.connectors.mailconnector.ra.outbound.JavaMailConnectionFactoryImpl</connectionfactory-impl-class>                 <connection-interface>samples.connectors.mailconnector.api.JavaMailConnection</connection-interface>                 <connection-impl-class>samples.connectors.mailconnector.ra.outbound.JavaMailConnectionImpl</connection-impl-class>             </connection-definition>	@ConnectionDefinition(         connectionFactory = samples.connectors.mailconnector.api.JavaMailConnectionFactory.class,         connectionFactoryImpl = samples.connectors.mailconnector.ra.outbound.JavaMailConnectionFactoryImpl.class,         connection = samples.connectors.mailconnector.api.JavaMailConnection.class,         connectionImpl = samples.connectors.mailconnector.ra.outbound.JavaMailConnectionImpl.class ) public class ManagedConnectionFactoryImpl implements     ManagedConnectionFactory, Serializable { ... ...  @ConfigProperty(             type = String.class,             defaultValue = "UnknownHostName"     )     public void setServerName(String serverName)     {         String oldName = this.serverName;         this.serverName = serverName;         changes.firePropertyChange("serverName", oldName, serverName);     } }
<messageadapter>                 <messagelistener>                     <messagelistener-type>samples.connectors.mailconnector.api.JavaMailMessageListener</messagelistener-type>                     <activationspec>                         <activationspec-class>samples.connectors.mailconnector.ra.inbound.ActivationSpecImpl</activationspec-class>                         <required-config-property>                             <config-property-name>serverName</config-property-name>                         </required-config-property>                         <required-config-property>                             <config-property-name>userName</config-property-name>                         </required-config-property>                         <required-config-property>                             <config-property-name>password</config-property-name>                         </required-config-property>                         <required-config-property>                             <config-property-name>folderName</config-property-name>                         </required-config-property>                         <required-config-property>                             <description>Normally imap or pop3</description>                             <config-property-name>protocol</config-property-name>                         </required-config-property>                     </activationspec>                 </messagelistener>             </messageadapter>	@Activation(         messageListeners = {samples.connectors.mailconnector.api.JavaMailMessageListener.class} ) public class ActivationSpecImpl implements javax.resource.spi.ActivationSpec,                                            java.io.Serializable { ...  @ConfigProperty()     // serverName property value     private String serverName = new String("");     @ConfigProperty()     // userName property value     private String userName = new String("");     @ConfigProperty()     // password property value     private String password = new String("");     @ConfigProperty()     // folderName property value     private String folderName = new String("Inbox");     // protocol property value     // Normally imap or pop3     @ConfigProperty(             description = "Normally imap or pop3"     )     private String protocol = new String("imap"); ... ... }

References:

• Java EE 6 Preview SDK

• Java EE Connector Architecture 1.6 Specification