Creating an "IN" query with JPA 2.0 Criteria api - jpa

Question

I am using tje JPA criteria API to create an "IN" query. I want to select Courses that are in certain Categories. The Categories are supposed to end up in the IN part of the query.
This is the Course entity. It has a reference to a Category entity, because each Course is in one Category.
#Entity
public class Course implements DomainObject {
private Long id;
private Integer version;
private String name;
private Category category;
#Override
#Id
#GeneratedValue
public Long getId() {
return id;
}
public void setId(Long id) {
this.id = id;
}
#ManyToOne
public Category getCategory() {
return category;
}
public void setCategory(Category category) {
this.category = category;
}
public String getName() {
return name;
}
public void setName(String name) {
this.name = name;
}
public Integer getVersion() {
return version;
}
public void setVersion(Integer version) {
this.version = version;
}
}
In my service I want to select Courses that are belong to certain (a list) of Categories.
public List<Course> findCourses(CourseFilter filter) {
CriteriaBuilder criteriaBuilder = entityManager.getCriteriaBuilder();
CriteriaQuery<Course> criteriaQuery = criteriaBuilder.createQuery(Course.class);
Root<Course> root = criteriaQuery.from(Course.class);
List<Predicate> predicateList = new ArrayList<Predicate>();
if (!filter.getCategories().isEmpty()) {
Predicate predicate = root.get(Course_.category).in(filter.getCategories());
predicateList.add(predicate);
}
Predicate[] predicates = new Predicate[predicateList.size()];
predicateList.toArray(predicates);
criteriaQuery.where(predicates);
TypedQuery<Course> typedQuery = entityManager.createQuery(criteriaQuery);
return typedQuery.getResultList();
}
When the query executes on the last line of the method it throws an error:
HTTP Status 500 - Request processing failed; nested exception is
org.springframework.dao.InvalidDataAccessApiUsageException:
org.hibernate.TransientObjectException: object references an unsaved transient instance
save the transient instance before flushing:nl.codebasesoftware.produx.domain.Category;
nested exception is java.lang.IllegalStateException:
org.hibernate.TransientObjectException: object references an unsaved transient instance
save the transient instance before flushing: nl.codebasesoftware.produx.domain.Category
I am not even sure I am using the right way to create an IN query. I think the criteria API is terribly complicated. But before I worry about the IN query I would like to know why Hibernate is throwing this TransientObjectException. The filter.getCategories() call results in actual categories, filled with a primary key id, etc.
Added:
Here is how I get the Category instance that I use to later fetch Courses with. This is also a DAO method that is called via a #Service from a #Controller method.
public Category findByName(String name) {
CriteriaBuilder builder = entityManager.getCriteriaBuilder();
CriteriaQuery<Category> query = builder.createQuery(Category.class);
Root<Category> root = query.from(Category.class);
Predicate predicate = builder.equal(root.get(Category_.urlTitle), name);
query.where(predicate);
TypedQuery<Category> typedQuery = entityManager.createQuery(query);
return getSingleResult(typedQuery);
}
So, Hibernate is telling me I am using Category objects that somehow reference an unsaved entity, but I don't see how. The Category that is returned from this method is just a Category that if fetched by Hibernate. I am not doing anything with it before I send it to the method that fetches Courses.
Here is my the controller method:
#RequestMapping(method = RequestMethod.GET, value = "/{categoryUrlName}")
public String setup(#PathVariable("categoryUrlName") String categoryUrlName, Model model){
// Fetch the category
Category category = categoryService.findByName(categoryUrlName);
// if no category found, throw a 404
if(category == null){
throw new ResourceNotFoundException();
}
// Fetch courses in this category
List<Course> courses = courseService.findCourses(category);
model.addAttribute("courses", courses);
model.addAttribute("category", category);
model.addAttribute("mainContent", "content/category");
return "main";
}

Answer 1

Before executing a query, Hibernate flushes the changes you made to persistent entities in the session. This ensures that the query will search on the latest state of all the entities. Unfortunately, one of the dirty entities that Hibernate tries to flush references a transient entity, and thus can't be flushed, which causes the exception. The exception doesn't come from the query itself, but from the flush before the execution of the query.
You probably did something like the following before executing the query:
Cat cat = em.find(Cat.class, catId); // cat is a persistent persistent entity
cat.setMate(new Mouse()); // the mouse has not been persisted, and cat references it.