@mj-biz-apps/common-entities

MemberJunction Generated Entities

This package contains automatically generated TypeScript entity classes that provide strongly-typed representations of database tables in the MemberJunction ecosystem.

Overview

mj_generatedentities contains entity subclasses that are generated and maintained by MemberJunction's code generation system. These entities map directly to database tables and views, providing type-safe access to your data while abstracting away the complexity of data access.

Key features:

• Type-safe data access: All entity properties are strongly typed to match database columns
• Generated code: Automatically maintained by MemberJunction to stay in sync with database schema
• Schema validation: Uses Zod for runtime validation of entity data
• Extensible: Base classes for extending with custom business logic
• MemberJunction integration: Works seamlessly with MemberJunction's data context and API
• Webpack tree-shaking support: Includes LoadGeneratedEntities() function to ensure proper bundling

Installation

This package is a private package used internally within MemberJunction applications:

# Within the MemberJunction monorepo workspace
npm install

Note: This package is marked as private ("private": true) in package.json and is not published to npm.

Dependencies

• @memberjunction/core (v2.43.0): Core MemberJunction functionality including BaseEntity
• @memberjunction/global (v2.43.0): Global utilities and constants
• zod (v3.23.8): Schema validation library

Package Structure

mj_generatedentities/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts                    # Main export file
│   ├── generated/
│   │   └── entity_subclasses.ts    # Auto-generated entity classes
│   └── demo/
│       └── demoContactEntitySubclass.ts  # Example of extending entities
├── dist/                           # Compiled JavaScript output
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
└── README.md

Usage

Important: MemberJunction Entity Creation Pattern

Never directly instantiate entity classes. Always use the Metadata system to ensure proper class registration:

import { Metadata } from '@memberjunction/core';

// ❌ Wrong - bypasses MJ class system
const entity = new UserEntity();

// ✅ Correct - uses MJ metadata system
const md = new Metadata();
const entity = await md.GetEntityObject<UserEntity>('Users');

Loading Generated Entities for Webpack

To ensure generated entities are included in webpack builds (avoiding tree-shaking issues):

import { LoadGeneratedEntities } from 'mj_generatedentities';

// Call this function early in your application initialization
LoadGeneratedEntities();

Working with Entity Classes

import { Metadata, RunView } from '@memberjunction/core';

// Load a single entity by ID
async function getUserById(userId: string): Promise<UserEntity | null> {
  const md = new Metadata();
  const user = await md.GetEntityObject<UserEntity>('Users');
  
  if (await user.Load(userId)) {
    return user;
  }
  return null;
}

// Load multiple entities with RunView
async function getActiveUsers(): Promise<UserEntity[]> {
  const rv = new RunView();
  const result = await rv.RunView<UserEntity>({
    EntityName: 'Users',
    ExtraFilter: `IsActive = 1`,
    OrderBy: 'CreatedAt DESC',
    ResultType: 'entity_object'  // Returns entity objects, not raw data
  });
  
  return result.Results;
}

// Update an entity
async function updateUser(userId: string, updates: Partial<UserEntity>): Promise<boolean> {
  const md = new Metadata();
  const user = await md.GetEntityObject<UserEntity>('Users');
  
  if (await user.Load(userId)) {
    // Apply updates
    Object.assign(user, updates);
    
    // Save changes
    const result = await user.Save();
    return result.Success;
  }
  
  return false;
}

Entity Relationships

import { Metadata, RunView } from '@memberjunction/core';

async function getUserWithRoles(userId: string) {
  const md = new Metadata();
  const user = await md.GetEntityObject<UserEntity>('Users');
  
  if (await user.Load(userId)) {
    // Load related entities using RunView
    const rv = new RunView();
    const rolesResult = await rv.RunView<RoleEntity>({
      EntityName: 'User Roles',
      ExtraFilter: `UserID = '${userId}'`,
      ResultType: 'entity_object'
    });
    
    return {
      user,
      roles: rolesResult.Results
    };
  }
  
  return null;
}

Extending Generated Entities

You can extend the generated entities with custom business logic. Use the @RegisterClass decorator to ensure proper registration:

import { RegisterClass } from '@memberjunction/global';
import { BaseEntity } from '@memberjunction/core';

// Example from demo/demoContactEntitySubclass.ts
@RegisterClass(BaseEntity, 'Contacts', 1)
export class ContactEntity extends ContactBaseEntity {
  // Override property getters/setters (must override both)
  get FirstName(): string {
    console.log("Getting FirstName from subclass");
    return super.FirstName;
  }
  
  set FirstName(value: string) {
    super.FirstName = value;
    console.log("Setting FirstName from subclass");
  }
  
  // Add custom methods
  async getFullName(): Promise<string> {
    return `${this.FirstName} ${this.LastName}`;
  }
  
  // Add custom validation
  override async Validate(): Promise<ValidationResult> {
    const result = await super.Validate();
    
    if (this.Email && !this.Email.includes('@')) {
      result.Success = false;
      result.Errors.push({
        Source: 'Email',
        Message: 'Email must contain @ symbol',
        Type: ValidationErrorType.Failure
      });
    }
    
    return result;
  }
}

Important Notes on Extending Entities

• Always use @RegisterClass decorator to register your subclass with MemberJunction
• When overriding property getters/setters, you MUST override both getter and setter
• Call super methods when overriding to maintain base functionality
• Version parameter in @RegisterClass allows for entity versioning

Zod Schema Validation

Generated entities use Zod for schema validation:

import { z } from 'zod';

// Each generated entity includes a Zod schema
const userSchema = z.object({
  ID: z.string(),
  FirstName: z.string(),
  LastName: z.string(),
  Email: z.string().email(),
  IsActive: z.boolean(),
  CreatedAt: z.date(),
  UpdatedAt: z.date()
});

// Validate data before creating entities
async function createUserFromData(userData: unknown) {
  const result = userSchema.safeParse(userData);
  
  if (result.success) {
    const md = new Metadata();
    const user = await md.GetEntityObject<UserEntity>('Users');
    await user.LoadFromData(result.data);
    
    const saveResult = await user.Save();
    return saveResult.Success;
  } else {
    console.error('Validation errors:', result.error.format());
    return false;
  }
}

Entity Base Class Methods

All generated entities inherit from BaseEntity and provide these key methods:

Method	Description
Load(id: CompositeKey)	Loads an entity by its primary key
LoadFromData(data: any)	Populates entity from a data object
Save(options?: EntitySaveOptions)	Saves changes to the database
Delete()	Deletes the entity from the database
Validate()	Validates the entity, returns ValidationResult
GetFieldValue(fieldName: string)	Gets the value of a specific field
SetFieldValue(fieldName: string, value: any)	Sets the value of a specific field
TransactionMode	Property to control transaction behavior

Build Scripts

# Build the package
npm run build

# Development mode with auto-reload
npm run start

# Run tests (not implemented yet)
npm test

Code Generation

This package is automatically maintained by MemberJunction's code generation system. The entity_subclasses.ts file is generated based on your database schema.

Important: Do not manually edit files in the generated/ directory as they will be overwritten during the next code generation cycle.

To regenerate entities:

• Ensure your database schema is up to date
• Run the MemberJunction code generation tool from the appropriate package
• The generated files will be automatically updated

Development Notes

• The package includes TypeScript declaration files (*.d.ts) in the dist folder
• Source maps are generated for debugging
• The loadModule export in entity_subclasses.ts ensures the module is valid even when empty
• Use the demo file as a reference for creating custom entity subclasses

License

Business Source License 1.1 — see LICENSE for details.