https://github.com/lennertsoffers/room-annotation-processor
Research about the workings of the annotation processor of Room
https://github.com/lennertsoffers/room-annotation-processor
annotation-processing java room-database
Last synced: 3 months ago
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Research about the workings of the annotation processor of Room
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/lennertsoffers/room-annotation-processor
- Owner: lennertsoffers
- Created: 2022-12-04T16:34:40.000Z (over 2 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2022-12-04T16:52:09.000Z (over 2 years ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-01-19T18:44:05.415Z (4 months ago)
- Topics: annotation-processing, java, room-database
- Language: Java
- Homepage:
- Size: 178 KB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 1
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
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Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
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README
# Room's annotation processor
Welcome to the README file of my research assignment of Android Application development.
My project can be found in [this article](./markdown/The%20magic%20of%20Room's%20annotation%20processor.md).
## Topic
For this research assignment, I wanted to do something different than just making a plain application. I chose to write a research about annotation processing. With a focus on the annotation processor that Room uses to generate files that handle database interaction in SQLite.
The research consists of two parts:
* The research documents consisting of 5 chapters that explain a lot of theoretical concepts using code snippets
[Link to the introduction document](./markdown/The%20magic%20of%20Room's%20annotation%20processor.md)
* Two demo applications, one made with Room and one made with a self-written annotation processor
You learn a lot by creating applications using concepts, but you learn even more when you try to explain the concepts you learned during the journey. Thats why I chose the methodology of of keep the demo simple and focussing on a wel written documentation that covers the technologies used in the demo applications.
## Planning
I started with the topic I already knew, creating an android application with navigation and fragments that uses Room as a database. Then I wanted to create the same application without Room, but without writing the SQLite implementation myself. That's why I needed an annotation processor.
To create the customized annotation processor, I needed to learn how to work with SQLite, so I followed the Android documentation tutorial for this.
Then I could do some research on how to create an annotation processor and generate source files. It is possible to create source files without any template engine, but I found it more handy to work with templates.
Template engine selection included listing the possible options, and then choosing the best option. I would have chosen Thymeleaf if it was possible to generate plain text files with it, but sadly enough it is optimize for generating xml code. That's why I chose Apache Velocity which is a super easy template engine I fell in love with during the process of using it.
Now I had to bring everything I learned together and recreate the same demo application with the annotation processor.
The final step was to document everything and explain the different parts of the research in detail.
## Time spent
## Overall feeling
Looking back, I'm very proud on the project I made. Its maybe not the most glamourous with the best UI, but in my opinion, the beauty can be found in understanding hard topics.
I'm really proud I was able to create a annotation processor that makes life easier. Just being able to add annotations in you code and have a working database interaction is for me personally why I love Java (and Kotlin).
But I'm also happy that I now finally understand what these annotations really do and what happens in the background. I how that people that are interested and read my research think the same.
The project may be a bit different than your standard application, but I tried my best to meet the requirements, while still keeping the demo clean and easily understandable.
That's why I would score my project a 9/10.
## Sources
* [Android Room](https://developer.android.com/training/data-storage/room)
* [Android SQLite](https://developer.android.com/training/data-storage/sqlite)
* [Apache Velocity](https://velocity.apache.org/)